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mobby_6kl posted:I got the cheapest 18650 based "cree" light off eBay and although I'm sure it doesn't have the crazy lumens they claim, its bright as gently caress anyway, lasts a long time and is very solidly made so I can't really complain. Ditto: I have a few of these in different sizes and they all work very well. 3xAA for the car, 2xAA for taking the bins out, 1xAAA pocket carry and they are all as bright as gently caress and cheap enough not to worry about. I have a 3xD cell that uses standard LEDs that I keep by the front door. SEKCobra posted:I like Nitecore, Fenix, Led Lenser (too expensive for what they are), with nitecore having the best firmware on the market IMO. Firmware for a flashlight? Have we finally reached that stage?
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:02 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 22:39 |
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I only buy AA and AAA flashlights anymore. They're more than bright enough for what I need, and I don't ever have to worry about charging or being able to find batteries, no matter where I go. Sure, it's cool to have a 10 million billion lumen LiPo-powered monster, but it's kinda useless if you forget your charger and can't just buy a fresh battery. I can get AAs and AAAs for next to nothing at every store, everywhere in the world.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:15 |
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I recently bought ten of these, threw a couple into my car, one for my pocket, few into the different jackets, the rest are either around house or given to friends. They're bright, and not terribly made, plus cheap as gently caress, you can't really go wrong.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:25 |
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mobby_6kl posted:I got the cheapest 18650 based "cree" light off eBay and although I'm sure it doesn't have the crazy lumens they claim, its bright as gently caress anyway, lasts a long time and is very solidly made so I can't really complain. My latest purchase was this one: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01LXZEXZ4/ref=pe_3044161_189395811_TE_dp_1 So far so good, but time will tell. Still, if the difference between "fine" and "high quality" is like 100+ Euro, I'd rather buy and burn through the cheap ones. Some middle-ground would be nice, though. The Claptain posted:I recently bought ten of these, threw a couple into my car, one for my pocket, few into the different jackets, the rest are either around house or given to friends. Pilsner has a new favorite as of 13:31 on Feb 2, 2018 |
# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:27 |
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I found all my flashlights under my bed and I needed to use my phone to see them. That's my flashlight story god bless.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:27 |
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KozmoNaut posted:I only buy AA and AAA flashlights anymore. They're more than bright enough for what I need, and I don't ever have to worry about charging or being able to find batteries, no matter where I go. They also make LiPo monsters that can have an onboard charger and recharge via MicroUSB. Come on in, the water is great
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 13:55 |
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Pilsner posted:And they are definitely not 4000 Lumen, but they might still be fine for your purpose. They're probably around 200. Oh, of course they are not, never trust chinese specs. I remember once seeing a chinese torch advertised as 10000 W. Theye are "bright enough, though i wouldn't mind if they were little less bright for purppses I am using them".
