A lot of ROMs and apps now let you use the notification light as a battery light.... It'll show when it's charging, charged or getting low. I put my phone on a charger at 11pm and take it off at 7:30 or 8:00am, so that's about 9 hours every night. I also, usually, throw it on the charger at work for a few hours at the end of the day to give it a 100% charge for the trip home (or while in the car I charge it). That's not counting all the text and email notifications I get that make it blink all day.
I question the longevity, or durability of the light? Are these generally long lasting LED bulbs? Not sure it was meant to be used as a charging light?
I'd rather sacrifice a little now, as far as cool lighting effects and still have a notification light in 2 years (if I ever kept a phone that long, or when I give it to my son), rather than burn out the LED and have nothing in 2 years.
Am I over thinking this?
I'd imagine it'd be fine. Just look at pretty much any modern-day Samsung phone - they use the LED for charging indication by default. I also have my 6P set up like this since I liked that feature on my Note 4.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I've never seen one of these LEDs die.... Not saying it can't happen, but even on some nearly 4-year old Galaxy S III phones, the LEDs still work
Why would it die? I always set these on my older phones and they work like new, not even the brightness dims.
LEDs are built to last, AMOLED isn't
Sent from Google Nexus 6P @ CM13
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Hi,
I rooted my N1 and installed a flashlight app (N1 Torch) that uses the phone's LED flash. It warns you that continuously using the flash might break it, though.
What has been your experience? Does "continuous use" mean "hours", "minutes" or just "more than the 0.5 seconds the flash is supposed to turn on when you make a photo"?
frandavid100 said:
Hi,
I rooted my N1 and installed a flashlight app (N1 Torch) that uses the phone's LED flash. It warns you that continuously using the flash might break it, though.
What has been your experience? Does "continuous use" mean "hours", "minutes" or just "more than the 0.5 seconds the flash is supposed to turn on when you make a photo"?
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I think that using it for a couple of minutes would be fine, the problem is that if it gets too hot it could damage the the phone especially the camera. I remember that I installed a similar program on my nokia n70 and several times happened that by accident i turned on the led while the phone was in my pocket, I only noticed that when i started to feel something burning in my pocket Now my n70's led and camera doesn't work anymore... so just be carefull not to turn on the led by accident
I had read that the LED flash was designed for quick bursts. If that is true than constantly running it could - at least - burn out the LED bulb. I doubt is it user replacable, so that is not a good thing.
I have hoped to use Torch too, but have decided its just not worth it. I will just use the lit up screen as a flashlight.
Yeah.. I'm thinking about uninstalling torch I get random clicking after I turn the app off
It's an LED.. by default LEDs are low-power, have low-heat emission and super long lifetimes. They also tolerate turning on/off repeatedly for extended periods of time.
I somehow doubt you could do any damage to the phone/LED.
Has anyone even heard of doing damage this way, or is this just speculation and ass-covering in case something goes wrong?
my old sony erricson w810i LED flash lasted for atleast an hour of continuous use with no ill effect.
LEDs don't get that bright either, not the ones you are thinking of. The LED in the nexus one is much brighter than "usual", and it's also much smaller.
High power LEDs (HPLED) can be driven at currents from hundreds of mA to more than an ampere, compared with the tens of mA for other LEDs. They produce up to over a thousand lumens. Since overheating is destructive, the HPLEDs must be mounted on a heat sink to allow for heat dissipation. If the heat from a HPLED is not removed, the device will burn out in seconds.
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(bold for emphasis)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#High_power_LEDs
Obviously the LED in the N1 is designed to deal with its heat under "normal usage" for a camera flash, and it probably can handle longer usages than the stock camera, but I wouldn't push it too far.
Edit:
If anyone wants to use some debug tools to find how many mA the phone pulls when the flash is on vs when its off, they could probably look up the usual heat generation for an LED of that size and see how 'safe' it is to run.
I just contacted the developer on google wave, waiting for his reply now. Please give me your address if you want to be added to the wave.
DarkLord7854 said:
It's an LED.. by default LEDs are low-power, have low-heat emission and super long lifetimes. They also tolerate turning on/off repeatedly for extended periods of time.
I somehow doubt you could do any damage to the phone/LED.
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Click to collapse
High power LEDs do get hot (i have an LED flashlight that gets quite hot after prolonged useage. it chews up batteries as well) and, ill bet that continued useage at high output can damage it.. and the camera... theres a reason that its not enabled stock
A way around heat and power is the cycle the LED at 30-60hz. I am unsure if the developer of N1 Torch could make it happen with software alone though.
Not sure if this helps but I have shot several videos and even changed a flat tire with my BB Storm LED. Besides draining battery, the only thing I worried about was space on mr MicoSd because I could only leave it on continuously in video mode.
I used mine this morning for about 5 mins and no problems.
Still works and so does the camera.
Wait, so the Nexus One uses the High Power LED, not a regular LED?
NexusDro said:
Wait, so the Nexus One uses the High Power LED, not a regular LED?
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no he was just using that quote to prove that some leds do produce heat. judging by the brightness i would say its relatively high power, and because htc might not have mounted the led on a heatsink big enough to keep it cool after prolonged use because they designed it for a camera flash, not a flashlight. so better safe than sorry.
britoso said:
my old sony erricson w810i LED flash lasted for atleast an hour of continuous use with no ill effect.
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Ya! I had a K750 (flashed with the W800i firmware) that had as one of it's features, used the flash as a torch and a SOS beacon.
SonyEricsson's XPERIA X1 (Win Mo device, HTC manufactured) has an app for the flash too. The app has two options.
First (dimmer) is mostly OK (not recommended for hours of use either).
