The Secret of Olight Labs
- From Olight
Customers who have used OLIGHT products will know that OLIGHT flashlights have high quality and performance. And that is one of our strengths. A professional and rigorous attitude creates better products.
OLIGHT flashlights are repeatedly tested in harsh working environments before shipping to reveal problems in product development and production processes in advance, fully ensuring that the products shipped can withstand the rigors of trials. By doing so, we are definitely improving the quality of our products.
Today, I would like to visit Olight’s laboratory to show you how a good flashlight has passed multiple tests and is delivered to you.
☞ Measurement/testing at the research and development stage
At the R & D stage, we perform technical parameter measurements and reliability experiment tests on flashlights to select and analyze samples that do not meet the appropriate criteria. Only those that have passed the test can be released for sale to our customers.
Item 1: Measurement of important parameters
When buying a flashlight, I think the most important thing to worry about is the luminous flux of the flashlight, but how are the parameters related to the luminous flux and color temperature measured?
■ Luminous flux
Luminous flux refers to the amount of light emitted from a light source within a unit of time and represents the total amount of light emitted from the light source. For example, if a light bulb is placed inside a sphere and lit, the total light energy received by the inner surface of the sphere is the luminous flux of the light bulb.
Left: High-precision high-speed spectroradiometer, Right: Integrating sphere
The machine in the above picture is for measuring the luminous flux, and it adopts the 4π test method of putting a flashlight in the integrating sphere and measuring the total luminous flux of the flashlight.
At the end of the test, the flashlight's luminous flux and color temperature parameters will be output to your computer, very cool right? The data thus obtained is very objective and relevant.
■ Light intensity
Light intensity refers to the luminous intensity of an illuminant in a particular direction, that is, the luminous flux per unit solid angle. The symbol of light intensity is I, and the unit is the candela (cd ). If the light source has uniform radiation, the light intensity is I = F / Ω, Ω is the solid angle, the unit is steradian (sr), F is the luminous flux, and the unit is lumen (lm).
In addition to the conversion method, how can I accurately detect the light intensity value of the flashlight? Take a look at the "small black room" at the Olight Institute. This little black room has a pitch-black background and an opaque space environment. And there is a "far" light intensity detector that can be used as a flashlight. This enables multipoint, all-round light intensity measurements and the resulting values are more accurate.
■ Endurance test
How do I know how if the flashlight lumen changes during use? The flashlight shows the endurance time, which is the time it takes for the light from the luminaire to start working at 10% of its initial brightness, also known as the effective runtime.
To know the exact endurance time, you need to use an endurance test kit for testing.
The tester on the left is an illuminance meter. When the flashlight is turned upside down and placed on the box and the light is turned on, the value recorded by the illuminometer over time changes the illuminance from on to off. Using it, you can calculate the duration of the light.
Item 2: Environmental experiment test
■ Temperature rise test
As you know, overheated flashlights can burn your hands they are difficult to use. In severe cases, it may cause deeper skin injury, lighting failure, or damage. To prevent such cases, OLIGHT conducts temperature rise tests that strictly control the maximum temperature rise by setting it to 55 degrees or less.
This test is performed using a device called a multi-channel data logger. At room temperature (25 ° C), switch on the sample, switch the maximum brightness level and record the maximum temperature value.
■ High temperature / low-temperature environment test
In addition to temperature rise tests, OLIGHT also conducts high and low-temperature environmental tests. High-temperature and low- temperature humidity and heat testers play an active role there.
In this small box, the high temperature is 150 degrees and the low temperature is -70 degrees. We also internally test for humidity and heat.
High temperature / low-temperature test conditions.
Low-temperature storage: -40 ° C, 16 hours
Low-temperature operation: -20 ℃, 6h or automatically shuts down when the sample is low
High-temperature aging: 55 ℃, 72h
High-temperature operation: 55 ℃, 8 hours
■ Testing for sudden temperature changes (hot shock, cold shock)
More cruel testing begins! Can flashlights withstand sudden temperature changes and alternating hot and cold conditions? The test conditions for sudden temperature changes are high temperature set to 75 ° C, low temperature set to -40 ° C, operating time set to 0.5 hours, and cycle switching 5 times.
Do you think this is the end? The test has just begun. In the environmental test, in addition to the temperature test, the following tests are performed.
