PROTON

Proton, retail $69.95 (www.photonlight.com...)
Manufactured by LRI (www.photonlight.com)
Last updated 06-14-09




The Proton is brought to you by LRI, the company who brought you the hugely successful Photon Micro Light II, the Photon Micro Light III, Photon Freedom Fusion, Photon Freedom Micro Light, Photon "Freedom to the Max" Micro, Photon X-Light, and others.

The Proton has 7 LEDs (6 white and 1 red) inset into individual hosels for them, is powered by just a single AA cell, and comes in an aluminum body with a super tough HA-III (Hard Anodize Type III as us flashaholics know it). This is the most durable finish that can be given to aluminum flashlights.

What makes the Proton different from other 1xAA cell LED flashlights isn't that durable HA-III finish, it isn't that rubberised button on its barrel, and it isn't those 7 LEDs set into hosels in its business-end; it's that the Proton is very versatile!!! Both the white LEDs and the red LED can be dimmed from eye-stabbingly bright to so dim you can look directly into them, and there are a number of automatic signalling (blink) modes; all accessible via the single pushbutton on its barrel.

The white LEDs are the latest Nichia NSPW500CS type; these are approximately 2x as bright as their previous generation of white LEDs.

It also has a "soft start", where the LEDs don't just come on at full power when you push the button; they ramp up to full intensity over approximately 500ms (1/2 second).


SIZE



    WHITE LED MODES:
  • Variable Intensity Modes - White LEDs: Press the switch and then release it to get highest mode. Press and hold with the Proton turned on to dim the LEDs to the brightness you wish. Release the button when the LEDs are at the brightness you want them to be.

    Continuing to hold the button down after the "lowest level reached" blink allows you to access these blink modes:

  • Slow Beacon: All six white LEDs flash on and off approximately once every four seconds (0.25Hz). The Proton can operate for days in this mode.

  • Medium Beacon: The six white LEDs flash on and off at an approximately 2Hz rate.

  • Fast Beacon: The six white LEDs flash on and off at an approximately 10Hz rate.

  • SOS: The six white LEDs flash the international SOS signal until the batteries die, until you either change modes or turn it off.

  • Momentary Mode: The Proton operates in momentary-only mode, enabling you to signal in Morse code. To enable Momentary mode, just quickly press & release the button approximately ten times in rapid succession. To disengage Momentary mode, just press & hold down the button for at least three seconds until the Proton turns off.


    RED LED MODES:
  • Variable Intensity Modes - Red LED: While the Proton is turned off, press the switch and then hold. The red LED will come on in the dimmest setting, and brighten up as you continue holding the button. Release the button when the LED is at the brightness you want it to be.

    Continuing to hold the button down after the "highest level reached" blink allows you to access these blink modes:

  • Slow Beacon: The red LED flashes on and off approximately once every four seconds (0.25Hz). The Proton can operate for days in this mode.

  • Medium Beacon: The red LED flashes on and off at an approximately 2Hz rate.

  • Fast Beacon: The red LED flashes on and off at an approximately 10Hz rate.

  • SOS: The red LED flashes the international SOS signal until the batteries die, until you either change modes or turn it off.

Once the Proton is in the mode you want, just release the button.
  • Momentary Mode: The Proton operates in momentary-only mode, enabling you to signal in Morse code. To enable Momentary mode, just quickly press & release the button approximately ten times in rapid succession. To disengage Momentary mode, just press & hold down the button for at least three seconds until the Proton turns off.


    To turn the Proton on with all seven LEDs, do this:

    1: Press and hold the button until red LED turns on and then immediately release (LED should be in lowest brightness mode)
    2: Press and hold again, until the brightness reaches full and LED flashes; continue holding button down
    3: When the light enters SOS mode, release the button, then turn the Proton off.

    The next time you activate the white LEDs, all seven LEDs (six white and one red) should come on.




To change the battery, unscrew and remove the tailcap, throw it to the ground, and stomp on it with old or used bowling shoes...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead.

Tip the used AA cell out of the barrel and into your hand, and recharge, dispose of, or recycle it as you see fit.

Insert a new AA cell into the barrel, button-end (+) positive first.

Screw the tailcap firmly back on.
Aren't you glad you didn't stomp on that tailcap now?

