whiteshepherd
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2019
- Messages
- 16
I must say the Russian Forever Flashlight (manufactured by ZiP) is one of my all time favorite historical flashlights! Though I do like modern LED flashlights, you just can't beat the old Soviet/Russian dynamo flashlights for durability, simplicity, and function. They works EVERY time through solid design and rarely wear out. I have some of these crank lights over 60+ years old and they still work like they were new! Down side is due to their age they use special incandescent bulbs (holds up to AC) and don't produce a lot of light. Long term use can also tire out your hand. These amazing lights were originally developed in Holland then Germany during WW1 and more extensively used in WW2 trench war by German troops who could be deployed many months at a time. Having a dynamo flashlight meant you did not need to worry about replacing disposable dead batteries. After WW2 the Soviets moved the factory to Russia and further developed the design. With the USSR having such a large deployed army and difficulty procuring disposable goods like batteries these flashlights were designed to be reliable, maintainable, and just plain not ware out if kept clean/dry. They were very common in the Russian army and many old service men will still recognize the unique "wrrrrrrr" sound given off by these flashlights from years of their own use.
That brings it down to me and my relationship with these flashlights. Myself as a flashlight enthusiast I have always looked/wanted to own/make the "perfect" "timeless" flashlight. I do not like things that wear out or are disposable! A "perfect" flashlight would be durable enough to last for generations of use! Store it for decades in hot/cold and it will work. In the right perfect conditions this ideal flashlight could last a 100+ years on original parts. The light need not be hundreds/thousands of lumen to melt people you shine it on. But should still put out a decent usable light you can see/work by. Fitting this durability build are the old Soviet all metal crank lights and to a slightly lesser extent (though still good) these Russian Forever Flashlights (I have over 25). But the problem of low lumen incandescent bulbs still remain.
For about a year I experimented with different LED bulbs on these Forever Flashlights. I ended up settling on a unique dual LED E10 that produced a bright 180 lumen and I could buy direct out of China for $2/each. It also made the Forever flashlights WAY easier to crank as the one phase DC rectification of the LED bulb meant the AC dynamo was getting induction drag once a full rotation rather than twice a rotation and less current draw also meant less drag overall. A lot of LEDs performed poor in this flashlight. But the Forever Flashlight when I found a quality LED was absolutely amazing for a NO BATTERIES flashlight! I felt this was near perfect as I could stick these in emergency first aid bags, car, etc and not worry about temp or time killing the batteries. However you still had to keep cranking them for light to work and I thought "I" could do better....
I figured there must be a way to have the hand crank charge and maintain a light efficiently. I don't like batteries as they wear out and their chemistry self destructs over time even if you don't use them. However super capacitors (I've made many flashlights with these) if treated well often never wear out. Several years ago I experimented with different types of joule thiefs seeing what was most efficient. Months of testing showed me that after the loss of voltage drop LEDs gain efficiency at lower current and higher voltage. They typically have a sweet spot of light/efficiency if you test for it that is perfect for a super capacitors which really endure over the years but don't hold as much power as batteries.
I used a joule thief driver board I had used years ago with a 6 Farad super capacitor. I rectified the dynamo through a "ultra low" forward voltage full bridge rectifier (.4 voltage drop for entire full bridge!!). The result is a amazing flashlight that charges in 12 seconds of cranking and produces 40+ lumen of light for 4 min between cranking (5-6 seconds on follow up cranking/charging when light dims). These hybrid super capacitor Forever Flashlights will likely last 50-100+ years, can be stored indefinitely anywhere without any degradation, and are so easy to crank your hand will NEVER get tired. It kind of feels like the convenience of having a battery operated flashlight that never wears out and NO batteries! After 40 years I finally feel I came close to making the "perfect" durable Forever Flashlight in a marriage of old and new tech! I am thinking of making a DIY YouTube video next month on how to make these for those who may want to make one of their own.
This is me holding a small (there are large ones too) Forever Flashlight. I add washers and lock washer to all my flashlight screws for durability.
After cutting off the bulb housing I solder on a full bridge rectifier. Max voltage cranking is 2.7v (convenient for super capacitor tolerance) with an average 2.5v.
Next I soldered a 6F Super Capacitor to a old joule thief I had for another capacitor flashlight project.
