Key Benefits:

* A light you can count on even after years of abuse and neglect!
* Pays for itself by never needing batteries or maintenance
* Can be easily recharged with just a few shakes
* Great emergency signaling device – can be seen for miles
* Can be used in hazardous gas environments - will not ignite combustible materials
* Luminescent switch glows for hours allowing for easy location and operation
* Promotes workplace safety
* 30 day money back guarantee – Complete satisfaction - No purchase risk

Engineered in the USA

Product Description:

• Length: 10 inches (25 cm)
• Head Dia: 2 inches (5 cm)
• Handle Dia: 1.5 inches (3.8 cm)
• Weight: 11 ounce (308 gr)
• Housing Material: Polycarbonate
• Lens Material: Acrylic
• Color: Cobalt Blue

Ideal For

* Military Operations - Zero Logistics, battlefield tested, and versatile. Once in the field, NightStar flashlights never need parts or maintenance and have proven performance in extreme conditions around the world.
* General Utility - NightStar 3 will light up any work area, circuit box, or crawl space without fail.
* Education – Perfect for demonstrating and teaching students about mechanics, electrodynamics, optics and electronics.
* Award Programs – A great employee recognition gift.

Features:

* 25 - 30 seconds of shaking provides up to 20 minutes of light
* Illuminates a 12-ft (4m) diameter area at a distance of 50-ft (16m)
* High Strength Polycarbonate Housing
* Exclusively uses White StarCore LED technology rated at 15,000 mcad
* Efficient and silent magnetic repulsion charging system
* Gold-Film high energy capacitor
* Luminescent, magnetic switch
* Waterproof to a depth of 2200-ft
* Corrosion Resistant
* Floats with Lens Pointing Up
* Laboratory Tested and Backed by a 5-year Warranty

With only one moving part, the NightStar flashlight transforms simple motion into light. When gently shaken, a super high-strength rare earth magnet passes smoothly through a wire coil, efficiently generating electrical energy. A heavy duty capacitor, which can be recharged repeatedly, stores the energy and delivers power to a Super Bright StarCore® LED. Thirty seconds of shaking provides 20 minutes of light. In total darkness, NightStar will illuminate a 12-foot diameter area at 50 feet. NightStar's state of the art components are contained within a rugged, waterproof housing ensuring operation even in the most severe conditions.

The Fusion-Nd® rare earth magnets used in NightStar are made from a unique combination of neodymium, iron and boron fused together in special sintering process. The crystalline structure of these materials yields the strongest grade and longest lasting magnets in the world.

The Gold-Film capacitor operates in hot and cold environments, can be recharged several hundred thousand times, and will not corrode.

The solid state StarCore® LED (Light Emitting Diode) is practically unbreakable, has a rated lifetime of tens of thousands of hours, and will produce 1000 foot-candles of light at peak brightness.

The switch's outer housing and slider are made from a special luminescent material that will glow for more than 8 hours after only a few minutes exposure to room or sun light. This unique feature allows NightStar to be easily found and operated in dark environments. In addition, the switch slider holds a small Fusion-Nd magnet that activates a Reed switch mounted on the inside circuit board. This unique design provides lasting operation, is inherently waterproof, and eliminates any spark hazard.

The polycarbonate housing and internal powercell can withstand extreme abuse. As a result, NightStar will light the way for years under the harshest conditions. The new Cobalt blue and Emerald green housings of NightStar 3 and NightStar CS2 provide an added advantage by eliminating light scatter and improving night vision.
Specifications

Temperature

Storage: -50F (-45C) to 140F (60C)
Operation: -40F (-40C) to 130F (55C)

Impact Resistance

Fully operational after random repeated drops from a height of 4-ft (1.2m) onto a tile covered concrete surface.

Corrosion Resistance

Operational after 3 days immersion in solutions of salt water, isopropyl alcohol, ammonia, phosphoric acid *, acetic acid *, drain cleaner *, Ajax *, motor oil and diesel fuel (* 10% solutions).

Submersion

Operational at an ocean depth of 2210-ft (674 m). [Equivalent pressure crush point 960 PSI]

Hazardous Gas Certification

Meets all test criteria for MIL-STD-810F, Test Method 511.4: Military Standard Reliability Program. Gas Mixtures tested: Acetylene (Group A), Hydrogen (Group B), Ethylene (Group C), Hexane (Group D), Natural Gas (Group D), Aviation AV/Gas 100 / 130.

Electromagnetic Compatibility

Conforms to Council Directive 89/336/EC. Measured RF levels are far below limits for all frequencies.

Who Invented the Shake Flashlight?"
NightStar was the world's first renewable energy shake flashlight. It was invented in 1997 by Steve Vetorino, founder of Applied Innovative Technologies Inc., and electrical engineer Jim Platt, who helped Vetorino create the design and prototypes. It first went into production in 1998. NightStar was issued its first patent in 1999(Patent #5,975,714). In 2001 it was issued its second patent (Patent #6,220,719) for the magnetic recoil charging system. Using magnetic repulsion to rebound the charging magnet is far more efficient and quieter than springs.