■ Vibration test
The sample is vibrated on the exciter from three directions of the X / Y / Z-axis with a sweep of 0 to 100 Hz, an amplitude of 5 mm, and a test time of 1 hour. Potential failures in electronic components are generally exposed in the vibration frequency range of 20Hz to 50Hz.
■ Salt spray test
The prototype should be tested in 5% sodium chloride saline with a pH value of 6.5-7.2. The test temperature is 35 ° C ± 2 ° C and the test time is 8 to 24 hours. After the test, it is confirmed that the sample has no abnormal appearance, surface corrosion, or screw rust, and it passes.
Item 3: Fatigue test
■ Key operation fatigue
What is the strength of the OLIGHT flashlight button that can be pressed 50,000 times basically? Each of the new flashlights has been mechanically pressed tens of thousands of times to prove its strength.
When you start the Key Life Tester, the flashlight keys are frequently pressed 40-60 times per minute, and you can adjust the number of presses.
In addition to the fatigue test for pressing a key for a normal flashlight, some flashlights with a rotary switch require a rotation fatigue test, and some headlamps require a wire swing fatigue test.
To pass the test, the test sample must be fully functional within the number of tests, free of cracks, or severe deformation of the product.
Item 4: Reliability test
Flashlights need to withstand not only falls but also harsh outdoor environments such as wind and rain, ensuring reliable performance and high reliability. That's why reliability testing is essential for OLIGHT flashlights.
Reliability tests include waterproof tests, drop tests, roller drop tests, ammunition tests, electrical stress aging, and anti-interference tests.
■ Waterproof test
The IP standard consists of two numbers. The first number means dustproof, the second number means waterproof, and the higher the number, the higher the protection level.
IPX8, which has the highest waterproof level as defined by the standards, has been tested for various levels of water resistance, such as a 30-minute underwater test at a depth of 2 m. No water is allowed inside the sample during the test and the lens should not be foggy. And if the switch on / off, gear change, light spot, and charging functions are all normal, it meets the assigned IP rating.
■ Drop test
The drop test table is a smooth and hard iron plate, the drop height is as required by the product definition, 1.5 m by default if there is no request, the number of drops: 6 times, the drop direction: 6 faces, the drop speed: 0.5 m / sec is.
Criteria to be met after testing: No visual cracks or serious deformation in the appearance of the product, normal functioning, reassembly possible, but no parts replacement.
■ Roller drop test
The tumbler drop test is the next step in the drop test, and the one that can withstand 360-degree inversion is the " true mature " OLIGHT flashlight.
Test conditions: Speed: 10 rpm; rpm: 100 rpm at 0.5 m, 100 rpm at 1 m.
Pass criteria: Lights should drum; accessories will work properly after reassembly without replacement of parts; some samples there are no cracks or serious deformations, even with cosmetic defects such as wear and scratches; the sample works fine; the battery is undamaged.
The background to the market for high-quality flashlights requires a lot of testing. With aerospace-grade metal and advanced technology, the OLIGHT flashlight has passed the "test" and will be in mass production after all the tests are completed.
☞ Testing at the factory shipment stage
In order to get a satisfactory pass rate, OLIGHT flashlights are subjected to various sample-based reliability tests before leaving the factory, in addition to a very important test called the " secular variation test".
Item 5: Secular variation test
Electronic products have an indicator called product failure, which is similar to human illnesses and prone to various illnesses when young and old. Therefore, in order to avoid the early stages of multiple illnesses, the secular variation test is to reach the peak as soon as possible and confirm the illness.
OLIGHT flashlights are 100% charged and discharged aging tested prior to factory shipment. The charging and discharging aging process is as follows: full charge → charge check (check full charge voltage, charge indicator, charge time, whether the charging process is normal, etc.) → aging (discharge time according to the duration of the model) → discharge It is a check (checks whether the temperature, switch, dimming, discharge time, and discharge process are normal). (Temperature, switch ON / OFF, dimming, discharge time, whether the discharge process is normal, etc.) → Charge to the shipping voltage → Full inspection of appearance and function
Through the aging test, we check defective products and defective devices, select products with a high risk of failure or failure, confirm quality defects and hidden dangers of shipped products, and check initial defects of products before use. Eliminate as much as possible to ensure the quality of the shipped product. So you can believe that every flashlight you get is guaranteed in quality.
That is all for today's introduction to the labs. For those who want to know more, we will give you more test details.
