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

Interesting idea!
The output in plastic should be low but it will be good as a bike light too if you make a mount thing on it. I suggest Gopro style so you can use a wide variety of mounts.

Here’s another one, from the invaluable Flashlight Museum

http://www.flashlightmuseum.com/Eveready-Flashlight-F215-2AA-Cell-Sport-Gear-Waterproof-Grip-Light-with-Lanyard-2AA-1995

$4, 1995

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And the children’s version:

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and a few weird ones here:

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And [Gas$p!]: https://www.illumn.com/sunwayman-d20a-xp-g2-xp-e-p2-258-lumens-2-x-aa.html
$41.50 REGULAR PRICE $83.00

I briefly toyed with this idea…

thanks guys.

there are two ways sofirn can help. One is you guys find a plastic light in alibaba, sofirn improve it according to your ideas and do the group buy. the other is design a aluminum light you wanted, such as the 2*AA light.

the difficulty is not to fulfill it but to fulfill it at a low price. It needs keep it simple and big quantity of group buy, let’s say 1K.

all things are not clear, all I can say is we can talk about it and see if we can make it together.

cheers

PS: I found flashlights for kids is a big need, it will be great if we can make one or improve one existed, simple UI, kids friendly, tough, cheap, nice looking for kids……

I found that the Sofirn C01 is excellent for kids, if Sofirn could continue making it, perhaps not with Yuji led but another 5mm led (preferrably with neutral tint), that would be great. If the price is still 5 dollar it is cheap enough to loose it too.

The C01S is great for kids too but too expensive to loose (my son would loose it all the time).

Is anyone able to post the measurements of 2AA Duracell Durabeam please? Those are needed for 3D modelling.
Thank you in advance :wink:

I think most kid flashlights are probably better off being larger, more colorful and with a plastic lens. AA sized lights are fine too but I think our kids are the exception since it’s our hobby too.

I have one of the everyready sport ones. I’ve had it since I was a kid. Mine is missing the rectangle shaped gasket though, so it’s not water resistant anymore. It lives in a bathroom and gets occasional use.

Is anyone able to post the measurements of 2AA Duracell Durabeam please? Those are needed for 3D modelling.
Thank you in advance :wink:

BUMP (Bringing Up My Post)

If this light ever gets made, it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce hi CRI to the public.

Ah yes. Sofirn needs to create an updated D20A. I have mine as my bed light. I navigate with the red led

Just giving this one a little bump.

2AA Dependable Compact Flashlight from Sofirn on the horizon :smiley:

Have prepared two versions of UI.
Still can’t decide which one would suit muggles better :blush:


Full size here: https://i.imgur.com/dUv3tvv.jpg


Full size here: https://i.imgur.com/sJtLIr5.jpg

I would be grateful for any criticism. The more brutally honest the better :wink:

Additional thought: Maybe we will be able to use a driver developed for Sofirn SP10S “BLF edition” with Andúril :stuck_out_tongue:

You let the cat out of the bag

Here are earlier alternative variants that “didn’t make it”

or

and this one is the final(ish) design:

The front is inspired (on Sofirn’s suggestion) on Russian headlamp YLP Panda 3

The OLED is similar (again on Sofirn’s suggestion) to Fenix’s UC52:

I would probably have to buy this with my love of side by sides. Do we know what emitters they want to use?

#48
Is says Nichia E21A - the little ones around the main reflector.

For the UI, the one Nitecore uses on the EC4 series is fantastic, but it doesn’t have any way to change between flood and throw - that definitely clutters things a bit.

I would suggest staying away from built in charging and the OLED. There are almost no AA lights with built in charging for a reason, and the screen is just a point of failure and a major design challenge. The two combined don’t bode well for water resistance or AA support.

The idea to use Nichia NVSWE21A (sm453 r9080) was based on hope that it would be possible to create design of Sofirn’s DCF01 inspired by Muyshondt Beagle MK. I and McGizmo ls20.

The design was sent to Barry and his response was:
‘What I can say is to get high CRI E21A is not a issue, Sofirn will handle it.
One main led surrounded by 4 E21A can be done but that make it a expensive light’

I asked how much would it cost and Barry promised to come back with a rough price.

Unfortunately Sofirn is worrying that it would make the flashlight too pricey for possible BLF Group Buy and later for average customer.
For this GB to happen it needs to secure 500 pieces in orders.

Same happened to the idea of taking some inspiration from this camera (Would be nice to have a rotary switch):

Therefore quest for a shape that would allow this flashlight to be manufactured at reasonably price continues.

As this flashlight (with it’s accessories) is intended to be really nice gift bundle the need for a nice feature emerged.
Maybe… a battery indicator like the one below?

And than… I stumbled on ttever3’s mod:

Barry’s reaction: ‘To add a lcd display to show how much juice left is a good design for muggles.’

It’s hard to find a muggle who doesn’t prefer USB charging and that’s one among other things that will make DCF01 a perfect gift flashlight.
We are building here something unique, second to none 2AA head-turning flashlight. The sort of thing that everyone deserves, but most people won’t buy for themselves — therefore a perfect gift. Great for any outdoor adventures as well as for all kind of indoor activities. By putting OLED we already made it more appealing to potential customers. By adding USB charging convenience (with information on display of time remaining to fully charged) we are making their choice of proper flashlight even easier for them.

The question will be asked by many:
What happens when someone makes the mistake of trying to recharge the AA primary batteries inside the light?

Well… First of all, there will be rechargeable batteries in the bundle/kit and rechargeable batteries recommendation printed both on the box and inside manual. Possible leakage or explosion from overheating will be shown in pictures in manual and put in CAPITAL LETTERS.
The flashlight will be designed to work on alkaline batteries, but ONLY in emergency situations. It will be not advised to use alkaline batteries on daily basis.

Any type of power source requires intelligence to be used safely. It really doesn’t matter if it’s Alkaline, NiMH or Li-ion.The risk of someone accidentally charging an alkaline in this light is not any more than someone accidentally charging an alkaline in a stand alone charger. If it’s really that big of a risk, there won’t be any consumer AA chargers on the market. I think warning stickers and labels should be adequate.

At the beginning there was an idea of removable pocket clip. Something like this:

But than I heard of Frelux Synergy 1 and the more I’m thinking about it’s clip the more I like it. I also like a small width of the knob.

Another light that can be used as an inspiration is Acebeam UC15: https://imgur.com/a/1IoGTyC

We could change it a bit and use a clip and a knob similar to one used in Frelux Synergy 1:

Did this go anywhere? Is Sofirn working on it?