Codeman
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2004
- Messages
- 2,690
16Mar2008 - Please be aware that Atomic_Chicken appears to have abandon production of the Aviatrix. Please see !!! All Aviatrix and GlowFob Customers Please Read !!!.
Well, my Aviatrix was delivered today, so I immediately preceeded to installation and measurement of the output:
Each measurement was made after running the light for a couple of minutes to allow it to reach a stabilized output.
To see how I arrived at these values and what they represent, see my Ti-PD/PD-S/PD-S-Mizer Shootout. Thanks again to Quickbeam, SilverFox, and Gransee for sharing their knowledge on how to measure output in a meaningful way. :thumbsup:
I'm absolutely ecstatic with my Aviatrix - the same output with 1 LED when running rechargeables as the stock A2 and more than double the output with its 3-LED mode, pure white light, safe running with rechargeables without overdriving them, and extra modes for strobe, marker beacon, and SOS flasher (which conforms to USCG standard timing). Throw in an excellently written and thorough manual, and what we have is an extremely well-done upgrade. What's not to love?
I'll add beamshot comparisons between the stock A2 and the all-white Aviatrix to this post once it gets dark. For the beamshots, I'll be using the BatteryStation 40% cells in the stock A2, and the Powerizers in the A2/Aviatrix.
Until then, as js suggested in The Aviatrix: drop-in LED rings for the SF A2, I face the home of Atomic_Chicken and
:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:
Update #1 - Whitewall shots
I'm not sure what I did with the white balance, but the colors are off. In reality, my stock A2 has the usual angry blue tint while the THC3's are a smooth, creamy white. The light was about 1 ft from the wall, with the camera about 3 feet way, obviously at an angle.
This first set of images was shot at 1/33.6 sec - F/2.8 to accurately reflect relative output:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
This second set of images was shot at 1/2 sec - F/5, to better capture the shape of the overall beam, so the hotspots are very overexposed:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
So much for whitewall shots. IMO, they may be fun to look at and dissect, but they don't really convey the usefulness of the light. As soon as it's dark, I'm headed to the garage for some real use shots. In the meantime...
Update #2 - Closeup shots
For these images, exposure was locked on the A2/Aviatrix 3-LED (1/3.8 sec - F/2.8):
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
The distortion in the shadows for the stock and 3-LED shots was caused by the slightly different angles from the 3 LED's.
Update #3 - Payoff in the Garage
For these images, exposure was manually set at 4 sec - F/5 to capture the most realistic representation:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
The orange cone was 17-18 ft away from the lights.
This last set of images is close to what my eyes see, though slightly darker. I tried an 8 sec exposure, but the resulting image was quite a bit brighter than what my eyes saw. 6 sec would have been about right, but the only way to do that was to use a stop watch, and I'd need another light to see it, and that would have screwed up the pictures, so I settled on 4 sec.
As the Calc'd lumens show, the Aviatrix on 1-LED has the same output as the stock A2. It may seem like that's not the case if you look at these images casually, but note that the overhead flourescent is more visible with the A2/Aviatrix 1-LED. The light distribution is vastly different, and much better with the Aviatrix, IMO.
Regardless of the slight dimness, they are definitely the most useful shots that I took tonight. Not only do they correctly show the relative differences in brightness and colors (including the stock A2's angry blue), but they also reveal the much more useful, flood-like beam of the Aviatrix.
Better color and much more useful beam - just what the A2's LEDs needed.
Well, my Aviatrix was delivered today, so I immediately preceeded to installation and measurement of the output:
Each measurement was made after running the light for a couple of minutes to allow it to reach a stabilized output.
To see how I arrived at these values and what they represent, see my Ti-PD/PD-S/PD-S-Mizer Shootout. Thanks again to Quickbeam, SilverFox, and Gransee for sharing their knowledge on how to measure output in a meaningful way. :thumbsup:
I'm absolutely ecstatic with my Aviatrix - the same output with 1 LED when running rechargeables as the stock A2 and more than double the output with its 3-LED mode, pure white light, safe running with rechargeables without overdriving them, and extra modes for strobe, marker beacon, and SOS flasher (which conforms to USCG standard timing). Throw in an excellently written and thorough manual, and what we have is an extremely well-done upgrade. What's not to love?
I'll add beamshot comparisons between the stock A2 and the all-white Aviatrix to this post once it gets dark. For the beamshots, I'll be using the BatteryStation 40% cells in the stock A2, and the Powerizers in the A2/Aviatrix.
Until then, as js suggested in The Aviatrix: drop-in LED rings for the SF A2, I face the home of Atomic_Chicken and
:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:
Update #1 - Whitewall shots
I'm not sure what I did with the white balance, but the colors are off. In reality, my stock A2 has the usual angry blue tint while the THC3's are a smooth, creamy white. The light was about 1 ft from the wall, with the camera about 3 feet way, obviously at an angle.
This first set of images was shot at 1/33.6 sec - F/2.8 to accurately reflect relative output:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
This second set of images was shot at 1/2 sec - F/5, to better capture the shape of the overall beam, so the hotspots are very overexposed:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
So much for whitewall shots. IMO, they may be fun to look at and dissect, but they don't really convey the usefulness of the light. As soon as it's dark, I'm headed to the garage for some real use shots. In the meantime...
Update #2 - Closeup shots
For these images, exposure was locked on the A2/Aviatrix 3-LED (1/3.8 sec - F/2.8):
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
The distortion in the shadows for the stock and 3-LED shots was caused by the slightly different angles from the 3 LED's.
Update #3 - Payoff in the Garage
For these images, exposure was manually set at 4 sec - F/5 to capture the most realistic representation:
A2/Stock
A2/Aviatrix, 1-LED
A2/Aviatrix, 3-LED
The orange cone was 17-18 ft away from the lights.
This last set of images is close to what my eyes see, though slightly darker. I tried an 8 sec exposure, but the resulting image was quite a bit brighter than what my eyes saw. 6 sec would have been about right, but the only way to do that was to use a stop watch, and I'd need another light to see it, and that would have screwed up the pictures, so I settled on 4 sec.
As the Calc'd lumens show, the Aviatrix on 1-LED has the same output as the stock A2. It may seem like that's not the case if you look at these images casually, but note that the overhead flourescent is more visible with the A2/Aviatrix 1-LED. The light distribution is vastly different, and much better with the Aviatrix, IMO.
Regardless of the slight dimness, they are definitely the most useful shots that I took tonight. Not only do they correctly show the relative differences in brightness and colors (including the stock A2's angry blue), but they also reveal the much more useful, flood-like beam of the Aviatrix.
Better color and much more useful beam - just what the A2's LEDs needed.
Last edited:
