jon_slider
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2015
- Messages
- 4,892
List Lights that use NO PWM, nor pulses, and are true Constant Current
Lights with NO PWM, no Pulses, and are true Contant Current lights:
Acebeam K70
Astrolux aka Manker A01 (note the latest since Oct? 2016, Astrolux A01 uses PWM if the driver is not marked Manker)
Astrolux M01 and M03
Convoy S2 UV
DQG 18650 Tiny IV
Fenix E05
Fenix PD35
Lumintop Tool
Lumintop Worm
Maratac AAA
McGizmo Sapphire
Manker E02
Manker LAD (Constant current with a feedback loop)
MecArmy PT-18
Muyshondt Aeon Mk3 an example of a regulated current light that has visible flicker, even if it is not technically PWM..
Nitecore Tip (disputed) photo shows bands caused by the LED cycling brighter and dimmer (strobing):
Olight i3s
Olight S1A see reviews: #1, and #1
Oveready Boss boss video
PKDL
Streamlight 2016
Thrunite AAA Titanium Christmas
Thrunite AAA Ti3, TiS, TiXmas
Zebralights controversial, photo shows very faint pulses. Plus scan lines in a photo, in this post #74
left to right Zebra, Quark, Eagletac, Malkoff
The Zebra pulses do not drop to zero and you can see the blurr almost completely hides the dots. Zebra markets the light as having Constant Current, and in the photo it is almost impossible to capture the dots. The LED does not turn all the way off, so technically it is not using PWM.
The Quark is blurred between the dots, it is marketed as a Constant Current light, because the flashes of light do not turn completely off, its more of a dim then bright, rather than off then on, power cycling.
The Eagletac dots have no blur, which suggests the LED is turning all the way off, but on an oscilloscope the dimming phase shows there is still some power to the LED, so not technically full PWM, but still discrete pulses of light that a camera can capture. Eagletac markets the light as having no PWM, which technically is accurate, since the led is flashing brighter and dimmer, not fully off and on.
The Malkoff uses PWM and the manufacturer discloses it. You can see there is no blurr between the Malkoff pulses.
----
By NO PWM I mean NO. Please don't list lights that use PWM but you don't notice, or are not bothered by, the PWM. My sig link has a thread containing lights with YES PWM.
AAA Lights made by Lumintop after approximately October 2015 forward use NoPWM, this includes the Tool and the Maratac AAA (earlier versions were YES PWM):
(the NoPWM Lumintops have a ring around the LED as pictured on right)
The lights listed above have NO PWM AND use CONSTANT CURRENT (waving the light does not produce dots, and or a scope does not show pulses, and or reviews confirm NoPWM, and or a photo does not have interference lines)
Lights with NO PWM, no Pulses, and are true Contant Current lights:
Acebeam K70
Astrolux aka Manker A01 (note the latest since Oct? 2016, Astrolux A01 uses PWM if the driver is not marked Manker)
Astrolux M01 and M03
Convoy S2 UV
DQG 18650 Tiny IV
Fenix E05
Fenix PD35
Lumintop Tool
Lumintop Worm
Maratac AAA
McGizmo Sapphire
Manker E02
Manker LAD (Constant current with a feedback loop)
MecArmy PT-18
Muyshondt Aeon Mk3 an example of a regulated current light that has visible flicker, even if it is not technically PWM..
Nitecore Tip (disputed) photo shows bands caused by the LED cycling brighter and dimmer (strobing):
Olight i3s
Olight S1A see reviews: #1, and #1
Oveready Boss boss video
PKDL
Streamlight 2016
Thrunite AAA Titanium Christmas
Thrunite AAA Ti3, TiS, TiXmas
Zebralights controversial, photo shows very faint pulses. Plus scan lines in a photo, in this post #74
left to right Zebra, Quark, Eagletac, Malkoff

The Zebra pulses do not drop to zero and you can see the blurr almost completely hides the dots. Zebra markets the light as having Constant Current, and in the photo it is almost impossible to capture the dots. The LED does not turn all the way off, so technically it is not using PWM.
The Quark is blurred between the dots, it is marketed as a Constant Current light, because the flashes of light do not turn completely off, its more of a dim then bright, rather than off then on, power cycling.
The Eagletac dots have no blur, which suggests the LED is turning all the way off, but on an oscilloscope the dimming phase shows there is still some power to the LED, so not technically full PWM, but still discrete pulses of light that a camera can capture. Eagletac markets the light as having no PWM, which technically is accurate, since the led is flashing brighter and dimmer, not fully off and on.
The Malkoff uses PWM and the manufacturer discloses it. You can see there is no blurr between the Malkoff pulses.
----
By NO PWM I mean NO. Please don't list lights that use PWM but you don't notice, or are not bothered by, the PWM. My sig link has a thread containing lights with YES PWM.
AAA Lights made by Lumintop after approximately October 2015 forward use NoPWM, this includes the Tool and the Maratac AAA (earlier versions were YES PWM):
(the NoPWM Lumintops have a ring around the LED as pictured on right)
The lights listed above have NO PWM AND use CONSTANT CURRENT (waving the light does not produce dots, and or a scope does not show pulses, and or reviews confirm NoPWM, and or a photo does not have interference lines)
Last edited: