Ra Clicky Part 4

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HDS_Systems

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[Note: this thread is continued from the previous thead. The post below is from the first post of the thread made on May 23, 2008]


I know many of you have been waiting a long time for this announcement. Wait no longer.

This thread is to discuss the technical aspects of the upcoming Ra Clicky flashlight. A preliminary description can be viewed here. We will be expanding the information available over the next month.

Henry.
 

SaturnNyne

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Hurray! I love it when this thread gets rebooted mid-conversation! :party:

Nah, I "took the bait" and it clearly isn't worth it! Your "thoughts" always entertaining--a spot on stage for you in the future....somewhere I'm sure!:crackup:
Thank you, Karl, I always enjoy your compliments too. I didn't see any "bait," but as you like...

While I have your attention, I'd just like to say that, though we tend to often hold opposing opinions, I've enjoyed and agreed with many of your recent posts. I'm sorry it's only when we are in disagreement that we actually meet on the field of conversation.


I'm not sure why so many are having a hard time understanding why there is a time limit for the burst mode . . . The set time limit seams right to me and should perform as Henry designed it for. To give you a BURST of light when you need it to see something you cant at your normal settings.Trust me as a hunter/camper i think this is going to be a great feature.Many times when in the woods at night or early morning i have had to switch from low to high very quickly to check something out and once i have seen what it was i needed to see would go right back to my lower level.
Dan, my friend, I think the issue here is that you're looking at the implementation of burst purely as someone who will actually use it as it's intended to be used. Those who complain about it are certainly within their rights to, but I think their objection is more on principle, and perhaps a desire to give the lights a "braggable" maximum rather than an asterisked maximum. That's fine, and those are legitimate concerns for a flashaholic, but I feel, as Henry clearly does, that practical concerns outweigh them. Despite how unusual and seemingly limiting the timer appears to be (I feel that way too), I do believe it to be very well thought out from a purely practical standpoint; though practicality will, in this case, demand a trade off of some degree of flashaholic satisfaction.


This post is a great undertaking, proving to me that you take all of our comments seriously.
I take everything seriously, you must know that from our epic Tour battle, when you were the Armstrong to my Landis! ;)

Tell me it isn't so that Enzo will not be indulging in a Clicky?
I hear things.... I hear things. However, it looks like maybe I missed an important memo on that front. So I guess who can really say with him...


No Sir, I have spoken to nobody whose first name starts with the letter "H", to help me form my opinion about the rational for the burst mode timeout.
Ha! I was actually implying that you pilfered your explanation from me, it was so close in some points. However, a quick review of our emails did not turn up any discussion of it, so it looks like you're cleared. Is it possible that is the only aspect of the design we didn't discuss?

I found the email and have looked at your calculated increase in throw with each rise in level. It just shows that an increase in output gives a slight increase in throw.
What I actually found interesting in that chart is that my Arbitrary Throw Units seem to each represent an unexpectedly substantial difference. For example: I assume, based on 100Tw beamshots/descriptions and my own output observations of my NT that my 120P would fall somewhere around the same number as the 100w (or perhaps slightly higher, since it's supposed to be brighter and one member has suggested that his Twisty was actually a little floodier; I believe a beamshot I saw may have also suggested this). That would give the 120P a rating of ~109+ATU. Compare that to the rating of the 85n at 120. A very small difference by the numbers, but I can tell you from my own comparisons that the difference in throw between the two is substantial, to the point where one is capable of "doing the job" and the other simply is not. The ATU difference between the 100w and 120w is roughly the same as the difference between the 100w and 85n, giving the impression that a step up in output is indeed quite significant in actual use (not taking into account the difference in perception that could be made by the increased backscatter from the brighter spill of the wide beam models). Now this does not make sense to me. My rough calculations are based on numbers provided by Henry and I've checked the calculations for errors, but I still wonder if something must be wrong with them, since I would not expect a one step increase to provide what the charts show. So my numbers are definitely just for intellectual entertainment for now, not something to put too much stock in.