The Proton is optimised for primary (disposable) lithium or secondary (rechargeable) NiMH cells, but of course you can use alkaline cells like Energizer or Duracell if that's all you have lying around.

Current consumption ranges between 5.51mA and 1,332mA on my DMM.




Photograph of the "business-end", showing the LEDs

The Proton is water-resistant and may be submersible too. I removed the tailcap and performed that dreadful suction test on it. It held a vaccume (vaccuummnne, vacumn, vaccum, vacume, vacuum, etc.) so it really *IS* water- and pee-resistant.

The large clip functions quite effectively as an anti-roll device, so even if you drop the Proton on a distinctly non-level surface, it will not roll very far away from you. Not to say it won't slide away on a very slanted surface, but it will not *ROLL* away.

The Proton has a Type III hard anodized finish ("HA-III" as us flashlight nuts know it); this is the toughest finish that can be given to an aluminum flashlight.

The flashlight appears to be *VERY* sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered the smack test on it (ten whacks against a concrete patio floor; five whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found very little damage. There is some very, very, VERY minor gouging to the bare Metalgreymon - er - the bare Metalkabuterimon - um that's not it either...the bare Metaltyrannomon...er...uh...wait a sec here...THE BARE METAL (guess I've been watching too much Digimon again! ) on the sides of the tailcap and bezel where it was struck. No optical or electrical malfunctions were detected.

The Proton is also equipped with a spring-loaded keyring attachment on a swivel.

The bezel (head) has a GITD (glow in the dark) material in it. This glows when it is irradiated by the light from the white LEDs, or when "charged" from an external light source.


Photograph of the bezel, showing the GITD properties of it.

The light produced by the white LEDs in the Proton consists of a very slightly bluish-white central area surrounded by a very slightly greenish-white corona. This greenish tint in the corona is not objectionable by any means, but it is noticeable when the Proton is shone at a white wall, white ceiling, white boxes, or other smooth white surface.

The only nitpicky thing I have noted about the Proton is that its tailcap may be a wee bit tricky to "start", but once you have it threaded, it screws on effortlessly.



Beam photograph (white) on the test target at 12".
Measures 4,720mcd (low) and 237,000mcd (high) on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



Beam photograph (red) on the test target at 12".
Measures (unmeasureable) (low) and 12,047mcd (high) on a Meterman LM631 light meter.



Beam photograph (both white & red) on the test target at 12".
Measures 4,830mcd (low) and 242,000mcd (high) on a Meterman LM631 light meter.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the white LEDs in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the red LED in this flashlight.



Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the red & white LEDs together in this flashlight.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the white LEDs in this flashlight; new software & settings used.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the red LED in this flashlight; new software & settings used.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis (red LED).


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis (white LED).
Images made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was sent by B.A. of Photon Light (LRI) on 05-06-06, and was received late on the morning of 05-12-06. It was equipped with an Energizer L91 photograph lithium AA cell; and I'll be performing all measurements with one of these cells.

Product was made in China. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 06-09-06
Normally, I wait until I've lived with a product for awhile before I apply a final rating to it. I *have* actually lived with this flashlight for over one month; it was basically all I used during that time. So I'll furnish my rating now:
FIVE FULL STARS!!!


UPDATE: 09-15-06
I have been using the Proton *EVERY SINGLE DAY* since 05-27-06, and thus far, it has performed flawlessly. I really do love that adjustable intensity red LED; I don't know how I got along without it for so long before, and it would truly be a crying shame if I lost the Proton now.


UPDATE: 10-14-06
The Proton *IS* reverse-polarity protected - to an extent anyway.
There is both mechanical and electronic protection in place; if the mechanical protection fails, the electronic protection will save the flashlight at least long enough that the user can install the cell backward, press the button, wonder why the light does not work, and then unscrew the tailcap and hopefully spot the error. This electronic protection will not last long, but long enough for the user to realise the error was made and then subsequently correct it.


UPDATE: 12-04-06
I realise this isn't a technical or usage update, but please keep reading (I'll keep it short & sweet). This morning, I thought of the Kingdome Come song "Time Captives", where the lyrics read "Lone proton, crossing vast galaxies", and I looked at my Proton and just tried to imagine the diminutive little flashlight flying through intergalactic space.


