Suggestions Emitter: SST-20 (buyer can choose between 5000K 70CRI or 4000K 95CRI) Reflector/Optics: pebbled 30Ā° TIR Charging: USB (micro or C) Battery: Built in Pouch LiPo 200 mAh. Modes: LOW, MID, HIGH, (TURBO?). Brightness: 10, 30, 100, (300?) Lumen (for 70CRI) Dimensions: as small as possible. Price: $15 Other: No PWM buck driver.
Nitecore TIP user interface is close to perfection, with the 2 buttons.
Magnetic tailcap like TIP2 (covers USB port)
Rovyvon / Tiki shape
No extra side LED nonsense.
Recently I got an interesting idea for a light that somewhat resembles TINI in overall shapeā¦but is actually quite a bit differentā¦
This is a small, boxy high performance flooder.
Negative aspherics are bad for throw. But weāre making a flooder so it should be OK?
Negative fresnels have grooves on the inside. This way they donāt need another lens for protection, improving on cost, size, performance and complexity
This particular lens is quite strong. CF-20 (or similar) might actually work better.
The LEDs:
2x2 array of Nichia E21A for superb colour quality with high output and fair efficacy. The lens should be able to deal with the donut hole.
Like TINI, the driver would be flex PCB folded to fit over LiPo cell.
Unlike TINI I belive it would be worthwhile to have the LED resting on MCPCB with a shelf in the host for proper thermal transfer.
Note that with a 2 lenses side by side it would be possible to double the number of LEDs. Though it would add some costā¦
Itās mainly a matter of mechanics.
I have a TIP and a TINI and the TIP has the best switches.
They need some pressure, unlike the TINI buttons, to click.
Would be even better if they were recessed a little.
Asking enthusiasts about a mini keylight is asking like inviting over a 5 star chef to a backyard BBQ.
I needed such a light and WasaFire fitted the bill.
My needs were: robust, small, rechargeable, best battery life to emitter output, and cheap $.
So far (after some 3 weeks use); holds up to wear and tear, bright floody light more than 50 but less than 100 lumens. In the cool white spectrum but thatās expected with this emitter (XPG R5). It has but one mode, drawing some 90 mA on an 80 mAh battery. I would guesstimate that would be a runtime of about 1 hour. Good enough for short bursts (finding the door keyhole, checking within a drawer, etc.). Its better than my phoneās LED.
If and when a BLF / Sofirn model does come out, Iād be interested.
Iām not sure youāre looking for the same kind of light. This will be the cylindrical style without buttons, and aiming to be smaller than the others you mentioned. Also, donāt you think a magnet on a keychain would be annoying?
Agro Thoughts on cost benefit analysis of a (pebbled) TIR lens vs fresnel lens for a cylindrical light?
Sidney Stratton How is the build quality on that WasaFire? Pictures gave me mixed impressions. Also, I find two modes really useful.
JorisFRST 1 hour should be no problem on a Low or maybe Medium mode. Personally Iām surprised at how useful even 3-5 lumens can be.
agent80 Consider that the i1R 2 advertises 15 minutes at 150lm with a CW LED. If you need extended runtimes at that kind of brightness I think AAA lights will be more your thing.
Build quality is quite acceptable. There was a minor problem with the switch - intermittent flickering. A bit of solder on the switch cap and everythingās fine.
The light has a physical switch within the tube and makes contact via the head travel.
The single mode is less susceptible to problems ā playing safe. There is a dual mode version, somewhere buried in AE. Also, there are other variants (body / finish).
Keep in mind, I use the light intermittently in backup scenarios. The beam profile is floody and nice milky white throughout (hotspot blends into spill). It is high CCT (~6000ĀŗK). My phoneās lux readings (ceiling bounce) doesnāt register this light very well, some 50āish lumens.
It beats my phoneās built in LED and is more convenient. Was looking at more reputable lights as Lumintop and DQG but the prices are too high for the relevant use.
Sidney Stratton Thanks, that description aligns with my expectations of it, which falls a bit short of what Iād want. And I too think the prices for the higher quality options are difficult to justify at least for my use.
Personally I place a good deal of importance on build quality. Good value often doesnāt cost much more than the cheaper options. That is my hope for this project.
Oh, you mean something that already exists? Hmmmā¦
10440 or 10180?
I didnāt mention other lights to mean this should be the same size, but the Rovyvon and the Tiki are not a lot bigger than those twisty 2 mode 10180 USB rechargeable lights you see everywhere.
The trick is to build it around a 200mAh pouch LiPo cell and a 12 - 14mm diameter head.
Buttons (1 button can be enough, of course) donāt eat up space.
Ideally there would be a little buck driver, but a linear driver is smaller (no coil).
Usual UI is good with 1 button: from OFF = long press for moonlight, short presses for next modes and short press from OFF for low mode, longer press for OFF. maybe a Turbo mode with 2 short clicks.
Turbo mode is fun for such a tiny light.
300 lumen should be possible, itās only like 600 mA for an SST-20.
No.
Look at the TIP2.
Thereās a review on BLF somewhere.
Basically the light is detachable from the keyring by pulling the light from the part thatās on the key ring.
Theyāre stuck together by magnets in the light, and the USB charging port is there too.
Very clever, and little magnetic field when the tail is on.
Look, the Rovyvon is currently the smallest very bright keychain light (those 10180 lights are not very bright), and the concept is awesome, it looks great.
With a magnetic detachable tail that covers the charging port and a driver without PWM or with invisible high frequency PWM,youāve got a much better light than the Rovyvon or the Tiki.
(I agree, got one recently, bundled with another Olight). Itās actually handy for traveling when any flashlight is too much (e.g. a regular tube light makes the TSA airport police nervous,but this little thing triggers an āAwww, cute!ā response I didnāt know they had)
No, an e-switch doesnāt add any length. An e-switch is very flat, especially when soldered on a flexible Kapton PCB (like flat cable).
Look at the TINI: itās even recessed but still on top of the pouch LiPo cell.
What does use space is the charging port and the electronics.
But this can be made in a small package in the tail.
Oh, you can solder an e-switch on the LED board too.
It brings the switch more to the front, which is good.
Iām interested. Iād like to see >120lm if possible (Maybe 140/150). I have a few of 10180 that are all 100-120lm. Iād also love to see USB-C over Micro-USB.
For me, ~100 lumens is fine as 150 lumens is only marginally brighter to my eyes. But companies seem to want high max lumens for sales and marketing purposes.
Jerommel You have interesting ideas. Maybe you can propose a project.
I think that a Rovyvon or Nitecore Tiki competitor has different priorities. Size, weight, and/or price will be different from this project. Accepting those tradeoffs opens up possible advantages (longer runtimes, higher brightness, more sophisticated UI) that could be quite compelling for some.
