3 ms·

LED flashlights don't go up to 100k lumens to my knowledge. If you need extreme intensity, you'll have to use a solid state laser. A 10w handheld laser would

LED flashlights don't go up to 100k lumens to my knowledge. If you need extreme intensity, you'll have to use a solid state laser. A 10w handheld laser would be an effective defense, but you should wear bandstop glasses at the laser frequency. A beam spreader would also make it easier to aim and still nearly as effective.

jaggederest 5y ago
This little fella here: https://www.imalentlight.com/imalent-ms18-led-flashlight-cree-xhp70-2-led-max100000-lumens-intelligent-charging-for-outdoor-search-light.html https://www.imalentlight.com/imalent-ms18-led-flashlight-cre...
- robbedpeter 5y ago
  Strobing it at an intruder would possibly take them down. Epileptic criminals would be screwed. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_incapacitator https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_incapacitator $600 isn't too bad, could do wonders for noisy neighbors, too!
- Blammar 5y ago
  That's marketing hype. From the CREE datasheet at https://cree-led.com/media/documents/ds-XHP702.pdf https://cree-led.com/media/documents/ds-XHP702.pdf, each LED runs between 1500 to 2000 lumens. That flashlight has 18 LEDs, so 36k lumens at the most. Also, for the rated brightness, each LED has to be run at 12VDC 2.4 amps or ~30 watts. The thing has 8 21700 cells at ~3.7v each 4Ah. So the cells are probably wired in a 2x4 configuration giving 7.5v and a total of 32Ah. Current draw for the LEDs is higher at lower voltage, so it's 12/7.5*2.4A = ~3.8A per LED or ~70 amps total draw. So yeah the numbers show it's feasible to run the 18 cells at full current for about 25 minutes and get the 36k lumens. The heat dissipation will be about half a kilowatt, so quite likely the flashlight will get too hot to hold fairly quickly, even with its heat-pipe cooling. I'm not an EE, I'm just channeling my long ago physics class on circuitry, so I could be egregiously wrong in places.
  - jaggederest 5y ago
    They usually run them through power regulation circuitry (a boost converter or the digital equivalent) and overdrive the LEDs, maybe into the 24v+ range. The "turbo" mode usually only runs for a few seconds at most, and is where they derive the high lumen numbers from. With this kind of flashlight you have to use unprotected lithium ion cells because they far exceed what the protection circuitry will let you do. Also related to their tendency to go kaboom if set up wrong.
sgt 5y ago
Somehow I feel it's more humane to kill an intruder than to blind him.
- Blammar 5y ago
  Both are terrible things to do. However, doing the second may be more of a deterrence in the long run. On the gripping hand, holding a laser potentially makes you more of a target than if you use a flash-suppressing sniper rifle. It's best not to be in the situation in the first place.

jaggederest 5y ago

This little fella here: https://www.imalentlight.com/imalent-ms18-led-flashlight-cree-xhp70-2-led-max100000-lumens-intelligent-charging-for-outdoor-search-light.html https://www.imalentlight.com/imalent-ms18-led-flashlight-cre...

robbedpeter 5y ago
Strobing it at an intruder would possibly take them down. Epileptic criminals would be screwed. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_incapacitator https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_incapacitator $600 isn't too bad, could do wonders for noisy neighbors, too!
Blammar 5y ago
That's marketing hype. From the CREE datasheet at https://cree-led.com/media/documents/ds-XHP702.pdf https://cree-led.com/media/documents/ds-XHP702.pdf, each LED runs between 1500 to 2000 lumens. That flashlight has 18 LEDs, so 36k lumens at the most. Also, for the rated brightness, each LED has to be run at 12VDC 2.4 amps or ~30 watts. The thing has 8 21700 cells at ~3.7v each 4Ah. So the cells are probably wired in a 2x4 configuration giving 7.5v and a total of 32Ah. Current draw for the LEDs is higher at lower voltage, so it's 12/7.5*2.4A = ~3.8A per LED or ~70 amps total draw. So yeah the numbers show it's feasible to run the 18 cells at full current for about 25 minutes and get the 36k lumens. The heat dissipation will be about half a kilowatt, so quite likely the flashlight will get too hot to hold fairly quickly, even with its heat-pipe cooling. I'm not an EE, I'm just channeling my long ago physics class on circuitry, so I could be egregiously wrong in places.
- jaggederest 5y ago
  They usually run them through power regulation circuitry (a boost converter or the digital equivalent) and overdrive the LEDs, maybe into the 24v+ range. The "turbo" mode usually only runs for a few seconds at most, and is where they derive the high lumen numbers from. With this kind of flashlight you have to use unprotected lithium ion cells because they far exceed what the protection circuitry will let you do. Also related to their tendency to go kaboom if set up wrong.

sgt 5y ago

Somehow I feel it's more humane to kill an intruder than to blind him.

Blammar 5y ago
Both are terrible things to do. However, doing the second may be more of a deterrence in the long run. On the gripping hand, holding a laser potentially makes you more of a target than if you use a flash-suppressing sniper rifle. It's best not to be in the situation in the first place.