cab980002
Newly Enlightened
I don't want to sound dumb but what is UI? I am new to the led light craze and new to this forum. I will have to say that this forum rocks. I have a new upgraded gladius and I LOVE it. Thanks.
What is UI?
- Thread starter cab980002
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
user interface
like the way the user (you) operates the item
examples
good user interface - 1 level twisty or clicky
bad user interface - 100 level twisty and clicky where you need a month to figure out how to use it
hope you understand
like the way the user (you) operates the item
examples
good user interface - 1 level twisty or clicky
bad user interface - 100 level twisty and clicky where you need a month to figure out how to use it
hope you understand
LEDninja
Flashlight Enthusiast
UI=user interface
A simple user interface would be an on-off switch.
More complicated switches may go OFF>ON(low)>OFF>ON(high)>OFF or OFF>HIGH>LOW>OFF.
Some flashlights allow you to twist the head or a ring around the head to select light levels and use the switch for on-off.
With digital lights the light/mode is done inside a microprocessor controller chip. Click>ON. Click again>OFF or Click-Click>next level or mode. In additional to more light levels blinking modes may also be available. They can be BEACON, STROBE, SOS.
As more and more light levels and modes are added manufacturers divide them into groups. To switch between groups you can twist the bezel in the Fenix -D lights. Most others use electronic switching - at the last level/mode in a group there are 2 sets of blinks. If you do the click-click thing between the blinks you go to the next group.
In a few lights like the Liteflux and flupic based ones one of the groups is programmable by the user.
To avoid having to go through umpteen levels to get to your favorate many lights with too many levels have last state memory. It will come back on in the last level/mode you used the torch.
The ultimate UI probably is the flashlight from JSB. You make your selections on your computer and download the settings to the flashlight via USB cable.
A simple user interface would be an on-off switch.
More complicated switches may go OFF>ON(low)>OFF>ON(high)>OFF or OFF>HIGH>LOW>OFF.
Some flashlights allow you to twist the head or a ring around the head to select light levels and use the switch for on-off.
With digital lights the light/mode is done inside a microprocessor controller chip. Click>ON. Click again>OFF or Click-Click>next level or mode. In additional to more light levels blinking modes may also be available. They can be BEACON, STROBE, SOS.
As more and more light levels and modes are added manufacturers divide them into groups. To switch between groups you can twist the bezel in the Fenix -D lights. Most others use electronic switching - at the last level/mode in a group there are 2 sets of blinks. If you do the click-click thing between the blinks you go to the next group.
In a few lights like the Liteflux and flupic based ones one of the groups is programmable by the user.
To avoid having to go through umpteen levels to get to your favorate many lights with too many levels have last state memory. It will come back on in the last level/mode you used the torch.
The ultimate UI probably is the flashlight from JSB. You make your selections on your computer and download the settings to the flashlight via USB cable.
Last edited:
cab980002
Newly Enlightened
Thanks for the quick reply. I understand now. I will agree that the gladius does have great UI. This thing is very easy to use and the battery change is not difficult at all. Again, Thanks for you help.
BSCOTT1504
Enlightened
:welcome: Welcome to CPF cab980002!! If you hang around here very long you will find several terms that may need clarification...
bondr006
Flashlight Enthusiast
Welcome to CPF cab. BSCOTT is right. It took me a while to figure out all the acronyms, but not long to empty my wallet. 
Someone should make a list of them with their definitions and have it stickied for the new folks.
Someone should make a list of them with their definitions and have it stickied for the new folks.
Fallingwater
Flashlight Enthusiast
No, those are not examples of good and bad. They are examples of simple and complicated.
While I'll agree that anything with more than five levels is bad, especially if it uses groups, one level alone is rarely a good thing for bright Cree flashlights.
gravityz
Enlightened
next question is probably gonna be
What is EDC
this means Every Day Carry, the light you carry with you at al times(even to bed)
this forum is full of abbreviations and for somebody who does not speak english as a native language it it sometimes hard to follow especially because these abbreviations are related to flashlights
feel free to ask
LEDninja
Flashlight Enthusiast
The LED museum has a page of popular light related abbreviations & acronyms:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/acronyms.htm
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/acronyms.htm
So true. I remember when I was new here and the SL PP 4AA LUX was popular. Took me a while to figure that one out, especially when people alternated between abbreviating the whole word, parts of the word, or not at all.
Another oddity for newbies to get used to is that many oldtimers refuses to write maglight, instead they exchange the "a" in maglight for something else, like m*g,m$glight etc. Has to do with that Maglite used to sue everybody who made a flashlight remotely similar to theirs (so pretty much, if you made a non-plastic cylindrical light, you where in the danger zone...).
