External "find me light"?

[Paul]

While looking for a nice headlight to buy, this thought passed me:
What about making/buying a small continuously blinking light to attach on other equipment?
The concept is quite simple: A small LED like those used in battery indicators and find me lights on headlights powered by a button cell (for example a watch battery) blinks once every second. The size and weight of this thing should be small enough that you can attach it to about anything without making any annoyance. Since the power usage is kept minimal the battery life should be long too.
The usage of this little gadget is to attach to things that you critically want to find in the dark or in your backpack.

So the question is as following: Has anyone made such a light? Does anyone sell these kind of things?

 

[Sgt. LED]

:welcome:
Yeah I'd like one too, an alternative to tritium. Stick it on the current "bedside" light. Hard to get and install trit on all my lights that might be put into this role. Nice thread idea, especially on a first thread and posting!

 

[Beastmaster]

Something like this?

http://www.elusivewildlife.com/index.php?section=22&p=productMore&iProduct=30

-Steve

 

[DM51]

Something like this?

http://www.elusivewildlife.com/index.php?section=22&p=productMore&iProduct=30

-Steve

Those look very neat. Reasonable price, too. What batts do they use, and how long do they last?

 

[Illum]

well, there are blinking LEDs sold like regular LEDs and preassembled 2AA LED modules with stick tape in radioshack

I'd suggest using tritium instead, personally I've started with that idea before, but then having about 20 items with blinkers on them on your desk negates any work efficency, causes sleep deprivation, and on the whole just dries you nuts

 

[DonShock]

Something like this?

http://www.elusivewildlife.com/index.php?section=22&p=productMore&iProduct=30

-Steve

Here's what appear to be the same blinky LEDs available individually in a variety of colors for $4 each.

 

[ttran97]

well, there are blinking LEDs sold like regular LEDs and preassembled 2AA LED modules with stick tape in radioshack

I'd suggest using tritium instead, personally I've started with that idea before, but then having about 20 items with blinkers on them on your desk negates any work efficency, causes sleep deprivation, and on the whole just dries you nuts

I like the 2AA led module! Maybe I can drill a hole in my pelican case and put the led there so i can see it blinking through the night! I wonder what the runtime on that would be. I can just hide the AA pack underneath the foam inside the case.


Edit: I guess drilling a hole through a pelican case would defeat the purpose of it being water resistant...

 

[Paul]

Thanks for all the ideas guys!
My biggest concern about all of these ideas is the battery life. What I'm looking for is something that can go on for at least two weeks without stop. The best would be that it went on for months and maybe years, just like a watch. That's why I think it should blink and not shine continuously. If the LED is blinking with a low frequency this will hopefully make the battery life longer. That's also why I think the LED shouldn't be very bright, more like those on computer equipment like a WLAN router.

It's probably not very hard to make something like this on my own, but apart from taking apart broken electronic stuff I have very little experience of making such things.

 

[Illum]

Edit: I guess drilling a hole through a pelican case would defeat the purpose of it being water resistant...

slightly smaller bit and push the LED snug with the frame....I'm thinking epoxy on the bottom?

 

[shinbone]

Whip up a flashing circuit for your light with some of the Nano LEDs found here: http://www.ngineering.com/lightng.htm

Some nice size comparison shots there too. Maybe as small as tritium vials, however you would have to integrate a circuit to tap off your batteries or run off a coin cell or two. You'll also need a solution to maintain water resistance of your light if you are drilling through-holes, epoxy may or may not be enough.

 

[Illum]

ttran97, i have one of those LED modules...with my very very limited multimeter the current draw was around 5ma per second [a bouncing current draw instead of a continuous current draw]

I'm not sure what an AA have in terms of capacity, but hopefully you could use 5ma draw to equate an estimated runtime

the modules well... about 11/16" square, uses a 5mm red LED, water clear in off state. the blinker device appears to be an IC of some sort underneath a black epoxy cap similar to that found in the calculators


the blinker rate appears to be 1 hz
dimensions from the tip of the LED to base of PCB: 3/8"
PCB: <1/16"
foam adhesive thickness: 1/8"
exposed LED dome: ~3/16"

 

[ltiu]

Not directly answering your question, but something similar.

" •Find-in-the-dark flashing L.E.D."

http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=146

The rear switch has a flashing red LED. With the 2 AA you can have it on for a very looong time.

 

[Zenster]

Funny this should be brought up, but I was wandering Gander Mountain this afternoon and came across a whole rack of exactly what the OP is describing.
I wasn't terribly interested so I don't remember the particulars, but these were sort of "big button" things about 1-1/4" across and an inch deep that clip to a backpack, lapel or whatever.
There were, I think, 6 or 8 LED's in them, they came in different colors including amber, red, white and green (maybe more), and a single button cycled the flashing of the LED's to where they would go in a circular pattern, "strobe", or blink more slowly.

I'm sorry, but I didn't even take note of the brand name even though I picked one up and played with it (it came with batteries).
All I remember is that I was tempted to light up 50 or so of these things on the rack and sneak away, but I didn't. Damn; another opportunity lost.

Gander Mountain has no shopping to speak of on their web site so all you can do is to go to their "Camping" section, find the aisle with all the flashlights in it, and then look nearby for this stand-alone rack of blinky "locator" lights.

 

[mercop]

I have a Glow Ring on my Bag of Evil so I can find it in the middle of the night if the power is out.

 

[ToeMoss]

The product featured in the link below will blink for "several months", I use them for the purpose for which the were designed, but I see no reason they couldn't be adapted for your use.
http://www.scopestuff.com/ss_blnk.htm

 

[mercop]

The product featured in the link below will blink for "several months", I use them for the purpose for which the were designed, but I see no reason they couldn't be adapted for your use.
http://www.scopestuff.com/ss_blnk.htm

That is pretty kewl, wish they would make round clear one, maybe a little smaller with the lens itself a little more protected.

 

[Crenshaw]

i think it would be distracting...but if it comes to fruitation, they should make it like automatic watches, knowing how much we play around with our lights, and automatic winding thingy like in a watch, that powers a really small LED or something would be ideal i think, can those automatic winding thingies generate enough power?

Crenshaw

 

[kosPap]

Just one more suggestion...ULTRAQUIP FLASHCAP from TAD Gear

Also do not forget the pak-lites, pal-lights and safe-lights

Enjoy, Kostas

 

[Paul]

The product featured in the link below will blink for "several months", I use them for the purpose for which the were designed, but I see no reason they couldn't be adapted for your use.
http://www.scopestuff.com/ss_blnk.htm

That's really interesting! Too bad it runs on AA batteries as that makes it a bit big...

 

[Illum]

Just one more suggestion...ULTRAQUIP FLASHCAP from TAD Gear

Also do not forget the pak-lites, pal-lights and safe-lights

Enjoy, Kostas

if you really must go that far
why not recommend the glo-toob?