You will love this NASA penlight

Barbarin

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Jul 30, 2001
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Pamplona- NA- Spain
Now this project is on Kickstarter!



This is the story. I took a design of flashlight that was used by Apollo project astronauts and issued to all of them. In my honest opinion, a superb design made specifically to meet the requirements of the mission. It was 1968, the penlight was provided by ACR Electronics, but made by Fulton Industries.

It was not easy to get the right dimensions, but finally I got them. I kept it externally almost identical to the original, but added a warm white high CRI LED (Cree XPL-HI), and matched it with a wide angle optic, as I considered that the light was intended to be used on the small available room of a capsule. This flashlight also has a "battery vampire" type circuit, providing 150 lm maximum output, but long, long hours of light. As you know using AA alkaline batteries will provide you many hours of reliable output, with no fast drop at the end of the battery life. And of course, I'm a diving flashlights manufacturer... so I made it waterproof. Not for diving, but to give it more reliability.

Hope you like it.

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Yes, I do find brass too heavy for a pocket flashlight... Not to mention if I had to send it to the moon and every gram was going to cost me thousands of US$. BUT I guess they just didn't made them from titanium because it was not easily available, at all. That was not my case.

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Do you want to have a reproduction of a piece of history? Let me know.


UPDATED: 4-5-2017

Here you are the first runtime I made. AS you can see the LED used was a neutral white one, whith very high CRI. On production I plan to use warm white, as it is much more similar to the original penlight.
The driver is getting 380 mA on the LED on T=0, and as you can see the efficiency of the underdriven XPL-HI is amazing. The test was performed with IKEA alkaline batteries, which are not the best ones but they do have a good quality. Alkaline batteries are not made for high drain, so that is the reason of the fast drop caused by the internal resistance. In exchange, an alkaline battery will self recover, and even 30 minutes after the test (batteries at that point had a 0,7V and 0,9 V voltage respectively) they did produced more than 100 lm for a minute or so.

It seems little light for nowadays standards, but it is 10 times brighter than the original, and the flux is even too much for the environment of a capsule, on a the dark space.

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UPDATE 5-V-2017.

Replaced pictures for better quality ones.

Changes to be done on final product. Knurling, needs to me more similar to the original one. Engraving, will be done deeper, as the original.

UPDATE 16-V-2017

New runtime chart added. Improved circuit, improved cooling, and definitive warm white LED (XPL-HI), high CRI. Alkaline IKEA batteries.
Results, as you can see, are much better. Just maximum output is lower, but it is because of the LED color temperature.

This light will give you an integrated value of 102,94 lm during 3 hours 35 minutes using alkalines. (to 50% of initial output)

But as you now alkalines are not happy with this kind of work. Tomorrow I plan to update with a runtime chart with NiMH 2500

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UPDATE 17-V-15 (1)

Outdoor pictures, comparing the Barbolight Apollo penlight vs. a Nitecore NU20.

The NU20 is supposed to produce 220 lm on high level. Well, my unit is putting out a nice amount of lumens for such a tiny headlamp, but the real output according to my integrating sphere is 155 lm, cold white, spot+corona. The Apollo is 100 lm with semi fresh batteries, warm white, high CRI, floody light.

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Hope you like them

UPDATE 17-V-17 (2)

Runtime chart with "dead" batteries. The batteries I used for the runtime test you can see above were allowed to rest for 24 hours. After that they are still good enough for more than 75 lm (average) during 45 minutes.

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UPDATE 19-5-17

Detail pictures of improved knurling and laser engraving depth.

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Alone In The Dark

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Jun 5, 2012
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USA
Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

That looks pretty awesome to me. Please send me a PM with additional information.
 

staticx57

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Dec 2, 2011
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Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

Would like more info please
 

phosphor22

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Sep 13, 2015
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Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

I would like more information as well thanks - PM or via the thread
 
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jalano1222

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May 25, 2016
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Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

More info and pricing for both brass and ti. Please pm me
Thanks
 

RUSH FAN

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Nov 22, 2013
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Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

Count me in for titanium!
 

Zandar

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May 23, 2012
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678
Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

A little late to the party, but I'm interested, as well, in prices for both versions. And if you decide to make several to meet the demand I know at least one of my nephews would love one as well! Thanks
 
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Str8stroke

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Nov 27, 2013
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On The Black Pearl
Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

Totally awesome. I want!

What material did they use for NASA? I would assume Aluminum due to weight reasons. But, I could see how they could have used Ti? Anyways, Great work & a really cool tribute too. Thanks.
 

sledhead

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Jan 20, 2007
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N.J.
Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

Wonderful link Archimedes. :thumbsup:

Barbarin.....I'd be interested in a titanium version!
 

calipsoii

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Joined
Apr 21, 2010
Messages
1,412
Re: You will love this NASA flashlight

If you do a run of brass I would purchase one.
 
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