Glad to be back and making a post like this finally
My former homemade flashlight was based on a QTC design in a thread that can be found here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...C-flashlight-from-scratch-(non-battery-crush)
And then, an upgraded version of that design went on to sales in this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...hts-(2nd-run-and-combo-package-now-available)
These new models below are the necessary evolution of the design described in those threads.
My original philosophy still stands as it did in that first homemade thread. I think people will always like (I know I do) a very durable, simple design that can retain the most important aspects of functionality normally brought by PCBs or electronics in modern LED flashlights. But do so without the vulnerability of the failure of these drivers. Enter QTC (and now other 'smart materials').
QTC and other compression sensitive 'electronic smart-materials' are a great and simple solution to have a variable brightness flashlight that lacks the fragility of electronic driven solutions. Adjustable brightness without solder and potting. The problem with QTC initially was that it was traditionally used in a battery-crush system, meaning it was placed directly below the battery in a flashlight, and when the light was twisted on the QTC became vulnerable to the shearing forces of this compression.
The piston design that I used in that first thread eliminated those shearing forces and protected the QTC allowing it to last much longer than a pill simply placed below the battery. That is when I ran into other unforeseen issues.
-Complexity of the manufacture and assembly of the design
-Materials that I hated (solder and any epoxy or tape) were used
-The near impossibility of reliably subbing out parts to machine shops
-The difficulity of a layman trying to replace the QTC in a flashlight (complete dissemble was required)
-Abrasion wear in the piston system on the contact points
Problem number 3 on that list made it a necessity to explore all the other issues. I had to gain access to CNC machines to learn the most efficient manufacturing processes and design the light around those theories to make it the way I wanted. In doing so, I was able to eliminate the other design flaws listed above. The light still retains the functionality of the original QTC Qzark lights, but now the material is user-replaceable in less than 10 seconds. The design will allow us to sub parts out much easier (and make our own parts as needed). We also eliminated all epoxy and tape, getting the light one step closer to a LEGO solution as I envision.
The time taken between the last posts in that sales thread and now have been dedicated to acquiring access to CNC machines, learning how to use them, and changing the design accordingly to make it efficient as possible. Also, we wanted to finalize and put multiple models through prototyping before posting anything about them. Here are the 4 models:
The Big Nugget 18650, Big E 26350, Big Nugget 26350, and Tiny Nugget 18350. The 1st and 3rd have interchangeable battery tubes for multiple battery options. The 2nd model has the best throwing optic I've ever used with an XM-L.
Exploded view of the light components. Some of these pieces take the place of multiple ops on our old light. All machined in Arkansas.
I will be posting updates on Instagram regularly here: https://www.instagram.com/frazlabs/?hl=en
And I will update this thread regularly as well.
I am building inventory for a sales thread that I will post next. Please let me know which designs you like or if there are any changes you would like made - I can adapt much quicker with access to the machines now.
I will add much more shortly - videos and more info. I'll be back soon.
-Fraz
Update for 10/22/2020
The light design has come a long way and now looks like this:
with these internals:
(these are also outdated now...I'll have to update this again as soon as I get new pics).
Torture test of the small light on the right (TinyTank)
My former homemade flashlight was based on a QTC design in a thread that can be found here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...C-flashlight-from-scratch-(non-battery-crush)
And then, an upgraded version of that design went on to sales in this thread: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...hts-(2nd-run-and-combo-package-now-available)
These new models below are the necessary evolution of the design described in those threads.
My original philosophy still stands as it did in that first homemade thread. I think people will always like (I know I do) a very durable, simple design that can retain the most important aspects of functionality normally brought by PCBs or electronics in modern LED flashlights. But do so without the vulnerability of the failure of these drivers. Enter QTC (and now other 'smart materials').
QTC and other compression sensitive 'electronic smart-materials' are a great and simple solution to have a variable brightness flashlight that lacks the fragility of electronic driven solutions. Adjustable brightness without solder and potting. The problem with QTC initially was that it was traditionally used in a battery-crush system, meaning it was placed directly below the battery in a flashlight, and when the light was twisted on the QTC became vulnerable to the shearing forces of this compression.
The piston design that I used in that first thread eliminated those shearing forces and protected the QTC allowing it to last much longer than a pill simply placed below the battery. That is when I ran into other unforeseen issues.
-Complexity of the manufacture and assembly of the design
-Materials that I hated (solder and any epoxy or tape) were used
-The near impossibility of reliably subbing out parts to machine shops
-The difficulity of a layman trying to replace the QTC in a flashlight (complete dissemble was required)
-Abrasion wear in the piston system on the contact points
Problem number 3 on that list made it a necessity to explore all the other issues. I had to gain access to CNC machines to learn the most efficient manufacturing processes and design the light around those theories to make it the way I wanted. In doing so, I was able to eliminate the other design flaws listed above. The light still retains the functionality of the original QTC Qzark lights, but now the material is user-replaceable in less than 10 seconds. The design will allow us to sub parts out much easier (and make our own parts as needed). We also eliminated all epoxy and tape, getting the light one step closer to a LEGO solution as I envision.
The time taken between the last posts in that sales thread and now have been dedicated to acquiring access to CNC machines, learning how to use them, and changing the design accordingly to make it efficient as possible. Also, we wanted to finalize and put multiple models through prototyping before posting anything about them. Here are the 4 models:
The Big Nugget 18650, Big E 26350, Big Nugget 26350, and Tiny Nugget 18350. The 1st and 3rd have interchangeable battery tubes for multiple battery options. The 2nd model has the best throwing optic I've ever used with an XM-L.
Exploded view of the light components. Some of these pieces take the place of multiple ops on our old light. All machined in Arkansas.
I will be posting updates on Instagram regularly here: https://www.instagram.com/frazlabs/?hl=en
And I will update this thread regularly as well.
I am building inventory for a sales thread that I will post next. Please let me know which designs you like or if there are any changes you would like made - I can adapt much quicker with access to the machines now.
I will add much more shortly - videos and more info. I'll be back soon.
-Fraz
Update for 10/22/2020
The light design has come a long way and now looks like this:
with these internals:
(these are also outdated now...I'll have to update this again as soon as I get new pics).
Torture test of the small light on the right (TinyTank)
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