Super LED Flashlight Hits 3,000 Lumens ...

Hey, guys. I haven't been here in a long time. But just saw this news item and thought some of you might get a kick out of it. ;-)

Design News - Gadget Freak - Gadget Freak Case #228: Super LED Flashlight Hits 3,000 Lumens
Fifteen-year-old Gadget Freak John Duffy has put together a powerful LED flashlight. He calls the LED a major advance over Edison's incandescent lighting. "Nowadays we have LEDs that are significantly more powerful and efficient, and they run on low-voltage DC."
...
John Duffy's super LED flashlight is almost three times as powerful as xenon car headlights.
http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1362&doc_id=251425

I mean, props to the kid, but...hrm.

Hooray if he built it himself. But I've seen all kinds of kid contests where the dads couldn't resist playing. That said, who'll be the first to calculate the current delivery of a 7 amp*hour lead-acid cell? Not 3A for long. +1 for using a fan.

At the beginning of the video, he shoots down fire as a light source... Fire on a Stick is a CPF favorite!

Looks like a 15 year old built it.

oh wait...

How is that thing practical?

Not practical at all, but mildly amusing. ;-)

Does anyone not find this very exciting? 3xXML with a rating of 3000 lumens. Other "common" lights like the TM15 or other tri-XML lights can claim 3000 lumens at the emitter. My five minutes of reading doesn't reveal 3000 ANSI lumens or any other tangible "measurable" rating.

3 LEDs, a driver, a big battery... = news? :shrug:

Or is it because this young fellow can solder and understands rudimentary electronics?

Feel free to flame me if I'm wrong.

Towards the end, he takes it outside and there is practically no throw (no optics or reflectors on the LEDs.) I think the video was probably intended for a non-flashaholic crowd.

the kid is 15, learning, motivated, and inspired.

i hope he gets a lot of recognition and gains confidence in himself and his abilities, whether he was helped my parents or not.

i hope he figures out early that he (one young man) has the potential to make a difference in this world. I hope this (electronics, engineering, led's, creative thinking) becomes a passion that he pursues.

so there.

My hats off to him, he's successfully built a flashlight, which is more than I've ever done

That's awesome