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 14:15 |
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empty baggie posted:The education market was definitely one of the things keeping Apple going throughout the 90's. For example, all of the liberal arts colleges around here used macs exclusively in their photography/graphic design and teacher education departments. That's a good point, I think again it has to do with prior to Windows 95, it a computer that didn't require any special training to use. Up until about 8th grade we did only have Apple II series machines in school, when they started getting performas. High school was definitely a mixture though, started with mostly performas, and I took the last Basic class (which ran on Apple IIs). Typing class used a PS 2, I had an introduction to drafting that used some kind of PC. and then in junior year most of the Performas were replaced with iMacs. All through that time, my family which had been a mac family since my dad bought a Mac Plus in the early 80s, switched to a PC. empty baggie posted:A/V production was also a big deal to Apple back then, too. Sadly, Apple appears to have lost a lot of that market in recent years. Although admittedly I'm not up to date on Macs these days, I suspect that's because they're still all-in-one machines, and PCs can be customized to hell for specific tasks
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 14:25 |
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Pilsner posted:Reviving this flashlight chat, because it's interesting. A friend convinced me to buy one of those SureFire lights, but he was a private military contractor and probably needed that extra .9 on a regular flashlights otherwise 99.9% reliability. I'm not a military contractor in a war zone without a Walmart nearby and it was a big waste for me. Now all you need are multiple cheap flashlights/lanterns because at least one will work when you need it. I think you can still get Made in the USA MagLites with LED's installed if you want something murderously solid. Having to keep D batteries around sucks, but they probably sell AA to D adapters
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 15:04 |
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Pilsner posted:Reviving this flashlight chat, because it's interesting. I put one of the LED conversions in my big 5D Maglite and keep it in my truck. Much brighter and I can use it as an improvised hammer.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 15:48 |
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blugu64 posted:They also make LiPo monsters that can have an onboard charger and recharge via MicroUSB. Come on in, the water is great No reason to. Lights that run on standard alkalines are cheap and more than bright enough. If I was a security guard or nighttime wilderness tracker or some such thing, I would bring a monster crazy LiPo searchlight. For finding poo poo that rolled under the fridge or for finding my way home at night, my trusty little AAA keychain light is plenty. And it's always in my pocket, I don't have to remember to bring it. A light that I actually have on me is a million times more useful than one that is at home in a drawer. KozmoNaut has a new favorite as of 16:12 on Feb 2, 2018 |
# ? Feb 2, 2018 16:08 |
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Flashlight chat: I have a Convoy S2+ (Chinese 18650 tactical torch), can't tell if it has a legitimate Cree LED but it gets plenty bright on its highest setting and runs forever on a single charge on the low and middle settings. Only drawback is you have to wait upwards of a month for it to slow-boat over from China, unless you want to pay a 300% markup from someone selling them on Amazon.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 16:12 |
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Laser pointers are kinda cool, the high ish power ones. Only mentioning because there's a crossover between laser pointer and flashlight fans.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 17:22 |
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GRINDCORE MEGGIDO posted:Laser pointers are kinda cool, the high ish power ones. Can’t get the FAA mad with a flashlight though
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 17:28 |
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GRINDCORE MEGGIDO posted:Laser pointers are kinda cool, the high ish power ones. I know someone who recently came back from China with a purple laser pointer that can (at minimum) burn paper.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 17:31 |
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It's like I'm in a F Plus episode
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 17:46 |
Explosionface posted:I know someone who recently came back from China with a purple laser pointer that can (at minimum) burn paper. In my senior year of high school, my astronomy teacher had a green laser pointer that I believe wasn't legal to sell in the United States that he used to point out stars and planets during night observations. When he first showed it off, he let anyone who volunteered have it put against their hand and turned on. It stung and left a little darker spot where it burned me. It was so bright you could see the beam shooting off into the sky at night, and we were able to see things like satellites flying overhead as little twinkles of silver. He was a really cool guy. He unironically wore bow ties as a serious fashion choice, went on a long bike ride before dawn every day, and ended each year as "DJ Laser Luther" where he would set up complex laser rigs that could manipulate sound played through speakers when he broke or modulated the beam. He once built a sort of roller treadmill for his racing bike and spent an entire school day riding it while raising money for charity and livestreaming the physics of biking, and he raised over $1000 more than he intended.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 17:58 |