My reference to the Rockies was a variation of the old west saying "east of the Rio Grande." Most of our international comrades wouldn't know what that means, but most would have heard of the Rockies. Am I exonerated of all guilt?
I simply meant that, contrary to a literal interpretation of your phrase, the Clicky will likely be the best light in its class on either side of the Rockies; something I'm sure you of all people would agree with.

SF has the most uncalculated all over the place output specs. I have seen. But their fine reputation is built on publishing conservative output numbers. I would much rather deal with a manufacturer like Henry, who gives us XXlm when he tells us he is giving us XXlm! I use my HDS lights as reference lights, when comparing the outputs of other lights.
I agree. SF's practice of using conservative specs is admirable compared to their competition, but it is certainly something far different from the precise and accurate ratings being discussed. The "10lm" low on my L1 appears to actually be about 15. That's great, more light for free, but it doesn't change the fact that the number given was not precise in the same sense that an HDS spec is, though there have been only a few occasions where I'd actually have preferred the lower claimed output.

Indeed, no manufacturer I know elaborates on their emitters. It is the word of mouth from each of us that informs the rest of us of their choices.
There certainly are some newer manufacturers that do specify exactly what they're using, now that there are so many choices and key differences. I think this current practice leads many newbies to the assumption that this is just how it's always been and older/larger companies must surely have always followed the same practice. But... it's just not the case.

I recently bought an HDS light with a SS lens ring and three tritium vials. Without a doubt, that solution is the best way I have found to locate my light in near total darkness. My advice is to make every attempt to deploy these vials in your HDS lights, and forget about the locator flash's intensity.
I'd like a trit, but they're really just not worth the effort and expense to me. It's very rare that I actually need a locator, so I like the idea of one I can just turn on and off. If I'm in the dark, my light is on me; if for some reason it's not, my keys probably are, and they have a light for finding lights...

Does anybody think that powernoodle's HDS light locator flash endurance test will last for 12 years, the half life of a tritium vial?
At the way it's going, I wouldn't be entirely shocked if it did!


orcinus said:
No, but i've tried to explain why people here reacted the way they did. Because they (/we) are those kinds of people :D
Ah, quite right. Take my comment as a clarifying addition then.
 
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HDS_Systems

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LuxLover,

"Tactical" momentary was pure momentary - button down, light on, button up, light off. The manual is clear what would happen under such a condition - if the turn-on setting was burst, it would run for 10 seconds and then step down one level. "Tactical" momentary is very different from the other momentary that looks at how long the switch was held down to determine the difference between momentary and non-momentary.

In all of the years that feature has been available I have never come across anyone who actually used it - other than to test that the feature worked. Since we are not marketing the Ra Clicky as a tactical flashlight, we dropped that feature and fixed the other problems it caused in the UI. This results in a simpler and cleaner UI where no two feature interact. Each feature does exactly the same thing regardless of what other features have been enabled.

The locator flash is plenty bright to do a ceiling bounce once your eyes are dark adapted. In fact, I still get complaints that it is too bright. When I use it, I turn the flashlight bezel down to reduce the output light level.

Henry.
 

dtsoll

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Hey, um Henry, will the dealers be getting their clickys for shipment this week? Haha, it is worth a try, haha. Just kidding but if you wanna answer................ Doug:)
 

thermal guy

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LuxLover,

"Tactical" momentary was pure momentary - button down, light on, button up, light off. The manual is clear what would happen under such a condition - if the turn-on setting was burst, it would run for 10 seconds and then step down one level. "Tactical" momentary is very different from the other momentary that looks at how long the switch was held down to determine the difference between momentary and non-momentary.

In all of the years that feature has been available I have never come across anyone who actually used it - other than to test that the feature worked. Since we are not marketing the Ra Clicky as a tactical flashlight, we dropped that feature and fixed the other problems it caused in the UI. This results in a simpler and cleaner UI where no two feature interact. Each feature does exactly the same thing regardless of what other features have been enabled.

