Product idea: Keychain flashlight with integrated USB

Hey all,

I just bought a Peak Eiger and am considering a Quantum DD as I EDC a keychain light only. I had an interesting idea, which I don't think exists, and I think it would make a killer EDC for normal folks who don't want to deal with special batteries and chargers.

The idea would be to have a light similar in size to the Quantum DD, but slightly longer. The light would add a screw-on back. On the exterior it would have lanyard, keychain, and/or tritium holes. But if you unscrew the cap it would reveal a standard male USB connector, so that the light could be directly plugged into any USB outlet on a computer or wall USB charger. The light could have a small hole with an LED inside to reveal if it's charging or not. It would borrow the standard simple design of a red light indicates charging, and a green light indicates fully charged (like on Apple chargers).

It's just an idea, but for me that would be the perfect EDC. Lots of other consumer technologies like smartphones have integrated batteries, and I'd love to see a flashlight with that function. It could just have a micro USB port, but I think it would be cooler to have a hidden male USB connector, that way you wouldn't even need a cable to charge it.

Fenix is holding a flashlight design contest. Have you considered entering?

So something like this one from ThinkGeek?

This is actually a pretty good idea, and if i had any experience in making custom lights I would definitely try to produce one!
Even adding a small memory chip wouldn't be too hard in the proper host, because the battery doesn't have to be interchangeable.
A memory chip parallel to a battery isn't that much of a challenge.
Maybe someone with modding skills can try to pick up this idea?

Moved to LED Flashlights - Norm

What to post in the General Flashlight Discussion Sub Fourum.

Um... perhaps like this one? http://www.batteryjunction.com/ust-20-1500-01.html

25lmns, rechargeable via USB, with a keychain and red charging indicator light / green fully charged light... sorry if that bursts your bubble. I thought it was a cool idea though when I saw it too!

Btw, you didn't mention your idea to anyone, did you? Because this sounds exactly like your specs!

Add'l note: I did a bit more searching and the reviews are mixed. USB charging and keychain is great but the output from the 5mm LED seems to be overly optimistic and pretty dismal.

RGB_LED said:

25lmns, rechargeable via USB, with a keychain and red charging indicator light / green fully charged light... sorry if that bursts your bubble. I thought it was a cool idea though when I saw it too!

Click to expand...

Well, if you end up making this light, you may not be the first to do so. But let's face it. This light at Battery Junction leaves LOTS to be desired. I mean, 25 lumens from a 5mm LED? You would be better off striking a match. How about making a light that uses a REAL emitter? Even an XP-E based light would run circles around this thing. Of course, this might rule out making the light from plastic (due to the need to dissipate heat). But that's certainly not a bad thing.

As for using a built-i. Male USB connector vs a micro USB, this depends on how small you want the light to be. Using a male USB connector means the light must be fairly fat, which may not be that desirable, especially if the light would need to be made from metal. A micro USB would make things less convenient, since you would now ned a cord to charge it. But you could have a MUCH thinner and less bulky light. Also, many people already carry micro USB charging cords for phones. So this might be less of a problem than you might think.