Where to buy LED flashlights in New York City?

[William P.N. Smith]

My kids got some "invisible ink" diaries with UV LED lights. My
Uranium Glass marbles really flouresce well with that source!

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[William P.N. Smith]

Jeff Wiseman <wisemanja@earthlink.net> wrote:

BTW, I was also not sure if it was a Luxeon Star or one of
LumiLED's other products being used in the EverLED.

It's an edge-emitter Luxeon Star.

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun]

Jeff Wiseman wrote:

[snip]

I have an ARC AAA myself. It is almost as bright, more white,
more evenly lit than a mini-Mag with 2 AA batteries in it.
Furthermore, the ARC AAA uses

I have both, right in my hand, and I don't believe what you're
saying. The Arc AAA is only a single LED, the AA cell mini maglite
has much more light output.

I do stand corrected. You are absolutely right in that a fresh AA
minimag with a new unsilvered bulb IS brighter than the ARC AAA at
first. But if you turn them both on and leave them on for, say, 3
hours or more it won't be. The usable light from the minimag is gone
and you'll have a few more hours of usable light from the ARC. If you
leave the minimag on when it's batteries are run down, this is one
of the things that accelerates the silvering of the bulb so if you
leave both on for, say 10 hours continues, the ARC will need a single
new AAA battery whereas the mag will need two new AA's and a new bulb
if it's to work as well as it did 10 hours earlier.

However, the light from the ARC is whiter and more even than the
minimag at any setting. In general, I PERSONALLY have found that the
overall performance of the ARC over the minimag has resulted in my
minimag being left unused a lot of the time. YMMV

I shouldn't have misrepresented the total output of the AA minimag
that way though. Thanks for correcting me.

Furthermore, the LED is rated to last for 30,0000 hours or more.
How many Mag-light bulbs at $4 apiece would you replace in that
period of time?

That's the main advantage of LEDs, they last longer. And they
don't change to yellowish amber light when the batteries get weak.

Yes, in part. Also though is the fact that as the batteries wear out
and their Voltage drops, the usable light from the incandescent drops
much faster. For example, I had a nearly "dead" battery in a Maglite
Solitare (the single AAA version). The mag would only barely glow. I
take that battery and put it into my ARC AAA and it lites up as
bright as with a new battery.

Again, I don't believe you one bit. Ya know, if you continue to distort
the truth, your believability will be seriously compromised. Like my
mother used to say, "I told you a million times not to exaggerate!"

I was able to get another couple hours of light out of the maglite's
"dead" battery. And the output of the Solitare when fresh with new
batterys and bulb is about the same as the ARC (although I prefer the
evenness and color of the ARC for reading).

LEDs can not only draw a battery down slower for a given light
output, that can be made to draw them down FURTHER using up more of
the battery before it needs to be disposed of.

But the LED does not put out the same amount of light at lower battery
voltages, as you seem to imply. This is a given, and of course there is
a point where the LED's output is no longer adequate. Just for grins,
I've put old batteries into both my ARC AAA and into my Dorcy single AAA
cell flashlight, and let them run down the battery. When the voltage is
so low, the light output is seriously reduced. Try it yourself.

I built a few of the circuits shown here
http://elm-chan.org/works/led1/report_e.html
except I didn't use the D1 diode or C1, I used the LED itself as the
diode. It's a very simple circuit. These depend a lot on the
transistor's gain and low Vce(sat). I've had one that barely worked at
..55V, but that's not realistic because the light is barely visible. At
..8V it puts out somewhat more light but nowhere near what it puts out
with a fresh cell. So I can "run down" a supposedly dead AA or AAA cell
with this circuit, but the light output is much less than adequate at
low voltages.

As for CPF, I find that most of what they are doing involves using the
Maxim or LT chips, and they seem to be stuck on using the CR-123 lithium
cells. Well, that's not the most economical, and I'm one who, like you,
would rather run down some AA cells. They're on sale for 25 cents or
less (alkalines), and you can't beat them for economy. See
www.cheapbatteries.com for some real cheap batteries.

> - Jeff

 

[Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun]

Dave VanHorn wrote:

The problem with Inova is they use a much more expensive lithium
battery.
See URL http://www.inovalight.com/site.html?X5-ov

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Same for www.cheapbatteries.com. But you can get AA alkaline cells for
a lot cheaper, a whole lot cheaper.