The locator flash is plenty bright to do a ceiling bounce once your eyes are dark adapted. In fact, I still get complaints that it is too bright. When I use it, I turn the flashlight bezel down to reduce the output light level.

Henry.

+1 on the locator flash.When i forget to turn the light away from the bed when my G/F an i go to sleep she is always right there to remind me about it.And she ain't nice:D
 

luxlover

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+1 on the locator flash.When i forget to turn the light away from the bed when my G/F an i go to sleep she is always right there to remind me about it.And she ain't nice:D
TG, if you don't want your G/F to show you to the couch, you better start doing as you are told and not forget! :D

Jeff


 

luxlover

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LuxLover,

"Tactical" momentary was pure momentary - button down, light on, button up, light off. The manual is clear what would happen under such a condition - if the turn-on setting was burst, it would run for 10 seconds and then step down one level. "Tactical" momentary is very different from the other momentary that looks at how long the switch was held down to determine the difference between momentary and non-momentary.

In all of the years that feature has been available I have never come across anyone who actually used it - other than to test that the feature worked. Since we are not marketing the Ra Clicky as a tactical flashlight, we dropped that feature and fixed the other problems it caused in the UI. This results in a simpler and cleaner UI where no two feature interact. Each feature does exactly the same thing regardless of what other features have been enabled.

The locator flash is plenty bright to do a ceiling bounce once your eyes are dark adapted. In fact, I still get complaints that it is too bright. When I use it, I turn the flashlight bezel down to reduce the output light level.

Henry.
Henry,

Good answer. So may we assume that the Clicky will have ALL the modes below, found in the "competition's" lights?
Emergency Strobe
Emergency SOS
Locator Flash
Force Setting
Automatic Button Lock
Automatic Turn-off
Simple Momentary
Disable Brightness Level Ramping and Options Menu

Recipe for keeping the peace with girlfriends and wives....disable Locator Flash and deploy tritium vials. :whistle:

Jeff


 

Haz

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I'm glad there is the locator flash added to the light. It's a very useful feature. This sounds like the best light ever to come out.
 

toby_pra

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Hey, um Henry, will the dealers be getting their clickys for shipment this week? Haha, it is worth a try, haha. Just kidding but if you wanna answer................ Doug:)

:crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup:

But i hope as soon as possible...

I really love my Twisty, hopefully gettin back soon :candle:
 

karlthev

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Quote:
"Originally Posted by karlthev
Nah, I "took the bait" and it clearly isn't worth it! Your "thoughts" always entertaining--a spot on stage for you in the future....somewhere I'm sure!"

Karl

"Thank you, Karl, I always enjoy your compliments too. I didn't see any "bait," but as you like...

While I have your attention, I'd just like to say that, though we tend to often hold opposing opinions, I've enjoyed and agreed with many of your recent posts. I'm sorry it's only when we are in disagreement that we actually meet on the field of conversation."

Saturn


I'm much more of a buyer/collector/user than a technical reviewer and "idea man". My posts (generally) represent the adage that "less is more" as a direct result. In that same vein, I realize that as one size DOESN'T fit all, no one flashlight can ever hope to please everyone and so, the fewer the activities to get the light actually LIGHTING something , the better---for me! I use my computer in the same manner--as a tool and not an adventure in figuring how and why it works. Usually (I'm sure there is the possibility of an exception somewhere) more features offered to attract more customers spells a thicker instruction manual. That fact intrigues some but not me. I don't spend that much time looking at charts for automobile performance either, preferring to get in and drive. We're all different..

