Tritium Powered Lights

[x-ray]

Anyone seen/used one of these tritium powered personal illuminators:

Would be interested to know just how bright they are.

Also found this map reading light (looks useful)

The downside is I can't seem to find anywhere that sells to the general public, most places will only sell to military,law enforcement or other emergency services.

 

[sunspot]

I have not seen those yet. Are they Traser? Traser has a variable Tridium light for about $165USD. Your pic gives me an idea (Oh-oh). Take some tubes fron Glowrings and mount them in a tube that has a side window.

 

[B@rt]

If I remember correctly, Graham was working on something like that...

Maybe he has some info on this.

 

[x-ray]

Originally posted by sunspot:
I have not seen those yet. Are they Traser?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">No they're not Traser, I found them on a US site called Ameriglo, You can find them in the tactical devices section

 

[James S]

I did some searching not long ago on the NRA website to find out just how hard it would be to distribute something like this and it didn't sound that difficult at all. You have to fill out some paperwork about your construction techniques and tell them what the maximum exposure would be if the case was breached. They are certainly not illegal, the company just has to be willing to do some paper work. Unless they actually do contain an unusually large amount of tritium in them, in which case I don't want one anyway.

Gun sites, tritium light sources, and tritium watch faces are all regulated the same way as long as they contain less than a certain amount of the stuff. You can read the post at http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000059

So it seems to me that they just haven't figured out how to do the import paperwork yet. Personally I think it would definitely be worth their while as I would buy several and I know a lot of other people would too!

 

[James S]

Actually, it appears I am wrong axolotls adds an entry at the end of that thread saying that the traser products contain as much as 400 millicuries which is info I wasn't able to find on their website. So that puts them about 4 times over the easy distribution license.

Oh Well

 

[Streak]

We have factory here in South Africa that manufactures products using GTLS (gaseous trirtium light sources). These include exit, signs, light switch finders, special forces flashlight and many others.
The gas is sealed in a pyrex glass vial which is lined with phosphorous, the particles from the gas excite the phosphorous causing it to glow much the same as a mini fluorescent light tube.

I have half looked into getting some finished product organised for CPF members but there seems to be a lot of red tape.

How much interest is there really?

 

[sunspot]

Here is more lights. roithner
I do have an intrest in these.

 

[Wingerr]

Originally posted by Streak:
How much interest is there really?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">My guess? Huge-

 

[dilettante]

According to Ameriglo's "About Us" page, "The hand held Tactical Devices were originally constructed by SRB Technologies in the UK." A quick Google search revealed that SRB Technologies is Betalight (I knew I'd seen the stuff before). It's the same GTLS technology as Traser, but Traser products are manufactured by a Swiss company (See http://www.mbmicrotec.com/contact.htm).

I think there are some regulatory and/or licensing issues that are supposed to prevent foreign distributors from selling this stuff in the US (probably to protect Ameriglos interests as the US distributor), but I bet you could get it from a UK or European site cheaper.

I think a map reader would be great. The illuminator would be cool for military/survival scenarios where you can't count on battery resupply, but normally, I'd keep my ARC AAA.

 

[sunspot]

I found another. This one looks a bit smaller. edirectory.uk

 

[Quickbeam]

More discussion on this topic... We tried to get some sources from Betalight, but it fell through.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=002187;p=4#000124

 

[Streak]

OK so there seesm to be enough interest to make some further investigation.
I will contact the factory in the morning. I suspect there will be 2 options:-
1. purchase some of their off the shelf stuff and find a way for you guys to get hold of it with no licensing.
2. identify the products of interest and make the necessary applications for licensing of those products. For consumers, one can not licence the technology but rather the finished product.

The factory did manufacture GTLS vials for the manufacture of gun sites for an American company so we know that that product is licensed, not sure about the rest which would contain more Tritium.

Watch this space for further information.

 

[sunspot]

Streak. Is the factory name Ramrod Manufacturing?

 

[Streak]

Hi Sunspot.
No it is not Ramrod Manufacturing. However I do know the company and have dealt with them before. How do you know them down in Alabama?

(By the way I was on Lake Eufaula and Seminole last year, popped across into Al for a meal).

 

[NamTinker]

Hi Streak
I am using some of their products already. Some for use as markers on control points for night navigation, some for personel markers on backpacks, other to mark the rear of my Arc LS. (So I ALWAYS know where it is lying at night...) Fast efficient service. I was also told they can manufacture according to the buyer's specs. So, lots of scope there.

 

[x-ray]

Would a fairly "large" vile of tritium put out enough brightness to generate any current if it was wrapped in some kind of photoelectric cell ?

Yes I'm thinking 10 year, constant power battery - probably too good to be true

 

[Joshua]

How long is the Tritiam glow in these glass containers? If the glow lasted about 60 years or so, I think one of the larger marble sized ones (2 inch spheres) would be cool to make into a pendent and pass down to your children. "Look jr, this light was glowing before you were born!" Yeah but they would probably fall and crack before then. : )

 

[x-ray]

Originally posted by Joshua:
How long is the Tritiam glow in these glass containers?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Quote from Traser website "They remain fail-safe and maintenance free and have a useful life in excess of 10-20 years"

 

[sunspot]

Quote by Streak.:

How do you know them down in Alabama?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Ah, the power of the Internet. They are listed as a Traser affiliate.
BTW, the variable betelight is now hidden in Trasers web site. It is under military and needs a password to access.