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WHAT IS AN LED ?
LED is an acronym for Light Emitting Diode – a special type of semiconductor that was initially used to replace standard lamps in early electronic equipment, later progressing to consumer electronics in the form of VCR and calculator displays. With the advance of technology, LED can be used as a light source with a general life expectancy of 50,000 hours or even 100,000 hours. In addition, LED features the advantages of energy saving and environmental protection, small size and long lifespan, and can be applied in harsh environments.
LEDs’ Advantages:
Energy Conservative
LEDs convert approximately 20% of their input power into light energy, whilst traditional incandescent bulbs generally only convert about 2% of their input power into
light. As a result LED technology offers excellent energy efficiency, making it a cost effective and environmentally-friendly solution for modern light-emitting devices.
Longevity
Conventional incandescent technology is based on electron’s travel through a tungsten filament, causing the filament to generate temperatures up to 2,500 degree Celsius, with light energy merely a byproduct of this process. Due to this inherently inefficient mechanism, incandescent bulbs rapidly deteriorate and burn out after about 1,000 hours of use. LEDs, on the other hand, operate on an entirely different principle.While they do require specialized components to achieve maximum brightness, a working lifespan up to 50,000 hours is possible, with a gradual fading of brightness rather than instant burn-out.
Durability
Due to the absence of a delicate filament and thin glass bulb, LEDs can withstand shock and vibration far stronger than incandescent lamps, making them ideal for rugged and demanding applications.
Quick Activation
An incandescent bulb generally takes about 100-300 milliseconds to illuminate once activated, while an LED needs only a few nanoseconds, giving it a significant advantage in highly demanding applications.
HOPESLIGHT’s Proprietary LED Technology
HOPESLIGHT’s highly efficient, ultra reliable proprietary LED drive circuit plays a crucial role in efficiently transferring battery power to the LED. As a result, all HOPESLIGHT products have exceptional output and long runtimes in comparison to competing products. While the majority of LED-based flashlight/ personal lighting products on the market today suffer from continuously declining output, HOPESLIGHT products are able to maintain constant high output until battery exhaustion.
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With many years of experience in flashlight optical design, RED SERIES custom-engineered high-efficiency alloy reflectors ensure every flashlight emits a balanced beam profile of both flood and throw with minimal loss of light. All RED SERIES reflectors are protected by AR-coated, anti-scratch mineral glass lenses.
Flashlight Reflector
Similar to a domestic lampshade, these reflectors are fixed to an artificial light source (for example, a filament bulb or flash tube) to direct and shape the otherwise scattered light, reflecting it off their concave inner
surfaces and directing it towards the scene to be photographed. Although there are a large number of variants, the most common types are:
1.spherical, short-sided, giving a relatively broad spread of light;
2.parabolic, providing a tighter, parallel beam of light.The reflector factor is the ratio of the illumination provided by a lamp fitted within a reflector to the illumination provided without any reflector fitted. A matte reflector will typically have a reflector factor of around 2, due to its more diffuse effect, while a polished or metallic-finished reflector may have a factor of up to 6.
RED SERIES propriety regulation circuit is an essential component in every HOPESLIGHT flashlight. The circuit’s unique power source management system delivers constant current to the LED regardless of battery condition/chemistry, resulting in continuous,
unwavering light output for end users. The circuit’s efficiency and reliability is further enhanced by carefully engineered electronic components such as gold or silver plated contact points. Moreover, every HOPESLIGHT flashlight features an integrated microcontroller unitwhich works in tandem with the regulation circuit to offer an intuitive and versatile user-interface.
A Led drive/regulation circuit is crucial in improving the efficiency of the 'power to light' conversion process,
allowing for longer runtimes and more stable operation using various battery chemistries. RED SERIES highly reliable and compact drive circuit is the reason HOPESLIGHT flashlights run longer and shine brighter than the competition.
Every RED SERIES flashlight is constructed from light weight, high strength aero-grade aluminium alloy. Additionally, the majority of RED SERIES models are CNC machined from a solid aluminium bar. This manufacturing process gives HOPESLIGHT flashlights their superior shock/impact resistance, with many lights able to withstand being rolled over by car or dropped from several meters onto a hard surface with no performance loss (not recommended as may void warranty).
