Inside Poundland's keychain COB light. (Good for the components.)

A look inside Poundland's keychain LED light, and a what components can be sourced from it.
This is another video made in work accommodation. It'll sound and look a bit different compared to normal. Now the show I'm working on is under way, life will be easier and I'll have more time to make my usual deeper technical videos.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of KZbin's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

[@huldu]

If that cost a pound *and* it included 2 of those batteries that was one helluva deal just for the batteries alone.

[@SynisterNation]

huldu poundland are pretty good, you can get a multi pack of flat batteries with 4x2032 and an assortment of other sizes for £1

[@tomaszwota1465]

I'll be visiting London, I hope there are those Poundland stores there...

[@jonanderson5137]

That's just the size, those aren't lithium batteries. Usually "heavy duty" and don't last very long.

[@DrBagPhD]

@@tomaszwota1465 Tons!

[@tonightwefly]

800 stores across the UK 🙂

[@BC0pss]

I had a few of those that I bought almost a year ago, all served me well. I have taken two of those apart and the led module wasn't bent, but it bends easily in my hands. I stuck the led thing to my hat, attached a powerbank (from poundland, of course) and now have a cheap and super handy lit working hat

[@scottfirman]

I may buy a few at the dollar store and mount them on the wings of my RC planes as landing lights. I can rig a remote switch to work off my transmitter and receiver( I already have a few) that will fit this application easily. They are so bright they will light up the landing field as I smash into the ground. " Pull up" Pull up" UGGGHHH!

[@ciarfah]

RC Hobbyist Extreme your comment took a beautiful turn at the end there

[@smitcher]

Look on this link and you can get them in any size you would ever want... www.aliexpress.com/item/32906820932.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.69b31026qfmZlz&algo_pvid=057e9f54-e5ae-43bb-99ab-96a3a2c5cea2&algo_expid=057e9f54-e5ae-43bb-99ab-96a3a2c5cea2-0&btsid=fee2270f-a6c4-4b35-87c3-2745783f8e1f&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_10,searchweb201603_52

[@m101ist]

So they have dollarland stores in USA. What about the tarrif on this stock that comes from china

[@smitcher]

@@m101ist In UK at least it's usually not worth their while trying to impose a tariff of this low value stuff. If you were ordering £1000s of the stuff at a time then yes but one offs are considered commercial samples and not worth their while. I've ordered loads from Ali and never had any issues with our customs. The most they would charge if at all would be local tax rate i'm assuming so no more than 15% in US

[@hamjudo]

@@m101ist with the tariffs, the exchange rate, and the expense of running a store in the US, our dollar stores don't tend to have recent products this nice. Or if they do, I have been shopping at the wrong dollar stores.

[@tiporari]

They sell a AAA powered cob LED at the US Dollar Tree stores. I just bought 10 of them for the parts. They pull 250ma at 4.5 volts or around 1 watt. Sadly, no switch, chip or resistor but they are $1. Amazing how cheap they can make a functional product. Battery holders and cobs for a buck isn't bad.

[@templebrown7179]

I harvest the boost circuits from their 2xAA phone chargers.

[@28YorkshireRose12]

Hi Clive, I've just had a ridiculous thought, but it occurs to me that 'could' use that as a light on your keys! 🤔 😂

[@steuk6510]

I have a degree in electrical engineering and programming physics I also studied medical physics. I live in West Yorkshire

[@rogersmith9808]

Yorkshire Rose : What an absurd idea!! 😉

[@nialltracey2599]

And I quote: "It's a bit chunky for a keychain". Thus spake the guy who always has a light on his keychain and uses it in his job. Me, every now and then I attach a light to my keys. Never use it. Take it off cos it's too bulky. One year later, I need a light once, and don't have one. Buy one later, attach it to my keys. Never use it. (Repeat ad nauseam.)

[@_Piers_]

@@nialltracey2599 Next time you think you need a light on you keys, buy a "Nitecore T Series Tube" they're about £6 at Banggood. Clive has talked about them in the past, they're bright and small.

[@greenaum]

@@nialltracey2599 You want to get some of those lighters with a white LED at the bottom. They use a couple of little watch batteries, not replacable. Though the lighter is refillable. If you don't smoke, you'll have to start. Then you'll always have a lighter on you. They've also, in the past, done the same lighter but with a blue LED. Great. The colour the eye is least sensitive to. Useful for bugger all, a torch for the blind perhaps. Do the Chinese still think blue LEDs are impressive? I think they do, they still stick them in stuff where they're not needed. I suppose they're handy to them, since they take the same higher voltage that white ones do. White LEDs also aren't impressive, China. You can use red and green ones if you like, we don't mind. Blue LEDs were impressive in the early 2000s when that Japanese bloke had just invented them, and got a Nobel prize for it. So they were really expensive and impressive. But that ship has sailed.

