LED light design question...

[pumps]

Can someone smarter than explain why these are designed like this? One is a Cabela's Alaskan Guide 1200 L. It's one I was able to resurrect after purchasing it at an estate sale even though the clicky tail switch doesn't work.You have to tighten it to make it come on. My question is the design of the reflector and side by side placement of the LEDs.


Ok #2 is a garage sale $1 purchase of the Duracell Durabeam 500L


My first impression on #2 the Duracell is that one is acting as a flood and one as a spot beam , giving an equal shine but that idea went out the window with #1.
Why are these designed like this? They both give a great beam , no hot spot.

 

[idleprocess]

The first light has that arrangement in order to double the output. Whether this is because the LEDs are already driven at peak current or at a lower current where they're more efficient is difficult to say. Parallelism has advantages when output (and to a degree efficiency in terms of lm/W) matters more than maximizing throw.

Running multiple LEDs in parallel is something we saw during the early days of 5mm "showerhead" flashlights when 20mA was the general current limit and you just added more LEDs to get more light. The concept largely went away when power LEDs came out and a single Luxeon I could put out more than all but the most extravagant showerhead arrangements - and do so with the control of a reflector or TIR optic.

But the concept never went away. The likes of Imalent and Acebeam push the limits of parallelism for sure, but triple and quad lights have been a thing for some time now in more common formfactors ala the double in your first example or the handy 1x 18650 that's popular on CPF.

 

[bykfixer]

Light #1 may not have had a clicky. At one point twisty switches were pretty popular by light makers. Early "tacticool" items.

Or it may have broken in the on position. Every one I've ever had fail broke in the off position.

 

[pumps]

Thanks for the design enlightenment.
The tail cap does have a rubber cover switch? button and button but no clicky.
Found this about the tail switch. I STILL don't know if it's broke......
"On/off switch has 50% and 100% single-tap power modes and locks in the on position with a quick twist of the tail cap."

The latest LED technology gives these lightweight, portab...

The latest LED technology gives these lightweight, portable powerhouses the ability to generate bright, spotlight-quality illumination. Constructed of impact- and water-resistant lightweight CNC aluminum. Pre-focused aluminum reflectors maximize output efficiency. Silent Switch function for...

www.thrillon.com

 

[bykfixer]

The term "silent switch" tells me it's likely a twisty. Some lights you twist tighten to turn it on, twist off/on quickly to change modes.

It looks like yours you press once for one of the levels, twice (quickly) to go from off to the second level. They use the term tactical, which usually means it starts on high to provide max light quickly and option to reduce light for more run time or close up work like writing a speeding ticket.