Ok so I got this idea not while showering, but because I’m very high. The story does come from my bathroom though! I have a night light in my bathroom, and I was looking at the night light as I turned off the bathroom light. I’m a big nerd so I remembered that the things that detect light levels are actually diodes wired in reverse. I thought it would be funny to make it flicker by reflecting the light back on the diode, but it didn’t work. That’s when I had this realization
Like some motors they operate best at a certain duty cycle.
The issue with some really cheap ones is that it’s obvious.
It’s also why, if you’re so inclined at Christmas time, led string lights on trees are hard to photograph since you’ll catch some of them on while others are off at the time of the photo.
I hate the flickering Christmas lights. They give me headaches.