[@PaulSteMarie]

I would assume that the bent cob is to provide some spring tension to keep it from rattling around in the house eng. A very nice clever low cost solution.

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

Those cob lights are excellent value. My COB wasn't bent and it will run from a single CR2032 shimmed out with a 5p piece. Grab as many as you can.

[@steuk6510]

What does COB stand for

[@andreim841]

@@steuk6510 chip on board

[@greenaum]

@@steuk6510 Chip On Board, the bare microchip or LED is mounted to the printed circuit board. As opposed to the usual method of putting chips and LEDs into a housing with pins coming out, then soldering the pins to the board. COB microchips are soldered straight to the PCB and have a blob of black epoxy plopped on top to protect them. It's slightly cheaper, if you're going to make millions of something it can save you money. Most cheap electronics use COB. Many of those cheap games console clones (ie the NES clones) from China have the main chip as a COB. Lots of toys also have a COB, sometimes two, with the main processor being in one, and a ROM chip storing games / data / sounds etc as the other.

[@Craig1967]

You bring up something that I have thought for several years now: "The dreaded ON -LOW -FLASH-OFF" on a single button. Most LED flashlights are made that way, but there are a couple of exceptions I found. One on Ebay that uses a single 18650 for about $4.00. It has a click on/ click off switch. That switch is not a momentary type. It still has the "chip" to do all the dreaded functions, but in normal use you never see them unless you deliberately partially press the switch (not enough to make it click) for a bit to go to the next mode. (Partial press kills the power for a split second.) If you turn off the flashlight, the chip resets back to HI mode after .5 seconds so the next press/click it will come on bright. If anyone is interested, reply and I will post a link. Thanks for the video, great job, as all of yours are.

[@sleeptyper]

I have a 45W 2x26650 5x 6 CREE flashlight that i use at work. The strobe deters bad guys very effectively. 😎

[@geraldgepes]

Alright, I will come out in defense out the strobe function. While camping my Klarus XT-11 (notable because it's 1,000 lumens+) flashlight saved my ass twice by having the strobe feature. The first incident was walking back to camp at night when I saw two black bear cubs were in the middle of our site amd a lot closer than I'd like. I realized that momma must have been close as well and did not want to have to go near them to get to my vehicle. So, what to do? I flashed them with the strobe function for a solid minute or so which seemed to annoy them away. The second time was a bit less helpful, I woke up in my hammock at some ungodly hour, pitch black and in the middle of the Manistee national forest. Initially I thought I was tripping for no reason then I heard a Coyote scream, extremely close. I take a second to listen closely and hear it stepping near where we had slung up our trash and beer (about ten yards from me). Then I see it's eyes and realize that it either hasn't noticed me or doesn't care that I'm here. Emboldened by my previous success, I ready my flashlight and pocket knife just incase and leap (as well as one can) out of my hammock. I'm blasting this thing with my strobe and shouting for it to fuck right off. It just stares at me. Then I see four or five more sets of eyes about thirty yards back. At this point my brother wakes up wondering what the fuck I'm on about, realizes this is in defense of beer and joins the assault. I think we had to resort to throwing tree branches at it. I don't recall the rest of the night, I think I downed the remaining beer to get off to sleep. So, in my book, the strobe is alright for at least freezing wildlife for an instant at a distance.

[@thomasherzog86]

its it original purpose aswell as a good signal to others when lost in the wood. most flashlights these days are however used outside the wild which is the reason it annoys many. : )

[@stumccabe]

Gerald Gepes congratulations - you are the first person, out of about 2 billion, to use the strobe function. You should win some sort of prize.

[@coondogtheman]

I would definitely get this maybe a few of them. I'd make USB lights out of them because of that 100 resistor on the LED- trace. 6V from two of those coin cells. 5V should be no issue. possibly a project bigclive?

[@crysis4real]

Hi Clive, Thank you so much for keeping your promise and doing this video as requested by me five months ago :-)

[@dingdongbells3314]

That feeling when you see the store *Poundland* in the title and a pair of hands in the thumbnail, so you click without checking anything expecting to get Ashens, but getting Clive instead. It's not a bad feeling, I must say.

