Where is LED flashlight FAQ on this site?

darklion99

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Jul 14, 2012
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I am a noob doing a lot of learning (and my first post). I could swear I found a FAQ about LED flashlight technology on this site, but I can no longer find it! I might have seen it somewhere else, but I'm hoping one of you might point me out. Thanks very much for any assistance! Also, two terms I haven't quite figured out: PMW and pill, if any one can help me with those.
 

Gunner12

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There is a flashlight wiki, also the Welcome Mat can also be helpful, but the last update was 2 years ago.

PWM = Pulse width modulation (flashing really quickly, usually used to dim the light)

Pill = the assembly of both the LED and the driver

:welcome:
 

StarHalo

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PWM is Pulse Width Modulation; this is how fast an LED turns on and off within the span of a second, expressed in hertz. A PWM of 100hz means the LED flickered 100 times in one second - this also means it was off 100 times in the same second, thus preserving battery life and increasing the overall LED life cycle.

A pill is a package containing both emitter and driver (the electronics) in a single unit, ready to bolt directly into the appropriate host (the flashlight body). Only a small minority of lights use/allow a pill system, but those that do are very popular.

Search "Welcome Mat" for the CPF beginner's guide.
 

lwknight

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Feb 29, 2012
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I don't know if flashlight makers do it or not but a pwm can be followed by a capacitor that would in effect smooth the current so that the light would not actually flicker. We do it regularly in power supplies to suppress the a/c hum that would modulate the dc current.
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darklion99

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Jul 14, 2012
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Thanks so much, Gunner & StarHalo! I appreciate the quick and right-on-target reply. It's the Wiki I had seen. I am looking forward to continued participation at this forum, grateful for the wisdom, expertise, and friendly help of those such as yourself! Thanks again!
 

orbital

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Feb 8, 2007
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+

I always look for a good reason to load this Cree color chart




***One thing on color temps & CRI,,
the biggest myth in this forum is that really warm tints give the highest CRI, this is simply not true.

Neutral tints around 4200~5000K, will give very accurate reds through very accurate blues. {meaning full spectrum}
 
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