by potholer » Jun 7, 2006 2:33 pm
I can understand about the temporary dark spots - I get them quite often when aligning LEDs in reflectors, and I don't go above 1 Watt per diode with my lights.
With eyes adjusted for indoor lighting, even keeping a fixed gaze for a couple of seconds on an unfocussed Luxeon at arm's length running at under 1/10Watt is sufficient to cause short-lived dark spots, but it *is* only harmless bleaching of pigment in the retina, which is the main way the eye manages to adjust to varying light levels.
That said, I do imagine people don't spend much time staring looking at your light head-on when it's running.
I'm trying to work out how large a battery pack supplies out 9W for 7 (or even 16) hours, and getting some scary mental images.
It kinda makes me feel inadequate when I use a ~9Wh battery and manage to eke one battery pack out for anywhere between 8 and 24 hours.