[@anthonysibley1021]

It was the "Good for Components" that was the give away

[@longhairedcountryboy2363]

I thought poundland was nickname for the country, not a name of a chain store. Thank you for the illumination. 😉

[@spokehedz]

"Everything is going to be less professional" And that is how we like it.

[@rayg9069]

We expect nothing more from Clive ;-)

[@christianrottler]

Got the same one in green. Major flaw; The moment you put it in your pocket it'll switch on and it will deplete the batteries within a short amount of time 😛

[@Petertronic]

I spotted that immediately, no use for keyrings at all!

[@benbaselet2026]

Whoever decided that the stupid flashing needs to be cycled every single time you want to use the unit deserves to be shot. That mode should require some special long keypress or whatever because it's almost never useful.

[@pierreuntel1970]

I guess you could use it to trigger seizure or make them temporary blind if someone's trying to rob you...

[@benbaselet2026]

@@pierreuntel1970 Mild annoyment isn't really going to stop a robber I think :D

[@pierreuntel1970]

@@benbaselet2026 yeah... If something like a powerful flashlight do this then it will cause temporary blind but I doubt this thing can do that

[@peterjensen6844]

A decent quality light like a Nitecore doesn't do that sillyness. I think it's a feature of a particular chipset that's been copied.

[@NightlifeSux]

It's just a very common chip that's mass-produced in extremely large numbers and most likely costs less than any other multi-mode chip that doesn't include flash.

[@Nukle0n]

Nice of them to make the battery replaceable even though probably most people will never use this enough to drain the batteries. I still think it's preferable to devices that cannot be recharged.

[@giornogiovanna729]

I think it costs more to change those batteries.

[@hoixthegreat8359]

@@giornogiovanna729 You can get a set of like 40 flat batteries for £1 from Poundland. They have quite a few of the CR2032s, although not enough as they seem to be super common nowadays.

[@giornogiovanna729]

@@hoixthegreat8359 Of course bulk buy or Poundland makes sense. I have zero (0) products and projects that use 2032 so I was thinking about that (also no Poundland here). Some places sell it for like 27 cent and some sell for 85 cent for a single battery so better make a price research.

[@greenaum]

@@hoixthegreat8359 I've often thought of getting a couple of sheets of those batteries. Then putting them all in series. You'd get quite a voltage. Not much current of course, but you could probably kill someone with 200V worth. Like an alternative taser. Instead of thousands of volts at microamps, you have hundreds, at enough milliamps to fuck someone up. After all, people getting zapped by the mains will fly across a room. They usually survive but not always. So maybe a container full of little batteries would make a mean personal protection device. You could even stick a resistor in series, if you wanted to be kind. Or perhaps charge a capacitor with the voltage and zap your enemy with that, rather than giving them the full current capacity of the battery stack. Would limit the current so be a bit safer. How safer, you select when you choose the capacitor.

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Its good for recycling/trashing..no one should like glued in batteries looking at the (f)apple

[@Dave2108]

Well i just bought 2 of these this evening. Have to say for a whole £1 its a nice bit of kit. It seems quite bright too.. Will be trying it tonight to see how much light you get and check my engine as if ive broken down.. Think these would be handy to just keep one on the glovebox with the tab still in so you pull it out when you use it..

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

If it is only the switch that you need you have 250 of them in 10 types for just ￡3.55 On Aliexpress search for - 250pcs/box Mixed Tactile Touch Push Switch Kit Or only the 4-Pin 4x4x1.5H SMD Push Button 100 for ￡1.03 and no hassle to get it of the PCB

[@pileofstuff]

Assuming you want to wait a month for shipping...

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

@@pileofstuff That is only the first time, the next time you need one you have 249 in stock. and BTW lately most of my orders on ali I receive them in 8 to 10 days.

[@pileofstuff]

@@ZZtop-gg3lu My recent orders from "the usual suspects" in China have improved as well. They're as fast as 25 days now. Late last year it could take well over 6 weeks.

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

@@pileofstuff In Februari it would still be close to a month 😊 I live in the Netherlands and since PostNL closed a deal with Ali the delivery time is 8 to 10 days with an occasional 5 day delivery. With start to end Track and Trace, very happy with that!

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

@@pileofstuff that's only to Canada...

