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Ultracapacitor LED Flashlight Charges In 90 Seconds
Iddo Genuth writes "The California based company 5.11 Tactical has recently introduced a new innovative flashlight — 'Light For Life' UC3.400. Unlike regular flashlights requiring constant battery changing this new LED torch offers a rechargeable battery that can be recharged in as little as 90 seconds using ultracapacitor technology. Various military and rescue units might benefit from this new development, ensuring them a light source at all times."
Replace AA batteries? Car batteries? Electric car charger?
I like this idea...
ensuring them a light source at all times.
Except those 90 seconds.
In which you will be eaten by a grue.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
What a bright idea.
cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
Slashvertisement, anyone?
TFA says it's a $170 flashlight. It's got a lifetime warranty, but I always lose flashlights before they fail on me.
What I want to know is, how quickly does it self-discharge? It doesn't do me any good to have it charge in 90 seconds if I don't need it until the power goes out.
Preferably a blue or red LED as well, so it'll cut through the smoke.
Law enforcement would have to deal with practically the same situation.
"Slapping lipstick on a pig does NOT make it Natalie Portman. Paris Hilton, maybe, but not Portman." - UncleTogie
VapourWare: Lights will be delivered on a first come, first serve basis in early 2009.
90-minute runtime
270 Lumens
The claim is 270L for 1.5h, using three emitters. It looks from that close-up of the head that Crees are used, so most likely XR-Es. I'll use a rough 100L/W for my estimates.
270L/3 = 90L per emitter
90L corresponds to about 350mA at 3.2V (very roughly) from an XR-E.
If*Vf*emitters*time = energy
0.35A*3.2V*3*1.5h = 5.04Wh
So, the supercap has about 5Wh in it (again, very roughly).
The above assumes 270L at the emitter. Let's say it's 270L OTF, which would mean around 360L at the emitters.
360/3 = 120L per emitter
120L corresponds to, say, 450mA at 3.3V or so.
0.45A*3.3V*3*1.5h = 6.7Wh
This more optimistic estimate (in terms of both energy storage and lumen claims) puts us at a little under 7Wh for the supercap used in the light.
Let's see what we get with a common AW 18650:
3.7V*2.2Ah=8.14Wh
So, this flashlight's power source has around 62% (pessimistically) or 82% (optimistically) of the energy of an 18650, but is several times the size.
I think I'll pass on this one.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
If they are the virus immune, anti-monopoly superfriendly corp they claim to be? yes.
I had this idea years ago! I calculated out that i could do it, and it wouldn't be too expensive, but it would only last about 15 minutes per charge. I assume they have done better?
-Taylor
Worldwide Military budgets: $2100 billion. Worldwide Space Exploration budgets: $38 billion. Really, world? Really?
Strange.. I have an LED flashlight that charges in under a second. You shake it, it's charged. Starts to dim? Shake it again.
These two technologies are not mutually exclusive.
Except perhaps if their respective patent holders refuse to cross-license to each other.
What I want to know is, how quickly does it self-discharge?
I think the discharge time is dependent on the particular fleshlight user.
Consider yourself a fool for spending money like that.
Inexpensive solution
I bought a set of these for my SureFire and would never go back. They have about the same capacity and have lasted me a few dozen recharges with no apparent capacity problems.
The funny thing, of course, is that police departments have public funding and wouldn't think twice about ordering thousands of CR123 cells.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
...I have finally solved the problem of powerful, easily rechargeable bicycle light. No worries about self-discharge due to humidity, no NiMH batteries to swap and recharge daily... just ride the hell outta my bike in any weather condition while illuminating the road really propa' (maybe a tad too strong, even...) and then recharge it in a minute and a half at home - and since it's a cap, I can do this ad aeternum!
Fuck yeah!!!!
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Keep one flashlight in the charger, and one at-the-ready. That'll keep them Grues away, until a flashlight breaks, of course.
The biggest problem I have had with cycling during the winter is the ridicolously low capacity of NiMH cells at sub-zero temperatures (I sometimes cycle at -10C). In addition to a lower capacity during usage (and much higher self-discharge), the NiMH cells would break and degrade very quickly during the winter.
I'm glad we have supercaps now. No matter how much lower capacity they have, it sure beats the 15-20 minutes of useful time I could ever suck out of the NiMH batteries in the winter.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Now I won't have to go stumbling around in the dark looking for fresh batteries next time there's a power failure!
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Agreed. With my current flashlight I have to change the darn batteries every 4-6 hours! It's bankrupting me! I tried the crank/shake flashlights, but people kept snatching them away and smashing them.
... will it blend?
There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
If it comes with a charger for in the car it could be useful.
Contractors and cops would keep it plugged in, while driving and have it for inspections etc.
$170 is rather high, but a load of lithium that you are keeping out of the landfill might be worth it.
Not bad. The ability to hold a charge is often known as leakage. Ultracapacitors have a leakage comparable to NiCad batteries. They will loose more energy when they are fully charged but the loss decreases over time. There are no negative impacts to the ultracapacitor when it is left off of its charger. If left off the charger for a month, a flashlight could be used for 45 minutes of light or it could be fully charged in 45 seconds. If you left off the flashlight for a year, there would be 25% of the energy left. No negative memory effects or degradation would result. Similarly, if you left a battery to drain down to 50% of its capacity can reduce its life.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
They built their business on pants. Amazing product - comfy, incredibly durable, excellent pocket design, and don't look bad in any circumstances. I don't think I've worn any other pants for years.
Special note for the Slashdot crowd: They're avaliable in waist sizes up to 54 inches. :-)
This was previously known as the Ivus Lightning, which was announced at the SHOT Show a couple of years ago.
Um, what are you doing with the other hand, dare I ask?
Guess what Gordon Freeman would like for Christmas.
What LEDs does that thing use? How many Lumen does it put out?
I will pass and stick to my Fenix P3D. It lasts 65 hours at 12 Lumen or 6 1/2 at 210 (iirc). After that time, it will still burn for a few days (I got bored and threw away the old batteries after two days of contant burning). It has 5 output modes. It is made from aluminium, water-tight and as large as your thumb. Still, those 210 make it, quite literally, a searchligt. Oh, and the CR123A it uses have a shelf life of ten years.