eternaLight RAVE'N

eternaLight Rave'n, retail $39.99 (http://www.techass.com)
Manufactured by Technology Associates (http://www.techass.com)
BUY IT AT THELEDLIGHT.COM
Last updated: 03-17-08


LED Light

ProMetric analysis



The Rave'n is a pager-sized, microprocessor controlled, 4-LED party light. It features four colored LEDs, a glow-in-the-dark control panel, and a whole laundry list of fun & playful special effects.
Current suggested retail price (as of late April 2001): $39.99

It comes with a limited lifetime warranty that covers everything except batteries and intentional acts of flashlight violence.

Regarding the above photographs, the lower one is of the Rave'n X2 (the newer of the two Rave'n models).



To use the Rave'n, just rip open the pack and start pushing buttons. :)
if you just need some light really quick, press the rightmost button on the unit, and you've got light.
Short of writing an instructional manual here, I'll outline the functions for the Rave'n, and how to access them. When you use any of the extras, push the right button once to get the light burning first.

  1. Dimmer mode: The leftmost button dims the LEDs, from full power all the way down to all four LEDs burning weakly. Steps through all 9 brightness levels, then repeats.

  2. Dice game: Press center button . Lights will sequence. Press left button and release to watch the sequencing slow down until it finally stops on a random color.

  3. Drag Race: Press center button again. Pressing leftmost button starts the "Christmas tree" sequence, which is three red blinks, one yellow blink, and steady green. Pressing left button repeats as often as desired.

  4. Stop Light: Press center button again. Pressing leftmost button repeatedly changes the "traffic signal" from red, to yellow, to green, and back again. Good for games like "Red Light, Green Light".

  5. Cops: Press center button again. The red and blue LEDs blink in a police lightbar-like pattern (3 quick flashes each, then alternate). The Adjust button has no function in this effect. Not for use near traffic!!

  6. Flasher: Press center button again . All LEDs flash brightly in unison. Pressing the Adjust button allows you to change the flash rate.

  7. Strobe: Press center button again. Functions like Flash, but the flashes are briefer and faster, and can demonstrate some stop-action motion. The Adjust button allows you to change the strobe rate.

  8. Blaster: Press center button again. Lights sequence rapidly and dimly, until the Adjust button is pressed. This turns all four LEDs on at full power for as long as the button is held; the lights resume sequencing once you release it.

  9. Sequence: Press center button again. Lights sequence (one LED on at any given moment) at an adjustable speed. Use the Adjust button to change the speed. This mode is very noticeable even in broad daylight.

  10. Chaser: Press center button again. The exact reverse of Sequence. Instead of one LED sequencing, this mode has one dark LED 'chasing' the other three lit ones. Works like the chaser lights on theatre marquees and other display lighting. The Adjust button allows you to change the chase speed.

  11. U.F.O.: Press center button again. All four lights smoothly brighten & dim, can give an 'eerie' effect for your Halloween party or anywhere in subdued lighting. The Adjust button is not used in this effect.

  12. Off: Press rightmost button. You can turn it off from any mode with the rightmost button.


This is the "control panel" of the Rave'n.
The distortion is caused by my lens, not by any fault of the light.



This picture tries to show how the buttons glow in the dark. The glow material isn't much better than those 59 cent Halloween skeletons, but it will fluoresce noticeably under blacklight fixtures, which are frequently used at parties, dances, and raves. This picture was taken without the aid of blacklight exposure; it glows substantially brighter than this under blacklight.




Here is another light in which you need to unscrew the case to get at the batteries. Fortunately though, you won't have to do it very often, since the batteries can last an amazing 400-500 hours (!) in it. Many people can go for months between changes even with frequent use.


The Rave'n has full instructions for changing the batteries on the sheet enclosed with it. But basically it goes like this: Remove the two screws on the top half of the case. Turn it upside-down in your hand. Press down gently on the bottom near the bulbs and slide it backwards a bit, then lift it away.

IMPORTANT! Notice how the original batteries were installed before dumping them out. If you put the new ones in wrong, you will probably damage the Rave'n!!! See the photograph at left.

Put in three new "AA" cells. The Rave'n will come on at this point - don't worry, it's supposed to do that.
Now, lay the bottom cover back on, starting with it set back just a bit so the locking notches will fit in their slots. Push it forward (toward the LED bulbs) until it stops, and screw it back together.



The Rave'n is built smaller and perhaps not quite as rugged as the Ergo models, and it is't waterproof (splash resistant only). It was built in what appear to be custom modified garage door opener case; trimmed inside to fit the batteries & circuitry, and thankfully, professionally milled & labelled. Despite this horrible sounding description, these things are built much better than the Turbospyder (another light built in a third-party casing), so you shouldn't have any problems with them.


This shows the beam you get with all four LEDs going.


Although the colors are all whacky, it's still usable as a regular, more or less white flashlight.





The Rave'n though, is much more exciting than any white flashlight because you can party with it! The various effects are unique, and some are even useful beyond the dance floor or frat hall. Put one of these on your bicycle handlebars, and people will never look at you the same way again. I regularly use mine in "sequence" mode on my wheelchair's steering console, and it gets a lot of looks from passersby.



