3 Emergency/Marker Strobes Compared

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A34735

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Scuba Instructor
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Location
California, USA
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500 - 999
I just compared 3 strobes I happened to have around: 1) Jotron AQ4 Xe original. Single C cell, Xenon tube. 2) Tektite 200 Xe. 2 C cells, Xenon tube and o3) Tektite 200 LED. 2 C cells, LED bulb

All with fresh batteries reading 1.6V each at start. I made no attempt to measure flash brightness over time.

FR = Flashs/seconds

FR at 0 24 36 48 hrs
AQ4 Xe 1/1 1/2 1/4 1/8
T200 Xe 1/1 1/1 1/8 1/15
T200 LED 2/1 4/1 3/1 2/1

The T200 LED was the clear winner. Subjectively the flash intensity seems to have started declining after 24 hrs, but it may be my imagination. The FR seemed to go wild 24-36 hrs, almost never seeming to be off, before finally calming down.
The T200Xe did fine till 24 hrs, then became erratic. Sometimes not flashing for several seconds, then giving a burst of flashes before calming down. Movement seemed to trigger pent-up flashes. It was the quieter of the 2 Xe tube devices.
I was surprised the ancient single cell AQ4 did better than the equivalent Tektite. I suspect the T200Xe hare, flashing more frequently, burns up it's 2 batteries faster than the AQ4 tortoise. No trouble hearing the loud click with every discharge.

All of these units will do the job out to 24 hrs. The T200LED is the best choice for sheer endurance, followed by the AQ4.
Note: the AQ4 has now been superseded by the AQ4 MkII. I believe this is also an LED device...

I thought it was interesting....I have some video at various time points, but it is monumentally dull to watch.

Disclosure: the Tektites were bought retail 'off the shelf' over the years. The AQ4 was cannibalized from my broken 1980s unit and a donor unit (DoM 2007 I think) from BhuddaSummer, another SB contributor in Japan. Thank you Dude...
 
How would you quantify the intensity of the units in general? Is any one markedly brighter than the others (Not necessarily over the course of the battery life)?
 
Thanks for the testing. Makes me feel better about purchasing a ton of Tektite strobes and marker lights throughout time :)
 
How would you quantify the intensity of the units in general? Is any one markedly brighter than the others (Not necessarily over the course of the battery life)?

It was hard to tell objectively. The Xe tubes are physically bigger, so the flash appears spread over a larger area (volume really, but you know what I mean) whilst he LED is closer to a point source. While videoing with my Samsung cell phone, the LED flashes bleached the screen, whilst neither Xe tube did. And subjectively the LED felt brighter, almost painful to watch. Now, at 60 hours, the darkened-room test seem as well-lit (by the LED) as it was at 12 hours.
On balance, I'd say the LED is significantly brighter than the Xe tubes, maintains intensity over time and lasts longer. It think it'll make it to 72 hours or longer. And 72 hours adrift, without fresh water is as good as dead - certainly all I'd expect from a strobe.
Having done this little experiment, I'd never choose a Xe strobe over an LED as a SAR aid.

Maybe someone from TekTite or Jotron can chime in? Or someone who's an EE?

BhuddaSummer - would you like your Jotron back? If so, let me know where to send it.
 
How would you quantify the intensity of the units in general? Is any one markedly brighter than the others (Not necessarily over the course of the battery life)?

It was hard to tell objectively. The Xe tubes are physically bigger, so the flash appears spread over a larger area (volume really, but you know what I mean) whilst he LED is closer to a point source. While videoing with my Samsung cell phone, the LED flashes bleached the screen, whilst neither Xe tube did. And subjectively the LED felt brighter, almost painful to watch. Now, at 60 hours, the darkened-room test seem as well-lit (by the LED) as it was at 12 hours.
On balance, I'd say the LED is significantly brighter than the Xe tubes, maintains intensity over time and lasts longer. It think it'll make it to 72 hours or longer. And 72 hours adrift, without fresh water is as good as dead - certainly all I'd expect from a strobe.
Having done this little experiment, I'd never choose a Xe strobe over an LED as a SAR aid.

Maybe someone from TekTite or Jotron can chime in? Or someone who's an EE?

BhuddaSummer - would you like your Jotron back? If so, let me know where to send it.
 
Update at 102 hours: The TekTite 200 LED is still flashing away, a little less than 1/sec.

I'm impressed...
 
Update at 102 hours: The TekTite 200 LED is still flashing away, a little less than 1/sec.

I'm impressed...

At Tektite and Tekna, we have switched all of our strobe models to LED over the past several years. The additional durability, longevity and conspicuity make LEDs superior for visible SAR markers. We specify 30 hours (at full brightness) for our Strobe 200 LED, but it will continue running for many hours more, dependent on temperature. As the batteries reach 1v each, the flash rate will become erratic, and less intense. I hope no one ever needs to test it out floating in the ocean for 100 hours, but the capability is there.
 
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Also, There was a brightness question somewhere about shear intensity. Try the New Strobe 4500...
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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