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You may mock, but you can't help be impressed at these things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vgNh3fLxJc
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 18:16 |
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Explosionface posted:I know someone who recently came back from China with a purple laser pointer that can (at minimum) burn paper. Nice. I've got a supposedly 200mw Red pointer that bursts balloons (if you put a Black sharpie mark on them). Have to be super careful with the higher powered ones, UV / damage even by reflecting off white walls, etc. Even low powered Green pointers look like death rays, my cat loves them.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 18:36 |
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The constant desire for brighter flashlights than needed for general use is really stupid. I should know because I fell down that rabbit hole myself a few years ago and have a drawer of them.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 19:32 |
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Unperson_47 posted:The constant desire for brighter flashlights than needed for general use is really stupid. I should know because I fell down that rabbit hole myself a few years ago and have a drawer of them. Im not actually looking for a maximum power, I am looking for a rugged, easy-to-fix design with longevity and a flashlight on which the batteries do not completely die on the freezing temperatures. My garage is a communal one, and has piss-poor lighting; being able to use that same flashlight as a baton or hammer substitute is just a bonus.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 20:03 |
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spog posted:Ditto: I have a few of these in different sizes and they all work very well. 3xAA for the car, 2xAA for taking the bins out, 1xAAA pocket carry and they are all as bright as gently caress and cheap enough not to worry about. Well most chinese craplights don't remember mode but have 20 because they want to be like the big boys. So to switch between high and low, you have to go through strobe and SOS as well. usually with a lovely switch. Nitecore lights have tons of small extra features that are really neat AND several programmable modes for your application. Only thing I don't like about them is the 18650 batteries, I am bad at keeping them charged. For AA I have been happy with my fenix tho.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 20:42 |
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PhotoKirk posted:I put one of the LED conversions in my big 5D Maglite and keep it in my truck. Much brighter and I can use it as an improvised hammer. I have an old 3D and 4D, I thought about converting them, but D cells are expensive and hard to come by and the conversion kits are expensive, especially for what they are.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 20:45 |
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Unperson_47 posted:The constant desire for brighter flashlights than needed for general use is really stupid. I should know because I fell down that rabbit hole myself a few years ago and have a drawer of them. My dad and I constantly compare the power, brightness, and features of our latest flashlights. It’s how we bond.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 23:13 |
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I thought that said fleshlights at first.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 23:15 |
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PhotoKirk posted:I put one of the LED conversions in my big 5D Maglite and keep it in my truck. Much brighter and I can use it as an improvised hammer. : If I ever have to cave someone’s skull in, it’s an ideal implement.
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# ? Feb 2, 2018 23:42 |
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JnnyThndrs posted:: aka enlightenment
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 00:21 |
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Iron Crowned posted:Although admittedly I'm not up to date on Macs these days, I suspect that's because they're still all-in-one machines, and PCs can be customized to hell for specific tasks If you follow music Youtubers, you'd have probably heard of Glenn Fricker or Rick Beato. They both use PCs over Macs for recording for exactly that reason. I'm not a recording engineer, but I work in science and PCs are still very dominant because of that kind of thing too. Speaking of obsolete technology, on a daily basis I use scientific instruments that communicate via RS232/serial interface. I still need an old computer with a proper serial port as some of the instruments are quite temperamental with USB-serial adaptors.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 00:35 |
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JnnyThndrs posted:: I wonder if anyone has pitted a D-cell Maglite against a Model M keyboard. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object...
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 02:49 |
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blugu64 posted:My dad and I constantly compare the power, brightness, and features of our latest flashlights. It’s how we bond. My dad and I have literally had long conversations revolving around flashlights. Advertised brightness is a ploy by Big Lumen Unperson_47 has a new favorite as of 03:21 on Feb 3, 2018 |
# ? Feb 3, 2018 03:19 |
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blugu64 posted:My dad and I constantly compare the power, brightness, and features of our latest flashlights. It’s how we bond. Unperson_47 posted:My dad and I have literally had long conversations revolving around flashlights. Advertised brightness is a ploy by Big Lumen My dad owned a nontrivial amount of things with LEDs in them. Those tiny clip on lamps, table LED lamps you plug into your laptop, wall mounted, motion activated, battery powered lights. A desk fan with LEDs in the blades. I asked him why does he need all that, he replied "You never know" And I never did.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 04:55 |
