Who made the FIRST Led flashlight?

more_vampires

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Kurt Lehovec, Carl Accardo and Edward Jamgochian, explained these first light-emitting diodes in 1951 using an apparatus employing SiC crystals with a current source of battery or pulse generator and with a comparison to a variant, pure, crystal in 1953.[12] [13]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode#Discoveries_and_early_devices

Electroluminescence as a phenomenon was discovered in 1907 by the British experimenter H. J. Round of Marconi Labs, using a crystal of silicon carbide and a cat's-whisker detector.[7][8] Soviet inventor Oleg Losev reported creation of the first LED in 1927.[9] His research was distributed in Soviet, German and British scientific journals, but no practical use was made of the discovery for several decades.[10][11]

Now, what do I win? :)
 

Illum

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holy cow thread bump

Back from when CPF first began I remember ccrane was a big deal at the time, 4 5mm LEDs, 2 or 3AA body. Anything before that is probably... turtlelight?
 
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more_vampires

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Arc with a Luxeon, 2001, according to the wiki. I haven't found any info on 5mm white firsties yet.
 

Aleshander

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Nick Holonyak has developed first LED working range at the University of Illinois for the General Electric Company in 1962.
 

HDS_Systems

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More_Vampires,

HDS Systems designed, built and sold the first regulated high power white LED flashlight - the Action Light. It used 24 white 5mm LEDs to generate about 12 lumens on the High setting and was powered by a step-up regulator, which was powered by a D-cell lithium-sulfur dioxide battery. It provided 3 brightness levels (High, Medium and Low) and would automatically step down from High to Medium when the battery could no longer sustain High. The light was designed as a direct replacement for a carbide lamp - complete with flat hook.

Here is the Action Light product description:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Products/Legacy/Action1/ActionLightAIOCV.php

which can be found on the Legacy Products page:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Products/Legacy/

An article discussing the project history and background is available at:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Articles/ActionLightHistory.pdf

We even build a 48 LED version of this light with separate battery compartment.

Henry.
 

LedTed

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I remember converting and selling several two cell incasescent flashlights to red 10mm LEDs, back in about 1993, for use at the Iditarod. After the original owner finished the race, he sold those lights to a U.S. Air Force Major who competed in the race that year. The Major, in turn, brought them back to base to show his CO, and request they be used in cockpits. I'd like to think this is is the origin of "finger lights".

By 1994 I believe I had five of the first 5mm blue and five of the first 5mm purple LEDs. (Those are the same ones in my avatar.) Later that year, given to me as a Christmas gift, I had six white LEDs. Those white LEDs got put into two cell incasescent flashlights and were given away.

In 1995, I got my first "bright" white 5mm LEDs. The die for each was mounted in the bottom of a cone; the slope of which aligned with the associated dome lens. I made ten 2 X AA conversations out of all of these white LEDs, and donated them to a Boy Scout fund raiser. One gentleman bought the entire collection; custom plexiglass display case and all. I was accused of taking back my donation until that got straightened out. (No good deed ... ) That's when I stopped making and selling LED flashlight conversations.

Though, I have since used much newer 5mm LEDs to put in flashlights at family member requests.
 
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SemiMan

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I remember converting and selling several two cell incasescent flashlights to red 10mm LEDs, back in about 1993, for use at the Iditarod. After the original owner finished the race, he sold those lights to a U.S. Air Force Major who competed in the race that year. The Major, in turn, brought them back to base to show his CO, and request they be used in cockpits. I'd like to think this is is the origin of "finger lights".

By 1994 I believe I had five of the first 5mm blue and five of the first 5mm purple LEDs. (Those are the same ones in my avatar.) Later that year, given to me as a Christmas gift, I had six white LEDs. Those white LEDs got put into two cell incasescent flashlights and were given away.

In 1995, I got my first "bright" white 5mm LEDs. The die for each was mounted in the bottom of a cone; the slope of which aligned with the associated dome lens. I made ten 2 X AA conversations out of all of these white LEDs, and donated them to a Boy Scout fund raiser. One gentleman bought the entire collection; custom plexiglass display case and all. I was accused of taking back my donation until that got straightened out. (No good deed ... ) That's when I stopped making and selling LED flashlight conversations.

Though, I have since used much newer 5mm LEDs to put in flashlights at family member requests.

