Manker developed a Zoom with NO MOVING PARTS (updated info)

Hello my dear friends!

Manker showed me their newest development:

a Flashlight that "zooms" without moving ANY part of the flashlight!

the technique will work with Osram W1 LEDs (used in the prototype shown below) as well as Luminus SBT90.2 (and quite everything in between ;) )

(also LEP is on the testing plan)

i have been allowed to share this videos to get your opinions:

the benefits are:
(compared to flashlights with a moving lens)

  • improved stability
  • better water / dust sealing
  • thermal properties similar to regular body design
  • no change in size (from zoomed in to out)
  • less output loss (asperic systems "swallow" up to 50% )

(i will update this post as i am allowed to share information)


UPDATE:

ookay

i was allowed to update this next piece of the puzzle ;)

* SINGLE LED (no COB / no multiple LEDs etc)
* NO moving parts
* using a TIR Lens (some got that right already)

reserved

Saw this on your FB, very intriguing!

Chinese marketing nothing more

Looks really cool!

Very interesting. Very curious how it works. In the flood mode it sort of looks like a diffuser is being used because it looks like there is a lot of light being scattered at wide angles.

A typical aspheric actually loses more like 70% of the light when in throw mode.

So how much output loss is there with this zoom and correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t LED lenser already have this? or is that something different? Also does this mean it has more throw than a reflector or just a slightly larger hotspot at full zoom?

Well if it has no moving parts then it’s not “zooming” :smiley:

I guess it uses a hybrid optic with several LEDs placed at different focal points, the focus change is controlled by shifting the current between the emitters.

Led lenser uses a special optic where the emitter travels inside and most of the light is captured by the optic at all focal settings, but it still requires moving the head to zoom.

LED lenser uses a movable TIR style reflector which has much better light collection efficiency than a simple aspheric lens. The head still moves in and out though, so the manker design is different.

It would not have more throw than a reflector since the throw is mostly determined by the size (frontal area) of the light.

Will34 beat me to it :smiley:

There have been several similar “electronic zoom” lights which operate by transitioning between a throwy LED and a floody LED.

I am hoping that this version uses a TIR for the throwy optic and then has a COB ring LED mounted behind the TIR on the same MCPCB as the main LED. That has been my favorite combination.

Ttrev did something similar with the K1, but obviously this would work much better with a multi focal TIR

Looks interesting !

Discussed on reddit , with a claim that there’s “no moving parts” and “only one LED”. I’m not sure how this could work if both of those statements are true.

in the light shown above uses a single LED

and the way the light leaves the optic can be "modified" to be flood or beam - and anything in between ;)

€dit:
no motor or magnetic fields shifting anything to my knowledge

I have no idea how it works, but I'd be surprised if there really are no moving parts anywhere inside or outside the flashlight.

That makes it sound like there’s an LCD between the optic and the front glass, which controls which parts of the beam leave the light. Or even just diffuses the output.

Smart glass that diffuses the beam?
Variable shape lens?

Both seem too expensive to be worthwhile so I guess it’s something different.
I’m mildly interested with such teasers.
Show us the tech and then we’ll be able to tell whether we like it.

BTW, I can’t see the vids. Neither on FF nor on Chromium.

I saw the one on reddit.

Interesting

Who’s going to take one apart?

If it’s smart glass, I’ll love it.