 

[Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun]

William P.N. Smith wrote:

My kids got some "invisible ink" diaries with UV LED lights. My
Uranium Glass marbles really flouresce well with that source!

You have Uranium marbles? Now I _know_ you've lost your marbles! ;-)

 

[Dave VanHorn]

"Watson A.Name "Watt Sun - the Dark Remover"" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote
in message news:c5est4$6mdtv$5@hades.csu.net...

William P.N. Smith wrote:

My kids got some "invisible ink" diaries with UV LED lights. My
Uranium Glass marbles really flouresce well with that source!

You have Uranium marbles? Now I _know_ you've lost your marbles! ;-)

Uranium glass. It's greenish, aka "vaseline glass".

 

[William P.N. Smith]

"Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun - the Dark Remover\""
<NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote:

William P.N. Smith wrote:
My kids got some "invisible ink" diaries with UV LED lights. My
Uranium Glass marbles really flouresce well with that source!

You have Uranium marbles? Now I _know_ you've lost your marbles! ;-)

Yeah, they are a lot of fun, they flouresce very brightly under UV
light, and nearly double the background count on my dosimeter when I
leave it lying on them. I don't exactly leave them lying around where
kids can put them in thier mouths, but they are a lot safer than a lot
of the other stuff around here...

Google for uranium glass or vaseline glass sometime.

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"the Wiz" <look@message.body> wrote in message
news:uqne70l8dhr6disfd6aonq4599qr3m4rcb@4ax.com...
[snip]

There are some VERY bright LED flashlights available, at appreciably
higher
prices than the "keyhole" lights. Technology Associates
http://www.techass.com
has a broad selection of lights, including a drop-in replacement for
the bulb in
the MiniMag lights.
Can't report on how bright they really are (yet), the one I ordered
will be
delivered next week ;-)

I think I like my Opalec Newbeam better. I bought a pair of Opalec
Newbeams last year and I've been using them regularly since. They have
three LEDs instead of just one, but are more expensive ($27). These
only fit later models of the Mini Maglite - check out their website.

http://www.opalec.com/products.html
New lower price, see http://www.pocketlights.com/opalec.asp

The primary value of LED flashlights is their long battery life and
(almost)
eternal LED life.

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"Jerry G." <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c57uqb$laq$2@news.eusc.inter.net...

Hi Bob,

I am going to shop around again, if this is the case. A few months
back, I
was not as impressed as with a conventional lamp.

I was reading an article about a year ago, that was explaining that in
a few
more years, we will be able to have our homes lit on LED technology.

I am now seeing more and more new models of automobiles using LEDs for
the
rear lights.

What puzzles me is that far fewer auto makers have replaced
incandescents than have truck and bus makers. It seems as tho almost
all buses and trucks have LEDs in their taillights, but few later model
autos do. I know the new Toyota Prius has some LEDs, but not all, in
the taillights.

Maybe trucks and autos use them because of the reliability and low
maintenance. Auto makers probably don't because they're not as cheap as
incandescents.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"Bob Myers" <nospamplease@address.invalid> wrote in message
news2Ddc.2753$zZ4.1816@news.cpqcorp.net...

"Jerry G." <jerryg50@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c561oa$653$1@news.eusc.inter.net...
I have seen them in some of the serious type camping stores. Here in
Montreal, I have seen a few types in the Radio Shack stores.
Apparently, I
am told that they are not yet selling as well as the conventional
type. I
am
told that one of the disadvantages are, is that they are still not
as
bright
as the light bulb type.

I'm not so sure about that in the latest versions; I just got
one of these (as a freebie at a trade show, so I have no idea
what they'd cost) using a single LumiLeds white LED and
a 3V lithium battery. About the size of an "AA"-battery
Maglite, although stubbier and bit fatter - and this sucker is
BRIGHT. I haven't measured the light output, but the folks
from LumiLeds said that they're pushing into the 100-1000
lumens range with their LEDs. I can easily see a flashlight
using several of these LEDs as being more than
bright enough to replace my trusty 3-cell Maglite.

Bob M.

