2*AA side-by-side aluminum flashlight - DCF01 by Sofirn (Formerly: Resurrection of Duracell Durabeam)

Immediate thought, may or may not be sensible :slight_smile:

Put the two e-switches under a single flat rubber cover, with a space between them. Put a roller on the bottom of a captive slider. Two detents on the slider.

Off is the centre position, with the slider on one of the two detents and the roller on the gap between the switches so nothing happens.

Push forward is momentary-on. No detent there, the roller engages the front e-switch, with a spring pushing the slider back to the centre-off position when the user releases it.

Push backward is constant-on, the roller engages the rear e-switch, with the slider on the other detent. Push forward to the centre-off position to turn the light off again.

Extra constant-on modes are possible by having extra rear e-switches in line, each with its own slider detent.

BREAK

Alternatively, you could do it magnetically with a magnet in the slider and using reed switches (no parasitic power requirement) instead of the constantly-powered Hall Effect sensor that continuously-variable controls have to have.

Too complicated, too many movables. Rubber boot with a stiff top. Pressing down on the front activates the front switch, and v/v for the rear switch.

Doesn’t need to quite literally be a slider, ’though if you want to “contour” the boot to be somewhat concave (press the edges) or convex (somewhat of a slider, but nah).

Now, you wanna take that rocker switch and put a sort of lever sticking up-top like a paddle switch, that’d work, too.

Eg:

to show the (rather bulky) actuator.

Yeah, too complicated for the low-price brief, that’s for sure.

Your way is better, especially since I’ve remembered that rocker switch mechanisms are available in on-off-momentary arrangements too :slight_smile:

Yeh, anyone who has power windows (or locks) in a car has seen a switch that’s center-off, momentary-up, momentary-down.

I concur.

I think we will stay with solution from post #89

Remember, you’re talking about something intended to be assembled chabuduo by Chinese workers from cheapest-source part suppliers.

KISS. You need this to be far simpler and more robust than you want to imagine, to take up the slack.

Just ask VOB about his new motorcycle:laughing:

No bearing spacer? Rear wheel locks up? No problem!

Good thing flashlights aren’t life safety critical.

Oh, wait ….

I have a feeling that my flashlight UI designs aren’t very well aligned with the popular opinion, but Artur asked me to weigh in so here’s my input. This interface setup is what MELD uses in lights with dual switches:

The only difference between the two switches should be that one is for UP and one is for DOWN. Any user input that could have directionality will follow the UP/DOWN designation of the switch that is being used. For any other user input, both buttons should function exactly the same.

For example, here’s a simple ramping UI with dual switches that follows this philosophy:
Click either button to turn on. Click either button to turn off. Press and hold either button from off for momentary usage. While on, hold down either button to ramp; UP button goes up, DOWN button goes down. Double click UP switch shortcuts to max; double click DOWN switch shortcuts to min.
This can be extended to further functions with extended commands (triple click, click-click-press, press both simultaneously, etc.). In any case, a command that doesn’t have any up/down association (on/off, battery check, options menu, etc.) doesn’t matter which switch is used, they both act the same. Any command that does have an up/down association (ramping, shortcuts to high or low, advance through menu options, etc.) will choose the direction based on which button is pressed.

:crown: :+1:

Interesting light but from my point of view:

- UI is too complicated

- I fear that too much features might compromise the reliability

- it will not be a budget light

- it might end up bulky

  • we might not see this light before a long time

Just my 2 cents. I know I will still buy it if it’s not too expensive.

That would rock my ’fro, yes.

Hi mate! Sorry, didn’t have the chance to answer your PM yet :frowning:

However, I guess I will forget my options and look at this suggestion :

This seems to me as a very good solution!

Please note that my opinion doesn’t disregard the your options posted before. However, it seems to me that for a dual light switch it may be reasonable to consider!

When I have the right time, I will answer your PM :wink: Sorry for the delay!!

I like the vast difference between the various UIs being proposed. However, I can't really find myself getting behind UIs that make extensive use of press-and-hold as an action, or that rely heavily on "click X times" as a meaningful interaction.

I think the UI mentioned and compared to MELD was pretty interesting. One of the first UIs I thought up, when addressing this light, had about half of the base concept the same: Both buttons do the same thing. In my case, I was building around each button controlling a separate emitter, which was pretty neat and led to intuitive interactions once you understood the basics.

As far as the UI most recently proposed by Rost in post 89, I don't think it would be something most people can just pick up and use. Sure, it would probably be easy enough for someone who read the instructions, but that's not the same thing as intuitive.

It needs to pass the Enderman’s Gramma test.

I found this light: Epsealon Red Bullet. We could use such a slide switch in our 2*AA light.

This slide switch is too bulky: Seac Sub R3, but in our light it could be more flat.

How about a spring-loaded switch? Second after slide switch most intuitive solution IMO.

Something like this one: Seac Q5

or one of these: Mares-EOS-4RZ & Mares-EOS-5RZ

Or easiest of all, a magnetic slider with nigh infinite brightness levels

I don’t see any reason not to use buttons. I understand that you want to make this light stand out from the crowd, but going against too many conventions at once is a great way to add complexity,create issues, and alienate any potential buyers.

Hey, buttons are great, and can be made perfectly waterproof (see the Sofirn/Wurkkos SD05 diving light).

Problem is, ask 20 people here for opinions as to the greatest’n’bestest UI to use for ’em, and you’ll get 38 different answers.

So then you get some frankenUI grab-bag of options from the mfr that everyone hates.