[@tikaanipippin]

Not all Poundland stores get the same products. I have 4 stores to choose from, 2 in Portsmouth, and 2 in Fareham a few miles away. One of the Fareham stores seems to get premium products like £1.00 travel comfort compression stockings each year and £0.50 personal travel alarms with built-in LED flashlamp, which seem to be very good value for money. They have a grenade-pin actuation mechanism. Here are also £1.00 door/window alarms which have a magnetic actuated reed-switch mechanism, but use a similar circuit. 2 squeaky balls for a £ - my dog loves Poundland.

[@ckm-mkc]

This format/style makes terrific lights for dog collars. My dog has been using a Streamlight version of this for years. Lights up the ground in front of her so she can see where she is walking and I can see what she is sniffing... Mine has a USB rechargeable battery, is metal and supposedly waterproof but it also costs 20x more...

[@clonetek]

I hate lights that have that dumb flash/strobe effect! I just want one that turns on/off.

[@thepvporg]

You must have a really good pound shop because the pound shops round me don't seem to carry the sort of products you showcase and strip down.

[@trickyrat483]

Clive is very tall and threatening.

[@thepvporg]

@@trickyrat483 Not at all, Clive is the big cuddly uncle that every one likes, knowledgeable and well versed in many things as to be able to spin a yarn or tell a tale of feats past... and has that "Uncle Buck" quality about him...

[@gbjanuary]

Mark Giblin pound land have them.

[@makeracistsafraidagain]

Sharp and clear in extreme closeup! Excellent! I can really keep track of what you are describing.

[@templebrown7179]

Smart man! We can make keys from a screenshot and have the Photoshop overlays to make it easy.

[@medic-iw6qx]

If you hold the button down it also goes into S.O.S flash Unfortunately, the batteries do not last longer than a few weeks of intermittent use...

[@steuk6510]

You can replace the battery's it's same ones you use in digital scales the kitchen ones you can buy the crc3 battaries in. Argus some blood sugar monitors have them

[@Petertronic]

Understandable with the cheapo batteries it came with, but branded 2032's should last much longer

[@AK90]

The button placement is a bit dumb. If it gets squashed between two things it will turn on in your pocket >_>

[@craigthurston7731]

Yes, it frequently does. Still the battery life seems impressive despite that.

[@TheJohn8765]

Most of the keychain lights have that problem, including the NiteCore Tube (which I have on my keychain). At least mine is rechargeable.

[@Grim_Beard]

I can recommend the Olight I1R EOS (www.olightstore.uk/olight-i1r-eos.html). It's tiny, bright, rechargeable, robust, waterproof, and has a twist-on-off mechanism that means it won't come on by accident in your pocket. A bit expensive, certainly compared to anything from Poundland obviously, but worth it.

[@_Piers_]

@@TheJohn8765 The Tube has a lockout feature to stop that, generally works quite well - "With Tube turned on, press and hold the switch for three seconds. Tube will lock out after a flash of the LED to avoid accidental activation during carry. To unlock, press and hold the switch for three seconds again."

[@alexmarshall4331]

Clive you are head and shoulders above professional 👍💖💎

[@anthonywitham2305]

Clive, the flashing mode on all these type of devices is for: ....................................................................nope I've got nothing! 😄

[@someguy2741]

You need a hi focus travel trumpy brick.

[@michaelthibault7930]

Trumpy Tower, to define plane of focus while still allowing manipulation (e.g. flipping) and handling of the pro-duct.

[@etheroar6312]

@@michaelthibault7930 Nicely stated.

[@someguy2741]

@@michaelthibault7930 Can you get it in Professionor grade?

[@MD4564]

I am disappointed we Aussies can't buy from poundland :/

[@pietpaulusma5969]

You are the Bob Ross of our time. I love it!

[@Slikx666]

Well that's something else that can come out of the box of goodies for you Clive.

[@Seegalgalguntijak]

As a keychain, I still prefer my somewhat bulky LED Lenser P3BM with its amazing battery life of 1 AAA cell every 3-4 years. I bought it in 2011, and when the little aluminium eye for the keychain ring in its rear switch part recently broke, it got replaced for free. I think it's now on its 3rd battery or so.

[@d.b.cooper]

Smart thinking hiding your keys! So extremely simple to duplicate a key from a photograph.

[@deaultusername]

[yea, hackfest 2018 talk](kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5LciZlrlrd5iqs) some people are really good at it

[@hindsonracing]

yeah, somebody could copy his key to break in and steal the stuff he buys from poundland

[@pileofstuff]

I suppose it might be a larger concern if anyone knew which doors a given key opened...

[@ciarfah]

Leah-Marie Lafond-Hindson he has a few grand worth of fairy lights and LED bulbs at this point

[@d.b.cooper]

pileofstuff Big Clive knows... it’s precisely why he hid them.

