AURORA 1.5W LED FLASHLIGHT


Aurora 1.5W LED Flashlight, retail $29.95 (No web URL known)
Manufactured by Nuwai
Last updated 03-09-07




I was directed to this flashlight on Ebay by a post on Candlepower Forums (CPF), and I purchased this flashlight mainly for CPF sakes. But since I now have it, I'll add it to this website for The LED Museum sakes too.

The Aurora is a small handheld flashlight that comes in an almost all-aluminum body, and features a 1.5 watt Nichia Jupiter LED to produce its light. The LED light is focused by a positive (magnifying, convex) lens, and it projects an almost perfectly circular beam with virtually no corona (spill light).

It is powered by three AAA cells held in a side-by-side carriage in the flashlight's barrel.


SIZE



This flashlight came to me ready to use, already outfitted with Energizer alkaline AAA cells.

Press the button on the barrel until it clicks and then release it to turn tbe Aurora on.
Do the same thing again to turn the Aurora off.

There is no momentary or signalling mode available when the flashlight is off, however, you can blink the flashlight while it is on by partially depressing the button. If you don't mind the backward or reverse feeling of this, you can blink the flashlight this way.



To change the batteries, 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 clear plastic battery carriage out of the barrel and into your hand. If necessary, remove and dispose of or recycle the used AAA cells from it.

Insert three new AAA cells into the carriage, orienting each cell so its flat end (-) negative faces the spring for it in each chamber.

Slide the now-full battery carriage into the flashlight barrel, orienting it so the spring on one end of the carriage goes in first. Finally, screw the tailcap firmly back on.
Aren't you glad you didn't stomp on that tailcap now?

Current consumption is 187.9mA on my DMM's 400mA scale.




Photograph of the Aurora's business-end, showing the convex lens and part of the LED behind it.

The flashlight appears to be reasonably sturdy. Ordinary flashlight accidents should not be enough to do it in. I administered the smack test on it (ten whacks against the corner of a concrete stair; five whacks against the side of the tailcap and five whacks against the side of the bezel), and found the expected damage. There is some minor gouging on the sides of the tailcap and bezel where it was struck. The flashlight became intermittent after this test, but when the tailcap was loosened and then tightened again, it started to work properly once more.

In the tailcap is a spring and a metal plate; remove the tailcap from the Aurora, tug on the spring gently and then screw the tailcap firmly back on. This should restore proper operation if your Aurora behaves this way after being dropped.

The Aurora is weather-resistant, water-resistant, and probably even submersible to at least a shallow depth. So you need not be concerned about using it in foul weather. Shallow water landings should not kill it either, and if the dog pisses on it, just take the garden hose to it or douche it off under the faucet...good as new.

There is knurling (cross-hatch texturising) on the barrel and on the bezel, so retention (the ability to hold onto the flashlight when your hands are cold, wet, or oily) should not be much of an issue.

The light source is a 1.5 watt Nichia Jupiter LED. I am not familiar with this LED in its feral state, so I cannot answer any questions you may have about it, sorry about that. The light is focused into an almost perfect circle, and reminds me of a searchlight - speaking of searchlights, I used to run a BBS using Searchlight BBS software. I was reminded of Searchlight BBS software when I shined this flashlight around also because my housemate runs a BBS using this software.

The beam consists of a cool white, circular, moon-shaped spot with bluish-white edges. There is virtually no corona (spill light), so if you need that, the Aurora may not be the right flashlight for you.



Beam photo at ~12".
Measures 333,000mcd on a Meterman LM631 light meter.
This value is high primarily because the LED has a positive lens in front of it.


Spectrographic plot
Spectrometer plot of the LED in this flashlight.
Ocean Optics USB2000 Spectrometer on loan from TWO-CUBED.


ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis.
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.




Beam photograph at ~15 feet.
I don't normally provide beam photographs on a wall with non-Luxeon
flashlights, but this flashlight is bright enough for this type of picture.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased on Ebay on 04-22-05, and was received on the afternoon of 04-29-05.
Unit is available at AdvancedMart.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Nuwai
    PRODUCT TYPE: Small handheld flashlight
    LAMP TYPE: 1.5W Nichia Jupiter white LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: Medium spot with sharp perimeter
    SWITCH TYPE: Pushbutton on/off on barrel
    BEZEL: Metal; LED protected by a convex lens
    BATTERY: 3xAAA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: 187.9mA
    WATER RESISTANT: Yes
    SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, at least to a shallow depth
    ACCESSORIES: 3xAAA cells, wrist lanyard
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Aurora 1.5W LED Flashlight * (No URL known)






Do you manufacture or sell an LED flashlight, task light, utility light, or module of some kind? Want to see it tested by a real person, under real working conditions? Do you then want to see how your light did? If you have a sample available for this type of real-world, real-time testing, please contact me at bdf1111@yahoo.com.

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