"Can batteries be included in the design to allow for a longer, brighter light output?" A battery will power the StarCore LED in NightStar for several hours at its maximum light output (the same light output obtained when the capacitor is fully charged and the light is first turned on). Additionally, the ETS Cell in NightStar can be used to charge a battery as well as a capacitor. However, the energy storage capability of a battery is many times greater than the capacitor used in NightStar. Consequently, it would require thousands of shakes to recharge a battery using an ETS Cell. Also, the lifetime of a rechargeable battery is rather limited when compared to a capacitor. The capacitor in NightStar can be recharged several hundred thousand times. Rechargeable batteries, such as NiCd, NiMH, and LiIon, can only be charged and discharged several hundred times.* Batteries also fail to work effectively in cold environments; capacitors do not suffer this problem. Finally, batteries are both costly and considered a hazardous material. Batteries that depend on chemical reactions not only pose a danger to the environment but are also corrosive and can destroy a flashlight. Adding a battery to NightStar would therefore weaken its design and marketability. One of the most unique and significant features of NightStar is that it will never need replacement parts or maintenance. The components within NightStar and their integrated design yield a product that can be relied upon to light the way anytime, anywhere.

*The rated lifetime of these devices is determined by the number of cycles it takes to reach 80% of their rated energy storage capacity. The user will still get additional cycles after the rated life; however, the diminished storage capacity means less useful battery life.

"Can light output be made brighter by replacing the StarCore LED with an incandescent bulb?"
An incandescent bulb is highly inefficient and requires significantly more energy than a StarCore® LED. The capacitor in NightStar can only power a filament light bulb for several seconds but can power an LED for several minutes. An incandescent bulb also has a lifetime of approximately 500 hours and is extremely fragile. Quite frequently, a bulb will break before it burns out. By comparison, the StarCore LED used in NightStar will operate for more than 50,000 hours and is nearly unbreakable. Therefore, for reasons of energy efficiency and reliability, a StarCore LED is the logical choice for the NightStar emergency light.

"Can adding more LEDs increase the light output?"
The ETS (Energy Transformation System) Cell within NightStar can power more than one LED, and with each LED added, the light output will increase. However, power consumption will also increase with each LED added to the system. Consequently, the duration of light output obtained from a fully charged capacitor will diminish, thereby requiring NightStar to be shaken more frequently. Adding more LEDs will also increase the cost of the device. Therefore, one StarCore LED was chosen in order to maximize the time between recharge cycles and to minimize the unit cost.

"Why was a lens chosen for the output window?"
Placing a specially designed acrylic lens at the appropriate point effectively collects and images the light output from the LED. The lens also serves as a window, and due to its design it is able to withstand tremendous pressure, shock and hazardous chemical environments. Therefore, with a single component, optimum light output and durability are obtained.

"How is the charging magnet reflected at either end of the flashlight?"
Neodymium magnets are mounted at both ends of the flashlight and are oriented to repel the charging magnet. The magnetic repulsion recoil system smoothly decelerates and accelerates the charging magnet back through the coil without loss in mechanical energy. Consequently, the loss of energy due to friction is extremely small and is only the result of the cylindrically shaped nickel-plated charging magnet sliding through a polished tube. Kinetic energy is therefore efficiently coupled into electrical energy with almost no degradation to the system. Lasting performance is obtained with this design.

"What are the magnets made of and how are they magnetized?"
The magnet is an anisotropic sintered ceramic containing neodymium, iron and boron (NdFeB). The anisotropic nature of the material (meaning that it has properties that differ according to the direction of the measurement) is due to the tetragonal crystalline structure of the NdFeB molecule. The magnetic dipole associated with each crystal lattice site aligns itself along a well-defined axis within the bulk material. As a consequence of its molecular magnetic structure, the material is remarkable in two ways: First, it possesses a high-density magnetic field because of the alignment uniformity of the magnetic dipoles; and second, it will hold this field for an extremely long time even when oriented for repulsion with another magnet or subjected to extreme temperatures. All of the magnets in NightStar were initially slugs or disks of ceramic NdFeB. They were then plated with either nickel (the charging magnet and the switch activation magnet) or zinc (the repulsion magnets mounted on either end of the light). The plating, which gives the magnets a metallic look, serves to protect the magnet from corrosion, chipping and scratching. Nickel is a standard, tough, smooth coating and zinc protects the magnet and provides an excellent bonding surface. The zinc plated repulsion magnets are pressed and epoxied into pockets and will therefore only come out when the flashlight is totally destroyed. Finally, the coated ceramic pieces are placed in a toroid chamber that converts electricity into an extremely high strength magnetic field. The ceramic pieces become magnetized within a few seconds and will remain so for thousands of years.

