Hey everyone,
Lately I’ve been hitting a bit of a wall with ideas. There are already so many lights out there—throwers, flooders, EDCs, tactical… it kind of feels like everything has been done.
I’m curious—what would you actually want to see that feels new or just fun to use?
Not necessarily more lumens or longer throw, but something different. Could be UI, form factor, features, or even something a bit weird that hasn’t really been explored yet.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
I really want, but have never seen, a commercial light that uses ultra-high CRI (99+) violet-pumped LEDs such as Nichia Optisolis and Seoul Sunlike. The color rendering of these LEDs is next-level, visibly much better than Nichia’s typical R9080 LEDs such as 519A and B35AM. The 519A/B35AM spectrum has a huge blue spike and cyan dip at higher CCTs, which results in a blue-grey cast over the illuminated object; the Optisolis/SunLike does not have this problem at all.
I would like to see a “mule”-type light built with a huge array of these LEDs. If you build, say, a 21-LED array like FireFlies Nov Mu, you can easily make 4000 lumens; at 5000K and 99+CRI, this level of output is completely unheard of.
Such a light would be a much better photography light than the Nov Mu: compared to E21A (and really any other emitter), the Optisolis/SunLike has better angular tint uniformity–no pink center and yellow boundary–with much higher CRI too.
There is one thing that I really want for some time now, in terms of UI, but (almost) no manufacturer has attemped it: a user customizable/programmable of the UI (with a software program) via the USB-C port.
There was one manufacturer (Nextorch) that tried and developed it and was really on the right way (I think), but for some reason they quit with the concept. I’ve never tried it, but in general it exactly looked like how I would like it to work.
There is not much info to be found about it anymore, but I found a little bit of information that explains most of it, to give you an idea:
The download link mentioned in the image above no longer works, but the German Nextorch website still has a working link, which I already translated to English with Google Translate: Download Nextuner Software | NEXTORCH Deutschland
I’m not saying that you exactly have to copy what Nextorch did, but I specificly use this as an example, because it basicly is (almost) the perfect example of how I would like the concept of a programmable flashlight would like to work!
The fact that choose your own specific brightness levels (to suit your personal needs/preferrences), can add or remove levels/modes, change the order of them (for example if people want High-Medium-Low instead of Low-Medium-High), program your own blink/morse code signals.
This feature really suits this part of text in your post:
It is ‘weird’ (or maybe better: unusual) and I think it hasn’t REALLY been explored yet, since I personally know of only this one manufacturer that did it in this way and quit with it before it really got a (good) chance (in my opinion).
Ever considered making lightsabers, like Star Wars?
I made one a while back, like built a driver circuit and wrote the firmware for it and soldered it all together… and it was a lot of fun. But I only made one, and didn’t really finish it. Was hoping to get more produced, and develop the idea further, but that didn’t happen.
Mine didn’t have sound… just light. But it let the user design their own lighting patterns using concepts similar to patch design in a music synthesizer.
Anyway, just an idea for something fun.
Anduril zoomie that’s better yet more pocketable than the Z1!
A rectangle keychain flashlight with swappable 10440 battery.
You’ve got me thinking about this. I could design the mcpcb for this with no problem.
I think there is room for improvement in the driver space. There can always be a better driver. Custom UIs would be great or being able to choose a UI already loaded. Boost drivers, buck drivers, linear, being able to turn off FET on FET DD drivers. 15mm is really limited. But having a good solid driver in 15mm and larger would be awesome. Also, anything mod related like spacers for mules and optic installs. Gaskets for emitters in different sizes and colors. Unique mcpcbs for modders. Sky is the limit.
Also clips. We are always looking for better clip options on our lights. Deep carry clips that are captured under the tail cap or that can screw onto existing holes.
Engine pills with threaded driver retainers. It would be amazing to have options to buy empty pills that work with other hosts.
