Talk about future projects and donation topic

I’d still like to see some significantly smaller BLF lights, like a 14500 version of the brass AA with BLF driver and high-CRI emitter, and a BLF clone of the Olight S10/S1/S-Mini. Both use small batteries and are small for their battery type.

The goal wouldn’t be to make the brightest lights of their size, but to put a lot of features in a small space, with good attention to detail.

I’d love to see a BLF-348 scaled up to take an AA cell. Same LED, same output, same single mode operation, just more runtime.

Forgot about it, but there’s Carclo 60 mm ultra narrow catadioptric. Low efficiency, but lots of throw in a compact package, you could get 18650 batteries in a light that’s as short as 18350 with reflector.

Agree, some small lights between all these big ones wouldn’t hurt.

With the X5, D4 and future FW3A three small lights fill the void right?
It could be cool to ask Fritz if a shorty 18350 tube for the FW3A is a nice idea.

The Q4/Q2 for me would be about the driver and as such pave the way for lights with cool UI using AA and AAA cells.

The Q8 was about recreation of an iconic light that went downhill
The GT sounded so daring when TA and me were talking about it first that it seemed not likely a manufacturer would cone with such a thing any time soon.
I am really psyched about the Q16 for that already exists in my head and would bring long runtimes for high lumens, high lumens we see a lot, but not sustained for long so this feels like something we should be doing if only to show manufacturers it can be done.

The small lights are being made in such wide variety from $1 to $$$$
The X5/X6, D4, FW3A and Q8 prove a versatile UI is possible. If only a 1,2V input driver can be developed there are bound to be more lights made by professional parties right?

Nope, the X5, D4, and FW3A are still pretty big. I’m thinking more toward the small end of 14500 or 16340 lights —
something with approximately the same total volume as an 18650 battery.

About fans: When 12 Volts fans are to high Voltage, there are also a bunch of 5 Volts fans out there.
Of course there is the waterproof issue with fans…
You could make them water resistant though, but i doubt there are water resistant fans on the market in a small size.


On another note, how about a recoil light?
I started a topic about a year ago, but i can’t seem to get it going.
The problem is finding a reflector…
But, like with the GT, it can be made by a flashlight manufacturer (or they can have it made by a specialized manufacturer)
A recoil light is a thrower pur sang, has no spill and a very tight beam without a corona.
It will probably out throw the GT because it uses practically all of the emitted light from the LED.

It would be unique.
The SST-40 on 5 Amperes seems like a good LED for it.

I’m for it, just for the sake of having it made. I think it would be a more unique BLF light than what we’ve done so far. But, I wouldn’t buy one, because I have no need (and very little want) for a super thrower.

Liking the AA version of BLF348, PM send to the pointing him to the post.

TK, I get it.
With your new eswitch firmware creation platform, and addition of people being able to program using the led as signal receiver could be very cool.
SST 40 seems smart choice.
Double tube like FW3A for tail switch
Could be nice to have Fritz design it.
Just saw a little On The Road clone (an Olight clone in itself) with build in charging for a mere $13 on AliExpress. Gonna be hard to beat such a light if quality is good (gonna order it tomorrow because of this conversation :wink: )

Recoil, you guys want it to be so big that sure it will beat the GT. Lots of challenges. Is there an interest list? Just start it and if it fills finding a manufacturer becomes easier and you see what happened with the GT, there was no reflector but LT let it be made, that could happen here as well.

Since we’re talking drivers here too, i think many of us would want to have a 1S boost driver for 6 Volts LEDs, like the Nicha 144, the XHP50(.2) or for a quad (2S2P) of 3 Volts LEDs.

Yeah, 5” is big (recoil), but it will be short too (more like a box).
(edit) Actually, the GT is almost 5” reflector diameter also.
Maybe i should build one first, maybe for the scratch build competition.
But i’m not really productive lately…

I’d also be interested in a scaled up version to allow 21700 cells once they take hold.

A single emitter light with the latest and greatest led would be cool as well.

Well I must say that I hope we can move the FW3A to prototype phase fast when the busy GT stuff is settled.
First boot up would be Q16 if Thijsco19 and Cawi can find the time to work on my awful sketches :slight_smile:
But the BLF ST (Short thrower, Q8 compatible threads, same overall length as Q8 but with shorty 18350 tube and longer head for one reflector SST40 driven at 7A) would make such a nice set with the Q8. For those two I would buy a case.

Of course the illusive AA driver for a Q4 and Q2 is a really nice goal.

All these seem lights for Thorfire to make. (Due to some parts I want to use on the Q16, some S70(s) reflectors) and threading compability and well just nice to have them do the Q series if they want to.

Sounds like a great plan! The Miller Plan.

can we “borrow” some ideas from http://lux-rc.com? i mean the active cooling seems interesting.

Is there a thread for information about this scratch build competition?

The more the merrier.

Oh yeah a recoil thrower as OLSB entry, cool to see and could spark interest for the type of light.

Yes. One of my favorite style lights early in this hobby.

I guess the type became harder to make with more powerful LEDs?
I have one sub $5 and it focusses good. It misses the advantage of being able to change to flood as zoomies have.
With the size Jerommel envisions cooling is less of an issue then only having one very thin “leg” to take the heat away.

I would like to see a BLF automotive light bar, not that I could actually afford one.

Some of the rough ideas that I have had include-

  • It being around 300mm-400mm in length, small enough so that it can still fit small euro cars and perhaps with a modular mount system so that 3 or 4 could be easily joined together for those with trucks.
  • A driver designed with a high and medium setting operated from a single On/Off/On switch, not only for the obvious reason of not always needing full brightness but also so that members with small euro cars could still use it without needing an alternator upgrade. A low voltage cut-off to protect from a dead car battery and perhaps thermal management so that if the bar is left on while the car is stationary it won’t overheat.
  • Tint selection would be chosen for reducing eye fatigue and enhancing road hazard visibility rather than the highest output. TIR lenses could be used rather than reflectors to reduce tint shift, and if common sized TIRs were used the end user could mix and match if they weren’t happy with the beam pattern and wanted to increase flood or throw.
  • And for the really tricky part, keeping it as budget as possible.