The heart of the whole luminous is the front multifunctional copper PCB. This PCB solution is completely unique. No other illuminated or modern car headlights have this type of PCB, let alone such precisely distributed electronics between the LEDs. The design and development of these PCBs took several years of daily to fanatical work. During this time, we selected the most modern, most powerful and at the same time miniature components. They bring incredible performance, control and management. Thanks to this PCB, along with other facts below, SOLC lamps are far ahead of other lamps in the world.
Thanks to this PCB, a lot of space was saved inside the lamp, where in the past there was a standard large LED driver, cabling, mounting and switches. Thanks to this integration, the flashlight is much more compact and lighter. The external dimensions of the flashlight are comparable to other high-performance lights, but I will build a battery in the middle of the flashlight. During development, the internal space for the battery was enlarged and the Scorpion now contains 3x 2040mAh Panasonic cells. And so the compact size of the lamp has been preserved, allowing it to light for 11 hours without an external battery at a light output of 360 lumens. The lamp is also adapted to shine only on the internal battery with a power of up to 7200 lumens.
Flashlight control
Two miniature 32-bit microprocessors (MCU) ARM CORTEX 48MHz are ticking in the flashlight. Compared to conventional microprocessors, this is a huge step forward. The flashlight thus has unlimited control options and functions. A special 3.3V DCDC converter is created to power the MCU, which reduces the MCU consumption to 0.03 Watt several times. SOLC lamps even look like an operating system that controls an extensive bus network. Otherwise, it would not be possible to control such a large number of sensors, circuits and functions. This system also allows users to set dozens of light functions - mode groups, temperature, etc. The settings table is here: CONFIGURATION
The first MCU clearly visible in front of the LEDs controls the modes of LED driver, charger, balancer, RGB LED, UV LED, proximity sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, etc. Its important function is power management, protection and switching of internal and external battery. The MCU monitors all currents, voltages and temperatures in the lamp. All 32 pins on the processor are fully utilized and all data is read 1500x per second , so the flashlight is under constant surveillance.
The second MCU is located at the rear and takes care of the correct function of the bargraph and commands from the enconder and communicates with all devices together via the bus. Both MCUs are interconnected with other components in the lamp.
Unique LED driver and efficiency
The SOLC Scorpion flashlight is equipped with a modern extremely powerful LED driver with a power of 95 Watt. This driver is synchronous and therefore achieves better efficiency than with a shottky diode.
Its size is absolutely unique, the driver is several times smaller than any other or much less powerful driver. Thanks to its miniaturization, it is integrated in the front part between the LED and the optics. For comparison, a classic circular 26mm LED driver is placed next to it. The driver achieves an incredible 98% efficiency in the 15-75 Watt power range. Such high efficiency has been achieved through several years of development of high-end electronics.
However, the vast majority of powerful LED drivers consume 0.1 - 0.5 Watt for their own control, which greatly reduces efficiency at low modes. As a result, the endurance of all other powerful lamps for low modes is shorter. And the manufacturers don't even state it. You will not read about this anywhere, because no one is proud of it. However, SOLC luminaires are equipped with a modern LED driver, which uses eco mode and adjusts its functionality at lower loads - this is used today by all modern devices such as mobile phones, notebooks, etc. Even with power below 1 Watt, this powerful driver achieves 95% efficiency. Combined with an energy-saving microprocessor and bargraph power system, a large number of efficient LEDs and optimized power management, SOLC lamps have the longest battery life in the world. It can't be done better.
Built-in battery, charger and balancer
As mentioned above, the SOLC lamp has a built-in battery. It consists of three Panasonic Li-ion NCR18500A 2040mAh cells. It has an energy of 23 Wh, which can be compared to 8 AA batteries. However, SOLC lamps have up to 2x higher overall efficiency and therefore last 2 times longer on the same battery than another one or three LED lamp. Compare the endurance and power consumption parameters in the "modes" section, but few manufacturers state this at all. The lamp itself, even without a connected external battery, provides several hours of endurance with an output of hundreds of lumens.
Furthermore, a powerful charger is integrated in the lamp, which enables very fast charging of the inner cell in 1 hour. In conversion, this means that a 15-minute charge lasts for 2 hours of constant lighting with a power of 360 lumens. Charging power depends on the input power supply, the ideal connected voltage is 12-24Volt. From standard USB, the flashlight charges in 4 hours, because the power of USB is small and the battery is high - as if you had a 6120mAh battery in your phone. When using USB Quickcharge technology, the charging speed will be reduced to 1.5 hours. You can read the exact charging parameters in the "parameters" tab.
The balancer of the internal accumulator is taken care of by the balancer, which ensures even charging of all cells. The need for a balancer is essential because after a few years, an article may start to age earlier or be damaged in some way. Without monitoring the individual cells, it could happen that the defective cell will not charge and instead the voltage on the other cells will increase. Overcharging Li-ion cells is a very dangerous thing and there is no need to elaborate further. In this way, the balancer and microprocessor recognize the defective cell and do not let the others overcharge. Together with the microprocessor, they take care of all battery parameters such as overvoltage, undervoltage and temperature protection. The connectors are wall-mounted on all lamps.
25 V power supply system
The huge power transmitted by the cable allows a high supply voltage of 25 Volts, other lamps with a power supply system of only 8.4 volts will never achieve such power - the current flowing would be up to 15 amps. Even at a third current, there are large losses on wires, connectors and circuits. This has a negative effect on efficiency. Therefore, SOLC lamps at a voltage of 25Volt only transmit current of 3 - 4 Amps and reach a power of about 24V * 4A => 95Watt. However, with a system of only 8.4Vmax, a power of only approx. 7.5Vx4A = 30Watt is achieved
Furthermore, the SOLC luminaires have a top metal screw-proof waterproof connector with 4 positioned pins for industrial environments, while each pin is dimensioned for 5 amps. So even with a power input of 95 watts and a current flowing of 4 Amperes, there are virtually no unnecessary losses and the Scorpion achieves unrivaled efficiency even at such power.
Intelligent power removal
The flashlight can be equipped with a 3-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope, this element allows the flashlight to recognize the type of driving and if the driving style is calm, the flashlight will automatically decrease in the given mode by 30%. After any indication of rougher terrain or a sharper turn of the handlebars, the flashlight will illuminate continuously within 1 second to the given mode. Thanks to this function, it is possible to extend the battery life by up to 30%. This solution is much better than reducing the power depending on the battery charge - it's just an advertising trick for flashlights that can't do constant light in a given mode. This function is optional during the construction of the lamp and later it will be possible to switch it off via the bargraph or application interface.
Proximity senzor
A proximity sensor is located in front of the optics, the task of which is to dim the flashlight when it is placed on the table, otherwise the pad would be destroyed or ignited within a few seconds. Another feature is automatic dimming when illuminating a nearby object to prevent glare - such as looking at a map.