Cree was shipping Blue samples in 1991, 5mm, to a fairly wide potential customer base.
 

LedTed

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Cree was shipping Blue samples in 1991, 5mm, to a fairly wide potential customer base.

For clarification - the: blue, purple, and white 5mm LED samples from my response to the thread were from Nichia. Also, the time frame from my story should be moved back one year; starting at 1992.

Excuse my assumption, the Cree LEDs apparently came first.
 

more_vampires

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More_Vampires,
HDS Systems designed, built and sold the first regulated high power white LED flashlight - the Action Light.
Cool! Thanks for the history, sir. I think this one of the more interesting threads here... where we came from might have something to do with where we're going. :)
 

lumen aeternum

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More_Vampires,

HDS Systems designed, built and sold the first regulated high power white LED flashlight - the Action Light. It used 24 white 5mm LEDs to generate about 12 lumens on the High setting and was powered by a step-up regulator, which was powered by a D-cell lithium-sulfur dioxide battery. It provided 3 brightness levels (High, Medium and Low) and would automatically step down from High to Medium when the battery could no longer sustain High. The light was designed as a direct replacement for a carbide lamp - complete with flat hook.

Here is the Action Light product description:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Products/Legacy/Action1/ActionLightAIOCV.php

which can be found on the Legacy Products page:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Products/Legacy/

An article discussing the project history and background is available at:

http://www.hdssystems.com/Articles/ActionLightHistory.pdf

We even build a 48 LED version of this light with separate battery compartment.

Henry.


Why did you describe the beam angle in terms of f-stops?
Beam Angle 1, 3 and 6 f-stops 20°/40°/80°
 

chillinn

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Not really about flashlights, but I'm just going to leave this here, because I can find no other appropriate thread for one, and for two, this is just too good of a thread to leave in 2002, 2003, 2015 and 2017.

In 1927, Oleg Losev, a Russian inventor and scientist would introduce the world to the light-emitting diode. This technology would remain dormant for decades. Progress was made in 1962 with the introduction of the first red LED. For the next 30 years, an industry would hunt for the elusive colour blue. Over time the risk of pouring resource and treasure into this pursuit increased - you were chasing the pot of gold at the end of a blue coloured rainbow.

These pursuits would continue with little success until the early 90s. Then the work of Shuji Nakamura, Isamu Akosaki and Hiroshi Amano unlocked the secrets of the blue LED. So significant was this discovery that in 2004, the trio would receive the Nobel price in Physics.

Weirdly, my father's 1989 Volkswagon Wolfsburg Edition Jetta had a 5mm blue LED in the dash. Having never seen one, I wanted to pull the dash apart and do something with it.
 
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Hooked on Fenix

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CCrane was one of the first to offer them IIRC and doing it 22 years ago, they ran off 2x C cell and had 6 or seven leds and were dive worthy too - I had one and they were amazing at the time. I think the replacemt model is this one https://ccrane.com/cc-trek-4-led-flashlight-yellow/

First lights by CCrane were the 3AA CC Trek light with 2 l.e.d.s and the 3C CC Expedition with 7 l.e.d.s. I owned both. No light back then worked on 2 1.5 volt cells. This was before step up circuits when all lights stepped down voltage with resistors (or didn't bother using them at all). I think they came out in 1997. Both had a major flaw. Twisting the head to turn the light on and off cut into the circuit board making the lights lose electrical contact after awhile.
 

Glenn7

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First lights by CCrane were the 3AA CC Trek light with 2 l.e.d.s and the 3C CC Expedition with 7 l.e.d.s. I owned both. No light back then worked on 2 1.5 volt cells. This was before step up circuits when all lights stepped down voltage with resistors (or didn't bother using them at all). I think they came out in 1997. Both had a major flaw. Twisting the head to turn the light on and off cut into the circuit board making the lights lose electrical contact after awhile.
Yeah I couldn't remember the exact battery config but was sure it used C cells on mine anyway and yes I remember it had 7 leds now - the contact to battery was just a blob of solder that if you didn't unscrew the head enough it would flicker, but was a tough torch though and quite bright for light from that era - mine was black with a clear head, it ran for ages too.
 
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degarb

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I think the only question now that matters today is, who made the first 100k lumen flashlight?
 
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