How I got started in LED flashlights

[Gransee]

The whole thing that got me started making LED flashlights for you was my displeasure with a popular lithium coin cell squeeze light. That and a healthy dose of naiveté. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I have been a flashlight lover every since I can remember. Growing up I had all sorts of lights. My budget was very modest so the lights I had broke very easily. You could say that I am now trying to fix that problem with my more expensive lights. I followed LEDs for awhile. I bought one the first blue LEDs when they came out. It cost me $6 at RS and it was huge (10mm package) and dim. Although I continued my facination with LEDs (I used to buy the RS 20pc assortments), I did not consider them best for flashlights.

Here's some notes from my journal at that time:

High Performance Flashlight
6/24/98pm

- 12 volt Xenon Bulb
- Shock resistant bulb mount
- Rectangular Aircraft aluminum housing (doesn't roll)
- Spare bulb storage
- Twist to focus round lens (removes to access lamp, spare bulb, and assembly screws)
Also, removing lens allows light to be used as a room lamp (has built in diffuser)
- Water proof
- Wall mounted charger station (slip rings connect to housing on either side of o-rings)
- Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery pack 4, 3volt/3000mah cells
- Long life switch
- Status LED (yellow-charging, green-ready, Slow flashing red-locator, fast red-low battery, off-in use)
- Optional rubber cover, carry strap, night vision lens, etc
- Optional Multi-element LED lamp (red or infrared). Very high brightness (similar to the
LED’s used in traffic lights). Longer lamp life, higher efficiency.

User serviceable parts (replace switch, etc)

>> Fluorescent tube version

- Standard 120vac Compact 30 Watt folded tube
- Wall mounted Charger station. Power failure mode lights room in event of failure
- 100 Watt 12volt Lithium Ion battery (expensive)
- Single 12vdc/120 VAC outlets for powering small appliances (radio, tv, laptop, etc)
- LCD battery charge meter


But while helping some friends move, one of them showed me his blue ASP saphire light. I was amazed at how far the LEDs had come since the blue I had bought from RS. I went online and did a search for LED flashlights and ended up at the Photon (LRI) website. I bought 2 of them (a white and a blue) from Bryan Avery's site but his site was hacked and my card info went to russia. I contacted him, the FBI got involved, canceled the card, finally got the lights and so on.

This was in late 1999. I played with my photons for a while and even ordered a third one. The first white was the wide angle and the second white was a narrow beam. I carried them on my keychain and also loose in my pockets.

The honeymoon was short though. I noticed my flashlights were getting dim. So began my epic journey to replace the batteries. First off, I had to get them open. I thought, "no problem" but none of my jewelers screwdrivers would fit. So I went to the local circuit specs store and bought another set of drivers and some coin cells. I got home and the new set of drivers did not work either. Worse yet, all this trying was wearing the screw heads down which would eventually make my high tech lights useless. I went to another store (I don't remember the name) and finally found a screwdriver that could loosen the screws. I was amazed at how simple the inside of the flashlight was. I also noticed it was not waterproof.

All that work to change the batteries got me thinking. When I pay for technology, I expect it to carry some of it's own weight. But I never had to do so much work to change a battery in any of my old technology flashlights. I felt cheated. LEDs had promised to usher in a new age of light technology but instead I was consigned to drudgery.

I thought, "I can do better". Combine that feeling with a healthy dose of ignornance to the matter of manufacturing (even though this was my 4th business, I had never been in manufacturing) and I was on a mission.

An exerpt from my journal around that time:

Tuesday 11/28/00 PM

LED Flash Light

Why not boost the output and lower the endurance? At least have the switch option. Yes, there is the cost. For example, 3 C cells can run 7 LED’s for over 40 hours. What about 14 LED’s for over 20 hours? If I wanted longer life, I would simply switch into different modes. The twist cap could provide at first 2 LED’s then 14 LED’s as the cap is untwisted.

Granted, 14 LED’s wastes a lot of space to packaging. Until higher output devices are developed, I feel better designing smaller units like a 3 LED unit.

Unless a DC-to-DC inverter can be made that is small, cost effective and over 90% efficient, I prefer to boost the voltage by using more cells. But the ideal form factor would be a single AA battery with 3 LED’s. The housing would be metal, waterproof and have a twist top. The inverter would also help maximize the light brightness with different types of cells (NiCad, NiMi, Li, etc). Every effort should be made to reduce the length of the housing including shrinking the spring and placing it at the top of the
housing instead of the bottom, keep the LED shroud the same size as the battery housing, use a flush lanyard mount and using a SMD IC for the stepper circuit (no bulky transformer- switching design instead, similar to the circuit used in “Indiglo” watches). I imagine with 3 LED’s the battery life would still be in excess of 12 hours. Too bad the LED’s don’t come in smaller cases. I am thinking it might be a good idea to shave the base of LED’s a little to make them fit better into a small flashlight. This could be done without reducing the light quality or making the LED any more fragile.

