practical uses

[funk]

I just wanted to get some feed back on practical applications for LED flashlights. I use and like LED's for backpacking. All of the obvious reasons: burntime, LED life, glare (map reading, snow etc), and so on and so on.

But what I am not sure about is what other fields or areas that LED flashlights have real, practical purposes or advantages(as we all know the problems with power, distance, usable technical light etc) At this point we know that they are not for the everyday user - could be mostly due to price, but also due to the output I think - so who is using them and why (other than people like us?)

We talk about the "neato factor", but when/where does that change or reach?

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

bags and closets come to mind, as does looking through a rack of cd's etc. or for whenever a handy not too bright (4d mag) economical light is needed. of course the more gimmicks the better

 

[geepondy]

I use my pocket LED lights (photons and arclights) all the time at work, looking at close up details of electronic circuit boards or reading values of surface mount components (extremely small). The white LED light makes it much easier to read the values as opposed to incadescent lighting methods. I also use LED lights in certain night time situations. However, yes my Surefire 8AX rechargeable is my daily light for "normal" lighting situations. Perhaps with improved LED technology that will change one day.

 

[Steelwolf]

So far, still using alot of LEDs for general "glow" lighting and small flashlight/pocket light applications. In dark closet space, coupled with Lithium AAs for long life (both shelf-life and run time) and simplicity of wiring, in my car cabin and in my minature water feature.

For distance throw and concentrated power, incandescents still can't be beat. But I'm testing some set ups which might overcome it, though I need at least 5 LEDs for sufficient luminosity. The Luxeon Star LED looks promising though.

 

[napalm-2002]

great at nite.the reds and greens are the easyest on the eyes but the white u can tell the diff between colors.ie wires at nite or difusing that bomb or...

 

[RonM]

The even and broad beam is great for hooking up audio, video and computer components. Miserly battery use makes them more affordable as a kids flashlight. PAL light standing on end on low power mode makes a great nitelight in hotels (200hr burn time). Most LEDs take up a lot less space in nightstand or glovebox in the car. Best in blackouts.

Other than for long distance lighting, I find very little use for incandescent flashlights anymore.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

I use them for multiple purposes. Let me list ten uses:

1: Looking for dropped LEDs under the work area.

2: Looking through non-electrified closets & boxes.

3: Illuminating the AC receptacle behind the headboard when plugging something into it.

4: Repairing my motorized wheelchair.

5: Used as a nightlight (Pal Gold and Eternalight X-ray).

6: Used to illuminate the way to the toliet at 3am.

7: Twist on a Trek 1900 for a "What's that noise?" check at night.

8: Used to find the TV's tiny "off" button at bedtime.

9: Reading bar menus in dimly lit booze huts.

10: As a headlight for my wheelchair.

 

[funk]

Great answers - great uses for sure.

In order for the techology to improve, LEDs need to become generally accepted by the public, this is what will create enough demand for the manufacturers to care enough about personal use LED's, but in order for the general public to become interested - the improvements and price need to already be in place. LED's development for Flashlight use is at an important stage I think. It will be really interesting to watch.

I wonder what industries will take the charge in LED flashlights - backpacking market seems too small to create the great advances, but technical enough to create some ideas.

 

[sflate]

Well, here's how I used my Arc-aaa all last night. I work as an IT Technical Services manager for a major corp. Last night at 2:00am I got a call that the entire Computer Center had lost all power. (So did my 15 or so servers, Vax, HP Unix systems, etc..) My Arc spent many hours helping me out through the night. Much of the time was spent in my mouth - lighting the way while I looked in network cabinets watching Hubs, Switches, etc.. Man I'm tired - I'm going to sleep!

 

[sodakar]

I have one of those retractable cord thingies on my belt that has my work ID/keycard attached. I attach my Arc-AAA and Photon II on the keycard hoop, stuff my E2 in my pocket, and I'm set.

Why LED? For me, it's ultimately about its awesome size/output ratio, and excellent battery life. Since I'm a city kid, I really don't *need* to use LED's, but I definitely feel the benefit of using them every day!