Compared to cheaper and weaker tubular aluminium flashlights produced by the majority of flashlight manufacturers today, RED SERIES offers significant gains in both ruggedness and performance.Furthermore, all RED SERIES models are treated with a military-spec type III hard anodized finish, making the flashlight surface as tough as diamond, thus protecting it from scratches, abrasions and corrosion.
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Types of Batteries
Batteries can be sorted into 3 categories: lithium-ion battery, alkaline battery and nickel–metal hydride battery.
Lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are common in consumer electronics. They are one of the most popular types of rechargeable battery for portable electronics, with one of the best energy densities, no memory effect, and only a slow loss of charge when not in use. Beyond consumer electronics, LIBs are also growing in popularity for military, electric vehicle, and aerospace applications. Research is yielding a stream of improvements to traditional LIB technology, focusing on energy density, durability, cost, and intrinsic safety.
Alkaline batteries
Alkaline batteries are a type of primary batteries dependent upon the reaction between zinc and manganese dioxide(Zn/MnO2). A rechargeable alkaline battery allows reuse of specially designed cells. The alkaline battery gets its name because it has an alkaline electrolyte of potassium hydroxide, instead of the acidic ammonium chloride or zinc chloride electrolyte of the zinc-carbon batteries. Other battery systems also use alkaline electrolytes, but they use different active materials for the electrodes.
Nickel–metal hydride batteries
A nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH or Ni-MH, is a type of rechargeable battery. It is very similar to the nickel–cadmium cell (Ni-Cd). NiMH use positive electrodes of nickel oxyhydroxide (Ni-OOH), like the Ni-Cd, but the negative electrode uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy instead of cadmium. A NiMH battery can have two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size Ni-Cd, and their energy density approaches that of a lithium-ion cell.
NiMH batteries have replaced Ni-Cd for many roles, notably small rechargeable batteries. NiMH batteries are very common for AA (penlight-size) batteries, which have nominal charge capacities (C) ranging from 1100 mAh to 3100 mAh at 1.2 V, measured at the rate that discharges the cell in five hours.
About 22% of portable rechargeable batteries sold in Japan in 2010 were Ni-MH. In Switzerland in 2009, the equivalent statistic was approximately 60%. This percentage has fallen over time due to the increase in manufacture of Li-ion batteries.
One significant disadvantage of NiMH batteries is a high rate of self-discharge; a Ni-HM battery will lose as much as 3% of its charge per week of storage. In 2005 a low self-discharge NiMH battery (LSD) was developed. LSD Ni-MH batteries significantly lower self-discharge, but at the cost of lowering capacity by about 20%.
Notes about battery
1. All rechargeable battery’s voltage are 3.7V-4.2V. If batteries are series-connected, the total voltage should be added up. If batteries are paralleled-connected, the total voltage remains 3.7V-4.2V. (Note: TM11 employs 4 18650 batteries and its total voltage is 4.2V. If employs 8 CR123 batteries, the total voltage will be 6 V. (Due to design limitations, TM11 can’t use RCR123 battery.)
2. All non-rechargeable batteries’ voltage are 3V.
3. Alkaline batteries’ voltage are1.5V，Ni-MH batteries’ are 1.2V.
4. Flashlight‘s brightness is subject to battery voltage.
5. Battery Type conversion: AA = 14500，CR123A = 16340，CR123A*2 = 18650
Battery Safety
LITHIUM BATTERY WARNINGS:
1. DO NOT puncture, cut, crush, short circuit, recharge, expose to water, fire, or high temperature–fire or explosion may result
2. DO NOT place loose batteries in a pocket, purse, or other receptacle containing metal objects
3. DO NOT mix with used or other battery types
4. DO NOT store with hazardous or combustible materials
5. DO NOT use water to put out a burning lithium battery — use a class “D” fire extinguisher or other smothering agent
6. DO NOT mix disposable and rechargeable batteries in your illumination tool
7. DO NOT put batteries into a device backwards
8. DO NOT allow children access to lithium batteries
9. DO store lithium batteries in a cool, dry, ventilated area
Follow applicable laws and regulations for transport, shipping, and disposal. For more details on recycling lithium batteries please contact a government recycling agency, your waste disposal service, the retailer where the batteries were purchased, or visit reputable online recycling sources, such as http://www.batteryrecycling.com/. Failure to follow these directions could result in damage to your illumination tool that may not be covered by Nitecore’s warranty.
