On the evening of September 23rd/2013, Patrick Mitchell from Engineeringshock Electronics launched a kickstarter campaign to raise $2000 to manufacture a neat little flashlight kit that should potentially last longer than we do. This flashlight uses super capacitor technology!
This device talks to you! It tells you how much charge is on the capacitors, and when the capacitor flashlight is charged! Not only will it last and last through thousands and thousands of charges, but it is also an awesome conversation starter!
What are Super Capacitors?
Super capacitors are like batteries in many ways. They can hold a substantial amount of power! However, rechargeable batteries typically die after 100-200 charges. This is where super capacitors differ. Super capacitors, if treated properly, can be charged and discharged more than 100,000 times!
The Prototype:
Two years ago, Engineeringshock Electronics began selling the preliminary design, which acts to charge the internal capacitor bank to just shy of 5.4v. It didn’t talk to you, but it got the job done. The video of the prototype can be seen in the kickstarter!
Once the capacitors are charged through a 9v 1000mA wall adapter, the charge circuitry and the super capacitor bank become isolated from one another. This acts to ensure that the capacitors are charged to just under the rated charge value. If you treat the capacitors right, then they will have a long LONG lifespan! The original flashlight that was put together more than two years ago still works the same today as it did when I sealed the circuitry into a store-bought flashlight unit!
The kits that I am trying to develop and sell will be very similar to the unit above, only I will be adding a voice chip, a speaker, and a few other passive components. When the capacitor bank is charged, every minute or so, the flashlight will say “Charging Complete”. That is, until the user unplugs the AC wall adapter. The user will also have the ability to disable the voice commands by removing the speaker, which is connected to a 2-pin header. There will also be an LED indicator that will act to visually show the user that the unit is charged; similar to the LED indicator seen in the above video.
The brightness of the LED array can be adjusted from 8v to 12v through an adjustable voltage booster. At 8v, luminescence is more than decent, and the user will get between 30-40 minutes of light out of each charge. At 12v, luminescence is very high (Almost blinding), but the user will only get about 15-20 minutes of light per charge. I personally use the 8v setting.
The first time the user charges the flashlight, it will take about an hour to become fully charged, as the capacitors will be at 0v at first charge. Every charge after that should take about 20 minutes to a half an hour, as the booster stops boosting at roughly 3.3v. To charge from 3v takes a very short time.
Why Kickstarter?
Manufacturing these flashlight kits is an expensive process. The design is ready, but funds are required to press forward! We sincerely hope that you take a minute or two to check out this Kickstarter campaign! We can’t do it without your help!
About Engineeringshock Electronics:
Engineeringshock Electronics began as a very small reseller of electronic components almost five years ago. In the past two years, we have been designing and selling our own DIY electronic kits and modules for students, hobbyists, inventors, and engineers. We have over sixty of our own designs, and we hope to have over one hundred by 2015! Our home base is located in Carleton Place, Ontario, and we sell our products through www.engineeringshock.com & www.paintballprops.com. Check us out!
Media Contact:
Patrick Mitchell
Engineeringshock Electronics
