Hi Ken and the group, I have a flashlight like this. It seems like you have to "charge" it every now and then by shaking it. If you let go for a year or so without shaking, it does not work, just brief pulses of light as the magnet passes through the coil......the storage capacitor/battery goes "bad." At that point, if you shake it for about 5 minutes vigorously, it starts working again and can be used (once your eyes can focus again and the room stays put).
I suspect it would be a surprise to find it does not work just when you need it. I now shake it for a few seconds every day or two. It holds most of the charge from day to day, but it does seem to need this maintanance. I am not sure if all of them need this, but mine does. When charged up, the light is as bright or brighter than a 2 C flashlight. By the way, my unit makes a lot of noise while being shaken as the magnet has a lot of play as it slides back and forth. You can't use it in a room if you expect another person (wife, for example) to stay asleep while you are shaking it. Doug Ken Javor wrote: > RTCA/DO-160 (Environmental Conditions or Aircraft) has a requirement to > measure the "compass-safe distance." That would seem to be the main issue. > As far as I know, RTCA/DO-160 applies equally to commercial transport and > general aviation aircraft. > > >>From: "George Stults" <[email protected]> >>Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 10:42:31 -0700 >>To: <[email protected]> >>Subject: battery free flashlight for pilots... >> >>Hi Folks, >> >>I have a safety/regulatory question, but I need to explain a bit. >> >>I recently noticed a "Battery-free Flashlight" offered for sale in a >>magazine that sells various products for pilots. You can see the >>product by going to http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/ and searching on >>"3173A". >> >>The add explains that you have to shake the flashlight for 15 to 30 >>seconds and you will get 10 minutes of light. (Note: this is an LED >>flashlight). >> >>The charging mechanism is easy to see because the flashlight body is >>clear. There is a coil half way along the handle, and a magnetic ball >>(mostly hidden behind the coil). >> >>The magnetic ball is the issue I see as important. >> >>My question is, are there any applicable safety standards what would >>prevent the use of this device in an aircraft cockpit, and would there >>be any difference between commercial and private aircraft. >> >>Best, >> >>George Stults >> >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------- >>This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society >>emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ >> >>To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] >> >>Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html >> >>List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html >> >>For help, send mail to the list administrators: >> >>Scott Douglas [email protected] >>Mike Cantwell [email protected] >> >>For policy questions, send mail to: >> >>Richard Nute: [email protected] >>Jim Bacher: [email protected] >> >>All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: >> >>http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc >> > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society > emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ > > To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] > > Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html > > List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html > > For help, send mail to the list administrators: > > Scott Douglas [email protected] > Mike Cantwell [email protected] > > For policy questions, send mail to: > > Richard Nute: [email protected] > Jim Bacher: [email protected] > > All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: > > http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc > > -- ___ _ Doug Smith \ / ) P.O. Box 1457 ========= Los Gatos, CA 95031-1457 _ / \ / \ _ TEL/FAX: 408-356-4186/358-3799 / /\ \ ] / /\ \ Mobile: 408-858-4528 | q-----( ) | o | Email: [email protected] \ _ / ] \ _ / Website: http://www.dsmith.org This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/listserv/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas [email protected] Mike Cantwell [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Richard Nute: [email protected] Jim Bacher: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
