Flashlights, Lanterns & Lights

A flashlight (also called and electric torch or torch) is a portable electric spotlight which emits light from a small incandescent lightbulb, or from one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). more...

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The light source is mounted in a housing which contains a parabolic reflector, a clear protective lens, a power source (typically electric batteries), and an electric power switch.

While most flashlights are intended to be held in the hand, there are also helmet-mounted flashlights designed for miners and campers. Some types of flashlights can be powered by hand-cranked dynamos or electromagnetic induction. It is known as a flashlight mainly in the United States and Canada and as a torch or electric torch in most Commonwealth countries.

History

In 1896, Joshua Lionel Cowen invented a decorative lighting fixture for potted plants which consisted of a metal tube housing a light bulb and a dry cell battery. It failed commercially, and so Cowen sold his company and patents to Conrad Hubert that same year and turned his attention to building and selling model trains. Hubert renamed Cowen's company the American Electrical Novelty & Manufacturing Company and, recognizing the true potential of Cowen's invention, hired David Misell to produce a tubular flashlight for portable use.

They donated some models to the New York City police, who responded favorably to it. These early flashlights ran on zinc-carbon batteries, which were poor at providing sustained currents; they would run down after a while and needed to rest before being usable again. Since these early flashlights also used energy-inefficient carbon filament bulbs, this happened rather quickly, and consequently they could only be used in brief flashes, hence the popular name flashlight.

General information

A typical flashlight consists of a small incandescent lightbulb with associated parabolic reflector, powered by electric batteries, and with an electric power switch. The components are mounted in a housing that contains the necessary electric circuit and provides ease of handling, a means of access to the batteries for replacement, and a clear covering over the lightbulb for its protection.

Although a relatively simple device, its invention did not occur until the late 19th century because it depended upon the earlier invention of the electric battery and incandescent light bulb.

Incandescent

Incandescent flashlights use bulbs that contain a heated-up coil of tungsten wire, which gives off light energy as well as heat.The bulbs are filled with gas (usually argon perhaps with a trace of a Halogen,in higher quality models, Xenon is used.) A popular example of an incandescent flashlight is the Maglite by Mag Instrument. and are capable of producing upwards of 4,000 lumens . Flashlight hobbyists often modify Maglites by replacing the bulb, reflector, switch, and batteries with more powerful options, producing much more light than a stock Maglite.

Read more at Wikipedia.org