[@antoineroquentin2297]

what's the intended use of the epilepsy-function that many flashlights have?

[@lesrogers7310]

Emergency beacon of some sort I believe.

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

It's a Flash-light, that's what it does

[@RedwoodRhiadra]

The serious reason is that the manufacturers usually also make bicycle lights, which almost always have a flashing mode for daytime visibility, and they use the same control chip in the flashlights (cheaper to just order and track the one part).

[@Rustbox306]

For half the battery drain you get more visibility. Win win

[@Sierraomega1991]

Can be used as a self defence light by blinding an attacker with bright flash

[@ElectroSwingable]

Nice one for the dedicated connoisseur

[@MrChief101]

And don't forget! A two cell battery holder! Those aren't cheap on their own as well as any of the rest of this thing. Remarkable.

[@f1ashpoint2589]

I wonder if it has the SOS function.

[@BigClive]

I've just checked. It has.

[@BC0pss]

had the thing for over a year now, only discovered the function today, came back to this vid to write that it does indeed flash sos

[@gordonlawrence4749]

Worth it for the bits definitely.

[@Petertronic]

Fast flashing on torches like this should be banned, on this one it's quite vicious and unnecessary. Also if you hold the button there's an S.O.S. mode!

[@SigEpBlue]

I think the only "improvement" I'd make is a slight increase in the resistor value. With a non-directional light source that's often going to be the _only_ light source around, I prefer it to be a softer, longer-lasting intensity. Easier on the eyes, too. :) Still, yeah, a decent amount of components for a pound. Hope everything goes/went smoothly in the show!

[@BigClive]

A fee technical burps, but nothing too bad. Mainly involving waterproof lights that aren't.

[@GR46404]

I wonder how people put things like this on a keychain back before IC chips and LEDs? The vacuum tubes and incandescent light bulbs must have made them fairly bulky, not to mention the need for a "mains" power cord. And I bet they didn't even have the flashing mode. Thinking it over, the really old versions, with tallow candles, might actually have been more convenient.

[@jfguy9696]

IN a recent visit to the USA version of Poundland, Dollar Tree, I came home with three small flashlights. Notable is that it runs on one AA battery. It has 4 COB LEDs, very small ones, maybe 0.25x0.25 in the handle as a flood light and a single larger LED as a spotlight. I am pretty sure the single LED has a forward voltage of 2.7 volts, so I have to wonder how it works with just 1.5 volts. I guess you can guess why I bought 3 :-)

[@jfguy9696]

@@johncoops6897 yep, you nailed it, it has one little inductor and a YX8115, amazing what a buck can still buy :-)

[@MrGazzw]

I have a couple of these, one on my car keys, and a spare, they are pretty bright for what they are, and for helping with car and door locks in the dark, there great, only real issue is they can switch on in your bag/pocket easily, but worth the £1.00.

[@TheRailroad99]

Problem with those no-name CR2032 batteries is that they don't last too long when inserted into a motherboard for CMOS storage. They will test fine with a voltmeter (3-4V) but with even the tiniest current they drop to almost 0V after only a year or two of usage. Good CR 2032 (for example Varta or most OEM batteries delivered in PC boards) last around ten years. It probably will not show that the battery is depleted, but the CMOS can sometimes corrupt with those cheap batteries causing the PC to randomly freeze or not to boot

[@MrGazzw]

Hi Clive, extra to my 1st comment on this light, I found out quite accidentally, that if you hold the power button, it will go into an SOS mode, like some others do, you didn't try this feature in the video, so was unsure if you knew about it.

[@reggiep75]

I've got one of these I bought about 6 months ago... Good stuff indeed!

[@cyberraxx9268]

I bought three of these just for the parts. I also found out by accident that if the button was held down for about 3 seconds it flashed S.O.S. which wasn't mentioned on the packaging.

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

Some of those chips have undocumented function -- hold the MODE button while the flashlight is in any mode except off. It begins proper SOS Morse code mode. And for some reason, the dimming function only reduces the brightness to 80% on models with boost converter (takes 1 AAA battery)

[@davidfe47]

Yesterday, saw this at a local box store [Menard's -US] for $ 4.99. Great review. Thanks

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Too expensive

[@cornwallonline]

There's actually 4 modes on these - I wondered if a long press would switch it off, rather than scrolling through 'dim' and 'flash'. It doesn't switch it off, it turns on a true 'SOS' sequence! ( ...---...--- etc. )

[@chrisrowarth4874]

I'm glad you made this video, I've had one for a while and haven't opened it yet!

