New To LED Flashlights.....

[DeeplyShrouded]

Hello,
I got a 95 LED flashlight for my birthday.
Since I have no experience with LED flashlights,
and this didn't appear to come with an instruction booklet
I would like more information about this light please.

The case is blue, made of aircraft aluminum I think
The words "Performance Tool" are in white next to the
on/off switch. There is a sticker on this light that says
W2400 Made In China, with barcode digits of 039564134005

I did a Google search on the UPC number and came up with

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0264739

That seems to be it, only it is red.

Any additional information about this flashlight would be appreciated.



Also, I have two projects in mind that I am thinking about, but not sure if
building would be feasable (yes these are things I think about when the power goes out).

A 100 x 100 LED array of infrared LED for use with a Night Owl night vision device.

Another 100 x 100 LED array of the brightest whitest LEDS available.

Either that, or take one of those old DishTV dishes and making one hell of a
spotlight. (I know crazy idea, but these are things I think about when the power goes out).


I'd be interested in hearing what readers think, and would like to know if
anyone has done such a thing.



--Deeply Shrouded & Quiet
--Central Control! D-Dial #49

 

[yellow]

short story: SIZE, effort

... forget the "showerheads" and take an useful number of powerleds
White: Cree XR-E, Seoul P4.
More powerful (because basically 4 of the above in one package): Cree MC-E, Seoul P7

colored: Luxeon, Cree, Seoul, makes no real difference (iirc)
infrared: there should be more powerful ones also (?)

there happen to be such questions very often.
in this thread here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=209752
I have put some pics that show showerhead to other lights

(PS: the cam is on AUTO, so light setting is done for strongest light at each pic. Means that in the pic the strongest light is shown as is and the weaker ones also are weaker, but the pics are in no way comparable to other night shots!)

 

[DeeplyShrouded]

Thank you for your reply.
As stated, I got this 95 LED flashlight as a gift, but know nothing about it.

As I'm just starting to research what can be done to get the brightest
light possible, I was directed to this forum.
The showerhead (nice term) as you call it, is good for general use.
I AM surprised that it is so bright, but I'm sure there has to be much
brighter LED's out there. First step in any research project is to ask
those with more knowledge and experience than I.

However, being a ham operator, I like to tinker with things and build things.
I haven't burned the house down yet, so I suppose that's a good thing.

So a simple question to start me off, what are the brightest white LED's
out there? Also, what are the brightest infrared LED's out there?
My thought is, if I could get some perfboard and a bunch of LED's, I could
build a panel of my own.

--Deeply Shrouded & Quiet
--Central Control! D-Dial #49

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Let's see where to start...
:welcome:
Such lights like the one you received as a gift are often great reasons for people to become curious and go searching for more like you have done. Those showerhead lights are a hallmark of cheap design being that they're not very useful or durable. They use generic 5mm LEDs which are often overdriven to make them look brighter. So the chances of some of the LEDs burning out is high. Oh well, not bad for a gift.
Personally I wouldn't bother with a vast majority of 5mm LED lights. High Power LEDs offer a lot more. The most used high power LED around here is the Cree XR-E. Also used often are Seoul Semi-Conductor (SSC) LEDs. You may recognie the Luxeon name brand which are another type of LEDs though they've been dragging behind lately; their latest is the K2 TFFC.
It would take a long while to go into details so go forth and search. Maybe start at the welcome mat if you haven't been there yet.
You can definitely build a beast if you hook up a high power LEDs behind optics and a nice power pack. Lots of that going on to varying scales of insanity here.
For IR LEDs I'm not really sure. There're not a lot of products out there and thus not a ton of information; but someone may find this thread and be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[hyperloop]

i started off with a 9 LED light which ran off 3 x AAA in a plastic carrier. My first reaction was WOW! As before that, all i had (and thought was the ultimate in lights) was a 2 x AA Maglite.

Sometime in 2007, i got my first 'real' LED light, an Ultrafire C3 (1 x AA) with an extension tube to make it a 2 x AA. That to me was like a real quantum leap forward in flashlights, blew away the old cheapie. I still use this light, though not as often, and it's now my loaner light when other non flashaholics want to borrow a light.

Then came the Jetbeam Jet I Mk II, i EDC this everyday because of its versatility in different lighting modes.

From there, I started getting into more powerful cells, the 14500 (which is an AA like size but 3.7 volts vs. 1.5 volts for an alkaline) and then on to 18650 lights, CR123s, AAAs etc. It doesnt look like it's going to stop in the near future.

