New AAA keychain light - 4.2V only (would you buy one?)

Hi Everyone,

Im currently designing a custom single-cell AAA light, aiming for it to be the brightest (most lumens) currently available in the AAA form factor, but to keep the size small and max lumens high, I may have to limit the light to running on 4.2V 10440 (rechargeable AAA equivalent).

Would you consider EDC-ing (&/or buying) a AAA size light that only accepts rechargeable 10440's?

I'd greatly appreciate any & all feedback.

Approximate Size: 70mm x 14mm

Currently planning 4 mode twisty with no mode memory
low > high > turbo > beacon 1.5Hz (eg. 1 flash every 1.5 sec)
twist on/off quickly to advance to next mode.
leave off for more than 1.5 sec and you are back to low mode.

Approximate Output: 50lm > 250lm > 400lm+ > 100lm (beacon)

tailstand & keychain/lanyard attachment already planned.

If possible, I'd also love to hear your thoughts on:

1) Clip (yes/no/dont care)
2) Low Mode (how many lumens is your ideal?)

Any other feedback most welcome.

Thanks in advance,

tgwnn

Ditch the beacon / flasher, Or at the very least place it out of the way of the other modes.
Replace flasher with ~3 lumen "candle" mode, keyhole spotter, night vision preserver...whatever you want to call it. ~3L -50L - 200L - TURBO (whatever L you can muster).

-Removable clip = YES
-HIGH frequency PWM
-Last mode memory would be nice (but not a deal breaker)

Design it with thermal stability in mind. Thicker walled construction to aid in cooling.

Thanks Kramer,

Last mode memory is do-able, but I figured getting rid of it,
would keep the beacon out of the way easily enough.

The only reason for including beacon is that whilst many people dont want blinky (aka stupid mode),
there seems to be a contingency of cpf'ers (hikers, rescue, etc) that swear-by only edc-ing something with beacon mode.
If its out of the way, its nice to have.

>>thermal stability
Yes, its in there already, with auto-overheat step down on Turbo mode (aka Naughty mode).

>>candle mode
Not sure going to 4 or 5 mode is great but having a lower low would be ideal for sure.

tgwnn

Yeah too many modes would probably annoy people, being a twisty. 4 modes might be too many. I didn't consider this in my reply, but I think 3 modes is my MAX.

Theres always CPF debate regarding low modes, What is too high and whats too low... it can vary greatly.

1) don't care (don't use it, would if it were "perfect"...)
2) lower the better ie "moonlight" mode

I like having access to the blinky modes, "out of the way" however is preferable.
rocksolid keychain attachment is a must imo. I don't feel any of the mainstream AAA's have it quite perfect yet...

What kind of runtimes do you expect?

I'm a hiker but I see no need for strobes in general but particularly in a keychain light. In that size package 200 is going to be turbo mode IMO. I prefer no memory. I'd rather know in what mode the light is going to turn on.

Leaving out memory isn't going to avoid the strobe though. If you are in low and decide you need high you will go through strobes unless you turn the light off and back on (not convenient when you suddenly decide you need high mode).

How long is a continuous strobe mode going to last (to be useful) in a single 10400 light anyway and who will be able to see it in that size?

I find twisty multi mode lights annoying. Both my AAA lights I run on 10440 all the time.

Peak Eiger #8 wide beam SS
Ray S20 SS

Both single mode twisty, SS.

Make a single mode twisty designed for a 10440, small as possible, I would def buy some.

Stainless Steel or Titanium would be great, blasted finish even better, proper flood beam and it's perfect!

:thumbsup:

Sounds interesting. I'd also recommend incorporating built in voltage protection.

Absolutely not... one of the advantages to a AAA light is the availability of power sources... A 10440-only light would be useless once the power grid went down...

There are too many other good lights that can use both...

I'd buy one if it was in the $50 or under range IF it had a lower low mode than 50 lumens. I'd want it to be ~5-15 lumens.

I'm 95% happy with my Fenix LD01 with a 10440 but wanting a lower low mode while keeping the bright high modes (or making them a bit brighter) would be the only reason I'd get something else.

And I'd prefer no memory as long as it came on on low or medium... preferably low.

Hide the blinkys, needs to take regular AAA also, pocket clip is a necessity. Any more than 3 twists to reach a mode makes it a no go in my book.

@flasherByNight
>What kind of runtimes do you expect?
Approximate, but something like
150m, 30m, 10m (Turbo)

@gcbryan
>How long is a continuous strobe mode going to last
Good point, current estimate is max of 7hrs

@uknewbie, @cratz2
thanks

@moshow9
>recommend incorporating built in voltage protection
it is incorporated.
this is a must for using rechargeables

@shao.fu.tzer
>Absolutely not... one of the advantages to a AAA light is the availability of power sources
Im glad you brought that up.
That is my #1 issue also.
It seems though, in trying to keep size small, and turbo mode high,
supporting standard AAA (1.2~1.5V) is going to add significant size,
and Im trying to keep it small, with a really high high for the size.
For now, the circuit/pcb seems to be the biggest barrier as I want to include:
Voltage protection, thermal protection for the turbo mode so the light will auto-step down,
from turbo to high, when temp gets too hot.


