(Chris Malcolm) said:Millets have a new "Cyba-lite" head torch which uses a 1 watt LED,
powered by three AAs. It switches between full, half, and quarter
power, plus an emergency full power flashing mode. It has a three LED
battery level indicator in the back of the torch head, necessary
because the constant power regulator produces a full power beam until
it suddenly cuts off. The AAs are held in a back of head flat pack
which is connected to the torch by two side-of-head and one
top-of-head straps. The torch is tiltable. Price is marked at #30 but
currently on offer at #26. Claims 3hrs battery life at full power, 10
hrs at half power, 24 hrs at quarter power.
Blacks have the same thing at #34, plus another version, also at #34,
which instead of variable power settings of the 1W LED, has a panel of
three little LEDs. This one has four power modes: one small LED, two,
three, and then the big 1W LED. It also has a smaller and less
well-engineered reflector, so may have a narrower more patterned beam,
which is filled in by three smaller flood LEDs. In other words, it's
simply a copy of the "combined tungsten-halogen plus a few LEDs for
economy" models, where the the powerful halogen filament bulb has been
replaced by a 1W Luxeon.
Quoted message said:Full power looks like a full power 1W Luxeon, i.e. comparable power to
a 3W filament 3-4.5V torch. The beam is a flood which grades smoothly
to a small long range centre spot, so it combines good distance
spotting with wide local illumination.
Quoted message said:The regulator doesn't have a long life very low power mode. I tried it
with some batteries showing 1.2V, which gave a dim glimmer on a
tungsten AA minimaglite, and it simply gave a brief flash and switched
itself off.
Quoted message said:Shame the regulator doesn't have a very low power "moonlight" mode,
but it seems to answer the needs of those who want a more powerful
head torch than the usual LED devices.
The most important differences between the 4 LED model and the single
1W LED model is that the 4 LED model has one extra very low power
setting, using just a single small LED. It may also be capable of
running the batteries unregulated to exhaustion in its low power
modes. I don't know whether the smaller simpler reflector of this
combined model, which lacks the graded dimpling of the larger
reflector model, gives a poorer beam.
An annoying feature of all Cybalite products, and of the LED torch
market in general, is that there is such a cognitive distance
(possibly different companies speaking different languages?) between
the marketing boys and the design engineers that they simply fail to
inform you on the packet or accompanying leaflets some of the really
important design and performance features, e.g., whether or not the
thing is regulated, and if so how.
Quoted message said:--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