If you don't wish to spend too much, you can check out Dealextreme for loads of budget lights, and you can also do searches here, read the reviews on DX before deciding what other light you want to get.

If you wish to ask for recommendations for a light, i recommend that you go here http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=96884 fill out the questions, cut and paste it into your post to make it easier for the other experts here to recommend you a light (my experience is sadly rather limited due to the dearth of flashlights in singapore, but i try)

If you want a budget light, say less than $40, i recommend the Ultrafire C3 multi mode light (make sure it's the one that can run on AAs as well as 14500s) with a 2 x AA extension tube as a starting point.

Feel free to PM me for links.

 

[Gunner12]

I'd say start with a Maglite and mod that first because there are many parts avaliable. The simplest mod is probably a 3 cell maglite, a heatsink, a cut Maglite reflector, the LED and a resistor. This could be a good place to start.

What do you want in the "brightest" LED?
What do you plan on using the light for?
What sized light do you want to start with?
What runtime?
What output?
Multiple modes?(low output, high output, strobe etc.)
Do you want to buy a lower priced high power LED light to see how you will like the LEDs?

Highpower LEDs need heatsinking when run at higher levels, 50-100 mAh or above and you will need heatsinking, or they will overheat. They can be used, and are are often prefered to be used, with reflectors or optics to give the desired beam shape and beam pattern.

:welcome:

 

[Flashfirstask?later]

Either that, or take one of those old DishTV dishes and making one hell of a
spotlight. (I know crazy idea, but these are things I think about when the power goes out)

A small satellite dish of the Data Bank may be interesting... http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=178130 however the light may be more floody versus straight ahead?

 

[hopkins]

Hi Deep S
You mentioned that the 95 shower-head LED flashlight is bright? Flood beam?

Looks like a 3 D-cell tube? So 4.5volts draining to 2.7 when the lights dim
to uselessness? Is there any way you can measure the battery current to give us an idea of how hard the LEDs are being driven.
I/95 for individual LED current (if all leds are in parallel)
20mA per LED would be normal
45mA per LED would be on the high edge for premature failure.
5mA would be a joke.
I can guess that there is one (1) resistor to limit current to the LED's.
How many watts is it rated for? how many Ohms?
Also guessing that all 95 LED's are parallel to each other.
If so then 95 * 20mA = 1.9Amps initial drain but quickly drops as battery voltage sags.
Yup... more that 8 watts. Does it get warm?

 

[hopkins]

Just wondering about the specs because these types of flashlight are so kooky.
And being astonished is fun.
A good analogy would be Leonardo's drawing of an aircraft that flaps its
wings like a bird. Its just doing things the hard way!

 

[DeeplyShrouded]

Hi Deep S
You mentioned that the 95 shower-head LED flashlight is bright? Flood beam?

Looks like a 3 D-cell tube? So 4.5volts draining to 2.7 when the lights dim
to uselessness? Is there any way you can measure the battery current to give us an idea of how hard the LEDs are being driven.
I/95 for individual LED current (if all leds are in parallel)
20mA per LED would be normal
45mA per LED would be on the high edge for premature failure.
5mA would be a joke.
I can guess that there is one (1) resistor to limit current to the LED's.
How many watts is it rated for? how many Ohms?
Also guessing that all 95 LED's are parallel to each other.
If so then 95 * 20mA = 1.9Amps initial drain but quickly drops as battery voltage sags.
Yup... more that 8 watts. Does it get warm?

Well, I turned it on for 10 minutes and it didn't get warm.
The resistor if any, seems to be sealed in black plastic.
You are correct, it is a 3 D cell light. Since it is my first LED light,
it seems bright to me. I did take a look at the URL with the gentleman
who built the LED array. This light is not as powerful as that.
I have been searching the net trying to find information on this light
but there does not seem to be anything at all other than the link I
posted earlier. My VOM is at work, but I will take measurements
and let you know what I find out.

--Deeply Shrouded & Quiet
--Central Control! D-Dial #49

 

[Bonky]

generally those cheapie mass-produced lights don't have a lot of info about 'em anywhere. They're simple inside and out.

Not, of course, saying the gift was "cheap".. if it brought you here you'll find it turns out to be the most expensive gift you've ever been given .. muahahahah

 

[hopkins]

bonky
you evil cartoon! stop giving away secrets.
Deep S is on his own path of discovery like the rest of us.