List Lights that use NO PWM

[jon_slider]

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.


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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)

 

[FRITZHID]

There are plenty of lights/drivers that DO use PWM but at such a high frequency that you, your camera.... Anything but a slow-mo camera or oscilloscope won't notice, in fact, I'd bet the majority of "non-PWM" lights you know DO in fact use PWM but they are a higher freq and quality.

 

[twistedraven]

Forgive me for sounding like a devil's advocate, but if one isn't bothered or can't detect any PWM on a light, yet it has it anyways, then why not recommend it?

 

[jon_slider]

I'd bet the majority of "non-PWM" lights you know DO in fact use PWM but they are a higher freq and quality.

can you give an example of which light I have listed above as NOPWM, which you can show evidence of having PWM.. Evidence such as Oscilloscope picture would be awesome

if one isn't bothered or can't detect any PWM on a light, yet it has it anyways, then why not recommend it?

this thread is not meant to debate whether PWM matters or not. And Im not recommending for or against PWM. Im just trying to list lights in this thread that do NOT use PWM. Basically, just the Facts.

There are many, many, many lights that are very very popular that use PWM, you can see a partial list in my YES PWM list. Im not trying to tell anyone which lights to buy, and Im not trying to say that lights with PWM, or without PWM are better or worse than the other.

Just the facts, does a light HAVE NO PWM, then please list it here. afaict, the list is MUCH shorter than the list of lights in the other thread that have YES PWM.

 

[twistedraven]

Ok, well, I do know that any Zebralight uses no PWM. I was surprised that the Eagletac D25LC2 uses PWM now that I'm reading your other thread, I don't recall ever noticing it or being bothered by it.

 

[jon_slider]

Ok, well, I do know that any Zebralight uses no PWM. I was surprised that the Eagletac D25LC2 uses PWM now that I'm reading your other thread...

there is no concensus on those two lights, so out of respect for keeping an open mind, I have added them to the first post

some people say they Do use Pulses, others say they never drop all the way to zero between pulses, so by the strict definition of PWM they say those lights dont use PWM, but the scopes do show pulses.. selfbuilt refers to it as an "unusual sawtooth pattern of circuit noise" in reference to the Eagletac, so he can see the same thing others see, but follows the "does not drop to zero" definition of PWM, so he does not "call it" PWM.

I sent you PM to discuss this in more detail, I welcome your thoughts

 

[jimmy1970]

HDS Clicky/Rotary.

 

[jon_slider]

HDS Clicky/Rotary.

Thanks! I learned something from you, much appreciated.. added to the first post with link to factory info

 

[SemiMan]

Thanks! I learned something from you, much appreciated.. added to the first post with link to factory info

"We use a more sophisticated algorithm for dimming the LED that minimizes both the amount of tint shift and the annoying flickering while increasing the total system efficiency." .. from HDS website

... this means they use some type of pulse modulation.

 

[ven]

Yes , i was under the impression also SemiMan that HDS uses a form of PWM to limit the tint shift. I can not detect it and the tint to me stays the same throughout the brightness span.

 

[SemiMan]

Yes , i was under the impression also SemiMan that HDS uses a form of PWM to limit the tint shift. I can not detect it and the tint to me stays the same throughout the brightness span.

The most efficient drive is pure constant current to about 10%, then pulse modulation below that. That optimizes the LED and generally the driver too.

It could be a matter of how they think it behave and how it really does not being exactly the same.

It could require a fairly high speed optical detector to detect it with a scope. 100-200KHz pulsing is possible and as the signal is not regular, could be hard to sync.

Semiman

 

[sunny_nites]

The mighty Illuminex-4. Two modes, no PWM.

 

[bykfixer]

PK said his FL2 do not use PWM to achieve low setting.

Now any other TLA way of it? I dunno. He did not say.
I'll check later to see if lines show up in the camera display or photo.

 

[jon_slider]

added Astrolux aka Manker A01, now available in Copper also

 

[og44]

McGizmo Sapphire uses constant current driver at 25mah. I think that means no pwm.

 

[jon_slider]

McGizmo Sapphire uses constant current driver at 25mah. I think that means no pwm.

I agree.
Usually PWM is not needed for single mode lights, and also not needed on the high mode of multi mode lights. Its the lower modes, that are dimmed, such as on the Haiku, that use PWM for dimming.

btw, here is some PWM info I got from Malkoff:

"All of the multimode MDC Flashlights use PWM. The PWM frequency is 310 Hertz."

note that those are lights that use more than one mode, it fits the pattern that they are multi mode lights that use PWM

 

[wle]

DQG 18650 Tiny IV

wle

 

[jon_slider]

added nitecore Tip

 

[LeanBurn]

Would it be safe to say that no ThruNite lights use PWM?

 

[Genius1]

OrcaTorch T11, solid AA light.