Gransee, have you tried ...

putting a lens on the Arc AAA? (Did I miss that post?)

I have a PAL Onestar, which I like better without the lens ... so I removed it. I noticed the lens sitting on my nightstand the other day, and said "Hey ... I wonder how my Arc AAA would do with this lens over the end?" So, I tried it.

It makes the "flood" light of the Arc, into a "spot" light. And, it throws the light a lot farther, but is not so tight a beam that it would make it impractical. In fact, it's a pretty GOOD beam!

Now, if you had a lens that was MADE for the Arc AAA, it might do an even BETTER job.

I knew you were considering ways to make the Arc AAA brighter, so I thought I would throw this at you. Try it!!!

I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

Regards,

DebtFree <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> putting a lens on the Arc AAA? (Did I miss that post?) <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you read my post about my Arc-AAA mod, Arc-AAA Mod I put Heatshrink tube around my Arc. I used 2 pieces. The piece around the head allows me to put a lens in. Unfortunately all I could find to use was a clear piece of plastic. What kind of lens is it that you are using? Is it plain clear or is there some type of magnification or focusing of beam to it? Is it the same size as the Arc head? If so, I wonder if they sell it separate? I'd like to try it.

Back during the initial R&D on the Arc-AAA, I bought a kit of 90 lenses and tried them on the beam. Typically you could get a longer throw but the total light was reduced. Lenses convert some of the light to heat. Since the Arc-AAA would typically be used for "task" type applications the typical range would be under 6 feet. But, sometimes it is nice to have a longer throw. What helped with the decision is when we looked at the extra cost and complexity of having a lenses molded, the head changed to securely hold and waterproof a lens, etc.

We also evaluated lenses on the Arc-5, but with the 5 points of light, the lens made the beam worse. With the Arc-LS a lens works well. First, the flashlight is more expensive so the extra cost for the lens interface is minimal. Second, the typical use for a flashlight of this size is to project farther out, so having a lens is preferred most of the time. Third, the LS LED without a lens is much wider than a Nichia LED without an extra lens (100+ degrees VS 28 degrees).

We have a line on how to increase the brightness of the Arc-AAA. More on this in a month or two.

Peter Gransee

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> We have a line on how to increase the brightness of the Arc-AAA. More on this in a month or two.

Peter Gransee

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

There you go again dangling the carrot - Your're killing me - But I love it! Can't wait.

The "Arc Triple-A" (Arc-AAA) is our core product. We have big plans for the world of single AAA LED flashlights!

Peter Gransee

sflate,
Yes, I read your post. Interesting.

What I'm talking about is a magnifier lens that they use on the PAL. A lot of readers here stated that the PAL had too narrow a beam, so they removed the lens and the light output was more like a Photon. So, I tried it and liked the wider light output. But that same lens works pretty well on the Arc AAA. It's too large in diameter to fit well (it might fit perfectly on your larger diameter Arc, because of the hs tubing), but I never planned on USING it with the lens ... I was just experimenting. Hmmmm... maybe I should use some hs tubing on mine and consider using the lens for real.

Peter, thanks for the reply. I was just giving you my 2 cents. But, I'll be a good boy and just be patient, and wait for YOUR improvement.

Thanks,

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Gransee:

We have a line on how to increase the brightness of the Arc-AAA. More on this in a month or two.

Peter Gransee<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Peter, I'm quite curious on how you plan on achieving this. I would think that the Nichia's are already pretty much driven to the maximum light output already by the ArcAAA and other one LED lights such as the Photons. I gather it would be impractible to use a Luxeon due to size and heat considerations. Can you throw us a little nibble on your plan of action?