I guess you and I can agree to disagree on some issues/aspects (not problems) and agree on others. Fine by me.:twothumbs


Karl
 

luxlover

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SaturnNyne,

Do you have to quote & reply to every comment that is made on this thread?:D

jr/
Jimmy,
I will add.....does he have to reply to an email in a manner that would choke a horse? Holy moly, the guy likes to type. However, he is the only guy I know who is well mannered enough to actually answer all questions in an email, and then elaborate on the matter. I enjoy his emails very much, and the same goes for his massive posts here. It's just about the time he writes me another one! :party: :party:
Jeff


 

luxlover

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It's been such a very long time. Remind me again . . . what is a 'Clicky'? :confused:
One question before I start....how much time do you have to devote to a full, thorough and concise explanation of a "Clicky?" :ohgeez: Be careful with your answer, my kind of writing makes SaturnNyne look like he is tiptoeing through the tulips!!!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: This just in.....Clickys will be "coming in October 2008." :grin2: If they do, I'm going to :faint:

Jeff
Prolific Writer


 
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luxlover

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Me too. Having a moderator start a new part to a thread is what makes life worth living! :grin2:

Through the years, every action taken by Henry has been a carefully thought out trade-off, most of which I have given my approval. I suppose that he can give us a 200lm light that stays cool as a cucumber, but at what cost in runtime and efficiency?. His recent "confession" that Tactical Momentary Mode will not be included in the Clicky also makes sense, since I have never seriously used it and know about it only when using it to see how it works. But it made the rest of his lights' features null and void. It seems that Henry's theme is "practicality", which is a good thing for the layperson.

It sounds like you have Enzo's "spirit" communicating with you!

"Pilfered" is such a negative word! :mecry: How about "borrowed without your knowledge or permission" or "adopted." Could it be that we are members of parallel universes, and that the idea came to each of us spontaneously? It is so refreshing knowing that I have been fully exonerated of a crime that I didn't commit.

At your request, I shall forward your throw charts to JPL and NASA, for final corroboration of your findings, which you find to be illogical based on reasonable predictions.

Without objection, the Clicky will reign supreme "from coast to coast" and all points in between!!!

When SF posts a conservative rating for ANY light level on ANY of their lights, it can present a problem to those who really want a low level of 10lm and not 15lm. Sometimes less is more, depending on the use of the light. While 10lm is indistinguishable from 15lm, I would rather deal with Henry's level of accuracy than adopt a philosophy that more lumens is better.

I know of no other manufacturer beside Henry, who makes the claim that regardless of the emitter used it will always meet or exceed all of his specifications for the light.


 

luxlover

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Henry,

On this page..... http://ralights.com/?id=ClickyDetails one can find the following, which I must have overlooked before I wrote post #7 in this thread...."The preset brightness settings can also be customized to emergency strobe, disorienting strobe and SOS signals. Other customizations include selecting the turn-on brightness setting, momentary operation, automatic turn-off, button lock and locator flash."

So would you tell us if Force Setting and
Disable Brightness Level Ramping and Options Menu will also be included in the Clicky?

Jeff


 

Dead_Nuts

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One question before I start....how much time do you have to devote to a full, thorough and concise explanation of a "Clicky?" :ohgeez: Be careful with your answer, my kind of writing makes SaturnNyne look like he is tiptoeing through the tulips!!!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: This just in.....Clickys will be "coming in October 2008." :grin2: If they do, I'm going to :faint:

Jeff
Prolific Writer



Uh, that's OK! It just came back to me. Thanks anyway.
 

SaturnNyne

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SaturnNyne,
Do you have to quote & reply to every comment that is made on this thread?:D
jr/
Every one except this one! :D

Seriously though, I do apologize to those who don't enjoy it. I'm not trying to be an annoyance, just participating in the goings on in my way. But this thread isn't about me, so let's move along...


