Which comes first, electricity or flashlights?

[divine]

I've been reading for a few weeks or so, and I know there are people on both sides of this question.

I have an electronics background, an engineering degree and my job requires me to know a lot about electricity. I see a lot of people who don't really know what an amp or a volt is around here, so my question is:

Does your knowledge of electronics drive your infatuation with flashlights or does your infatuation with flashlights drive your knowledge of electronics?

 

[2xTrinity]

In my case, interest in electricity came first. I was actaully asked to look into energy-efficient alternatives for halogen spotlights that would work on a dimmer circuit in a room full of RFI-sensitive eqiupment (dimmable CFLs out of the question due to RFI), I looked into cutting edge LED technology about 1.5yrs ago to see if anything fit the bill. I couldn't find anything, but in the course of the research ran into CPF and found a lot of the projects on here to be quite interesting, so I consequently got into flashlights.

 

[Tempest UK]

Flashlights first for me. In fact, I have no/next to no knowledge of electricity beyond what I was taught in school. My interest in lights has somewhat inspired me to learn more...but it seems to be one of those things I just never get around to

Regards,
Tempest

 

[NA8]

I think most of us experienced flashlights at an early age before we were aware of electronics textbooks. Our first awareness of how it all worked was probably when we unscrewed the flashlight and played with the all the parts.

 

[Buck91]

I said elect. came first for me because I have a broad tinkering background in many different things including car audio and car repair (which is becoming more and more electrical based). Its only relatively recently I've gotten into flashlights anything more than "hmm, lost my maglite, need a new one."

 

[TorchBoy]

To answer the thread title, I think God created electricity (eg, lightning) a bit before people first used it in torches. As for my own knowledge, household lighting would have preceded torches, I'm sure. Is that what you're thinking of, for electricity?

 

[Crenshaw]

It was definately about the light first, even when messing around with wires and light bulbs (the incan low output kind you see in textbooks) it was about making it light up. And before that, you wondered how lights worked, then you found out.

more recently, the only reason for even bothering about electronics, is for circuits for my LEDS

Crenshaw

 

[divine]

Should be interesting to see the numbers.

Yeah, I'm surprised by how much stuff some people are doing that don't seem to know a whole lot. That takes some dedication!

 

[nerdgineer]

Whatever it was that made me interested in technology manifested itself in liking flashlighty toy'y things first and getting a technical education second (as that takes longer).

 

[Fallingwater]

Does your knowledge of electronics drive your infatuation with flashlights or does your infatuation with flashlights drive your knowledge of electronics?

My interest in electronics drives my interest in flashlights.
I wasn't even interested in flashlights before LED-powered ones came out, and I still don't give two hoots about incandescents.

I'm fascinated by the technology that goes behind LEDs, rechargeable batteries and drivers. I'm also highly attracted by efficiency: the piddling amounts of current (well, relatively speaking) necessary to get useful light out of LEDs are an additional attraction to me. If all we had were incandescents I can pretty much guarantee I wouldn't be on this board.

 

[dw51]

I'm the only one who voted to not participate?

My reason for this is there wasn't a better option. My love of flashlights did come before my electricity knowledge, but I didn't start modding flashlights or know anything about modding flashlights until after learning about electricity.

Kind of a chicken or egg thing for me I guess? :shrug:

 

[jugg2]

I was exposed to electricity in the HVAC field by working with my father during the summer. I don't know a lot about electricity, compared to some CPFers, but I do know a good bit more than your average person. The fact I know a little about electricity helps me appreciate flashlights more, and understand how they work.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

As a young child flashlights was one of the things that helped interest me in electronics/ circuits, etc. So I'm a flashaholic first. I have, within the past year or so of reading CPF, remembered and re learned a few things that I'd forgotten from physics classes. And I still have much to learn.

 

[RainerWahnsinn]

Since I am an radioamateur since over 20 years, the electricity came first, then the flashlights.

Rainer (DH2RW)

 

[jzmtl]

My first flashlight was a silver stamped metal 2x aa light with those bulbs that has a glass blob to serve as collimator when I was 5, so it's safe to say I didn't know crap about electricity back then.

 

[adamlau]

Electricity came first. But flashlights are currently driving my knowledge of electronics.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Flashlights, They are a vessel that Draws electricity, without them
electricity would be lost

 

[dulridge]

Mains power here is utterly reliable - last time it wasn't was more than 30yr ago and that was political.

Lived in a place with no power at all from 84-86 (2 days AC power from 15th March 1984 to 22nd July 1986) and did not own a flashlight at all unless you counted my motorcycle but getting oil for it was a problem.

You learned to navigate by moonlight, or only travel by day.

Electricity first. Though in the spirit of the question, my first degree was in physical science and therefore I knew more about the physics than the practicalities. These days, what I know about electronics could be written down and comfortably inserted in my eyes. So these days, flashlights first.

 

[TaschenlampeMann]

I have been involved with electronics since boyhood, through trade school and finally into engineering positions. Only in the past 4 years have I gotten the flashlight bug.

 

[wjb3]

Does your knowledge of electronics drive your infatuation with flashlights or does your infatuation with flashlights drive your knowledge of electronics?

Neither.

I started taking apart electronics in kindergarden (Grampa gave me old electronics from his job at Ford). I still cannot put them back together.

I liked my friends Maglite in high school, but did not start buying flashlights until I bought my own house (no Dad to fix things).

I did not start annoying my wife and collecting flashlights until High Output LEDs like Luxeon (no annoying bulb to replace).

-wjb3