Friday, September 25, 2020

Min/Max light version 2



Here’s version 2 of my Min/Max light – a flashlight built from scratch with the aim of having the minimum size with the maximum functions. I shared version 1 here.


This time around I designed and built this light from the ground up instead of modifying an existing light. I included every feature I could think of for a small EDC light:

  • adjustable brightness
  • red, green, and blue color modes
  • ultraviolet
  • a green laser
  • USB-C rechargeable
  • temperature control
  • battery power instrumentation
  • a graphical color display
  • a tail switch as well as up and down switches
  • a touch sensitive panel
  • a tailcap magnet

and of course this includes all the functions of my previous MELD flashlights – strobes, configuration options, automatic shutdown, etc.


I managed to fit it into a final size of 51×30×17mm.





The structural parts are 3d printed in ABS. a central plastic frame holds all the electronics wrapped around the lithium battery, and there is a heatsink formed from a folded copper sheet that wraps around the right side.




To get this to fit into the smallest package possible, I put all the electronics including the emitters onto a single flexible PCB. This PCB is folded to cover 4 sides so that it can hold emitters on the front, a display on the side, switches, touch panel, laser, and charge jack on top, and a tail switch on the back.



This light does all the same stuff as my other MELD lights, with the addition of the green laser, USB charging, a third switch, and of course the color display. The the display always shows mode, LED temperature, battery charge status, drive current, and a remaining runtime estimate.


Here’s a video with details on the build process and demos of the finished light:



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