Tank Night Light Story
For some time Wayne had wanted to make a unique light with a User Interface(UI) he wrote and created. It would have variable brightness, photo sensor, battery level indicator and you can set the sensitivity level.
He wanted to make a light that could use all those partially depleted batteries from flashlights, electronic gadgets and toys etc. There is always some juice left in those batteries.
He spent a lot of time designing the PCB, writing the code for the UI, debugging and programming the prototypes.
At first he had a 4AA battery pack with an LED and switch mounted on top. It was functional without any theme. Then he made the 123 version.
I walked by the light one day and declared the battery pack looked like wheels, so it should be a vehicle. Having worked at a company that made military tracked vehicles, I suggested we make a Tank Light.
My sister came over to visit and saw the first proto light. She said it looked like a tank without being told what is was.
Wayne created a turret with a cannon which would diffuse the emitted light. Oh yeah, the cool engraved acrylic top lets you see the electronics.
I have picked it up and used it as a flashlight to see in the dark.
On a new set of batteries it runs over 4 months. An almost dead set of batteries runs a couple weeks.
If you want to give a unique gift to someone who has everything, the Tank Night Light is it. Even non-Flashaholics would like the Tank Night Light. Leave it in the kid's room or bathroom. It makes a great conversation piece too.
-Cindy |