Flicker Tester – Bespoke LED Camera Testing Controller

At EMP Designs Ltd, we regularly create bespoke control solutions for clients who need something highly specific for a production, test setup, or one-off technical challenge.

Many of these projects are designed to help clients prove a concept before committing to a final solution. We develop custom products that allow crews to carry out testing independently on location.

One example of this is our Flicker Tester.

Why Was It Developed?

As new cameras are released and productions use an increasingly wide range of camera systems, the way LED lighting behaves on camera has become more important than ever.

Many LED fixtures and panels use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to control brightness. While this works well in general use, the PWM frequency can sometimes interact with camera shutter speeds or frame rates, causing visible flicker, rolling bands, or scrolling artefacts on screen.

This means a light that appears perfectly stable to the eye may not appear stable through the lens.

The Solution

Our Flicker Tester was developed to give clients a practical tool for testing LED sources in real filming conditions.

The unit allows users to connect an LED panel or light source and adjust:

• Brightness

• Colour output 

• PWM frequency 

  
  

For this particular project, the frequency was adjustable between 100Hz and 25 kHz, enabling the client to quickly test how different settings performed with their chosen camera system.

Why It Matters

By being able to trial multiple frequencies on set, the client could identify the most camera-friendly operating range before moving forward with a final production-ready controller.

Once the ideal frequency is known, we can then develop a dedicated solution tuned specifically for that application.

Bespoke Tools for Real Production Problems

Not every challenge needs an off-the-shelf product. Sometimes productions need a fast, intelligent way to test an idea and prove what works.

That is exactly where custom development can make the difference.

If you have a specialist lighting control requirement, camera testing challenge, or unique practical effect to solve, EMP Designs Ltd can help create the right solution.

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