What problems do you often encounter while diving?

[JLW1]

I have an idea for you.

It's about backup lights

Most divers carry backup lights when it's dark.

The current mode for retreiving a backup light after the primary fails is to fumble around in the dark feeling around for where you *think* you left the backup and then taking it in your hand and turning it on. To give you an idea how strong backup lights are, think in terms of the luminosity of a 1-2w LED.

For the average diver a much better idea would be a backup light that turned itself on as soon as the primary failed. It should have a luminosity in the 5w range and it should create a difuse luminous glow in the immediate area of the diver's head and chest which is sufficient to read instruments and communicate with a buddy.

Additional parameters:
-it should cost under $200
-it should not attach to the diver's head
-it should have a burn time of at least 30 min
-it should integrate into existing kit in a low profile so that there is no chance of it "snagging" on anything
-it should somehow connect to the primary light so when the primary fails the back up takes over seemlessly.
-it should look cool.

You have 2 hours to impress the jury.....GO!

R..

2 hours eh? Tough crowd!

Thanks for your input Diver0001! Sounds like a good idea. It seems like the ultimate solution would just be a primary light with some sort of quick, but temporary recharging method so that a backup light is no longer necessary.

I'll update this thread when I have scanned in some sketches/ideas. I should have some sketches within the next week. I'll ask for your guys' input on what you think is most useful/coolest/whatever.

 

[Diver0001]

2 hours eh? Tough crowd!

Thanks for your input Diver0001! Sounds like a good idea. It seems like the ultimate solution would just be a primary light with some sort of quick, but temporary recharging method so that a backup light is no longer necessary.

Just for your frame of reference....

If a primary light fails, it's usually due to flooding or a failed bulb. The problem usually isn't with burn time. In either case, quick recharging isn't going to help because that's not ordinarily the problem.....

Oh, and when I say "fumble around in the dark" I don't mean dark like in you went to the toilet in the middle of the night and didn't bother turning on the lights.... I mean dark like in blind from birth AND covering your eyes with your hands.

R..

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Another idea for standby lights. Sometimes hard to locate (as Diver0001 stated) and since they are not used every dive, sometimes the batteries are depleted before you need it.

How about a backup light that has a standby mode. This would glow in the dark with a very low power LED. Even better, the LED would glow green for fully charged and red for low charge.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Hello JL,

I am a product designer also. I did exactly what you are doing now, except I did it long before you were born. I have designed product for 25yrs. I even have a few award winning patents. This is a great place to gather design information. The first step should be to gather the design information and compile it into a design qualification document. The qualification needs to spell out all the design specifications. It needs to be very through and very specific. (use rates, ratios, lumens, ft/lbs, amperes/sec, etc, whatever is necessary) The spec needs to address all the mechanical, electrical, and chemical requirements. It needs to be quantitative.

Your "test specification" will need to spell out testing proceedures that will confirm and verify all of your design specifications.

Don't know if any of this is helpful but I thought I would throw it out there

Good luck and I hope you bring many good things to life in your future.

 

[boulderjohn]

you need to focus on one need. the needs of cave divers are vastly different from the needs of night reef divers or divers trying not to get parted from the boat, and we're willing to spend very big bucks for lights when most divers aren't.

so my advice is to pick your niche and ask a few more questions. oh, and unless you're in a tech shop, you aren't likely to even see a canister light to discuss how it's made. big bucks = few shops carry them.

I hope this excellent advice is not lost in the crowd, so I will repeat it.

The vast majority of dives want lights for night diving. There are a lot of them on the market right now, and one that will do a good job are relatively cheap. I had (still have, actually) a very nice one that operates on 4 C cells. It had all the power I needed, was relatively compact, and was used on quite a few night dives on the batteries that are still in them.

Then I got a TINY LED light that is every bit as bright and uses 3 AAA batteries. It is also great to carry along on day dives for poling around in hiding places in search of critters.

For that kind of diving, burn time is no big deal, because modern batteries last a long time. Focus is not important, and pretty much any light has any brightness you need.

Now, if you are talking about the needs of cave divers, it is a whole other world.

Burn time is critical, because you do not want to lose light while on an extended dive deep within the bowels of the earth with no ability to just swim to the surface. Focus and brightness are also critical. They have to be absolutely reliable.

This is the area where improvement needs to be made, and where a designer who makes big improvements will find people flocking to that product.

In general, current lights tend to be too big and heavy. They break too easily. They cost far too much, probably because there is a limited market and less ability to get economy through volume sales. A cave diver's second backup light by itself might cost more than all the lights a recreational diver owns combined, and both backup lights together cost only a fraction of the primary light.

 

[Cave Diver]

You may want to consider a design that makes use of inductive charging. (Perhaps I should patent this idea before posting it here on ScubaBoard.)

Waterproof integrity (at elevated ambient pressure) is essential for a dive light. Making use of electromagnetic induction would enable the user to charge the batteries without breaking the waterproof seal to the battery compartment.

Keep in mind that depending on the type of battery being charged and the rate of charge, there can be additional problems, such as the buildup of a heat and a potentially explosive gas in a sealed environment.

 

[JLW1]

I hope this excellent advice is not lost in the crowd, so I will repeat it.

The vast majority of dives want lights for night diving. There are a lot of them on the market right now, and one that will do a good job are relatively cheap. I had (still have, actually) a very nice one that operates on 4 C cells. It had all the power I needed, was relatively compact, and was used on quite a few night dives on the batteries that are still in them.

Right now I'm focusing on a bunch of different things. I'm still in the research phase. I've been interviewing divers in person, asking people on forums (that's you guys), and looking at the current products.

I will decide whether I will design a heavy duty light for cave diving, or a "regular" light for night diving and looking under crevices.

By the way, it's amazing how much light some of these canister lights put out. 1,000 lumens!

 

[Brian Sharpe]

I'm talking welded plastic that would simply be discarded if it fails.

Terry

Convenient & practical - yes, environmentally friendly -

 

[UCFKnightDiver]

you know those intovas have magnetic switches and they fall out all the time.... not exactly sure the cause of it falling out, but just a thought.

 

[Web Monkey]

Convenient & practical - yes, environmentally friendly -

OK. It should have a postage return label imprinted in the side. If it breaks, drop it in a mailbox so the manufacturer gets it back for recycling.

My point is that the flashlight should just work. All the time. Every time. There should never be a question about whether or it's going to leak or if it will work when turned on.

Terry