[@m101ist]

Now you know how.

[@Bammyja]

I bet I’ve bought 10 of these over the last few months. Very handy to have around.

[@Bammyja]

James Smith I leave them in the car/boat or give to friends. Finding the right key on your key rings is sometimes a problem and these help

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

What camera are you using to get the super close and manual focus @BigCliveDotCom

[@jurivlk5433]

It's a pitty we don't have these shops! I love these gadgets for small purses!

[@connardman]

In France, we got only five of them under the name "Dealz", but they all died earlier this year. It was fun while it lasted. :(

[@michaelthibault7930]

For very large values of "small", obviously.

[@mahlapropyzm9180]

@@connardman Don't worry, post-Brexit some bright spark will be running Poundand cruises to Dover. You heard it here first (discounts for a boot full of wine :D ).

[@jurivlk5433]

@@connardman It seems they have some interesting things!,ì,

[@dashcamandy2242]

BC, I have a suggestion for you: Walmart in the US sells clip-on lenses for cell phones (wide-angle, macro, etc.) in a small kit, I wonder if those could help you get those up-close shots we love? They probably don't work so well for video, but I'm sure you could get some pretty decent close-up stills. (Not sure how you'd get them into a video whilst away from home, but you could always just read off what you've seen and maybe upload them to the cloud for interested parties to peruse.) I haven't tried them myself, but I was actually surprised to see them and thought, "why didn't I think of that?" Aside from the annoying-but-perceived-as-a-safety-"feature" flash mode, that's actually not too bad of a product. Built to a very low price point, but it appears to have been well-constructed - even to the point of user-replaceable batteries in a common size. The factory could have omitted the battery door entirely to shave a few tenths of a cent off the manufacturing cost, or slapped one of those oddball solar light 2/3 AA batteries, and it still would be worth the price. Clever of them to shape it like a key when it is intended to be carried on a keychain, although it does closely resemble the keychain toys for babies which leads to that potential hazard.

[@alexoja2918]

You're working a gig and you're just taking everyone's electronics a little piece at a time to dissect on youtube :D

[@lesliefranklin1870]

That's the mind of an engineer. Buy something cheap so you can cannibalize the parts in lieu of expensive parts for other projects.

[@lasersbee]

4:37... The background texture and color makes it a lot easier to see what you are doing and pointing at. That normal dark brown (masonite type color) makes things appear too dark.

[@xirabolt]

How good are the batteries included in these things compared to retail? Considering a single CR2032 can easily be $4-5 in stores, would you be better off buying two of these $1 keylights for four batteries?

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Yes for the average use they are okay..even the cr2032 in the 1 euro/pound/dollar set are okay...just don't use them for you car remote, if you like walking the go ahead...usually their voltage saggs at the end directly down when they are depleted

[@twocvbloke]

Uses? Defeating enemies who are hell bent on world domination who are also epileptic perhaps? That's all I can think of... :P

[@johnfrancisdoe1563]

twocvbloke Attracting attention from search parties if stuck in the middle of nowhere?

[@greenaum]

Usually James Bond villains have some born disability like that. So more useful than you'd think, really. The reason they never gave him something like that in the films I suppose is cos they might be accused of taking the piss. And when he used it, all the epileptics in the audience would start having fits.

[@kitecattestecke2303]

Blinks flashy bum if inserted right :-)

[@TheSpotify95]

If it's only £1 per keychain then it's a good idea just to buy these for the CR2032s! as they can be quite pricey and relatively hard to find (outside of online stores such as ebay). And that's not taking into account that you can salvage other components, like those COB LED arrays.

[@patrickmuhwheeney6518]

You're always apologizing for the camera, but I never notice a problem...What are you using, Clive?

[@pauljs75]

Seems decent for what it is, even if the design is a little gimmicky. Got an under-cabinet COB strip light with two brightness levels that runs on 2xAAA and it seems to last rather long on batteries, given intermittent use. Plenty bright, even if the color rendition is likely to be crap - but that's not the point of these things. I figure this keychain thing will be similar even with 2032.

[@kevinensz6087]

I have the nebo keyring flashlight rechargeable and extremely bright for its size

[@khronscave]

0:40 Pretty sure that was just insulating one of the battery terminals, so the thing wouldn't come on in transit, if it got squished, and run the batteries flat.

