Alternative Torch

As an electronics designer, I designed several innovative torches or flashlights, using various kinds of lamp or bulb -- often relying on persistence of vision (fast flashing). Something that is little appreciated, if at all, is that small neon bulbs can be made to flash extremely economically. Once, on a visit to the Pacific, my incandescent torch failed in a hurricane, and it was frightening. I therefore built a neon torch designed not to quit -- which was of course before white LEDs were up to it. People joked about the bulb, which looked something like the one on the right. It was good enough to read by, and good enough to walk with in the dark. So this technology is now dead -- but would still be a workable alternative for some of the things we do with torches in 2020.