I've asked this before on PT and elsewhere but never been happy with the answers.

I've been through four different types of lights for pen repair and inspection.

1) cheap otoscope. Failed within a few days. no bulb or battery replacement fixed the problem

2) slightly more expensive "inspection light" - basically a cheap version of the maglight with the little fibre optic attachment. Failed even faster.

3) yet a more expensive light - a long-necked inspection light similar to the one sold on a couple of pens sites. I liked this one for a short time - what I loved was that it had a small bare and very bright bulb that allowed me to put the thing all the way into the barrel or cap to inspect via backlighting. But, it failed.

4) now making due with a batter eating Pelican light. Decent, well-made, but a pain because it's big and bulky.

the problem with most of these has been the cheap switch mechanism - of the "twist top" sort, or of the pocket clip sort. Most cheap otoscopes seem to have this pocket clip. Whatever happened to a button???? grrr...

so... hubby has said if it will help the hobby and maybe eventually contribute to income (hey, it could happen) then I should spend a little more and get one a light that will last. Considering I've already probably spent about $50 for the above failed experiments... i'm reluctant to buy yet another likely failure.

Suggestions for something that will hold up, be small enough for me to grip with teeth or even clip on to something, not eat batteries every 30 minutes, and *work*?

I've looked at some of the tiny LED things. But as yet haven't found anything that really looks like it's right for the job. If they would use a proper switch instead pf the o"squeeze" method... which quickly loses it's function also...

ta,
k

Hi KCat.

I've been thinking along these lines also. Recently saw a post on Zoss re the LED's and making one - which is in the realm of possibility.

I like the brightness of the mag lites though, and am seriously thinking of marrying a cheap 1 cell flashlight (for the battery holder and switch) with an externally wired exposed bulb. These bulbs are smaller than leds, and way brighter. Maybe a high intensity led is a possibility...

A more expensive version would to be to just take a mag light and modify it - but there you're into the $$'s

Do you think there's an interest in me making a prototype and sending it to you for evaluation? Or were you thinking of making your own?

Gerry

I'm not sure if any of these would work for your purposes, but look at this site:

http://www.maxmax.com/aFlashLEDPenlight.htm

The other option, I suppose, is to get one of those contraptions like a light visor that goes on your head.

don't even begin to have the knowledge of how to do so, Gerry. Hubby does but he's too busy.

Sure, I'd be interested in evaluating such a device. what kind of cost do you think it will incur?

the basic concept sounds like the inspection light i tried. it had a cardboard tube with foil coating that served as the "switch" and this is a horrible choice for something that gets used a great deal. This is also how most cheap otoscopes are designed. I think you're right that the small intense bare bulb is better than an LED. At least it seemed better to me. LEDs are improving in brightness and they do suck less juice from the battery. But that little bulb on the light described above was so bright that it really allowed a good look inside the pen (from the outside) if that makes sense.

looks like the same basic thing I had. *maybe* the twist switch would hold up a while. but i don't trust them at this stage.

i did think about the kind the second suggestion. in recent catalogs I've seen baseball caps with an LED in the cap. you push it (presumably against your head!) to turn it on.

the thing is - i'm not really one for wearing hats while working indoors. I have to wear them outdoors far more than I'd like.

in retrospect, I'm not sure the bulb on my inspection light was a "bulb" or an LED. i'd have to look closer at it and I got so p.o.'d that I just threw it away last weekend.

I use a camping LED headlight. You can find them at EMS and other stores. VERY bright and adjustible. You wear them on your head like a visor. About $25-30.

However, when I want to get fancy, I use a flexible laparoscope with a 3mm diameter light pipe and an operating channel. A bit of overkill needless to say, but hey I have it lying around the house since it is an old outdated piece of equipment!! Interestingly enough, I have seen used scopes on ebay for very little since they are outdated technology.

Rob

I have the head mounted magnifier with a couple of flip down lenses and two battery mounted lamps. The magnifier works fairly well, but the lamps are poorly constructed with contacts that fall out and covers that come off. Pretty near to throwing away the lamp parts. Besides they do not nearly come close enough to directing enough light down the barrel or cap. It's just too difficult to align the illumination axis with the vision axis.

Another advantage of a remote bulb / LED is the ability to insert it into the cap or barrel. The glow through the walls of the pen is pretty effective in highlighting any cracks that might be present. The LED spectrum isn't very close to white (actually pretty blue) so the colour rendition would be poor, if that's a consideration.

For those who haven't actually seen a bulb of this sort - it's pretty small, 3mm dia and 8 mm long, not counting the two leads from the base (like a LED). For comparison, a standard LED dia is 5mm, although I have some mini's that are just 3mm. None of these are the higher intensity white ones though so I can't be sure.

The current drain is higher for the bulb, but it shouldn't be a real consideration, since operation is so intermittent, and one does have the option of using pretty much any battery one wants in the design. I would think that the standard AA Alkaline cell would be fine - but who knows, a C or D might provide a lot of stability should you want to set the box on the table and use the light in a fixed mode. Personally, I tend to hold the lights I use though, so a smaller one would be what I wanted.

Lets say the body of the flashlight is a distance from the light itself, and the light is mounted on the end of a wire pair that has heat shrink on it for protection (the wand). How long would a convenient wire base be? An inch or two? 6 inches? Should it have a bend (say 45 - 90 degrees) to allow holding the flashlight body and hand out of the line of sight while the lamp points down the barrel?

