Some LED flashlights are small enough that they can be carried on your
person,for when you might need some light.And LED flashlights are generally
more efficient in battery life than incandescents.I have two keychain LED
lights,one red,one white light,a tiny 1 cell white LED light(AAA cell),and
a 4 LED 2-AA (white)light that I made myself.I also have a 3 LED head-
mounted light for no-hands operation.(I keep that one in my car) It's about
the size of a golf ball. The smaller ones run on alkaline or lithium button
cells,and the larger one on AA cells.
No,they aren't as bright as a decent incandescent,but still very useful.
It all depends on your application/needs.Have a pocket/keychain LED light
in an emergency,where you normally would not have any flashlight handy.
Ones that run on lithium cells have very long storage lives,too.
Wal-Mart and Target have some inexpensive LED lights.My single AAA LED
light cost $6 USD at Wal-Mart.(Garrity LED light)
--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net
--
Greetings,
Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================
"Chris F." <zapp...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9xzWb.93228$IF6.2...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> If an LED flashlight
> could provide at least as much light, and save 50 - 75% on batteries,
> it would certainly be worth my while. There seem to be quite a few
> choices in terms of the number of LEDs (anywhere from 1 to 32). I was
> considering a 7-LED simply because I could power it from my existing
> stock of AA batteries.
The light is not as bright but the color is better (blue-white
instead of yellow-orange) and more diffuse (no strange beam
patterns). I find them more useful than small incandescent
flashlights. My only complaint is that one fell off my keychain
and I lost it (and it wasn't cheap).
If you'd use it a lot, don't hesitate to spend the money for a
good one (more LEDs = more light). If you want to experiment with a
cheap one first, make sure it has a white LED (the *really* cheap
ones are red).
The real drawback is that, like most flashlights, they don't work
with dead batteries. There's one that has a magnet and a coil of
wire in it, so you can charge it up by shaking it. Has anyone
tried this one?
I've got a Cateye white LED light on my bicycle, and find it very good, the
light is very bright, but a different sort of colour to a normal filament
lamp. Not sure I'd get on with it as a work-light, but then I find I can't
get on with a portable flourescent work light either - I prefer the more
direct illumination of a filament, be it battery or mains powered I guess.
Chief advantage of course is the battery life, and there's no lamps to blow
through age or rough handling (up to a point!)
Ian
The other one is bigger and takes 1 AA bat. it is not as bright it
comes with a silly belt pouch . I have not had the chance yet to
experience battery life .
These are both small lights ment for looking in places and not good
enough to light your way in the dark outside other than on the ground in
front of you .
These came from Costco for aprox 20$
for the set Its worth a try .
The flashlight junkies hang out here:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/
Check the forums, there are loads of reviews of all manner of lights
there, including many LED models. Lots of good links too, buried in
the posts. For your purposes I think an LED light would be a good
choice.
Tim
--
The .sig is dead.
Talking about lights on vehicles. I notice that few new vehicles (buses,
cars, and lorries) now have LED tail-lights, brake-lights, and indicators.
How long before LED head-lights I wonder ?
There are also a few LED traffic-lights around here to. South West, UK.
--
Michael Turner
I had a cheap pocket one, it sold for five dollars, that I was
happy with because of it's small size. I found like a lot of
things, I used it because it was handy, when I wasn't expecting
to use a flashlight that much. It ran off three button cells,
which happened to be the same type as used in cheap laser pointers
taht are readily available here, for as little as $1.99. It
was not a particularly bright light, but if there was so little
surrounding light that I needed it, it was fine. The big problem
with it was that the on/off switch was too easy to press, so often
I found it turned on when I took it out of my pocket.
I gave it away, not to get rid of it, and intend to buy another one
eventually.
I was all set to buy a fancy and expensive LED flashlight, when I wsa
given a Maglite a year ago. Considering the only reason I wanted
an LED flashlight was for it's novelty, the fact that I had a pretty
good flashlight in the Maglite made me put off spending thirty dollars
or so on an LED flashlight.
I don't know how to compare them, but I notice you can get LED bike
lights, with white LEDs, that come cheaper than LED flashlights.
They perhaps are a good balance between cost and output, at least
a step up from the five dollar pocket lights without the full cost.
