The flowlight was created to fulfill the need for a durable LED glowstick that could be powered by a readily available, affordable and sustainable energy source. While its main purpose is to serve as a light stick for illuminating flowtoys, its practical applications extend across a wide range of uses, including outdoor recreation, fashion, parties and novelty lighting.
We developed the flowlight as a "pixel" of light that can be combined and applied in numerous ways, so feel free to get creative with combining color options and modes, mixing flowlights with blank flowshells, and hacking into and linking lights to make an illuminated art installation, costume or altar decoration piece.
Our initial vision was that the flowlight would embody both form and function, and that every design feature would also serve a functional purpose. The aesthetic vision behind the flowlight was that it resemble a deep-sea organism that sentient organic beings from the future would cultivate as a piece of light-emitting jewelry.
Dimensions: length:130mm | max diameter:23mm | mass:37g
Compact and portable
Durable*: high impact polycarbonate shell, rugged circuit board, surface mount components
Bright: 3 regulated ultrabright LEDs provide maximum brightness over battery life
Versatile: 11 brilliant modes for a wide range of applications, 2 lanyard holes enable the flowlight to be easily suspended from both ends, one end stands up vertically
Easy to use: intuitive one-button operation. Easy battery access with no screwdriver required, yet battery door stays engaged. Radical design!
Color-coded: LED indicators printed on the circuit board indicate each light's LED colors (Since Sept 2009)
Favorite mode recall: The flowlight remembers which mode you were most recently in, so you can access your favorite mode without having to navigate through the other modes. (Since Jan 2008)
Power features: Optimized for use with rechargeable AAA batteries (will run to almost 0.8V). Also runs on standard AAA cells, designed to run at full brightness until battery runs down, no dimming until end of battery life
Long lasting: If left on continuously with rechargeable batteries, the flowlight will last about 3-4 hours on "bold" mode, 11-13 hours on "beacon" mode and 6-7 hours on other modes. Will last longer if turned on and off intermittently
Customizable circuit board: Hackable and reprogrammable circuit board, extra solder points easy to reach from battery door, can run from 0.8-4.5V
State-of-the-art micro-controller: The flowlight comes with the newest, smartest “brain” – Atmel’s ATtiny24, the most advanced chip of its kind. Super efficient and versatile, this advanced chip enables higher performance and flexibility for re-programming and other modifications (not for average users)
Sustainable: Replaces chemical glowsticks, runs on 1 AAA battery, optimized for rechargeables
Safe: Non-sparking, non-flammable, non-incendiary
*Note that while the flowlight is extremely durable, it is not indestructible. Please read "troubleshooting" for more info.
Breathe: peaceful, ambient lighting with all LEDs slowly fading in and out together at a rate similar to the breath of a healthy human being in deep sleep
Bliss: blissful and mesmerizing with all LEDs fading in and out independently of each other
Bold: bright with all LEDs in full power
Beat: consistent trippy effect w/ all LEDs strobing at the same rate
Beacon: a pulse that serves as a good item or camp marker with all LEDs pulsing at the same rate as the heartbeat of a healthy person at peace
Bling: a phat strobe pattern with 2 alternating colors
Beads: an attractive strobe pattern with 2 colors alternating and mixing to resemble a beaded necklace
Blaze: leaves trails that resemble comets shooting through the air
Bounce: delightful bands of light sparking in unpredictable places
Booyah!: our most "bad-ass" trippy mode. some say the trails look like shifting gears
Bounty: cycles through all the other modes, except for beacon, displaying each for 11 secs
SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS FOR DIFFERENT MODES
We encourage you to explore and experiment with different combinations of modes, colors and applications. We are still discovering which modes we think look the best in which order in our various toys, and are continually finding new uses for the light. Below are some suggested applications for the different modes.
Breathe and Bliss: Use as a beautiful ambient light source in and around your home, in place of candles at the dining table, bathroom or meditation altar, string around your backyard at a party to create an ethereal otherworldly environment, hang it in your tent, leave it on your bag at a party, or wear it as a fashion accessory.
Bold: Use as a compact pocket light to illuminate your stuff in the dark. Use it to illuminate your keyboard or dj console at a dark event.
Beacon or Bounce: Attach to your bicycle or hang from your backpack to alert others to your presence, or suspend on the tree above your tent as a camp marker.
