Can't Figure These Lights out...

Can\'t Figure These Lights out...

I went in to a new mega auto supply retailer in Stanton, CA. It is called AutoHaus. I was told it is the first one in the USA. Dunno about that fact though. Anyways, they have an isle dedicated to auto accessory lighting; and among the offerings were dozens of keychain and pocket LED lights that I had never seen-even on-line at all the usual suspect's websites. Many of these LED miniatures seemed to be in Asian packaging and I can't read that language. The lights that have me stumped are very small and are packaged as keychain lights in the shape of little jelly beans, eggs, pharmaceutical capsules and even miniature molded hands with a pointing index finger. There doesn't seem to be a way to switch these lights on. It appears as though they are designed to illuminate when they receive an eletrostatic discharge from a car door lock. That's what the pictographs indicate. So is there a charge that builds-up in the locks when there is a car alarm installed that can shock you or something? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

Also-this store did have many many different 12 V accessory lights and all sorts of 12 V cig plug thingies. I'm all for another place to find new LEDs

Re: Can\'t Figure These Lights out...

Most likely they are flash-straps, triggered by incoming calls on your cellphone... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

flash-straps

Re: Can\'t Figure These Lights out...

They could indeed be 'static discharge' devices to discharge the high-voltage static charge that sometimes builds up.

Cars sometimes will, walking across a carpet and reaching for an elevator button or door handle sometimes will, my wheelchair will, even on a plain tile floor.

My mum has one - distributed by Radio Shack a few years ago - that has a small LED "keyhole finder" flashlight with a metal tip and metal band on the body.

When approaching something that may give a static-discharge shock, you touch it first with the metal tip of this keychain light. If there is a voltage differential, it is discharged through a neon bulb and resistor inside the body of the light, and you get a *flash* in a little window instead of a few kilovolt shock ...

What you saw may be in some way similar?

Re: Can\'t Figure These Lights out...

Yes Tomas. I think that is what they are for. I was just unaware that there is a static charge build-up in an auto lock. I've never been zapped. Maybe someone else will know.

B@rt- I like those flash straps. They would be more polite than a ringer in a meeting.