I've done a video review for the neat ultra-capacitor torch I'm selling, take a look. This is an ideal torch for emergency use, or if you just like having a durable product instead of something cheap and tacky.
Mike
Saturday, 16 April 2011
LightStorm CL1 torch review
Mike
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7 comments:
My Dog gets agitated by the sound of the winding and tries to bite me until I stop.
I own a really cheap wind up that I bought in a garage. As a torch it is pretty useless (Get a Maglite or live with the dark) but it came with a lead that connects to my mobile phone and as an emergency charger it is priceless.
What should I do about my dog?
Funnily enough our cockatiels don't like the sound of torches being wound either, though they just fly around screaming rather than trying to bite me! I just have to move away from them when I need to wind it... But I guess your dog will just chase after you if you try that?
Cheap wind-up torches I've had in the past are also not much good, but this one is really bright, and much more durable as it uses an ultra-capacitor instead of a battery. It also has a phone charger, like yours.
Cheers, Mike
I bought one of these (I think from you) on ebay a few months back. It works pretty well. I couldn't resist taking the back off it (I never can) and was pleased to find it all looks very tidy and well made inside, quite serviceable by a skilled user. I did notice quite a lot of empty space, which got me thinking about potential to fix its biggest weakness (run time between winding). I have replaced the 30F capacitor with 120F worth (surprisingly cheap, direct from HK on ebay). After a lot of fiddling about to get them packed in securely it now gives a bright light for ~45mins before noticeably fading and will then glow softly all night if not wound up again. Though you might be interested in my mod.
Cheers!
PS: am interested in the SL1 too, pleased to see you are importing a stock of those.
I've modified one of mine as well actually (though obviously this voids the warranty), though I just put another 30F ultracap in parallel with the existing one. What size did you use to get to 120F?
4x20F + the original 30F
Got 10x20F caps quite cheap on ebay, the other 6 are now in series to as a buffer on a 12v solar power system I'm playing with.
Ah, you need to be careful with caps in series - you almost always end with excessive voltage across one of them and it burns out. Have a look around on the web for advice on balancing circuits.
Mike
p.s. the SL1 torches have arrived now, I'll be putting them on sale here shortly...
Yeah, thanks. I'm using an amber led and silicone diode in series across each cap to balance the caps in the bank. I also only charge the bank to a maximum of 2.5v / cap rather than 2.7v. I've checked the caps individually with multimeter and never seen anything above 2.6v on any individual cap. I looked at more sophisticated balancing circuits, but they all looked a bit complex and hard to find parts for cheaply so I just went with the LED / diode combo. Another nice feature of this is that the amber LEDs glow gently when the bank is near full.
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