LED lights are nearly there. Some of them already use a small switch merely to control the electronics. Why not go all the way to a solid state light? Eliminate that pesky mechanical switch completely for greater reliability.
How about two stainless steel or aluminum posts protruding outward through a molded plastic surround, which insulates them from each other and from the body of the light? (Or, maybe one post is grounded to the body.)
Touching both posts simultaneously with a finger tip completes a circuit which generates a pulse to the control electronics. (Maybe one post is hooked directly to the base of a Darlington pair.)
One touch on, second touch off. Or, the light is on whenever a fingertip bridges the posts, for momentary. Two rapid taps locks it on. A third tap turns it off. On a multilevel light, a series of taps controls brightness, strobe function, etc., just like a clicky switch. One obvious problem is that the light would switch on whenever water bridges the posts, but there may be ways to work around this.
Has anyone seen a light with a control like this?
How about two stainless steel or aluminum posts protruding outward through a molded plastic surround, which insulates them from each other and from the body of the light? (Or, maybe one post is grounded to the body.)
Touching both posts simultaneously with a finger tip completes a circuit which generates a pulse to the control electronics. (Maybe one post is hooked directly to the base of a Darlington pair.)
One touch on, second touch off. Or, the light is on whenever a fingertip bridges the posts, for momentary. Two rapid taps locks it on. A third tap turns it off. On a multilevel light, a series of taps controls brightness, strobe function, etc., just like a clicky switch. One obvious problem is that the light would switch on whenever water bridges the posts, but there may be ways to work around this.
Has anyone seen a light with a control like this?