CAMERA or “PHOTO” BATTERY WARNING
DO NOT use any batteries advertised or promoted specifically for use in cameras, for photography, or for other low-drain purposes. Use only batteries labeled as safe to use in high-performance, high-drain devices, and which contain built-in fault and heat protection for added safety. The use of photographic-type batteries can constitute a safety hazard, including risk of fire or explosion, and may void your warranty.
COUNTERFEIT AND INFERIOR-QUALITY BATTERY WARNING
There have been many reported incidents in which counterfeit and /or inferior-quality lithium batteries developed internal shorts that have led to fire and/or explosion. This has resulted in damage to theillumination tool, and in some cases, property damage or personal injury. Customers are specifically cautioned from purchasing batteries from online auction websites, as these are known sources of counterfeit or inferior-quality batteries.
Li-ion vs Alkaline Batteries
Li-ion batteries are preferred over alkaline AA batteries because of several reasons:
Higher Power Density
For a given size (battery volume), It would take two alkaline batteries to match the power output of a single 123A lithium battery.
Less Weight
For a given size (battery volume), Lithium batteries weigh about half as much as alkalines but produce more power.
More Voltage
123A batteries generate 3 volts. Alkalines, just 1.5 volts.
Better Voltage Maintenance
A lithium battery maintains fairly constant voltage for up to 95% of its life, depending on discharge rate. At moderate to high discharge rates, the voltage of alkaline batteries drops rapidly, making them unsuitable for use in high-output flashlights.
Longer Shelf-Life
Lithium batteries can retain up to 90% of their original power output capability after 10 years of storage, making them perfect for emergency preparedness use. Stored alkalines deplete themselves much more rapidly.
Wide Temperature Tolerance
Lithium batteries greatly outperform alkalines over a wide temperature range, providing a working output from -76º to 176º F (-60º to 80º C)
Why are LED colors different?
LED color temperatures can be divided into white light (about 6500K), neutral white (about 4000k) and warm white (about 3000K). The creation of white light from LEDs happen this way: electron goes through chips to emit blue light, and then it excites fluorescent powder to emit yellow light. Finally the two light combines and you get white light output.
The resulting color depends on the ratio of fluorescent powder to chips.
So which is better, warm or cool light?
It depends on the Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating. Expressed as a rating from 0 to 100 on the Color Rendering Index (CRI), CRI describes how a light source makes the color of an object appear to human eyes, and how well subtle variations in color shades are revealed.
The higher the CRI rating, the better its color rendering ability. A high-performance white-light LED flashlight’s CRI is about 75% (The cooler the color tint, the lower the CRI), while a good neutral white flashlight and warm-white flashlight’s CRI are about 80%.
How CRI works in the wild?
In the wildness, a flashlight’s brightness is good enough to identify a subject’s contour, but a subject’s details and gradation depends on good CRI ratings to be recognizable. So brightness (lumens) alone helps to identify a subject’s contour, while a minimum CRI of 75% is needed to identify a subject’s color, detail and gradation. And if visual interference and adaptation is involved, a minimum CRI of 135% is needed. That’s why we always pursue a higher CRI rating in all our lights (warm white).
Benefits of warm light
Yellow light’s CRI is higher than blue light.So raising the proportion of yellow light will increase CRI. The warmer the light color, the higher the CRI and the more suitable it is for outdoor use. Warm light’s low color temperature and long wavelength allows it to further penetrate rainy and foggy weather. That’s why harsh outdoor situations require warm white lights.
