Sometimes we simply need to treat ourselves and I don't do that very often because otherwise I just know I'll end up doing it far too much.
Anyway; I've been lusting after a powerful torch for a few years but have resisted temptation and managed with just the seven not so powerful torches I already own but after reading an informal review from a guy who bought one I could not resist, apparently this thing will illuminate the moon... well... maybe not quite but it's pretty good it seems.
What did amuse me was discovering this torch has its own software operating system called Anduril, a GNU licenced torch operating system! I downloaded the source code and state diagrams and it's almost 3000 lines of 'C' - how the hell can a LED and a single button require 3000 lines of code!? Mind you it does have stacks of different operating modes most of which I'll probably require the manual to remember how to use. In fairness it also has a "Simple" mode which may be programmed to do a few basic functions of the users choice and I suspect that is what most people use.
At the least it will will give me a toy to play with on the winter nights in the bush.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Certainly that Wurkkos torch looks great value for money with its performance as seen on the YouTube video. A good buy there.
Just looking that the link, the price given is actually with a 45% discount from its first price.
For my information and for others, does anyone how these modern LED torches cope with their heat generation, being in air?
The YouTube video mentions some Turbo cooling.
My experience with high lumen LED torches has been under water so an underwater torch's heat is not normally a problem.
LED driving lights normally come with an array of cooling fins on the rear of their housings.
So how do handheld LED torches cope?
Im not quite old enough to have used the carbide lamp on my bicycle, but did use an old battery type, similar to these.
I remember them well and it was common, in the UK, to be prosecuted by police for not having lights on one's bicycle.
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> Watsea: So how do handheld LED torches cope?
Not terribly well I'm afraid. They do OK and one rarely hears of people having problems because of heat but physics is physics and unless waste energy can be distributed things are going to get hot.
In reality; few people run high power torches for significant lenghts of time so, overall, it all seems to work.
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"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
I read the manual for the software. There were references to "beacon mode" and Morse code mode, but it seems to me that the torch doesn't have a real emergency beacon. I was thinking that one useful feature would be if the torch could flash SOS continuously. The flash wouldn't need to be bright.
-- Edited by dorian on Saturday 4th of February 2023 09:28:54 PM
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"No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full."
I have been using torches since late 80s, back them dad brought the big 6d maglite, 10 dollars for a globe, 40 dollars for the 6 d size alkalines, about 4hours of constant runtime until the lamp starts dimming. About 120 lumens out the front. Truley the most reliable thing, second only to the gen5 early 2000s dolphin torches, overall they came out on top for me.
In late 2000s I used the borealis 1050, a pro made 3d maglite with a surgeons lamp style 9v bulb overdriven to 35watts by 9 high capacity eneloops in series. It started out with 1200lumens, then maintained 1000 until the lower knee of the nimh curve. Total runtime was 34mins, or 48 in 10mins on, 10mins off usage. It truley represented the limit of practical for incandescent. You could throw the torch 40 meters in the backyard and pick it up and it would turn on.
I finally replaced it with the klarus xt32 which to this day is still a very good led torch. Top notch Chinese quality and runs on high capacity made in Japan 18650s. It's my do it all torch, walk to the loo, spot a possum in a tree 50meters away, hiking etc. It has very conservative thermal regulation, only does about 850 lumens continuous, while others can do near 2000.
I have now moved away from torches and gotten heavily into headlamps, the first unit for me was the oilght wave 15, totally game changer for versatility with hands free activation. So now I use the acebeam h30 which is my do it all headlamp and it's amazing effiencet, does 1100lumens sustained and runs off the much better 21700 standard. Many have tried to match it's thermal performance but failed, the unit uses a top bin emitter and freakish thermal capabilities for it's size.
I recently got the Fenix hp30r v2.0, it's stored in a pelican p60 case with 8 21700 Samsung t40 and 50 cells. It's my go to light when doing epic hikes and when shtf. Its runtime is humongous and designed if you are stuck in the wilderness all night long, it has a massive low beam 1000lumens sustained, and a high beam spot 2000lumens.
The tech has leveled off, improvements from here are very slow. Li-ion is stuck at ~250wh per kg and has been since late 2000s, increasing the lumens pervwatts sacrifices the long range capabilities, higher quality of light means smaller numbers, which means less sales.
Sadly led requires active cooling to get high sustained outputs, as the quality of the light gets better more colours and rendering, more heat is produced.
As far as high output (thousands of lumens), led can't and never will be able to touch halogen and hid.
I have also custom built 2 lamps each with 4 x 500 watt flood lamps, replaced with 800 watt photography lamps, with fan cooling & silicone coated wiring. I had to be very careful not the bump the lamps as the 800 watt globes were very sensitive. Had to be kept within 3 degrees of horizontal so the globes didn't blow.
So all up 8.4kW of light (2 area & one Fresnel light)
The tungsten lights with Rosco light correction gel produce great light. Luckily I only had to run them for short periods.
The 2000 watt Arri bulb only has a life of 100 hours. The 5000 - 24000 bulbs have a "mileage" timer so if they fail before their lifespan you get a credit.
When you run all these lights you need good ventilation. In the industry people are very aware not to burn ceilings. These lights have to be silent for movies, so cooling is a major issue.
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Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
