I was thinking of other more reliable ways to activate a switch, and I thought of laptops and flip-phones that have magnetic sensors that turn the screen on/off when you open or close them. It may be possible to achieve the same with a clip that is magnetized. I did a bit more reading, and mechanical reed switches were originally used in older laptops and flip-phones, and as technology advanced they used Hall sensors, and now MR sensors. This article explains it better:
I’m no engineer and I don’t know the feasibility of this approach, but I thought it was interesting enough to mention.
So from watching the disadvantages video, I wonder if it would be difficult to add a bypass to it. The tail would need to be modded to change the electrical path, but I am not sure how difficult it would be for this host. There can be two paths, one going through the pocket clip, and another that uses the host, but I assume that the pocket clip is already using the host path.
Interesting ideas. I’d love to brainstorm this stuff some more. Even minor improvements to the clip/body design (such as more contact surface area, debris sweeping grooves, etc.) and contact materials (such as plating or not using dissimilar metals) could go a long way.
As a flashlight enthusiast my favorite carry light is the Eagtac D3A running a 14500 and I used to run a D25a. I like the clip switch feature enough that I started carrying my final prototype Microstream in place of those.
I’m sure that if enough people put their heads together we could have some skookum clip switched lights.
Lick, do you mean make a bypass so that the light can come on without the clip? Or a bypass in the sense that the clip becomes a relay contact and doesn’t carry the full current?
Will it be possible to add a SMD LED on any part lf the clip (the internal part… The part facing the flashlight body…… Or other location) to show when the bypass option is activated/deactivated??
Interesting I don’t usually use clips except for my EDC pocket knife. Would be interesting to test this out. I think clipping a knife and a flashlight would require more pockets? Or else they’d be scuffed up next to each other needlessly.
I renamed my post in the Commercial section to just ClipSwitch Flashlights. Sorry about the confusion but everyone from both posts will be entered into the giveaways.
It’s a definite possibility. I’ve not found an easy 2x host to mod yet but there could be one out there. Also, custom flashlights and really any production clip switched flashlight is possible.
That is unless you were to use a pocket organizer such as one from Yellow Birch Outfitters or similar. Then it can be clipped while inside your pocket!