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Unperson_47 posted:The constant desire for brighter flashlights than needed for general use is really stupid. I should know because I fell down that rabbit hole myself a few years ago and have a drawer of them. I've had my 4 D-cell Maglite for about 15 years now. I've gone through a dozen cheapy AAA-cell LEDs over the years, but the Maglite is the one that always works. I can leave it in my car below zero, I can drop it down a mountain, let it kick around the bed of a pickup, ignore it for a couple years, and it always turns on. I'll take that over super-bright LEDs any day. Bright is nice, but "works" is better. Someday, I'd like an expensive "tactical" flashlight for fun. Until that day, I'll trust by beast of a Maglite.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 05:05 |
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1000 Brown M and Ms posted:I'm not a recording engineer, but I work in science and PCs are still very dominant because of that kind of thing too. Speaking of obsolete technology, on a daily basis I use scientific instruments that communicate via RS232/serial interface. I still need an old computer with a proper serial port as some of the instruments are quite temperamental with USB-serial adaptors. This comes up pretty regularly in this thread. I work with a lot of industrial SCADA equipment and RS232 is still the defacto standard for communication, albeit now in EIA232 variant. I think that's pretty typical in industries where you have: - expensive equipment that is expected to last a decade or more - infrastructure already in place and required for all that decade old equipment already there. It works reasonably well.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 07:27 |
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The talk of flashlights makes me think that the cheap video projectors market has somehow maintained for years without any major upgrades other than adding some HDMI inputs. They've gotten cheaper, though. I remember when you couldn't find them for less than about $200 and now they're probably had for under $50 at several times and places. This class of projector got cheaper, sure, but I don't think they really got 'better'. With all sorts of low-resolutions that aren't mentioned on the box, with text that tries to convince you that they're great for watching movies, playing the latest video games, etc.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 08:59 |
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The batteries leaked on my 4D maglite and glued the battery cap shut. I managed to get it off leaving vinegar in it for about a week but the switch worked very intermittently after that. My favourite thing with led torches is looking at them to see how bright they are and hurting my eyes, then doing the exact same thing next I use it.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 09:43 |
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1000 Brown M and Ms posted:I still need an old computer with a proper serial port as some of the instruments are quite temperamental with USB-serial adaptors. Have you tried adapters made by FTDI? They are (or at least used to be, 8 years ago) decent - I never had trouble with them randomly locking up like some of the cheap lovely ones. No doubt a real serial port on the motherboard is a safer bet, though! edit: vvv Oh, we might have had this discussion before, sorry! Buttcoin purse has a new favorite as of 12:16 on Feb 3, 2018 |
# ? Feb 3, 2018 10:40 |
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Buttcoin purse posted:Have you tried adapters made by FTDI? They are (or at least used to be, 8 years ago) decent - I never had trouble with them randomly locking up like some of the cheap lovely ones. No doubt a real serial port on the motherboard is a safer bet, though! The cheap ones are lovely and lock up because FTDI sabotaged them with Windows autopushed firmware updates.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 12:09 |
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Here's a clip from an Australian TV show Towards 2000 from 1982 on the Compact Disc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tx6TYnPat8 The production company behind this later went on to give us MythBusters. And here's a video from another show Quantum from 1988 about the greenhouse effect and climate change: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1MIV4NKp3g I really need to send that to my dad since he insists global warming is something invented by the Elders of Zion/NWO during the 90s... of course he's just going to say it's part of the conspiracy and the video couldn't possibly have aired when it says it did because that'd be crazy, right. Also the moon landing was faked and did you know 911 was an inside job and Timothy McVeigh was a patsy and and and and and Hilary I need a smilie that combines and Anarchist Mae has a new favorite as of 13:49 on Feb 3, 2018 |
# ? Feb 3, 2018 13:47 |
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Real business computers like Dell Latitudes and Lenovo Thinkpads have hardware LPT and RS-232 ports on the motherboard today. You just smack one of these in the docking station connector, to give them the actual physical ports:
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 15:15 |
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# ? Jun 3, 2024 22:39 |
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Platystemon posted:The cheap ones are lovely and lock up because FTDI sabotaged them with Windows autopushed firmware updates. Man, that was hilarious when that happened. Everyone who bought an off-brand lovely Chinese knock-off was flipping the poo poo out about that.
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# ? Feb 3, 2018 15:16 |