The following mess is for Jeff:
Jimmy,
I will add.....does he have to reply to an email in a manner that would choke a horse? Holy moly, the guy likes to type. However, he is the only guy I know who is well mannered enough to actually answer all questions in an email, and then elaborate on the matter. I enjoy his emails very much, and the same goes for his massive posts here. It's just about the time he writes me another one! :party: :party:
Jeff
I get the hint, I realize I'm overdue in replying to about three of your emails... :eek: I guess I don't like to type quite enough! But thank you, Jeff. Now let's move along...
Be careful with your answer, my kind of writing makes SaturnNyne look like he is tiptoeing through the tulips!!!! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
It's true, when you get rolling, I run and hide!
I suppose that he can give us a 200lm light that stays cool as a cucumber, but at what cost in runtime and efficiency?.
High output potential goes hand in hand with runtime and efficiency, aside from the fact that efficiency drops non-linearly as we push closer to that upper potential. The compromise for brightness and coolness would be in the size: large heatsink, large power supply.
"Pilfered" is such a negative word! :mecry:
Pilfered isn't so negative, it means to take a small amount or something relatively inconsequential. My very accusation implies the lack of severity in the crime you didn't even commit. For example, "Jeff pilfered pretty pajamas" works. On the other hand, "Jeff brutally pilfered the-- wait, I'm discussing word definitions on a flashlight forum. Moving on...
I shall forward your throw charts to JPL and NASA, for final corroboration of your findings, which you find to be illogical based on reasonable predictions.
Good, Attn: Wall of Shame Dept., where my mathematics belong.
When SF posts a conservative rating for ANY light level on ANY of their lights, it can present a problem to those who really want a low level of 10lm and not 15lm. Sometimes less is more, depending on the use of the light.
I absolutely agree for my/our uses, there are certainly plenty of times when a lower output is desirable. However, I realize SF's target market will not be likely to care about such details so I try to refrain from complaining inappropriately and ungratefully about a consumer light doing its job too well, whatever my own preferences.
While 10lm is indistinguishable from 15lm...
A 50% increase is pretty distinguishable actually.

Jeff, my gentleman marathon keyboard jockey buddy, do you ever fear that we'd get a lot more of the updates we like if word-whores like us didn't make wading through this thread such a daunting task? Somewhere around the first 1000 words I usually remember that poor Henry has to come in here and spend his valuable time plodding through our nonsense (not just ours, but we're the most verbose lately) so that he can respond properly to all legitimate questions and comments, take care of business. Let's cool our personal back and forth and try to keep things a little cleaner here (or leaner, cleaner, and meaner, as you might put it) so that this thread can better get down to its business of supporting the launch of the best light on the market, which will hopefully be any time now. I want to participate in the launch, but not hinder it too much when we're so close. Of course, you're free to launch your attacks on my email privately.
Other customizations include selecting the turn-on brightness setting, momentary operation, automatic turn-off, button lock and locator flash."

So would you tell us if Force Setting and
Disable Brightness Level Ramping and Options Menu will also be included in the Clicky?
Wouldn't "selecting the turn-on brightness setting" be force setting?
 

luxlover

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I bless the mess I just inherited.....
I was not hinting about my one outstanding email. I was hinting that you start a new one with the latest gossip. This is not the time to worry about breaking a nail while typing!
:crackup:

When you get rolling, I Krazy Glue myself to my chair.

Ah ha! That non-linearity result of overdriving an emitter.....caper. I forgot to mention that "little stumbling block." Even with a lot of heat dissipating metal and a powerful power supply, there would still be non-linearity in an overdriven emitter's performance, but the heat would be better extracted from the emitter's slug. Just look at some of the Forward Current vs. Runtime graphs at the LED manufacturers' websites!!!

There is nothing "shameful" about your lumens vs throw effort.

I stand corrected. A 10lm to 15lm rise in output represents a 50% rise, which is usually the point where a higher output is distinguishable from a lower output.....or vice versa. Shame on me!

I am not sure that the absence of SaturnNyne's and Luxlover's posting would have a positive effect on Henry's willingness to post more release updates. He knows how to "weed through the crap" and pick up on the meat and potatoes posts. But in the interest of determining whether this is true, let us sign a virtual pact to cease and desist our little floor show to see it either Henry shares more important information wiith us, or he ships our lights sooner!

Rest assured that I will take my viscious attacks on you to the private email sector, and continue my campaign with great ferocity!

Are you guessing that
selecting the turn-on brightness setting is the same as Force Setting? If so, did a birdy tell you this? If so, then one more mystery must be solved....will Disable Brightness Level Ramping and Options Menu be one of the Clicky's features!!!

Jeff


 
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