[Vids] Disrupting magnetic controlled light

This question suddenly comes in my mind
Did any maniac every tried to trick the magnetic controlled system
The point is durablility of magnetic switch
Will it easily get affected
People who work in transformer station or powerplant might want to find this out
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Updated, vids added 9/9/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dp0ZI2NHdU

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

Only when you put a powerful magnet close to the control ring does it affect the mechanism. Most light electronics are very well shielded as far as EMF goes. I've taken a small rare earth magnet and held it close to the control ring and have changed the lights output. But simply working around strong electric fields won't affect them.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

just tried a hard drive magnet and the light beam was easily changed as I moved it around the ring. (jetbeam rrt-0)

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

I have a VIP signal light, that's easily changed by the magnet on the bottom of a Seattle Water Sports signal light.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

I have that C shaped harddisk magnet too but i didnt do so
Seems the magnetic control is a B-field detector(sth like hall effect, which detects change in B-field)
Instead of another magnet inside the driver, i.e. the a pair of magnetic window cleaner

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

Just tried mine on V20C
Vids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Dp0ZI2NHdU

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

I work on MRI's for a living (big superconducting magnets). I've noted that any PWM regulated light, at least that I have, does not work around the field in the regulated modes, they just shut off. Probably has something to do with an inductor changing inductance in the light. They do however work in direct drive modes (high). The lights I've tried that exhibit this are my Preons, Olight I1, 4Sevens Mini AA2, iTP A3, and Solarforce 3 mode drop in.

My current controlled lights all function perfectly. Quarks, Fenix E15, and LD20. Also cheapie single mode 5mm led shower head lights seem to work well.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

pinetree89 said:

I work on MRI's for a living (big superconducting magnets). I've noted that any PWM regulated light, at least that I have, does not work around the field in the regulated modes, they just shut off. Probably has something to do with an inductor changing inductance in the light. They do however work in direct drive modes (high). The lights I've tried that exhibit this are my Preons, Olight I1, 4Sevens Mini AA2, iTP A3, and Solarforce 3 mode drop in.

My current controlled lights all function perfectly. Quarks, Fenix E15, and LD20. Also cheapie single mode 5mm led shower head lights seem to work well.

Click to expand...

Current controlled but magnetic ringed or clicky?

My magnet seemed not to affect clicky+pwm light

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

jh333233 said:

Current controlled but magnetic ringed or clicky?

Click to expand...

Current controlled + clicky is no problem. My clicky + pwm Preon 2 is a no go. At least on the low modes. High only.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

Wow, I never even knew that you could interfere with drivers using magnetic fields. Now I'm going through all of my lights and seeing if they're effected by a fairly strong neodymium magnet that I have. If any of them get damaged by this I'm sending you the bill

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

JacobJones said:

If any of them get damaged by this I'm sending you the bill

Click to expand...

My latest pwm light, an Olight i1, I could feel something moving around inside when in the magnetic field. I could've just been the tail spring, but I suddenly had visions of some ferrite core inductor about to rip itself apart. I decided at that point that this light would not be relegated to work duty. Granted, this field is quite large, 15000gauss/1.5Tesla.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

some times cheap hot wires do have there uses

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

pinetree89 said:

My latest pwm light, an Olight i1, I could feel something moving around inside when in the magnetic field. I could've just been the tail spring, but I suddenly had visions of some ferrite core inductor about to rip itself apart. I decided at that point that this light would not be relegated to work duty. Granted, this field is quite large, 15000gauss/1.5Tesla.

Click to expand...

Wow, where do you work?
1.5T is enough to induce a quite large voltage(than nominal magnet) with a coil

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

I don't think anyone over the age of 5 will ever intend to cause serious harm by using super-strong magnets to temporarily switch people's flashlights to Strobe mode. Yes, it can be done, but there's no tactical advantage to doing so.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

fyrstormer said:

I don't think anyone over the age of 5 will ever intend to cause serious harm by using super-strong magnets to temporarily switch people's flashlights to Strobe mode. Yes, it can be done, but there's no tactical advantage to doing so.

Click to expand...

Read the first post before being cocky

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

jh333233 said:

[...]The point is durablility of magnetic switch
Will it easily get affected
People who work in transformer station or powerplant might want to find this out

Click to expand...

You need a very powerful magnetic field to permanently affect a magnet (because there is one or two in your flashlight and they are the only part that might fail due to magnetic forces). Magnetic fields are also subject to inverse square law, so your light might still last for a while even if you work in a powerplant, but you could in some cases have a hard time controlling your modes if you're close enough to equipment that give off EMF.

pinetree89 said:

My latest pwm light, an Olight i1, I could feel something moving around inside when in the magnetic field. I could've just been the tail spring, but I suddenly had visions of some ferrite core inductor about to rip itself apart. I decided at that point that this light would not be relegated to work duty. Granted, this field is quite large, 15000gauss/1.5Tesla.

Click to expand...

15K gauss? I'd try not to bring anything made of iron or steel, especially EDC stuff, by fear I'd make all compasses point in the wrong direction after work, but I DO use a compass every now and then, so...

Interesting observation on PWM not working inside this magnetic field. May I ask what is the nature of this field?

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

Cataract said:

You need a very powerful magnetic field to permanently affect a magnet (because there is one or two in your flashlight and they are the only part that might fail due to magnetic forces). Magnetic fields are also subject to inverse square law, so your light might still last for a while even if you work in a powerplant, but you could in some cases have a hard time controlling your modes if you're close enough to equipment that give off EMF.


15K gauss? I'd try not to bring anything made of iron or steel, especially EDC stuff, by fear I'd make all compasses point in the wrong direction after work, but I DO use a compass every now and then, so...

Interesting observation on PWM not working inside this magnetic field. May I ask what is the nature of this field?

Click to expand...

Doesn't matter if your compass gets reversed, it's easy to fix with a small neodymium magnet. When I noticed my compass was pointing south instead of north I got really paranoid thinking the earths poles had switched, then I discovered that compasses could be reversed by magnetic fields so I fixed it. However if a little magnet like that is powerfull enough to reverse compasses surely it's powerfull enough to ruin a magnetic switch. Also this little neodymium magnet I have interferes with PWM

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

I'd prefer not to have to fool around my compass, in case I get lost in the woods because I can't see the sun...

A compass needle is pretty flat and pointy, so easier to remagnetize. Hopefully the magnets in control rings are harder to screw up, but I wouldn't take a chance. What I really meant is that you probably won't be sitting on equipment that emit electromagnetic fields, so the field at which your flashlight will be subjected to should be a lot weaker than a neodymium magnet held right against it (except in cases like pinetree, where the whole room seems to be subjected to a REALLY strong magnetic field, but if you work in an environment like that, chance are you know about it). Personally, for the price I pay my lights, I prefer not to take a chance to start with and I'd stick with an EDC that has proven not to fail in such an environment if I had to work in a power plant or the likes.

Re: Ever tried to disrupt magnetic control by a powerful magnet?

Cataract said:

15K gauss? I'd try not to bring anything made of iron or steel, especially EDC stuff, by fear I'd make all compasses point in the wrong direction after work, but I DO use a compass every now and then, so...

Click to expand...

I mostly avoid bringing any ferrous tool around that kind of field. My screwdrives/wrenches are Titanium. For this reason I avoid stainless steel lights. The pocket clip on my Preon's and Olight i1 are about the most I could really reasonably handle.

Cataract said:

May I ask what is the nature of this field?

Click to expand...

MRI. Superconducting magnet.

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