Michael
>
> "Chris F." <zapp...@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>> If an LED flashlight
>> could provide at least as much light, and save 50 - 75% on batteries,
>> it would certainly be worth my while. There seem to be quite a few
>> choices in terms of the number of LEDs (anywhere from 1 to 32). I was
>> considering a 7-LED simply because I could power it from my existing
>> stock of AA batteries.
>
> The light is not as bright but the color is better (blue-white
> instead of yellow-orange) and more diffuse (no strange beam
> patterns). I find them more useful than small incandescent
> flashlights. My only complaint is that one fell off my keychain
> and I lost it (and it wasn't cheap).
First thing to do is to buy some split rings in the sporting goods
department (where the fishing stuff is) and replace the hardware on the
light.
--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net
I've owned about ten Maglite AA flashlights over the years. I had one that
I kept for almost ten years, then lost it, but....
My main 'work' flashlight is now a 3 - AA LED unit from C. Crane. It's got
some drawbacks, but compared to the Mag's, it also has significant
advantages: You can drop it, throw it...whatever, and the lamp (two LED's)
will not burn out from shock. The LED's don't 'silver up' from use (The
main gripe I've got with the little halogens in the Mag's, is the fact that
after a few hours use, the light output decreases significantly due to the
filament outgassing onto the inside of the envelope). Three AA's are good
for 50 hours at full brightness, plus an additional 100 hours usable light
if you don't get around to replacing them. I use Nimh's, so even that's not
an issue. When using it, I usually just turn it on and leave it
on...something I never did with the Mag's.
The plastic housing is not as solid feeling as the Mag's, but has proven to
be very durable over four years of hard use. The newer units from C. Crane
have active current limiting, according to their website. Mine's just a
housing and two LED's...probably somewhere in there is a current limit
resistor. The switch on mine has gotten intermittant. It depends on
pressing the pc board which holds the LED's down onto a contact; and the
trace where it makes that contact is wearing away...still works, but is a
bit hinky sometimes. Cost was an issue, around $30.
I firmly believe that in a few years time, most flashlights will be LED's,
they're that good. The cost will come down, and they'll suss out how to
concentrate and focus the beam--the main drawback, IMO.
jak
>
The advantages are manifold...not the least being the increase in
efficiency. I've hauled and run hundreds of miles of 0000 feeder cable in
my lifetime--and many, many more miles of 12 gauge multicore load cable over
lighting trusses, and through crawl spaces--when putting together
productions...only to tear it all out again a few days (sometimes hours)
later when the show was over. 'Portable' dimmers for stage applications can
weigh up to a half a ton, with 1/4 ton units being common. This will
improve as well. Supplying high-current DC to the fixtures will present a
challenge, but nothing beyond the current state of technology.
jak
"michael turner" <mike.tu...@RemoveThisBitToReply.virgin.net> wrote in
message
news:pan.2004.02.12...@RemoveThisBitToReply.virgin.net...
--
Skip
"jakdedert" <jde...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:MUOWb.19876$A75....@bignews5.bellsouth.net...
In article <9xzWb.93228$IF6.2...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca>,
zapp...@hotmail.com says...
Check out this web site. Tons of reviews on everything LED, and more:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/
--
If there is a no_junk in my address, please REMOVE it before replying!
All junk mail senders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law!!
http://home.att.net/~andyross
jak
<Skip> wrote in message news:c0gp0...@enews4.newsguy.com...
This is the case in many places now, my uncle is a signal electrician, he
recently worked on a project to retrofit a number of intersections, material
cost was under $5000 and they found it saved $10,000 in electricity in the
first year. The labor to upgrade was little more than that needed for a
yearly relamping and the LED's last 10 years.
i have a single led keyring type led torch
it doesent have any refeckector , just a 3v battery and a led
and irs very bright , i went on a walk , recently
down a dark country road , no lihgts anywhere
and saw a road-sign above a bridge the road was completely dark .
i continued on my walk , and kept turning around and shining it at the
sign-post , i walked over 350 paces , and i could still see the sign
refelcting
the light my keyring torch was emmiting , iam 5.8" high and have a standard
pace length
i could not go any further , as the road bent to the left .
if led torches had more leds of this kind in , iam sure it
would be absoulty brilliant , and i'am thinking of making one myself
hope the info , helps ..
oh yer and this one is blue in colour
de paul
"Jerry G." <jerr...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c0enig$faa$2...@news.eusc.inter.net...