My initial design would likely be to use a shorter flexible wand length (I have a LED lamp mounted on a 12" flex wand and it's just too long for pen work (although it is stiff enough not to be floppy, it is just too unsteady at that length). I would likely use a 6" wand or less, and it would generally be bent somewhat. Been thinking of variable intensity, but probably not on the prototype.

As for costs - it wouldn't be terribly expensive, but would be determined largely by the components chosen. A high quality flashlight like a Maglight would provide most of the parts, so it's pretty close to the purchase cost of the flashlight (no, I'm not thinking of going into production at the moment...). There are other less expensive copies available, and if you wanted to haunt Radio Shack, you could buy a basic cell holder for a buck and a replacement bulb for perhaps 2-3 dollars. The Heat shrink isn't expensive, and you should have the wire hanging around...

Now if someone was to offer me a 3mm laparoscope, this whole problem of choices would just go away


Gerry

Hi all,
I happened to come across an interesting item made by edmond scientifics. It is a 5x or a 10x flashlight magnifier $16.95/$24.95. Looks interesting and may do the trick for those of you who don't to buy a laparoscope!!
website is as follows scientificsonline.com
Let me know what you think.
Rob

The problem with these is that they would be flat field - ie for use say on a page, where the focus is at the page. Pretty dificult to see how the bottom of a cap or pen barrel some 3-5 inches away could be in focus.

Gerry

If you look at the Edmund site you can see something similar to what I had in mind - and I'm sure it's like KCat's #3

http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3041111

I hope the switch mechanism is reliable, and I'd be looking to minimize the width of the bulb end. I have one like this that has a magnetic base, and a push/push on/off swith that seems a little unreliable feeling, but I hate the fact it uses watch batteries. Unnecessarily expensive and short lifetime.

Gerry,
I actually have used a light similar to the one you have listed. It uses AAA batteries but it is hard to focus the beam down a thin barrel and still be able to see inside at the same time. I really think that a fiber optic light would be best because of the very thin diameter of the lightpipe. Only problem would be that these fibers are very fragile even in a sheath. Another option is u to use a magnifing lens with an adjustible focal zone and built in light source, but now the price has jumped exponentially.
Rob

best to make your own. this is what i did.

i took the spare bulb from a pocket maglite, this is the bulb located inside the spring in the rear. the bulb has two leads protruding straight out. i twisted a pair of insulated wires around each other into a long 'snake', and connected one end to a battery holder and switch that can be pressed on or off.

into the insulated sheath on the other end, i inserted the leads of the bulb. it is a tight fit, as the copper wire inside has to make room to accomodate the bulb lead.

critter works as it should, these maglite bulbs glow like lighthouses on a mere single AA. i sometimes have accidentally dunked the bulb into ink while checking an ED's ink level, and it keeps right on glowing!

You know, I bought one of hte smallest maglights, THe kind that you can use as a key ring, thinking that I'd get a better "scope" later. Frankly, it's fine for all the repair work I've done. great light. Can focus it very brightly, etc.

$10?

Hi KCat,

I use two in my repair work. Both are LED lights made by Coast. They're as important to me as my vac wrench or xacto knife!

One is about the size of a Gel refill, that uses funky (and expensive) battery. A simple twist on the back end for a switch. This one lets me see down in pen barrels and caps very well indeed! I like the is one particularly because it can slip down the barrel or cap and get the light right in there, without reflection where I don't want it.

The other has an LED mounted at the end of a 2" or so flexable neck. Not quite a bright, not quite as focused a beam (may be a function of that particular LED), this has a button switch on the barrel. It uses 4 button cells. I've seen this same LED flash light at Eddie Bauer (sorry of I spelled that wrong), and some other department stores.

Lee Chait sells these at pen shows - I suspect that he might sell them direct.

I like the first one enough that I bought a spare.

KCat, I find this unit pretty good. It has a proper press-button on/off switch, a clip for your clothing, and you can just about hold it in your mouth, though I wouldn't recommend it for long periods, unless your dentist is a family friend.

It's has an LED-type thingie, the gooseneck works well (don't know how anyone could do without it) and the batteries are little button types which I had never seen before, but I now find there are actually plenty around.

Best of all, it cost me £6.95 on ebay from "penworkshop", whose Ebay pic is shown below. NCJASC.

I've been using a fibre optic attachment for an AA size maglite for a few years. Find it excellent.
There's a link/pic here -
Maglite

BTW - no connection, and probably available from many others.

Tryphon has a gooseneck inspection light that I recently ordered but haven't yet received. It is only $8:

http://www.tryphon.it/catalogo.htm

I assume Giovanni would only sell good stuff.

Ron

I sell the same light for $8.00 (about £4.50) and I also have an excellent modular otoscope that has a light pipe attachment. It uses a high intensity Xenon lens.
The gooseneck light uses a high intensity LED.
Hope this helps,

Giovanni



All you need for pen care and repairs!!

Thanks, Ron!
I had not seen your post and I posted the same information!!

This is the inspection light I sell:

Ohhh well, just goes to show how we're overcharged for everything in Euroland Trouble is, if you want to buy from the US, you're likely to get clobbered on the postage (though Giovanni saved me a LARGE amount by shopping around on postage - that's US service!).

And then there's VAT, duty ....

<mutter, mumble>