Got some of those cheap diffractive glasses from your Captain Crunch and don't know what to do with them? Get out your Rave'n and try those things on again...

The Rave'n does have a dark side though. You can't swing it around to create 'light sculptures' at raves or dances because it has no provision for attaching a cord, and even if you did cobble up something, I'd hate to get hit in the head with one of those things! smack!! *OUCH!*
Because of its mass, it would also almost certainly be destroyed if you swung it around and accidentally hit a post or a speaker with it.


TEST NOTES:
The test unit has been mounted on an exposed location of my wheelchair since 05-01-01, and used daily (see above).


UPDATE 05-13-01: The Rave'n has been used daily since around the 24th of April 2001 and mounted on my wheelchair since around the 1st of May, and is typically used for between 2 and 4 hours on "sequence" mode at any given time, and it is still running brightly on the original batteries. It was also rained on for about 30 minutes, and the light just shrugged it off no harm done.

UPDATE 06-02-01: The batteries started to crap out about a week and a half ago. The unit was still working fine, but the blue & green LEDs were dimmer than the others. I changed the batteries a bit early because of a special event I was attending; and I replaced them with the "old" style of Energizer lithium cells with the 2009 date code. These have just a touch higher voltage than current lithium cells do, and it really shows in the brightness of the LEDs.

On the last day of May, I attended a Seattle Mariners baseball game & special promotion, and my Rave'n was an important part of that. I covered up the red & yellow LEDs with electrical tape, and ran it in sequence mode all day (1pm to 10pm) with only the blue & green LEDs showing - this was as close as I could get to the Mariners team colors. You wouldn't believe how many people at the ballpark commented on my "Mariners light" that day.

This shows you that with just a bit of ingenuity (and some electrical tape) you can do exciting stuff with the Rave'n that it wasn't even made for.


UPDATE 12-13-04: One of the modes that the new Rave'n now includes is one where you can select individual LED colors, just as I suggested in the "CONS" section below!!!
Turn your Rave'n on, and press the center button four times. The green LED should now come on; pressing the leftmost button selects which LED you want on: green (do not press the button, as it starts out with the green LED), yellow, red, or blue.
As a result, I've decided to increase its rating from 4 stars to 4 1/2 stars, and place it in The Trophy Case!!!

This new Rave'n X2 (in the "Ergo" case) was purchased for me by a CPF member, after I posted in one of the forums that my old Rave'n was lost or left behind in a move I made in early-October 2004.

Thank you, you know who you are!!!


UPDATE 12-15-04: Here is a photograph of the Rave'n X2, in the Ergo case.





Green LED.
Measures 50,600mcd.



Yellow LED.
Measures 13,700mcd.
LED color is subtantially less reddish than it appears in this photograph.



Red LED.
Measures 3,570mcd.



Blue LED.
Measures 8,410mcd.

All measurements were taken on a Meterman LM631 light meter.


UPDATE 03-16-06:
Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the red LED.

Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the yellow LED.

Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the green LED.

Spectrographic plot
Spectrographic analysis of the blue LED.


UPDATE 03-17-08:
I performed a beam cross-sectional analysis of the Rave'n X2; here's the chart:

ProMetric analysis
Beam cross-sectional analysis (all four LEDs on).
Image made using the ProMetric System by Radiant Imaging.



PROS:

Stands up in two different positions (on its butt or on its side); this is useful for "candle" style illumination or for night reading; and accessories are available for different mounting options, such as on the brim of a hat or over a belt.
Smaller size and lighter weight makes it more comfortable in pants pocket.
When used with lithium cells, this one should even fit comfortably in a shirt pocket.
Totally unique, great for parties, clubbing, or just giving the kid something to do while you're trying to dislodge the hairbrush they flushed down the can.


CONS:

No built-in provision for attaching a lanyard (original Rave'n only).
Not waterproof or water resistant (splash resistant only) (original Rave'n only).
LEDs are exposed (more so than the Ergo models) and subject to damage if it falls face-first onto something hard like concrete or exposed rock (original Rave'n only).
Battery compartment lacks the usual springs; brass contacts are more fragile than springs and could wear out or deform with extreme abuse or carelessness (original Rave'n only).
Some of the preprogrammed "games" seem a bit childish, and may be used rarely if at all by the average user (stop light & drag race). In my opinion, a better mode might be one that allows the user to select any single LED (red, yellow, green or blue) to be illuminated by itself for special purposes (night vision preservation, activation of fluorescent materials, etc.) (Original Rave'n only; SEE 12-13-04 UPDATE ABOVE!!!)


          MANUFACTURER: Technology Associates
          PRODUCT TYPE: Novelty flashlight
          LAMP TYPE: LED, red, yellow, green, blue; 5mm
          No. OF LAMPS: 4
          BEAM TYPE: Circular, depends a bit on which mode you're using
          SWITCH TYPE: Membrane type switches
          BEZEL: None
          BATTERY: 3 AA cells
          CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown
          WATER RESISTANT: Light splash resistance only (original Rave'n only), yes (Rave'n2 only)
          SUBMERSIBLE: Yes, to 100' (Rave'n 2 only)
          ACCESSORIES: Possibly batteries
          WARRANTY: Limited lifetime

          RATING








Rave'n * WWW.TECHASS.COM






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