UPDATE: 12-24-06
I used the "diminutive little flashlight" a little differently than usual this morning. Because my sister was sleeping on the couch, turning on the kitchen light would have been disruptive, so I used the Proton with its white LEDs at ~30% power to feed the "citty kats" - getting their bowls off the floor, filling two new ones with the appropriate pouched & canned foods, and douching out the dirty bowls prior to putting them in the dishwasher.


UPDATE: 01-06-07
O no!!! My Proton seems to malfunction at times. I noticed this a couple of days ago, but this morning, I "caught it in the act" as it were. When I turned it on with the red LED at maximum, it operated like that for ~15 seconds, then shut itself off without my having touched the switch. When I tried to reactivate it, all LEDs (6 white + red) came on at full power, and I could not get it out of that mode until I dimmed the LEDs and turned it off; after that, I got the single red LED to come back on.

***VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** This could very possibly be due to something as simple as a battery that's pooping out...let me go load-test the cell and see if that is indeed "it"...BBS...ok, that cell did not even register to the "20%" level on the load-test battery meter. So that was probably "it" after all.

I also used the Proton as shown in my 12-24-06 update directly above.


UPDATE: 01-12-07
I found that Kirkland brand cells do not work in the Proton.
As far as I am able to determine, the positive nipple or button is just a bit too short. This was confirmed visually by comparing a cell that does work in the Proton with a Kirkland brand cell - the Kirkland has a visibly shorter nipple than the other one does.


UPDATE: 01-26-07
I added the word "intergalactic" to my 12-04-06 update above.
I realise this is not much of an update, but I do strive for accuracy with things that I publish on this website.


UPDATE: 01-27-07
The red LED mode is already pretty miserly, but you can make it even more so through this undocumented feature of the Proton. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1: Press & hold the button until the red LED comes on at its lowest setting.
2: Release the button.
3: Press and hold the button again; release when the Proton is at the light level you want.

In this mode, the red LED will operate with a duty cycle of 50%, even at maximum intensity, yet it will be almost as bright as the normal red LED mode. I knew of the existance of this mode perhaps 6 to 8 months ago, but for some reason, neglected to add it to this web page.
This 50% mode operates on all of the red LED's modes, not just the "continuous on" one.


UPDATE: 01-28-07
I forgot to take intensity measurements of the standard and "miser" red LED modes yesterday.
So, without further adoo, here they are:

100% red mode: 6,531mcd
50% red mode: 3,620mcd

These measurements were taken using an alkaline cell of unknown pedigree; we're interested in the difference between the 100% and 50% modes here, not the maximum intensity.


UPDATE: 02-01-07
Duracell Ultra AA cells also do not work in my Proton; I cannibalised my Bulletlite for its Ray-O-Vac AA cells, and they worked.


UPDATE: 05-22-07
Here is the red LED at 50% intensity mode on an oscilloscope.





UPDATE: 06-05-09
The switch rubber (button cover) is coming off my Proton.
The flashlight still functions properly, but water-resistance is now an issue.


Here is a photograph showing that the switch rubber is coming off.


UPDATE: 06-10-09
I felt something very warm in my pocket yesterday morning; it was the Proton - apparently it had developed a short circuit and was shorting the battery. I tried activating it, and nothing happened. So I promptly removed the tailcap and emptied the battery into a nearby wastepaperbasket.

When I metered it a few hours later, I detected no short, and the light functioned properly on the same battery that I had disposed of earlier.





PROS:
Small size
Durable construction
Waterproof; even submersible to shallow depths
Bright little mother for a single-AA cell product
Versatile - adjustable brightness
Uses a battery that is easily available and relatively inexpensive


CONS:
None that I have found thus far


    MANUFACTURER: LRI
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld multifunction flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 5mm white LED, 5mm red LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 7 (6 white, 1 red)
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot w/dim corona
    SWITCH TYPE: Rubberised pushbutton on/off/mode change on barrel
    CASE MATERIAL: Aluminum
    BEZEL: Metal; LEDs inset into hosels for them
    BATTERY: 1xAA cell
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 5.51mA to 1,332mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to shallow depths at minimum
    ACCESSORIES: 1xAA cell , filler snap ring, nylon pouch
    WARRANTY: Lifetime

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Proton * www.photonlight.com...






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