The perfect balance between warm and cool lightHOPESLIGHT strikes the perfect balance at neutral white because the warmer the light, the poorer the run-time and brightness. Neutral white lights provide the perfect balance of run-time, brightness, penetration and rendering ability.
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Why is the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 2016 Standard important?
Buying a flashlight, headlamp, bicycle light, or spotlight can be a confusing proposition to most consumers and many retailers, but the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 2016 Standard and PLATO are two key resources that provide clarity for buyers and accountability for the industry.
The ANSI/PLATO FL1 2016 Standard, developed by PLATO and industry experts, spells out specific testing and reporting methods for portable lighting products that emit directional light.
If the ANSI FL1 icons are present on the packaging, consumers and retailers can be confident that the reported performance claims are tested to industry standards, and even more importantly, the consumer can compare “apples to apples” when evaluating different products.
How does PLATO uphold the Standard?
Through independent, third-party testing, PLATOprovides industry oversight to ensure portable lighting products meet or exceed the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 2016 Standard. PLATO informs manufacturers of any issues uncovered by the testing process and attempts to work collaboratively to resolve discrepancies between test results and product markings.
What does each icon mean?
Below are the icons and an explanation of each specification.
Light Output
Total light output measured in Lumens. Lumens have become the most commonly used unit of measure for total light output in portable lighting devices. Wattage on the other hand, is a measurement of power consumption, not light output. With today’s efficient LED technology, it’s very possible to have a lower wattage LED flashlight with a greater light output than another flashlight with a higher wattage rating. This is the reason why Lumens have become the best comparison method.
Beam Distance
The distance, measured in meters, at which the light projects a useful amount of light, measured at 0.25 lux. (0.25 lux is approximately the equivalent of light emitted from a full moon “on a clear night in an open field.”)
Run Time
Tested with fresh batteries from 30 seconds after the light is turned on until the light output reaches 10% of the initial measurement. This is the total time of useable light before most consumers will change batteries.
Peak Beam Intensity
The brightest point in the beam measured in candela. Candela is the modern unit of measure for light intensity replacing the now-obsolete unit known as candlepower.
Impact Resistance
The height, measured in meters, from which the light can be dropped onto cured concrete and still work properly.This testing is completed by dropping the product (6)times using drop orientations that approximate each side of a cube. Dropped samples cannot have any visible cracks or breaks and must remain fully functional. The product must meet a minimum of (1) meter to receive this rating.
Water Resistance
This icon indicates an IPX4 rating which means the sample is tested against water sprayed from all angles. If this test is performed, it must be done after impact resistance testing is completed to ensure water resistance under real-life conditions.
Water Proof
Water submersion depth rating, measured in meters. This icon indicates at least an IPX7 rating which means the sample is submerged to a minimum of 1 meter depth for 30 minutes. If this test is performed, it must be done after impact resistance testing is completed to ensure water tightness under real-life conditions.
The IP Code (or Ingress Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as International Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits or one digit and one letter and an optional letter.As defined in international standard IEC 60529,
IP Code classifies and rates the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in mechanical casings and with electrical enclosures.
The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof.
However, no edition of the standard is openly published for unlicensed readers. Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.
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1. Never allow eyes exposed to beam light, if not, ocular damage can be caused.
2. Do not operate flashlight under over voltage. The nominal voltage is 3.6V. When inserting battery, the cathode should point forward. Reverse insertion should be avoided, otherwise damage to board will be caused.Change of flashlight’s temperature should be carefully monitored. Access to board should not be performed by non-professionals.
3. Before charging batteries, ensure the cathode and electrode is connected properly. Overcharging and over discharging is not recommended, for it will shorten battery’s lifespan.
4. Before operating a flashlight, ensure every single thread is secured tightly. Any loosened thread can cause failure or poor illumination.
5. Flashlight should not be placed under high-temperature environment. Batteries must be extracted and stored in cool and dry place after stopping using flashlight.6. Every 6 months, the threads should be wiped with a clean cloth followed by a thin coating of silicon-based lubricant.
NOTE:
DO NOT use petroleum-based lubricants as they may damage the O-rings and void the product warranty.