Arc-AAA:
I agree with sflate -- the thing is awesome in the server room. Server rooms tend to be well-lit, but a good output is required to confidently shine the dark spots -- the Arc-AAA delivers. Also, the awesome grip it provides should not be underestimated. Many LED lights have smooth cases, and when you're hanging upside-down with your head through an rack full of servers, you really... no, REALLY don't want to drop your light source. I've tried many times to use a Photon II for my needs in the server room. Its non-grippy surface made it difficult to aim, its size made it scary to hold with my mouth...gulp..., and if the battery went out, that meant a 5-minute downtime. For the Arc-AAA, battery life, cost, and the easy-swap-battery capability is super. Could I use a MAG AAA? Actually, no. When I'm trying to untangle cables, the last thing I need is to worry about the stpuid light 'rings' that focusable flashlights produce. I need a consistent beam. The Arc-AAA is my friend in the server room.

Photon II:
When I need light, and I need it FAST, nothing (well, at least for me) beats the Photon II. More often than not, I'm headed towards a dark area while I'm carrying a crapload of parts or groceries. Whenever I step into a dark network closet, my garage, or simply have the California ISO turn the power off on me, I need to be able to turn on my flashlight with not just one hand, but if possible, with one/two finger(s) -- and quick. The quick-squeeze light of the Photon II is unbeatable in that situation. In such situations, battery life is not a concern, as I only need the light for a few seconds as I make my way through. However, size matters in this case, and as far as I know, there aren't any non-LED flashlights smaller than the Photon II.

So... the keycard + Arc-AAA + Photon II gets the job done at home and at work -- even for a city dweller like me.

As for your original question of backpacking... I've found that LED lights are great for their long run-time in close quarters, but really leave something to be desired for semi-long-range use when hitting the trails. It's my opinion that you pretty much need a 10LED+ cluster if you expect to see beyond 40 yards. At that point, you've gained a ton of bulk, but your wallet will be lighter, to make up for the bulk... =D Still, you're benefiting from the much extended battery life and invincible bulbs.

When I go camping, I find myself bringing 4 lamps:
1) Long-Range, for trails and stuff: a non-LED lamp (9V SureFire, 4-6 cell Mag)
2) Mid-Range, for walking around the camp: I could do with an AA Mag, but I prefer the Eternalight 3 for entertainment purposes.
3) Headlamp, for working: The super-small 3LED, 3AAA Petzl Tikka is my current favorite. Plenty of light without feeling top-heavy.
4) Personal Light, for misc. activity: Photon II + lanyard - nothing beats its compact size.

Er... I am blabbing on, and it's almost morning. Hope this kinda helps! =P

 

[sflate]

Well, I've tried several ways to keep my Arc-AAA from scratching and finally decided that black heatshrink tube was the way to go for now. The pix aren't great and the lite does look much better in person. I tried several ways using old scratched solitaires. I tried dipping them in rubber (Plasti-dip) that I use for tool handles, but got too many small bubbles. I tried the spray type of Plasti-dip but it didn't look too good either. I finally decided on the heatshrink. I like it because I can hold the Arc-AAA in my mouth now and bite the rubber. (That anodizing tastes horrible!!) It's amazing what you can do with a dremel. I even cut a piece of clear plastic into a circle and used it as a lens to protect the bulb while in my pocket. I'd like to use glass if I can find the right size. The solitaire lens is perfect, but hard to get out. I put a small piece over the head and covered the body piece just a bit. It's harder to turn on and off, but also harder to lose the head. It's probably more waterproof this way also. It doesn't look as pretty, but I can always take it off, no harm done to the Arc. I could have used clear tube, but the clear tube I have isn't perfectly clear. I know they make some and may try to get my hands on some.Arc-AAA in heatshrink tube

 

[Mr Ted Bear]

Hi Sflate,

To eliminate the formation of bubbles using PlastiDip, direct a stream of fast moving air (compressed) at the article (ARC-flashlight). What this does is to reudce the ambient pressure and then the air bubbles come out of suspension and with a little patience a nice smooth finish just like tool handles.