Soldered the LED driver+capacitor to the full bridge rectifier.
I found I could tuck the capacitor into an empty cavity just below the handle hinge. First test a big success. Lots of hard test cranking and capacitor not going over 2.7v. Shines bright!!!
All together with reflector.
I will be making a lot more of these for the car, house, and extended family! The 1st original prototype will now go on the "Happy Shelf of Custom and Historical Flashlights" on display.
A close up of the Happy Shelf. Note all the forever flashlight boxes have custom flashlights in them. None of them are empty. lol
That brings it down to me and my relationship with these flashlights. Myself as a flashlight enthusiast I have always looked/wanted to own/make the "perfect" "timeless" flashlight. I do not like things that wear out or are disposable! A "perfect" flashlight would be durable enough to last for generations of use! Store it for decades in hot/cold and it will work. In the right perfect conditions this ideal flashlight could last a 100+ years on original parts. The light need not be hundreds/thousands of lumen to melt people you shine it on. But should still put out a decent usable light you can see/work by. Fitting this durability build are the old Soviet all metal crank lights and to a slightly lesser extent (though still good) these Russian Forever Flashlights (I have over 25). But the problem of low lumen incandescent bulbs still remain.
For about a year I experimented with different LED bulbs on these Forever Flashlights. I ended up settling on a unique dual LED E10 that produced a bright 180 lumen and I could buy direct out of China for $2/each. It also made the Forever flashlights WAY easier to crank as the one phase DC rectification of the LED bulb meant the AC dynamo was getting induction drag once a full rotation rather than twice a rotation and less current draw also meant less drag overall. A lot of LEDs performed poor in this flashlight. But the Forever Flashlight when I found a quality LED was absolutely amazing for a NO BATTERIES flashlight! I felt this was near perfect as I could stick these in emergency first aid bags, car, etc and not worry about temp or time killing the batteries. However you still had to keep cranking them for light to work and I thought "I" could do better....
I figured there must be a way to have the hand crank charge and maintain a light efficiently. I don't like batteries as they wear out and their chemistry self destructs over time even if you don't use them. However super capacitors (I've made many flashlights with these) if treated well often never wear out. Several years ago I experimented with different types of joule thiefs seeing what was most efficient. Months of testing showed me that after the loss of voltage drop LEDs gain efficiency at lower current and higher voltage. They typically have a sweet spot of light/efficiency if you test for it that is perfect for a super capacitors which really endure over the years but don't hold as much power as batteries.
I used a joule thief driver board I had used years ago with a 6 Farad super capacitor. I rectified the dynamo through a "ultra low" forward voltage full bridge rectifier (.4 voltage drop for entire full bridge!!). The result is a amazing flashlight that charges in 12 seconds of cranking and produces 40+ lumen of light for 4 min between cranking (5-6 seconds on follow up cranking/charging when light dims). These hybrid super capacitor Forever Flashlights will likely last 50-100+ years, can be stored indefinitely anywhere without any degradation, and are so easy to crank your hand will NEVER get tired. It kind of feels like the convenience of having a battery operated flashlight that never wears out and NO batteries! After 40 years I finally feel I came close to making the "perfect" durable Forever Flashlight in a marriage of old and new tech! I am thinking of making a DIY YouTube video next month on how to make these for those who may want to make one of their own.
This is me holding a small (there are large ones too) Forever Flashlight. I add washers and lock washer to all my flashlight screws for durability.
After cutting off the bulb housing I solder on a full bridge rectifier. Max voltage cranking is 2.7v (convenient for super capacitor tolerance) with an average 2.5v.
Next I soldered a 6F Super Capacitor to a old joule thief I had for another capacitor flashlight project.
Soldered the LED driver+capacitor to the full bridge rectifier.
I found I could tuck the capacitor into an empty cavity just below the handle hinge. First test a big success. Lots of hard test cranking and capacitor not going over 2.7v. Shines bright!!!
All together with reflector.
I will be making a lot more of these for the car, house, and extended family! The 1st original prototype will now go on the "Happy Shelf of Custom and Historical Flashlights" on display.
A close up of the Happy Shelf. Note all the forever flashlight boxes have custom flashlights in them. None of them are empty. lol