"How does the switch work?"
Inside the switch is a small magnet. As the switch is moved forward the magnet slides over and activates a reed switch mounted on the circuit board inside the flashlight. When the reed switch is activated (or closed) energy in the capacitor flows through the StarCore LED. This design feature has several advantages over conventional mechanical switches used in other flashlights. The most significant advantage is reliability; the simple sliding plastic switch does not corrode or wear out and the reed switch is rated at over 1 million cycles. By comparison, mechanical push button or toggle switches have components that corrode and springs that fatigue after limited on/off cycles. Another key advantage to NightStar's switch design is that it does not require a watertight seal because the magnet on the outside is able to activate the reed switch through the plastic housing. Finally, because the electrical circuit is not exposed to the outside world (as with a typical mechanical switch) there is no possibility of igniting combustible materials.

"Why is the housing made from plastic?"
Most importantly, any type of metallic housing will prevent the charging magnet from moving effectively through the coil. This is due to free electron eddy currents being set up in the metal housing when the charging magnet travels through the barrel. Consequently, magnetic fields generated by the eddy currents in the housing oppose the magnetic field of the charging magnet. The faster the charging magnet tries to move, the stronger the opposing fields will be in the housing. Therefore, the charging magnet will never pass through the coil with enough speed to charge the energy storage capacitor. The plastic housing is superior to a metal housing in several other ways as well. The material and manufacturing costs of plastic are far less expensive then aluminum (aluminum is a likely choice for a metal housing). Additionally, NightStar's plastic housing will never rust or oxidize and weighs less then an aluminum housing that would provide the same amount of crush resistance. The plastic used in NightStar is an alloy of polycarbonate and ABS (Clear NightStar however, is made of pure polycarbonate; polycarbonate/ABS is not available in clear). Polycarbonate/ABS was chosen for two reasons: First, it is difficult to break even at cold temperatures; and second, it is unaffected by salt water, mild acids, alcohol, methanol, and ammonia based cleaners and is corrosion resistant when briefly exposed to petroleum products such as gasoline, oil and grease. Clear NightStars are not as chemical-resistant against petroleum products but have slightly higher impact strength.

"Why doesn't NightStar interfere with night vision?"
NightStar doesn't affect your night vision due to the fact that it's not overwhelmingly bright. If you're using a Maglite for example, and you're looking at the area illuminated by its beam, your eye's natural tendency is to aperture down to obtain a comfortable light level. If you now look away from the beam, everything looks dark and will remain so until the eye's iris dilates to allow more light in. With NightStar, the iris remains open to the point where objects outside the beam are still visible. This is one of the reasons the military prefers NightStar for extended night time operations.

"Can NightStar's beam penetrate through smoke?"
Experiments conducted in the "Zero Visibility Smoke Chamber" at the firefighting training and test facility in Loveland, Colorado demonstrated that NightStar's blue-white beam, though not useful as an illumination source, is quite effective as an emergency signaling light and can be seen through smoke over 20 feet away. By comparison, the high power lights typically used by firefighters penetrate only a few feet through smoke while simultaneously back scattering off the smoke particles and blinding the searcher. NightStar's beam appears as a blue-white shaft of light that extends out 3 to 4 feet from the searcher and has no blinding backscatter problems. (All tests were made possible by the tremendous support of the Loveland Fire Department. Smoke in the chamber was produced by burning hay and couch fabric material.)

"Is a pacemaker sensitive to the magnetic field that surrounds NightStar?"
NightStar can affect a pacemaker's normal mode of operation. If the heart rate of a person with a pacemaker drops below a preset value (typically 85 beats per minute), an internal sensor monitoring the person's heart rate activates the pacemaker. A pacemaker will not send electrical signals to a person's heart unless their heart rate drops below the preset value. In order to test whether a pacemaker is operating properly, a reed switch is built into the unit so that an external magnet held up to the patient's chest will close the reed switch and deactivate the internal heart rate sensor. When this happens, the pacemaker turns on and begins sending electrical signals to the heart at the preset value. Pacemakers are typically tested once or twice per year in specially equipped hospitals. If a pacemaker begins sending signals to the heart at a rate of 85 beats per minute and the heart is already beating at a greater rate, an arrhythmia condition can be triggered. The possibility of this occurring is extremely rare; less than 1 percent of the people with pacemakers would be susceptible to this condition, and in many cases these susceptible people are already bedridden. A magnetic field with a strength of 90 gauss brought within 1.5 inches (40 cm) of a pacemaker will close the reed switch. The magnet in NightStar has a surface field strength of over 5200 gauss. Consequently, in order to avoid turning on a pacemaker, NightStar should be held no closer than 2 inches (5 cm) to the chest. At this distance the field strength has dropped to approximately 30 gauss. A cautionary statement regarding the effect NightStar has on pacemakers is printed on the product packaging.

(This information was obtained from a telephone conversation with one of the largest manufacturers of pacemakers in the United States).