Who made the FIRST Led flashlight?

AlexGT

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Just wondering what company introduced the Led lighting technology first, and what was the name of the first led flashlight.

Thnx!
Alex
 

RonM

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That is an excellent question. Wish I had an answer.
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Someone here is bound to know. Most likely Craig.
 

Gransee

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I heard that the first company to manufacture a LED flashlight (other than the many red lights available) was HP to showcase their (then) high brightness yellow 5mms. It was a squeeze cell type.

The first company to manufacture stepups (single and multiple cells)/regulators and microcontrollers in a LED flashlight was HDS Systems of Tucson AZ. Henry's original design was a multi-LED flashlight powered by 2AA cells. He quickly followed it up with a headlamp powered by a single lithium cell. He also was the first guy I know to make a mag LED (complete with stepup of course) conversion kit. This was all happening way back in 97' and 98'.

First to sell Luxeon powered LED flashlights was Arc over a year ago.

Peter Gransee
 

Wolfen

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Hey Peter, You may be the first to do the Luxeon thing, but do you have a patent to "prove" it? Sorry couldn't resist. We are behind you 100 percent.
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PS: I want a LS3 by 15 March 2003.
 

Gransee

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Thanks. Ah patents... I shouldn't get started on that soapbox.

Actually, no one can patent the concept of using a luxeon in a flashlight since we have been selling them for at least one year. Statue of limitations.

This means everyone is now free to design their best luxeon powered flashlight.

Of course, someone with money to burn could patent the housing design, switch or unique software mode of the MC, etc of their LS-powered light. But at least no single company has a monopoly on any lights with a luxeon.

Peter
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

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Originally posted by AlexGT:
Just wondering what company introduced the Led lighting technology first, and what was the name of the first led flashlight.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">The first LED flashlight I saw was distributed (made?) by C Crane Co. This was in 1998. Can't remember the name. Prior to that there was the Photon Micro Light, not what I would call a "flashlight," but I suppose it would fit someone's definition. This came onto the market around 1995.

nk
 

Sean

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The first one I know of is the Nighthawk Microlight. It has a velcro strap and goes on your finger. I bought it about 8 years ago. It uses a yellow 5mm LED. The instructions say "the same technology used by Desert Storm helicopter pilots". The original batteries still work.
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nighthawk.jpg
 

McGizmo

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I bought a red LED key ring light that I believe was made by Techna (made knives) about 15 years ago. It was bullet shaped and had a big lens in one end and the battery tube was titanium. Cool light! Momentary push button from the rear.

- Don
 

INRETECH

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I converted the Radio Shack 2AA flashlight with the thumbwheel, and making an LED light about 1974 using a 5mm LED that I took from a PCB at a Surplus Store
 

Willmore

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INRETECH beats me by about 5 years. I used 2AAs form RadioShack and a red LED/resistor. It was in a small jewelry box with a paperclip/brass brads kind of switch. Convinced the poor neighbor woman in was a bomb. Later I convinced her not to look in her garage as we had hidden the missing stealth fighter in there. I'm not sure if it's me or her, but I think it's her.
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I'm not *that* convincing.
 

INRETECH

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I purchased my first Hologram from Edmund, and found that if you go in a dark room - you could view it with the LED

The flashlight looked just like one of those disposable cig-lighters and even had the same thumbwheel action to turn it on and off

My first LED that I ever bought was from United Radio in 1973, the MV-50 for $0.86 - it was just a small round piece of plastic with two very fragile rect leads coming out of it
 

Gene

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I'm pretty sure Don is correct, (first COMMERCIALLY available LED light), and it was more than 20 years ago when Tekna came out with it. I purchased one around 1980. It was a neat little light. Mine had a red LED. As Don mentioned, it had the then revolutionary use of titanium, (for the body), and was hyped more for that than the use of an LED. I thought ti was very neat but couldn't understand why EVERYTHING else, (except for the metal push button on the back), was made of regular plastic. Alas, because of that, it fell apart after a couple years on my keychain.

Tekna was a very innovative little company during those years. When manufacturers in those days just made the same old "blah" flashlights, they always were coming out with really unique lights. In fact I just traded away a couple of their single 123 cell keychain lights, ("Splash-Lite" and "Mono-Lith"), that were the very first to use lithium cells. I still have one of their 4 AA cell, super thick, ABS plastic, orange dive lights. It is still one the most rugged and durable flashlights I've ever seen and still works great. They even offered an unheard of, (for that time), Xenon gas bulb upgrade for it. They really lead the way for some of the neat lights we have today.
 

McGizmo

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Gene,

I didn't want to date myself and my memory sucks anyway but I felt it was more than 15 years ago as well :) I too was disappointed in the use of plastic and my light also died but I kept the Ti cylindar and ended up using it on something. Tekna was ahead of the times but couldn't cut the changes over time, I guess. They had a double edged dive knife with cool locking scabard that was also ahead of its time. As I recall, the light was between $15 and $20 which was a bit steep at those day's prices but the technology was from the future.

- Don
 

Jonathan

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The earliest LED 'flashlight' that I ever bought was a 'portable safe light' for darkroom use. It was a little pendant with a couple of yellow LEDs, a switch, and space for a couple of AA batteries. Not very bright, but who would want it to be; you'd fog your paper. This was in 1985 or so.

-Jon
 

Gene

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Don,
I too kept that ti body after the light died! Good point on the knife as I remember that dive knife well. Tekna was as well known for their innovative knives as their lights. In fact I still have one of their old "Extra Edge" keychain knives on my keychain as I type this. Their most popular and most controversial knife however was the "Hidden Edge". The HANDLE retracted exposing the blade. Our wise lawmakers made them take it off the market because it was too much like a switchblade. Aren't we lucky that we have such caring, intelligent politicians that watch out for all us simple folk? :>)
 

Tomas

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! ! !

Thanks, Gene, I'd totally forgotten that ol' "Hidden Edge" Tekna I used to have.

Even before I had one of those titanium Tekna LED lights, Rockwell (one of our suppliers) was giving out odd little cheapo LED lights for advertising.

They were about 1/4 inch thick and maybe 1 1/2 by 2 inches with a small, dim red LED. The company name address, and phone number was printed on the side, and there was a ball chain to attach it to keys or whatever. This was late '70's early '80's?

If I recall, some other vendors had similar that they used for advertising.

tomsig01.g
 

Blackbeagle

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I seem to recall an earlier "light" sold by Edmund Scientific. If I'm remembering right, it was sold about 20~25 years ago. Small round clear plastic case housing a either a NiCad beer can or a electrolytic capacitor. Single yellow LED. Neat thing about this was that there was a solar cell embedded in the side. You'd leave it sitting in the sun and it would charge the cell. You'd squeeze it to turn it on. Worked well until the storage cell died.
 

Tomas

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Actually it had two tiny NiCads in it, and one squeezed the case to get light. I came with a short ballchain, and a clear plastic suction cup with a metal hook so you could hang it on a window to charge.
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The PC board was blue, and quite thick.

Eddie Bauer and REI both carried 'em, too.
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AlexGT

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Wow!

I never thought the led Lighting concept was That old. Anyone have pics of the mentioned lights?

Thnx!
Alex
 
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