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I moderate /r/flashlight. Something I've seen a substantial increase in over the past few years is people who are surprised to learn that it's possible to have

by Zak 6mo ago

I moderate /r/flashlight. Something I've seen a substantial increase in over the past few years is people who are surprised to learn that it's possible to have a built-in charger in combination with a field-replaceable battery. It doesn't take much explaining; it just hadn't occurred to them because the devices they're used to don't work that way. People don't change batteries in their phones now because they'd need a heat gun and a soldering iron and they'd have even chances of starting a fire, breaking the phone, or succeeding in changing the battery without prior experience using those tools. A shop could do it reliably, but the shop will charge 100€ because it's time-consuming and error-prone. A 3-5 year old phone is often not worth 100€. When a battery change costs 25€ and takes 5 minutes, people will do it all the time even if they don't know that today.

snvzz 6mo ago
re: flashlights. Still no real upgrade for hexbright, which is a shame. I wish they were still being made. Fortunately, mine are still fine, and I expect to be able to repair them should they break. (xtal is a common failure point apparently) Standard battery type is nice, but also has microusb charging port, the part that didn't age well. Perhaps new circuit boards (with usb-pd charging, usb-c connector and mems oscillator) will be the way forward. It's definitely easier to order a pcb than the housing.
- Zak 6mo ago
  I suppose it depends on what you want out of a flashlight. It's kind of cool that you can flash the firmware over USB, but the rest of it is middling, and there are quite a few flashlights today running open source firmwares with exposed flashing pads. Regulated, open source, flashable, USB-charging, and a standardized battery describes most lights from https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/ https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/
  - snvzz 6mo ago
    The hexbright's body is the main thing. The insides could be completely new. My plan is to keep it running. Perhaps replace the emitter by a more efficient one at some point, and repair anything as needed. If somebody bothers to make a better board someday, I will upgrade to that as long as it is still open hardware.
    - Zak 6mo ago
      I think the Hexbright's body would be a source of complaints from present-day reviewers. It's bulky and heavy for a 1x18650 light; having to expose the bare LED to the elements to charge or change the battery is risky; anodized threads between the LED and outer body are bad for heat transfer. LEDs with higher luminous efficacy than the XM-L2 exist now, but for a large increase, they usually have a larger light emitting surface. That means a less focused hotspot and less useful beam distance with the same power input. On the other hand, it's possible to achieve a more focused hotspot and more beam distance without giving up more output with some newer LEDs optimized for high output from a smaller surface. It's also possible to greatly improve color rendering.
      - snvzz 6mo ago
        Good to know there's been significant progress in the last 15 years or so. Still a huge fan of the body, unfazed by the potential opinions of present day reviewers :) I will get a "known-good" modern LED torch, in any event. Can't hurt.

by Zak 6mo ago

snvzz 6mo ago

re: flashlights. Still no real upgrade for hexbright, which is a shame. I wish they were still being made. Fortunately, mine are still fine, and I expect to be able to repair them should they break. (xtal is a common failure point apparently) Standard battery type is nice, but also has microusb charging port, the part that didn't age well. Perhaps new circuit boards (with usb-pd charging, usb-c connector and mems oscillator) will be the way forward. It's definitely easier to order a pcb than the housing.

Zak 6mo ago
I suppose it depends on what you want out of a flashlight. It's kind of cool that you can flash the firmware over USB, but the rest of it is middling, and there are quite a few flashlights today running open source firmwares with exposed flashing pads. Regulated, open source, flashable, USB-charging, and a standardized battery describes most lights from https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/ https://www.firefly-outdoor.com/
- snvzz 6mo ago
  The hexbright's body is the main thing. The insides could be completely new. My plan is to keep it running. Perhaps replace the emitter by a more efficient one at some point, and repair anything as needed. If somebody bothers to make a better board someday, I will upgrade to that as long as it is still open hardware.
  - Zak 6mo ago
    I think the Hexbright's body would be a source of complaints from present-day reviewers. It's bulky and heavy for a 1x18650 light; having to expose the bare LED to the elements to charge or change the battery is risky; anodized threads between the LED and outer body are bad for heat transfer. LEDs with higher luminous efficacy than the XM-L2 exist now, but for a large increase, they usually have a larger light emitting surface. That means a less focused hotspot and less useful beam distance with the same power input. On the other hand, it's possible to achieve a more focused hotspot and more beam distance without giving up more output with some newer LEDs optimized for high output from a smaller surface. It's also possible to greatly improve color rendering.
    - snvzz 6mo ago
      Good to know there's been significant progress in the last 15 years or so. Still a huge fan of the body, unfazed by the potential opinions of present day reviewers :) I will get a "known-good" modern LED torch, in any event. Can't hurt.