[@JasonHalversonjaydog]

i have one of those lights as a keychain too, i first learned of those from your video

[@therealchayd]

Ah, I was wondering when you'd get round to reviewing these. When they first came out, I brought all the stock in the local store and gave one to everyone at work.

[@McSynth]

I bought one a while back. Nothing to complain about.

[@michaelthibault7930]

It's a bicycle light (nominal -- for the front). Depending on 'bendability' of the COB, it could be wrapped around the circuit board's uniformly-radiused part, then the whole could be potted in a blob of home-brew Sugru… The attachment mechanism? Always a challenge, the strap… Hmmm. Embed the key ring in the Sugru, along with the swivel, and wing it from there on out.

[@michaelthibault7930]

In the main, bike lights aren't for illuminating the roadway. And certainly not at this price point. They're nominally "lights"; they serve to signal the presence of something moving. Yes, as you splash out ever-more money, you can acquire light systems that incorporate SLAs, Li-Ion, or even Li-whatever. And bulbs or elements that _require_ heat sinks. That said, the cheapest LED-based bike lights come in at about the cost of this keyring light. My suggestion to use the item as a bike light -- which garnered an unusually vituperative response -- was in response to a prompt about uses to which it could be put. It occurred to me later that the electronics might _already_ fit into an existing bike light, of the simpler type, obviating the need for a 'case' and anchorage -- just some shoe-horning. Wouldn't even require steroids.

[@ranij6209]

Clive or anyone, would you know how to disable the strobe mode on this? I want to use it for a project and it's quite nifty for a £, but I want the strobe mode gone... thoughts?

[@katrinabryce]

Rani Jazi I guess you would need to change the chip. Or maybe you could change the switch to a push-on push-off type and get rid of the chip altogether.

[@gordonprentice7090]

Hi Clive, I'm going to the Tattoo on the 17th, can't wait been wanting to go for years.

[@BigClive]

If you're about on the 18th there's going to be an Edinburgh meet up. Are you attending the first or second show? The second looks better because it's darker.

[@gordonprentice7090]

Not sure which show booked it through Urquart travel. Will not find out till we get on bus. Will be in Edinburgh on the 18th but sure when.

[@CanizaM]

It wasn't long ago that "COB" as in chip-on-board was a very specialist technical term, and now it's prominently shown on the packaging of a consumer product as if buyers would even know what it means...

[@BigClive]

It's bizarre that it's ended up implying some new and amazing technology when in reality it's just a cheap way of manufacturing.

[@makeracistsafraidagain]

I'm glad you hid your keys. Not everyone knows that most keys can be read just by looking at them.

[@BigClive]

Yup. And you can get them cut on eBay with just a photo.

[@jp-um2fr]

An on the spot photographer finds two girls on holiday on the beach and says 'hang on while I focus you two' . The answer ' what both of we'. Sorry Clive but you did mention 'focus' a lot

[@sleeptyper]

10-20 of these, 6v Pb battery and all buttons replaced with one - all glued to an appropriate board. Heck of a paddle light there, heh.

[@yepperdeedooda]

Do people give these away as promotions? I forgot which company exactly but I think it was a shoe company or something that had a key with a light on it but they were giving away for their promotional material.

[@2trains182]

Now I've seen you in two very different comments sections. The other was a Norm MacDonald video

[@28YorkshireRose12]

That reminds me of the days when you could get a free LCD watch with every gallon of motor oil you bought at certain filling stations!

[@lovelyheiferdev]

Most of the time companies of all varieties give such items away for brand awareness, so yea.

[@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8]

Like it , hope it comes here..

[@rhiantaylor3446]

In terms of battery life, I wonder how 2xCR2032 would compare with 1xCR2032 and a joule thief circuit. I have been buying devices made up of 10x parallel leds attached to a 1xAA battery holder that fits in the neck of a wine bottle - I must assume it includes a joule thief - and the whole thing is only about £1.45 shipped from china so they could probably swap 1xCR2032 for the joule thief at the same cost to build.

[@TheMatthooks]

I'm looking for some limited brightness torches for an escape room. If I were to swap out the 1 ohm resistor for a slightly higher value one it would reduce the maximum brightness? I have one of these already and it's much too bright for the purpose I need it, and the two cells don't last very long at all.

[@BigClive]

Yes. Increasing the value of that resistor can be used to control the intensity. Using a value of around 300 ohms will still give out useful light.

