What kind of lamp to use with a stroboscopic disc?

quincy, "a bit of 'advance' on their tables, which is more pleasing to the brain for some odd reason"

I expect that "lively" sounds inherantly better than "draggy". ;^)

The KAB battery strobe is the way to go, but the strobe disc you 'printed out' is only partially accurate.  You really need to purchase the "Cardas Frequency Sweep and Burn-In Record.  It has a set of various strobe speeds printed on the label.  You should set your table speed with the stylus engaged into a record grove.  Believe it or not the slight, minuscule drag from the diamond in the groove will create RPM loss, which may lead to unhappy listening sessions. Some people  even run a bit of 'advance' on their tables, which is more pleasing to the brain for some odd reason.

Thanks for telling us about the app, brf.  I would never have thought to check for an app.  If you are too non-tech to go that route, the no-brainer solution is to buy the hand-held, battery powered strobe from KAB.  Along with their strobe disc, you will have a very accurate estimate of speed.  The others are correct to say that depending upon a steady 60Hz AC line frequency powering the bulb is chancy.

You will need a turntable strobe strobe disk.  The markings will be set for either a 50hz or 60hz line frequency depending on your country's power supply.  In North America, we have 60hz power.  Just set the StrobeLight at 60hz and point it at the revolving strobe disc.  When the table's speed reaches 33.333RPM, the strobe lines will appear stationary.

@miner42 
Would you be so kind as to walk me through how to use that app with a turntable? The documentation is pretty thin. Thanks!

On my iPhone 6 Plus I use the app StrobeLight by Motionics.  You can adjust the speed of the strobe so it is very helpful

If you have a Smart Phone, there are many light strobe apps that you can download for free

@stringreen 
many thanks for the quick response. It's odd – I thought fluorescent was the case. So I tried a fluorescent desk lamp that I have and it didn't work. I will look into one of those night lights that you talk about.

fluorescent - get a night light at Home Depot.