The_LED_Museum
*Retired*
Just received two new lights from LRI.
One is the new "X-Light" which is the new economy keychain light with that palm pilot type marking on the top that was discussed awhile back. The sample I received has a blue LED and a transparent/transluscent blue case. The light has a PCB and epoxy "blob" IC chip and a computer dome type momentary pushbutton switch. Press it once, light comes on. Press it again, light goes off.
The basic PCB design is similar to that used by the Photon 3 and it also has the same type of battery retainer strap. Although it appears impossible to do at first glance, the slide-and-snap type of battery cover *can* be removed & replaced without taking the keyring off, and no tools are needed to change its batteries.
Then, there's the new purple Photon 3. This light uses a similar microcontroller as the older (recent) white P3, but there have been some programming refinements to answer to some of the most common complaints people had about the P3. Mode change time has been reduced from 3-4 seconds to 2 seconds, modes can be changed whether you start with the light on or off, and the annoying "auto off" blinking has been replaced with a ramp-up. There also appears to be a battery tester at the termination of an auto-off cycle like the Fusion has, but I'll have to run the batteries down in order to verify this. The LED appears to have Cree's characteristic chip geometry, and emits at approximately 401 to 402nm. While this is a bit longer (bluer) than I might have liked, it is still within the useful range.
I'll be putting up pages for these (and 7 other flashlights I got this morning!) as the week progresses.
One is the new "X-Light" which is the new economy keychain light with that palm pilot type marking on the top that was discussed awhile back. The sample I received has a blue LED and a transparent/transluscent blue case. The light has a PCB and epoxy "blob" IC chip and a computer dome type momentary pushbutton switch. Press it once, light comes on. Press it again, light goes off.
The basic PCB design is similar to that used by the Photon 3 and it also has the same type of battery retainer strap. Although it appears impossible to do at first glance, the slide-and-snap type of battery cover *can* be removed & replaced without taking the keyring off, and no tools are needed to change its batteries.
Then, there's the new purple Photon 3. This light uses a similar microcontroller as the older (recent) white P3, but there have been some programming refinements to answer to some of the most common complaints people had about the P3. Mode change time has been reduced from 3-4 seconds to 2 seconds, modes can be changed whether you start with the light on or off, and the annoying "auto off" blinking has been replaced with a ramp-up. There also appears to be a battery tester at the termination of an auto-off cycle like the Fusion has, but I'll have to run the batteries down in order to verify this. The LED appears to have Cree's characteristic chip geometry, and emits at approximately 401 to 402nm. While this is a bit longer (bluer) than I might have liked, it is still within the useful range.
I'll be putting up pages for these (and 7 other flashlights I got this morning!) as the week progresses.