[@steuk6510]

Why not get one off the inspection video scopes from amazon the k moon ones there range from 35 to 44 pounds ill post the link if you're interested there usb and have a stand up screen and USB to computer and vga you can measure on it as well

[@robertsmiczsmiczamplificat593]

Big guy! I was wondering what camera that is? The focus while zooming worked pretty well. As a broadcast Engineer i was impressed with the response of the focus as you zoomed. Very nice. I’d love to know what your using?

[@BigClive]

Do you REALLY want to know what I'm using? It's a humble Moto G6 Play phone with Open Camera. Manual refocusing when needed to avoid focus-hunting.

[@robertsmiczsmiczamplificat593]

bigclivedotcom .It actually looks better then many very expensive cameras. Your just working it well i guess? Good stuff. I hope the shows are going well? Love the videos my friend. Cheers from Connecticut, North Eastern USA.

[@ArmadaAsesino]

Does anyone out there actually have any use for it strobing? Or is it just something they add for the sake of it?

[@Daniel-ou4fb]

I'd like to see how it works with 4 cr2016s in it

[@raymondmucklow3793]

Extra fine video sir, good luck on your shows today, I get to install new dishwasher, then mow the yard. Cheers from Kansass.

[@mlight6275]

what are the shows ?

[@raymondmucklow3793]

@@mlight6275 i believe he is in or rigging the lighting in theatrical show.

[@robinsonlabs]

Hi Clive, after testing we beleive that you have missed the hidden feature!!! If you hold the button down for 5 seconds then it will do SOS flashing. Why would they not include it in the features or instructions? maybe lost in translation lol

[@BigClive]

I discovered that afterwards when a Patreon supporter mentioned it. That'll be down to the use of a standard flashlight chip.

[@Ekriirke]

They have these in the EuroShops around here without packaging, I bought a few a month or so ago. They're nice except for the housing and shitty soft metal keychain

[@neilcaldwell870]

Has anyone noticed in Poundland the DIY products are all affiliated by Tommy Walsh. Was just wondering Clive maybe there's a partnership deal for you here... "As seen by You Tube's Big Clive" on anything battery powered or Powerbanks, LED, Solar, Rechargeable... you name it Clive's taken it to bits and reverse Eng'd it!

[@nex69696]

I have one of these on my keychain. It also has the SOS mode if you hold the button down for a few seconds

[@michaelthibault7930]

Hallelujah! The light of reason!

[@johnturner4400]

So you are not doing strictly this year?

[@BigClive]

I don't work on that show. Some of my colleagues do.

[@pulesjet]

I'd buy one just for the COB. You could do all sorts of Nifty Chit with one or seven ? Now I'll be keeping a eye out at our Dollar General , Dollar Tree and Family Dollar Stores ! LOL My mother in law has a two lb key ring and wonders why her ignition switch is wonky ? I'll buy her one too ! Snurkkkk !

[@nutsnproud6932]

I wonder if you can bypass the chip so you press and hold for the light?

[@BigClive]

Yes, you could do that.

[@just_noXi]

Still like the Olight I1r

[@MrBelter]

I think it is time you visited a One Below store Clive

[@z0rkmids]

I've always wondered what legitimate uses there are for a spastic flashing mode on a flashlight, such that so many of the cheap ones have it? I've never once found myself in a situation where I thought to myself "If only I had a bright. epilepsy-inducing, flashy thing!"

[@GiddeonFox]

It's the favorite mode of children who want to be as annoying as possible, so there's that at least.

[@IvanVoras]

I imagine it could be used in some kind of outdoors emergency - people probably won't investigate a constant light source in the dark, but if it blinks (especially if it blinks annoyingly), someone will.

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

It wouldn't be much of a FLASH-light if it didn't have a FLASH-mode, would it, Americans, pff

[@z0rkmids]

ZZtop 1700 Sorry, what I meant to say was “Awrite, wa diz every torch hae a flash button? There’s pure nae reason fur it.”

[@ZZtop-gg3lu]

@@z0rkmids Aahh, much better, now I understand what you meant. Simpel, it's a safety feature, if you would use your thumb to make it flash like that you would get carpal tunnel syndrome.

[@bgregg55]

a gynecologist lamp?

[@HuntersMoon78]

I got one of those a few weeks ago, blue too.

[@nialltracey2599]

Well, you've clearly made it. Poundland are now clearly labelling things specifically to get your attention and get the free publicity.

[@americanrebel413]

Thank you BC, great video. Ps. Are these key chains available in the States?

[@jp-um2fr]

Good video, I bet our Poundland hasn't got any.

[@BigClive]

They seem pretty common. I'm sure they've been in every Poundland I've visited.