@ALL
I started out with 2 mode (my preference)
Low > High
but as the turbo mode can probably only be used for somewhere between 30-60 secs without frying the light
(even with newly designed heatsink head), this is kind of a short burst usage (really for CPFers' only) type of mode,
who want high lumens in a tiny package.
I doubt this can be a mainstream (mass production) light without supporting standard AAA (1.5v).
For now, Im happy designing a small sized, keychain light that I'd want on my keychain,
and hopefully some other flashaholics would be happy to add to their keychain.

The beacon mode is an add-on.
Might be just easier to drop it if there is little demand/need for it.


Thanks,
tgwnn

I would have some concerns about your power source. Lets say you're using a T6 bin LED (the highest currently available) - at 280lm/W, 400lm requires ~ 1.1A @ 3V. That would require ~1A from the 10440 (probably a bit more if you consider driver efficiency), pushing >3C discharge rate. What cells did you have in mind to reach this rate?

Are you planning to use constant current regulation or PWM?

I already have one. A Titanium Draco AlTiN with the extender.

@jabe1 > thanks.

@hoongern
Agreed and share your concern.
You are correct about pushing close to 3C discharge rate.
This is another reason for limiting the turbo mode to short bursts.

I have a concept light (1 mode) that is really small and probably pushes >3C (direct drive)
It does fine for short bursts, then output drops as heat builds up.

Regarding battery, IMR seems to be fine.

>Are you planning to use constant current regulation or PWM?
Still testing, any preference?

Thank you
tgwnn

I only appreciate super bright if it comes with super low. I prefer a light that uses 10440 and wouldn't miss compatibility with other cells for a special light. This sounds like one such. So, add a <3 lumen low mode, 'hide' the strobe like 7777 does and yes, I like a clip and a good one at that. Removable/optional accessory works for everyone. If you make a good light with a poor clip, people will fix that. (LF2XT).

I like the return to low mode. Add a few other features APO and voltage meter, programmable modes/ramping. Go for it man. I'll take four of your first run if you do it right!

There's a lot of folks TALKING about making an AAA light (you know who you are!) but there's a paucity of people DOING anything about it. Fill this market please!

Don't forget trit slots!

the_guy_with_no_name said:

Hi Everyone,

Im currently designing a custom single-cell AAA light, aiming for it to be the brightest (most lumens) currently available in the AAA form factor, but to keep the size small and max lumens high, I may have to limit the light to running on 4.2V 10440 (rechargeable AAA equivalent).

Would you consider EDC-ing (&/or buying) a AAA size light that only accepts rechargeable 10440's?

I'd greatly appreciate any & all feedback.

Approximate Size: 70mm x 14mm

Currently planning 4 mode twisty with no mode memory
low > high > turbo > beacon 1.5Hz (eg. 1 flash every 1.5 sec)
twist on/off quickly to advance to next mode.
leave off for more than 1.5 sec and you are back to low mode.

Approximate Output: 50lm > 250lm > 400lm+ > 100lm (beacon)

tailstand & keychain/lanyard attachment already planned.

If possible, I'd also love to hear your thoughts on:

1) Clip (yes/no/dont care)
2) Low Mode (how many lumens is your ideal?)

Any other feedback most welcome.

Thanks in advance,

tgwnn

Click to expand...

@Dan_FO
Drakes are great li'l lights

@egrep
Thanks for the feedback.
Anything is possible, its a balance between size & features.

Seems like demand for compatibility for standard AAA is high which was my initial instinct.
The question is, in trying to get 400lm or more (aiming for closer to 500) in turbo mode,
and trying to keep everything small, would any of you consider buying a light like this.

say:
Low 3~10 lumen
High 250 lumen
Turbo 400+ lumen

...or am I designing something just I would use?
I also have the instinct that once you see it, AAA or no AAA you will want to own it!

btw, there is also a special extra for extra size reduction

Thanks,
tgwnn

the_guy_with_no_name said:

@jabe1 > thanks.

@hoongern
Agreed and share your concern.
You are correct about pushing close to 3C discharge rate.
This is another reason for limiting the turbo mode to short bursts.

I have a concept light (1 mode) that is really small and probably pushes >3C (direct drive)
It does fine for short bursts, then output drops as heat builds up.

Regarding battery, IMR seems to be fine.

>Are you planning to use constant current regulation or PWM?
Still testing, any preference?

Thank you
tgwnn

Click to expand...

IMR would definitely work - albeit with very short runtime. I guess I haven't really seen that many IMR10440s around, but if they are available, that would definitely work!

To me, CC regulation should be almost always better than PWM, but I haven't seen many AAA lights which have it, since I think it takes up more space? (I don't have much experience on drivers though; I've never made any flashlights, so probably someone else can comment on it more)

didn't notice the 10440 ONLY part either, think that counts me out

flasherByNight said:

didn't notice the 10440 ONLY part either, think that counts me out

Click to expand...

That and/or a "tighten to turn on" (i.e. wear it with a loose head) interface will definitely keep me away.

Nap.