Hi guys,
I just wanted to share a couple images with you. PK gave me a Kroma that wasn't sealed with the liquid weld or whatever it is that now seals the SF lights and keeps me from even considering taking them apart. I was able to remove the bezel from this particular Kroma and peek inside:
Now I read on occasion how SF is behind the times and not keeping current with LED technology and yes, this light has a Luxeon as its high power LED. However, I challange anyone to show me a more sophisticated LED flashlight in terms of electrical and mechanical engineering and machining! There is a black plastic LED organizer ring on the front end of the 3 mm LED's but the black you see in the mid portion of the LED leads and partially sticking out the rear of the PCB is all one piece of machined aluminum. This is the LED's heat sink and I did not photograph the LED and optic pocket that is machined to host the Luxeon and TIR optic but it is quite impressive. Eight connector pins join the forward section to the aft electronics and switch assembly.
To this untrained and ignorant person, the engineering of this flashlight is more akin to other personal electronic devices in terms of complexity than it is to a simple tube style flashlight.
It is what it is and I for one am not going to engage in discussing what it might be; I keep those thoughts and opinions to myself (and maybe share with a friend who doesn't need such feedback from me! :nana: ).
Anyway, IMHO, what it is is most impressive on many levels and simply beyond my understanding. I didn't take it completely apart but I can see three PCB's that are each double sided. 2 functions from the tail switch through 5 channels available from the selector ring gives you a total of 10 different beam outputs. This from a reasonably straight forward user interface.
I asked Paul if he would mind if I shared the pics and he said go ahead so I have. No further point or motive to this thread here beyond a simple show of under the hood. From a mechanical frame of reference that I feel reasonably comfortable with, the SF A2 broke ground with its billet head. The Kroma continues in such a vein with its integration of metal and electronics with a packaging requiring some sophisticated engineering or so it seems to me; at least in relative terms.
I just wanted to share a couple images with you. PK gave me a Kroma that wasn't sealed with the liquid weld or whatever it is that now seals the SF lights and keeps me from even considering taking them apart. I was able to remove the bezel from this particular Kroma and peek inside:
Now I read on occasion how SF is behind the times and not keeping current with LED technology and yes, this light has a Luxeon as its high power LED. However, I challange anyone to show me a more sophisticated LED flashlight in terms of electrical and mechanical engineering and machining! There is a black plastic LED organizer ring on the front end of the 3 mm LED's but the black you see in the mid portion of the LED leads and partially sticking out the rear of the PCB is all one piece of machined aluminum. This is the LED's heat sink and I did not photograph the LED and optic pocket that is machined to host the Luxeon and TIR optic but it is quite impressive. Eight connector pins join the forward section to the aft electronics and switch assembly.
To this untrained and ignorant person, the engineering of this flashlight is more akin to other personal electronic devices in terms of complexity than it is to a simple tube style flashlight.
It is what it is and I for one am not going to engage in discussing what it might be; I keep those thoughts and opinions to myself (and maybe share with a friend who doesn't need such feedback from me! :nana: ).
Anyway, IMHO, what it is is most impressive on many levels and simply beyond my understanding. I didn't take it completely apart but I can see three PCB's that are each double sided. 2 functions from the tail switch through 5 channels available from the selector ring gives you a total of 10 different beam outputs. This from a reasonably straight forward user interface.
I asked Paul if he would mind if I shared the pics and he said go ahead so I have. No further point or motive to this thread here beyond a simple show of under the hood. From a mechanical frame of reference that I feel reasonably comfortable with, the SF A2 broke ground with its billet head. The Kroma continues in such a vein with its integration of metal and electronics with a packaging requiring some sophisticated engineering or so it seems to me; at least in relative terms.