I second that. There’s so many good LEDs and host/optic options for focusable lights now.
something with a reflex reflector could be really fun, maybe in a flat light design. maybe a large and shallow reflector in a reflex setup on the larger face of a cuboid
That’s a neat idea, allowing a light to remain compact despite a large optic diameter. The only light I know that is roughly in this format is: Eye of Sekhmet — Silent Thunder Ordnance
Either a recoil reflector or a catadioptric optic would do, the latter is probably easier for heatsinking the LED.
thats exactly what i wanted to build! ive been thinking of building something like this, thats a good reference
How about a weapon mounted light for long guns? Mlok and picatinny attachment options.
100% and double click for Strobe modes only. Or at least the ability to program to that specific mode.
Remote switch option, but also tailcap button option, with forward clicky.
Something in the 2k lumen range, good spill, but decent throw as well.
Incidentally, I am also planning a recoil thrower project (though not focused on compactness, just accessible and extremely cheap). I would be very interested to see what you build!
The only catadioptric lens I’ve seen available is this one from Carclo Optics
It would certainly be interesting to know why more designs like this don’t exist - is it patent restrictions or just that regular reflectors or TIR optics are superior?
Lens is 60mm diameter but only 12mm thick, I think a flat light design is the only way you’d sensibly incorporate this.
Carclo specs suggest 165cd/lm with a CREE XP-LR, so I’d expect 1200lm at just shy of 200kcd, which is quite nice!
Not sure about sales volumes for such a light, with the lens alone costing about $10 from what I can find online…
Is it going to be one of the new ludicrous huge Chinese LEDs mounted to a mirror-coated satellite dish? 'cause I’ve wanted to do this since forever but I just know the results will be disappointing…
That’s an interesting question. For conventional flashlight designs (battery tube plus head), the compactness of the catadioptric doesn’t really help with ergonomics. I guess the flat thrower design just hasn’t caught on yet.
I think it would be interesting to get a ping-pong paddle-shaped flat light: handle for the battery, and the hitting surface being a flat catadioptric lens! With a large enough lens, you can easily get GT/MF05 levels of performance out of a package that easily fits in a small backpack or badminton racket bag.
Indeed! Assuming decent transmission efficiency, 170cd/lm is pretty good for a SFT42R in a 60mm optic, on par with regular reflectors (e.g., L21B).
I wonder if there are any Chinese manufacturers (e.g., Simon’s TIR suppliers) who can make this optic. I don’t know if the production process for this type of optic is very complex or something.
I wish! But sadly no: I have neither the power supply to drive a giant COB nor access to a parabolic satellite dish (though I have been dreaming about one for a long time). I’ve recently tried to 3D print one, but the deviation from a parabola is too much–the printer introduces increasing curvature error as it moves up the base plate.
It’s not gonna be a crazy light, I’m envisioning a very cheap and lightweight way to get the throw of a 3x21D. I’m trying to optimize not the performance, but the performance/effort ratio!
Indeed, or even an integrated design where the cells fit next to/around the optic… There was a sketch that djozz submitted in the early days of the discussion about the design of the BLF GT, I can’t find it now but it was similar to what we are discussing.
Depending on the thermal tolerance the catadioptric lens can take, you could make a nice, short, triple 21700 light with a slightly flared head, very similar to the Convoy 3X21E.
i am very interested in seeing more of your design. I have considered building my light before but life is busy.
my next project will probably be something quite grand and throw based, not pocketable and ergonomic. I like the sound of your low effort design though and could be talked into doing a flat pack reflex light over spring break
Back on topic, if Sofirn won’t bring back the SC01, I’d propose Ultrafire do a keychain 10180 light with built in USB-C charging on the threads behind the O-ring, neutral LED and TIR lens, 2 or maximum 3 mode twisty UI, start on low, no mode memory. No insane turbo output levels, something like 25/100 or 3/30/100 if it’s 3 mode.
You could even sell extensions for 10440 cells, and offer versions in Ti, Stainless, copper, brass, etc..
maybe 0.2, 5, 50 instead? 400 hours, 22, and 2.5 hours, respectively? A multi fueled head with exchangeable bodies would be cool too, for 10440/AAA, 10180, etc…sorry for piggybacking of your post lol