Bliss, Beat, Bling, Beads, Blaze, Bounce, Booyah! and Bounty: Leave stunning trails when spun on a leash or in flowtoys. Mix different color themes and modes for endless combinations of light-filled beauty.
Bounty: Use as a spinning or a demo mode that allows you to experience the different modes and combinations the flowlight has to offer without having to change modes.
FLOWLIGHT SHELL
Flowlights are designed to be durable and features a polycarbonate shell, the toughest clear plastic we know of, but nothing is indestructible. The impact during a simple fast butterfly move can easily be over 100mph. The force during impact is equivalent to a 5 ton elephant standing on an iPod! We do not know of any electronic instruments that can withstand that level of impact, but we are constantly making improvements to increase their durability.
Most LED lightsticks cannot withstand a fraction of the forces that a flowlight can and the ones that appear durable are very lightweight. The flowlight has the added weight of a AAA battery, which enables it to be rechargeable, rather than using light-weight disposable cell batteries. If used in a way that will cause impact with hard objects or each other we recommend you protect them in our tubing system.
It is normal for flowlights to split a little at the tail end where they connect together, but if you experience bigger splits or cracks that effect the light’s functioning, this is easy to fix with crazy glue, or you can use clear tape in a pinch. Also if a cracked flowlight is in a protective tube, it should still function okay, so you can keep flowing and fix it later. There is generally no damage to the electronics.
Please note: Chemical glowsticks release gaseous esters that break-down polycarbonate and make it brittle, this occurs normally and is not a result of broken or leaking glow-sticks. Avoid exposure!
FLOWLIGHT ELECTRONICS TROUBLESHOOTING 101
We are pushing the limits of technology and some apparently faulty flowlight behavior is not uncommon, but easily fixed. A truly faulty flowtoys product can always be sent back for repair or replacement, but generally they just require a little maintenance.
If your flowlight blinks strangely OR turns off easily when bumped OR turns off shortly after it has been turned on for no apparent reason, check the following items:
1. YOUR BATTERIES ARE LOW/CHEAP/BUNK
Your batteries are low or bunk - check the same battery with other lights. The easiest way to check your battery is to put the light on "bold" mode and tap it on its end or wait for a minute. It's very common for people to think that their lights are faulty when the batteries are low/cheap/bunk, because the lights run at full brightness until the batteries run out of juice. So when batteries are low, the lights turn on at full brightness and turn off quickly after or when they are bumped.
Also the flowlight does not like cheap batteries even brand new ones, so make sure you use good batteries! The circuitry is optimized for rechargeable NiMH and good alkalines. The flowlight is bright and draws a lot of power, so cheapo batteries or rechargeable NiCD and alkalines don't last as long, can't keep up and makes the light turn off easily. The difference can be between the lights lasting 10 minutes and 7 hours.
2. THE BATTERY COVER OR BATTERY TAB IS IN THE WAY
Check that your batteries are clear of physical debris on the "negative" (smooth) side --> the battery connection is tight, so pretty often the plastic cover on a battery gets torn off a little and sticks to the underside of the battery and prevents a good connection. We shave the extra plastic off all the batteries on our site.
Sometimes the clear battery pull tab obstructs connection - check that this is not happening with your light.
3. THERE IS OXIDATION ON THE BATTERY SPRINGS
The other thing that could be happening is that the battery contacts might have some oxidation that is interrupting the connection between the battery and the light. This can happen with a brand new light and is exacerbated by the vibration between the battery and the contact. I highly recommend cleaning and applying vaseline to all the battery contacts -- this works wonders and should last for many months.
Our goal is to provide you with the best possible illuminate equipment for flow, and enable you to enjoy it for a long time. We offer individual parts on our website, tips for care and repair, a fair and flexible warranty policy and a lifetime upgrade/replacement policy! If you send us a broken or older-model flowlight, we'll replace it with a new one for only $10/light!
If you feel that your flowtoys product is suffering from a defect in materials or workmanship, please contact us to return it for repair or replacement. Please see our Care and Repair guide above before considering a return.
Breathe: peaceful, ambient lighting with all LEDs slowly fading in and out together at a rate similar to the breath of a healthy human being in deep sleep
