I took the survey, but I wasnāt sure about the end cap shapes. It would be great if there was a page that showed and named each tail-cap shape individually. The link back to jon_sliderās post didnāt show all the shapes that were in the poll and didnāt have them individually labeled either. Thanks!
Iāve added that in along with a Yes/No on magnet.
Jonās post had them labelled, and other pictures followed in that section of the thread. Iāll see if I can get better pics for each individual one.
Edit: Iāve added pics to each. Unfortunately it contorts the image substantially on phone, apparently. Iād have to get home and do some basic image editing to make them look a bit nicer.
After thinking about this some more I came up with a new tail design.
My design uses a standard split ring, hangs centrally, tailstands well, includes a magnet and shouldn't add any manufacturing complexity or cost.
Here is a visualization of my idea (please excuse my terrible photo editing skills):
The area enclosed in black should all be the same height as the central lug. This should make it tailstand fairly well (not as good as a completely flat bottom, but definitely better than the three spoke design of the E01) and the split ring can freely move from a central position to one side. The tailstand area can be increased if a slightly larger split ring is used. The Olight i3E in the picture above uses a 10 mm split ring, a larger 12 mm split ring works better with the design (12 mm is also the size you'll find on medium sized Swiss Army knives).
The red dot represents the magnet. On the i3E, which has a tail diameter of 12,7 mm, a 3 x 3 mm magnet fits no problem. The tail of the jet to be named Sofirn light should have a slightly larger diameter which means a 4 x 3 mm magnet should probably be possible.
Just for comparison: a 4 x 3 mm magnet has about the same retention force as a 5 x 2 mm magnet (according to a couple of magnet shops). The stainless steel DQG Tiny AAA uses a 5 x 2 mm magnet on the inside of the light (i.e. there is a layer of steel between the magnet and the surface it is attached to), yet the magnet is strong enough to hold the light, even horizontally.
What do you all think?
Perhaps TheShadowGuy could include my design in the survey?
I checked the retention forces with the help of a couple of (German) online shops which sell high quality magnets. It could of course be that some random cheap magnet of the same size is weaker. And of course this is all just "in theory" one would need to actually try it out to see if such a small (and off center) magnet is really strong enough.
A trit slot is of course also possible, I hadn't even thought of that, but it gives me another idea .
If we move the magnet to the other side we could have both a magnet and a trit slot, win-win .
It is a bit of a tight squeeze (4 x 3 mm magnet and 6 x 1,5 mm trit), but should be doable. I have measured everything with the help of my i3E (which has a 4000K high CRI Luxeon TX in it BTW ).
No to magnets. If you want to stick your light to a magnet, just put the magnet on the surface you want the light to stick toā¦ the battery in AAA lights is very attracted to magnets and will hold the light easily, without having a magnet in your pocket, which will stick to all sorts of things, including keyringsā¦ Just say No to magnets permanently attached to a cheap light.
2. Yes to center hanging a light that is going to live on a keychain, even if that means no tailstanding. imo tailstanding is overrated. I used to prioritize lights that can do tailstands, but I usually prefer to lay a light on its side, because when I tailstand it usually means the glare of the LED will be in my line of sight, which I hate
sooo
3. Tailstandingā¦ nah
build a light with a center hanger, and no magnet, even if it has no tailstanding abilityā¦ thats my opinionā¦ otoh, I know people consider tailstanding important, so if you have to have it, then put the keyring on the side of the tail.
4. regarding trits, NO!
definitely not on a 6 dollar light
I dislike trits, they are not stealthy, there is no way to turn them off, except that they die with time
5. Reversible pocket clip YES YES YES!
the ability to stop a light from rolling off my nightstand is a high priority (I do not keep lights on my keys).
I OFTEN clip a light to my hat for hands free useā¦ the Fenix has NO pocket clipā¦ if the Sofirn has a reversible clip option that will make it Significantly Superior, for the way I use my lights.
now back to your regularly scheduled dreaming
and btw, I applaud the progress Sofirn has made
regarding the āreflectorā, KISS, there is no need for fancy angles on a 5mmLED light, it wont make any difference, and takes extra work
remember, this is a Cheap Lightā¦ fancy trits and fancy reflectors are completely out of character, and imo add nothing except extra machine work
regardless, I look forward to everyone getting their Yuji single mode AAA light
these are just my opinions, please dont argue with me about themā¦ Im sure you each have opinions of your ownā¦ post them, and good luck
I made my drawing, I took the maximum possible 14.3mm tail diameter 2mm hole right in the middle, for fitting I took an existing and appropiate looking ring that I had, it was 10mm inner diameter. The grid is 1.25mm/square.
Still like the trit slot idea, personally if the light is nice enough I would put one in and it still looks nice without a trit, and the front end will collect debris just as well.
But the poll may get us a āBLF-preferenceā, and after all that, I would not be surprised if Sofirn has ideas of their own as well.
1. Magnet seems to be very popular so far- far overwhelming those who donāt want one. My concerns when it comes to a magnet or attachment point for one is that it will add to the overall length of the light, which is detrimental for carrying on a keychain, or that the extra material/machining will add to the cost of the light (even if the magnet is not included).
2. The number of people who absolutely want a trit slot is about equal to the number of people who donāt want one. Really, that vote is overall a dead heat and could go either way at this point.
3. The Manker E02 tailcap leads the ranking despite its late entry. The i3s type tailcap and Lumintop Ant are #2 and #3 in the current rankings. Everything else trails off significantly.
Iād wait for more data to make any definite conclusions, but I donāt think central mounting is a strict priority. Personally I wouldnāt use a magnet, and Iād prefer it be optional or not come with the light at all. Iāve had better luck sourcing my own magnets for projects anyway. What do other members think of this?
As far as Noirās design, Iād think the magnet would have to be pretty strong considering the small size and off center nature. I really donāt want that in my pocket with my USB drive/keys/credit cards/etc, thus having the magnet be optional would be important. Assuming this design doesnāt add much length, I do like the idea as a middle ground.
Edit: Looking at Djozzās drawing, why not have the trit side curve out a bit more following the split ring? That should help a bit with tailstanding.
Edit #2: Come to think of it, Noirās design is a lot like a blend of the current top three tailcaps in the rankings.
That is not possible, because of the hole in the middle (the drill goes vertically).
Edit:
Yes, my design (the second one with magnet and trit) has (at least in theory) everything: standard split ring, tailstand, central hang, magnet & trit slot. The only thing that needs to be verified/tested is if a magnet of that size (4 x 3 mm) is really strong enough.
I never want magnets on my stuff, itās too easy to damage things.
Anything from a demagnetised credit card in your pocket to a damaged computer hard disk because you put your light in the wrong place for a moment whilst working inside the computer.
Iām fine with a hole or an internal spring clip for people to add an optional magnet, I just donāt want the light to come with a permanently-attached magnet as standard.
I would probably use a magnet if it had one, but for a keychain light with only ~8lm output, itās not a big deal if it doesnāt include one. I like the idea of putting it inside the tail-cap instead of outside. Then, those who donāt want their light to be magnetic can remove the magnet (if itās clipped in and not glued) and not have a huge hole in the back of their tail-cap where the āmissingā magnet would be.