Originally, I was going to make a single AA light. I built a prototype called the Arc-4. It had 4, 5mm LEDs, a regulator and was powered by a single AA cell. It wasn't perfect though. I had been on the CPF for awhile (joined 01/26/01) and at the time Brock was making some good points on why there should be a single AAA LED flashlight. I found a kindred spirit with his ideas and I realized the AAA was what I was looking for.

The more I worked on the AAA design, the better I liked it. I got the help of Larry Stafford (I was dating his daughter Merri at the time) to build the first circuit boards and housings. I still have those original prototypes. I later found a machine shop and CM to build the parts and offered them for sale in May of 2001 here on the CPF.

I really had my doubts that a single unit would sell. I was just happy to have one for myself. I had planned on making 100 units but I recieved orders for 180 units. On top of that, I ran out of money and couldn't finish the first set of units. I borrowed some money, finished the units and shipped them all out. That first run of Arc-AAAs were terrible. Almost every unit was later returned with problems. On top of that, they cost me more in production costs alone than what I sold them for. So things didn't bode well from the get go. I kept going though because I knew I could fix the problems and I was in amazement at the level of support I was getting from the CPF. You guys really encouraged me to keep plugging away at this. We fixed the problems, found better suppliers, lowered the costs, refined the business. Everything happened one step at a time and today, here we are.

This is a condensed version of the story of course, but it should give you an idea. Thanks again so much for making this possible!

Peter Gransee
Arc Flashlight

[Ardy]

Right on Peter, kudo to you Sir.
This is what I call a true American business story.
a dream, a passion, and voila!!!
Long live American capitalism.
God Bless our homeland,
Ardy [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[avusblue]

I cannot think of another product line, or another company, in any industry, that is as much loved and supported by its customers as Arc. We are glad for your success and hope it continues for many more years.

How about you consider making this post a "sticky" (or part of your FAQ) and continually adding to the story -- you seem to have left out the "LS" chapter(s). [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Dave

Write a book! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[BobG]

Great story. We may have to punch it up a little for the made-for-TV movie, but we have all the basic ingredients. I am old enough to have actually been a student of W. Edwards Deming back in the early 70's at Fordham. Deming was the man who taught the Japanese what "Quality" was all about (as did Joseph Juran and a few others). What struck me about your story is the fact that so many of the founders of great businesses all had one common response to the question of how did you get started. They would all start the story by saying "if I knew how hard it was going to be I never would have started at all..."

They also had vision (you obviously have that) and a passion for their product (yours is evident in every light you make). From the instant I held an Arc AAA in my hand I knew it was something special. The few interactions I have had with the Arc "team" have all been remarkably enjoyable. Here are people (top to bottom) that care about their products and their customers. Mr. Gransee, you may think you have come far, but I am certain you will succeed one-hundred fold from where you are today as long as you continue in the tradition and attitude with which you began. I wish you and yours good health and great fortune. Now get back to work on the LS4 -- I really want that light.

[Gone Jeepin]

Interesting story. I always wonder how some companies get started and what keeps them moving forward. I would also like to hear the chapter of the development of the LS in Peters own words.

I am looking forward to the release of the "AA" and LS4. I am sure there will be some good stories around the development of those lights as well.

Thanks for sharing Peter. Best wishes to you and the Arc family.

[Atomic6]

Thanks! Cool and interesting foundation. First the light went on, and the then the lights went on...........
Atomic6

[Hoghead]

Peter
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Best Regards

[BT1324]

hey peter,
how did you know how to build all the cicuitry stuff and work with the metal?

[geepondy]

Peter,
As I've posted before, a friend girl still uses your original Arc AAA. I have since given her an Arc LE but she still uses the original because it works and she sees no reason to change.

[PlayboyJoeShmoe]

AWESOME story Peter!

I only have an AAA Standard at this time...

But I guess I have to start an LS fund now!

GOOD LUCK in all future ventures!

[PaulW]

Peter,

A great account. It's always fun to see the story behind the product or the person. Thanks for sharing it.

Paul

[Brock]

Yaaaaaa. You know I haven't said this enough. I really like Surefire’s and use them a lot. But the light I still use the most is the Arc AAA. Boy am I glad I bugged Peter way back when to build them. I still have one of the first run lights and it still works. It is one of my favorites.

Keep up the great work!

Now to get a 1w on the head of an AAA
Oh and with dimming...

[snakebite]

good thing you stuck with it.
now you have 2 mature and stable products to show for it.
the arc's are 1 of the few tools i have that other techs must have when they see them in use.

[carl]

Peter, you've got guts! Glad you went for it rather than sit on the sidelines playing it safe in life (like 99% of the rest of us) only to regret it later at your deathbed. Wise choice to follow your God-given gifts and talents.

A parallel to this is:

"Where there are no oxen the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest"