I purchased the flashlight below due to its claims of being “waterproof” and it turns out to be a very good flashlight for the price. It is indeed extremely “waterproof” due to what I thought was its unusual construction. (Its construction may be fairly common, I just never saw anything like it before.)
There is only one “seal” on the flashlight that could possibly leak. And, it uses plenty of thread and a relatively good o-ring. Therefore, the flashlight is highly unlikely to leak even under considerable pressure. I got to wondering how they dealt with the risk of leakage around the switch, and I discovered that the switch is actually a magnet. The flashlight can be turned on, without operating the switch, by simply bringing a magnet up close to it. Clearly there is something in the pill that turns it on. So, the body of the flashlight is a single “sealed” unit, with little risk of leakage.
I got to wondering if any such magnetic switches were available, and came across the following product. This switch is advertised as “an easy and fun way to arm and disarm any rocketry altimeter, without needing any exterior holes to be drilled or aligned.”
Here are the specs:
- 3 combination mounting holes and wire terminals, with built-in solder holes for flexible, easy installation
- On/Off activation range of 1” with a small rare-earth magnet (included)
- Small footprint of 0.75” x 0.55” (1.4 cm x 1.9 cm)
- Current capability of 20 Amps for one second, or 12 Amps continuously.
- Flexible input voltage range of 3.5 to 16 V
- Low quiescent current draw of under 3 micro-Amps.
- The output power state is indicated by a blue LED
Has anyone ever tried using a switch like this in their custom flashlight build? Do you think it could be made to work?
Thanks in advance for any comments or advice.