Headlamp (outdoor)
Encyclopedia
A headlamp is a light source affixed to the head for outdoor activities at night or in dark conditions such as caving
, orienteering, hiking
, backpacking, camping
, mountaineering
or mountain biking
. Headlamps may also be used in adventure races, if racing is done during dark periods.
or AAA batteries
. Systems with heavy batteries (4xAA or more) are usually designed so that the light emitter is positioned near the front of the head, with the battery compartment at the rear of the head. It is sometimes possible to completely disconnect a headlamp's battery pack, for storage on a belt or in a pocket.
Lighter headlamp systems are strapped to the user's head by a single band; heavier ones utilize an additional band over the top of the user's head.
Headlamps that used an incandescent bulb were very common before LED
s became common. Incandescent bulbs have the advantage of allowing more tightly focused beams and the use of more power than LEDs, with the disadvantages of high power consumption, fragility, poor beam pattern and inability to operate at lower power levels. Incandescent headlamps also have rapidly declining light output once the batteries start to lose voltage.
Once 5mm LED
s were made available to general consumer markets, they were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption and less fragility compared with incandescent bulbs.
When 1 watt
, and 3 watt LEDs were subsequently introduced, they were adopted for use in headlamps. By that time, most incandescent headlamps were no longer available for sale. However, due to the high energy consumption of these LEDs, they produce more heat. To avoid damage to electronic parts, a heatsink is usually required for headlamps that use LEDs that consume more than 1W.
Due to high power consumption, DC-DC converters are often used in 1W+ lights, sometimes controlled by microprocessor
s. That allows the LED(s) to provide brightness that is not affected by a drop in battery voltage
.
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Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
, orienteering, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, backpacking, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
or mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
. Headlamps may also be used in adventure races, if racing is done during dark periods.
Description
Headlamps are usually powered by three or four AAAA battery
An AA battery is a standard size of battery. Batteries of this size are the most commonly used type of in portable electronic devices. An AA battery is composed of a single electrochemical cell...
or AAA batteries
AAA battery
A triple A or AAA battery is a standard size of dry cell battery commonly used in portable electronic devices. A carbon-zinc battery in this size is designated by IEC as "R03", by ANSI C18.1 as "24", by old JIS standard as "UM 4", and by other manufacturer and national standard designations that...
. Systems with heavy batteries (4xAA or more) are usually designed so that the light emitter is positioned near the front of the head, with the battery compartment at the rear of the head. It is sometimes possible to completely disconnect a headlamp's battery pack, for storage on a belt or in a pocket.
Lighter headlamp systems are strapped to the user's head by a single band; heavier ones utilize an additional band over the top of the user's head.
Headlamps that used an incandescent bulb were very common before LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s became common. Incandescent bulbs have the advantage of allowing more tightly focused beams and the use of more power than LEDs, with the disadvantages of high power consumption, fragility, poor beam pattern and inability to operate at lower power levels. Incandescent headlamps also have rapidly declining light output once the batteries start to lose voltage.
Once 5mm LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s were made available to general consumer markets, they were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption and less fragility compared with incandescent bulbs.
When 1 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
, and 3 watt LEDs were subsequently introduced, they were adopted for use in headlamps. By that time, most incandescent headlamps were no longer available for sale. However, due to the high energy consumption of these LEDs, they produce more heat. To avoid damage to electronic parts, a heatsink is usually required for headlamps that use LEDs that consume more than 1W.
Due to high power consumption, DC-DC converters are often used in 1W+ lights, sometimes controlled by microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
s. That allows the LED(s) to provide brightness that is not affected by a drop in battery voltage
Voltage
Voltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
.
Manufacturers
- PetzlPetzlPetzl is a world leading manufacturer of climbing gear, caving gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamps based in Crolles , France. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl in the mid-1970s...
- SilvaSilva compassSilva compass, or Silva of Sweden, aka Silva Sweden AB is an outdoors products company, most known for their high-grade compasses and other navigational equipment including GPS tools, mapping software, and altimeters for aircraft. They also offer a marine range...
- Black Diamond Equipment
- Princeton Tec
- Zebralight
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See also
- FlashlightFlashlightA flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
- Carbide lampCarbide lampCarbide lamps, properly known as acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide with water....