The crystal clear heat shrink is out there somewhere. Last year, the dept of water and power wanted to use my home as a case study heating and cooling habits etc. They installed all kinds of sensors in my home (temp, humidity, u/v etc) and every single connecton was soldered and then finished off with clear heat shrink tube. When i noted that the clear did not color coordinate with the wires, he told me that each and every connection had to be verified and inspected as having been soldered, hence clear... Like I said, its out there somewhere

 

[Gransee]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sflate:
Well, I've tried several ways to keep my Arc-AAA from scratching and finally decided that black heatshrink tube was the way to go for now. The pix aren't great and the lite does look much better in person. I tried several ways using old scratched solitaires. I tried dipping them in rubber (Plasti-dip) that I use for tool handles, but got too many small bubbles. I tried the spray type of Plasti-dip but it didn't look too good either. I finally decided on the heatshrink. I like it because I can hold the Arc-AAA in my mouth now and bite the rubber. (That anodizing tastes horrible!!) It's amazing what you can do with a dremel. I even cut a piece of clear plastic into a circle and used it as a lens to protect the bulb while in my pocket. I'd like to use glass if I can find the right size. The solitaire lens is perfect, but hard to get out. I put a small piece over the head and covered the body piece just a bit. It's harder to turn on and off, but also harder to lose the head. It's probably more waterproof this way also. It doesn't look as pretty, but I can always take it off, no harm done to the Arc. I could have used clear tube, but the clear tube I have isn't perfectly clear. I know they make some and may try to get my hands on some.Arc-AAA in heatshrink tube<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I looked at the pictures on your site and I have to say that I am impressed with the heatshrink mod. Looks very nice. When I get a spare moment (hah!), I would like to test your idea and see if it translates well to an assembly line. Is it alright if we use your idea? If ok, and we do use it, I will send you a free flashlight with the commercial version of your modification. Figure it might be about 2 months before I get around to testing this.

Peter Gransee

 

[Mr Ted Bear]

Gee, I wonder who suggested heat shrink tubing ??

 

[Gransee]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mr Ted Bear:
Gee, I wonder who suggested heat shrink tubing ??

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Your right, I checked my email and you did suggest this first awhile back. Ok, you get one too for coming up with the idea.

Peter Gransee

 

[sflate]

Peter, Sure, go ahead and try it. Like I said, it really looks much more professional in person. I would use a more glossy heat shrink next time, but this was all I had laying around. I used 3/4" tube, but I probably could have used 1/2". On the Lanyard end I left about 3/4" extra tube, shrunk it down so it somewhat molded around the odd shape, then put a drop of hot melt glue and squeezed it for 1 minute with lineman pliers. On the Head, I left a slight amount hang over the reflector end, remembering that it does shrink in lenght just a bit too. You have to heat this end very slowly and carefully to get it to just sort of shrink a small amount, just enough to hold in the lens and cover the thin layer of black on the end. In other words, don't shrink it enough to start covering the lens or reflector and restrict any light. This was the only tricky part, but I got it on my first try. I did use a dremel with sander to clean it up a bit. If I would have cut the tube straighter I wouldn't have had to clean it at all. By the way, I bet it's more waterproof now. I really like the way the head feels more secure on the body. It still twists on and off pretty easily, but just a bit more tension to it, and the tube on the head covers the exposed thread(s) when the light is off. (mine seemed to show a thread or two) The best part is the taste! (no,I'm not joking) I couldn't stand holding it in my mouth before adding the tube. I will probably put a lanyard around it and keep it around my neck, putting it in my mouth to see into network cabinets, etc..

 

[Robl]

I use either my Lightwave 2000, my Princeton Tec, a Photon, or a conversion every morning that I wear either blue or black. Since I have a very difficult time picking out the blue socks to go with the blue slacks, or the black socks to go with the black slacks at 5:30AM, I use the bright white LED light to pick the right color out of my drawer without waking my wife.

Since she appreciates this small courtesy, I am able to continue to purchase more lights. Someday I may actually find the perfect light!

Also - I use LED lights in all colors to light up my camper awning at night. I am usually (always) the only lit-up camper in the non-electric part of the campground.

Since I do not have to worry about dead batteries as much, I have LED lights strategicly placed in our vehicles, closets, kitchen, each of the kids have at least two, etc.

I also have been using them to lightup crystal and glass nick-nacks. I drill out a finished wood base and point the LED's up under the crystal figure. Looks great and I end up making them for many of the people that see it at my home.

Plus - we all have a mental defect that causes us to continue to purchase these things long after we have reached what anyone would consider to be a reasonable number of them.

Rob