I bought a few keychain holders with one of these. It is good in the
dark
to
find the key-hole, or look for something that does not require a
powerful
illumination.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
=========================================


"wylbur37" <wylbur37nospam@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8028c236.0404090140.1e09973f@posting.google.com...
LED flashlights seem to be getting more popular these days. There
are
numerous websites that sell them, of different types and sizes.

But here in New York City, I have yet to find a retail store that
sells them. Radio Shack, for example, sells actual LEDs if you want
to
make your own, but they don't seem to sell ready-made LED
flashlights.

Does anyone know of some retail stores in the New York City area
that
sell LED flashlights?

 

[Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun]

William P.N. Smith wrote:

"Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun - the Dark Remover\""
NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote:

William P.N. Smith wrote:

My kids got some "invisible ink" diaries with UV LED lights. My
Uranium Glass marbles really flouresce well with that source!

You have Uranium marbles? Now I _know_ you've lost your marbles! ;-)

Yeah, they are a lot of fun, they flouresce very brightly under UV
light, and nearly double the background count on my dosimeter when I
leave it lying on them. I don't exactly leave them lying around where
kids can put them in thier mouths, but they are a lot safer than a lot
of the other stuff around here...

Google for uranium glass or vaseline glass sometime.

So if you're required to wear a dosimiter, do the higher than average
readings make people edgy and curious as to how you're approaching the
'glow-in-the-dark' stage???

 

[Bob Myers]

<William P.N. Smith> wrote in message
news:duae701i3gcdof9hlo22d5jfnf05kcatn0@4ax.com...

"Bob Myers" <nospamplease@address.invalid> wrote:
I'm not so sure about that in the latest versions; I just got
one of these (as a freebie at a trade show, so I have no idea
what they'd cost) using a single LumiLeds white LED and
a 3V lithium battery.

Does it look like
http://store.yahoo.com/flashlight/arclshstandard.html ?? If so,
that's a pretty pricey tradeshow handout! 8*) I've got one with a
screw-on cap and a belt holster that fits a spare battery, and it goes
everywhere with me. Really nice!

No; I wouldn't trust this one to be that well-sealed
against the elements, for one thing. But I was pleasantly
surprised by the construction of this thing, given that it
was a freebie!

Bob M.

 

[William P.N. Smith]

"Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun - the Dark Remover\""

William P.N. Smith wrote:
"Watson A.Name \"Watt Sun - the Dark Remover\""
You have Uranium marbles? Now I _know_ you've lost your marbles! ;-)

Yeah, they are a lot of fun, they flouresce very brightly under UV
light, and nearly double the background count on my dosimeter

So if you're required to wear a dosimiter, do the higher than average
readings make people edgy and curious as to how you're approaching the
'glow-in-the-dark' stage???

If I were required to wear the dosimeter, the marbles would add about
10 percent of the allowable WHO allowable limits, which is to say
they'd never notice. Only folks who don't know anything about
radiation get wierded out by my marbles, the sources in their smoke
detectors, plane flights, airport X-ray machines, etc. I'm not
required to wear a dosimeter, it's a fun toy. [Besides, after the
dirty bomb goes off, they'll be hard to come by, so I stocked up
early. 8*]

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[Jim Yanik]

William P.N. Smith <> wrote in
newsllo70pd1dgu9haml4l32mscd6lq9s2e9c@4ax.com:

If I were required to wear the dosimeter, the marbles would add about
10 percent of the allowable WHO allowable limits, which is to say
they'd never notice. Only folks who don't know anything about
radiation get wierded out by my marbles, the sources in their smoke
detectors, plane flights, airport X-ray machines, etc. I'm not
required to wear a dosimeter, it's a fun toy. [Besides, after the
dirty bomb goes off, they'll be hard to come by, so I stocked up
early. 8*]

Some old pottery glazes used uranium,too.So,if you have old dinnerware or
old pottery,or old glassware,you might have uranium in it.It's not really
much of a problem,though.No big deal,just don't serve acidic foods in the
dinnerware,it leaches out some of the uranium.Or relate it to "display
only" status.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"Dave VanHorn" <dvanhorn@cedar.net> wrote in message
news:04GdnTeKUMrw7-XdRVn-gQ@comcast.com...

The problem with Inova is they use a much more expensive lithium
battery.
See URL http://www.inovalight.com/site.html?X5-ov

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Most people don't shop on Ebay, they buy their batteries at the grocery
store or worse yet, Radio Scrap. And they're _not_ cheap there!

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

"Jeff Wiseman" <wisemanja@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:4078D308.F95B11F5@earthlink.net...

Dave VanHorn wrote:

The problem with Inova is they use a much more expensive lithium
battery.
See URL http://www.inovalight.com/site.html?X5-ov

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Check out Surefire's website (www.surefire.com). You can get them
there by the box for as low as $1.25 each.

I can buy a brick of AA alkalines for $.25 - $.30 each not on sale, and
even less when they're on sale. Hard to beat that for inexpensive
batteries, and everything seems to use AA cells.

What's bothering me is that very few flashlight makers have progressed
to designing their lights to use rechargeable cells. If more AA cell
sized flashlights would be designed to use Ni-MH cells, the world would
have a lot less batteries to trash, recycle, etc.

> - Jeff

 

[William P.N. Smith]

"Watson A.Name - \"Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\""
<NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote:

What's bothering me is that very few flashlight makers have progressed
to designing their lights to use rechargeable cells. If more AA cell
sized flashlights would be designed to use Ni-MH cells, the world would
have a lot less batteries to trash, recycle, etc.

And a lot more dead flashlights sitting in drawers, cars, and other
places. Sure, if they get a lot of use, rechargable batteries are
nice, but they'll self-discharge to uselessness in a month or two. I
dunno how many flashlights I've got, but if I had to worry about
keeping their batteries charged I'd end up doing nothing else...

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su]

<William P.N. Smith> wrote in message
news:ksos709p65qntlek9rs64rjpd4cshhs4th@4ax.com...

"Watson A.Name - \"Watt Sun, the Dark Remover\""
NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote:
What's bothering me is that very few flashlight makers have
progressed
to designing their lights to use rechargeable cells. If more AA cell
sized flashlights would be designed to use Ni-MH cells, the world
would
have a lot less batteries to trash, recycle, etc.

And a lot more dead flashlights sitting in drawers, cars, and other
places. Sure, if they get a lot of use, rechargable batteries are
nice, but they'll self-discharge to uselessness in a month or two. I
dunno how many flashlights I've got, but if I had to worry about
keeping their batteries charged I'd end up doing nothing else...

I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for the
several cordless phones, cell phones and cordless tools I have. They
come with a cradle to put them in when not in use. Another way is like
the ones we have at work: there is a fold-out plug on the side of the
flashlight and it stays plugged into the wall when not in use.

This isn't rocket science, you know. The cost or a rechargeable
cordless phone, screwdriver or whatever might be in the $20 to $30
range, less on sale. The leap from a 900 MHz full duplex transceiver to
a simple light beam is a leap backwards in technology.

--
William Smith
ComputerSmiths Consulting, Inc. www.compusmiths.com

 

[Dave VanHorn]

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Most people don't shop on Ebay, they buy their batteries at the grocery
store or worse yet, Radio Scrap. And they're _not_ cheap there!

Half the people you meet are below average intelligence.

 

[Mjolinor]

"Dave VanHorn" <dvanhorn@cedar.net> wrote in message
news:bZudnaNeau9IG-PdRVn_iw@comcast.com...

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Most people don't shop on Ebay, they buy their batteries at the grocery
store or worse yet, Radio Scrap. And they're _not_ cheap there!

Half the people you meet are below average intelligence.

Hmmm, half the people you meet are average intelligence or below.

 

[Mjolinor]

"Mjolinor" <mjolinor@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:amwfc.80$O07.17@newsfe1-win...

"Dave VanHorn" <dvanhorn@cedar.net> wrote in message
news:bZudnaNeau9IG-PdRVn_iw@comcast.com...

I pay less than $2 per cell on Ebay.

Most people don't shop on Ebay, they buy their batteries at the
grocery
store or worse yet, Radio Scrap. And they're _not_ cheap there!

Half the people you meet are below average intelligence.



Hmmm, half the people you meet are average intelligence or below.

I don't think that's right either.

What about:- Just under half the people you meet are below average
intelligence.

Half the average intelligence people you meet plus (half the people you meet
minus those of average intelligence) are below average intelligence.

Is that any good?