Second (brighter) caused a meltdown of the LED's plastic holder if used for long enough. The holder melted over the vibrator motor, thus shutting it stiff and ruining it.
aad4321 said:
exactly. led's dont get hot.... someone should email the developer of the app. i know he has done some extensive testing. post what you get
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Folks should stick to things they know. There are many VERY high power LEDs, such as those used as a flash. Depending on the application they end design may be to be used in short bursts because they create so much heat. LEDs waste LESS power through heat dispersion than a conventional lamp, but they do indeed create heat. I've seen LEDs that need a heatsink 10x their size to keep them cool. In the interest of size I would be willing to bet there is not enough heatsink on the LED flash to be able to use it for extended periods of time without burning it out.
comparing light sources from different phones as others have done here is silly. Unless you are positive that they are the same LEDs and that they have proper cooling behind them, then don't compare.
Source - Me. almost 20 years in the semiconductor design and test industry
Seconded. It's possible the LED is being driven at peak currents, or beyond too, which is fine for a short burst but not for prolonged use.
I'm the developer of N1 Torch, and was pointed towards this thread. So I can offer some answers and insight...
Standard brightness is supported 'naturally' by the LED kernel driver. I tell it to come on, and it comes on until I give it a command to turn off.
High brightness is only enabled by the kernel for ~0.5 seconds before the kernel turns it off automatically. I simply send the command repeatedly to keep it on.
I had the app tested on a sacrificial N1, and the following were the results:
- On standard brightness mode, the torch ran for over 1/2hr continuously with no problems or heat issues detected.
- On high brightness mode, the torch was noticeably warm after 1/2hr, and there was a bit of a 'heat' smell coming from it. After a further 18 minutes (total 48 minutes) the LED started flickering of its own accord and was hot. After cooling, it resumed working normally (no idea how the lifetime was affected).
You can use your own judgement based on these results (and of course, YMMV due to manufacturing differences). I would be happy to say that standard brightness is fine for extended use (1/2hr at least), but try to limit high brightness to a few minutes at a time.
Will using a torch app kill the longevity of the LED light?? I thought I heard this before somewhere but I'm wanting to install the Nexus Torch app on my N1..
pookguy88 said:
Will using a torch app kill the longevity of the LED light?? I thought I heard this before somewhere but I'm wanting to install the Nexus Torch app on my N1..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
search is your friend...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624592&highlight=torch+app+led
@Krumb
Thanks for the link.
But the discussion stopped in April, pre-froyo.
Now that G has enabled Led-on Video recording in Froyo, I am curious to know if any one faced issues while using it for prolonged night time video recording.
I personally used it for a max of 5 minutes continuously, for video recording as well as for use as torch, faced no issues.
I think the light is fine with 'normal' brightness for extended use, but not the ultra-bright setting.
LED light has "lifetime" - which is, it's built to last X hours on average.
Each time you turn it on, you take Y seconds out of its lifetime.
By analogy, each day you live, you're 1 day closer to death. You don't stop living to avoid death, do you?
Yes, the LED will die one day if you use it. If you're not unlucky, it'll be way after your phone turned to a piece of junk. If you're unlucky - it can die the next time you turn it on. Pure statistics of semiconductors, can't predict it.
just wondering what type of leds are used on the evo,
if the htc flashlight is prone to "wearing out" the leds,
and if led based flashlights are even safe to use??
i dont want to shorten the lifespan of these leds
TorxT3D said:
just wondering what type of leds are used on the evo,
if the htc flashlight is prone to "wearing out" the leds,
and if led based flashlights are even safe to use??
i dont want to shorten the lifespan of these leds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#Lifetime_and_failure
Short answer, unless HTC is running damaging levels of voltage through the LED and you have the flashlight on constantly you have nothing to worry about. Even if you run it 24/7 the low end estimate for most LED's is 2.8 years.
sk63 said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led#Lifetime_and_failure
Short answer, unless HTC is running damaging levels of voltage through the LED and you have the flashlight on constantly you have nothing to worry about. Even if you run it 24/7 the low end estimate for most LED's is 2.8 years.
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That may be the case for average LEDs, but high powered LEDs need proper heat dissipation setups. Philips Lumiled K2 LEDs have 1W versions that will burn up without a proper heatsink.
But since HTC released this as a stock app, I'm sure it's fine. I do prefer the "LED Light" widget over HTC's app.
liquidkernel said:
That may be the case for average LEDs, but high powered LEDs need proper heat dissipation setups. Philips Lumiled K2 LEDs have 1W versions that will burn up without a proper heatsink.
But since HTC released this as a stock app, I'm sure it's fine. I do prefer the "LED Light" widget over HTC's app.
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Click to collapse
Light widget is nice for quick turn on/off, but I hear it causes a wake lock and besides, the HTC one has more features (3 brightness modes, SOS, and blinking) and it turns on when you first press the app icon. Just hit back and you turn off the flashlight. I guess you can't leave it and use another app while its on like you can with the widget, but what are you doing using a flashlight while texting? lol. Anyways, if it wasn't for the wake lock, I'd still keep the widget around, just in case.
1 watt leds last 4.5 years with avg use of 8 hrs a day. So I'm sure these are even less and should last much longer.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
The LED on my htc ppc-6800 burned out from occasional flashlight usage. Maybe a couple hours of total combined use over a year long period. Just some anecdotal evidence to throw in the mix...
novanosis85 said:
1 watt leds last 4.5 years with avg use of 8 hrs a day. So I'm sure these are even less and should last much longer.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
It doesn't matter how long they last when they are attached to a proper heatsink as mentioned already in this thread.
The LED's in the camera flash are capable of being driven hard, but are intended only to do so for short periods (when the camera fires it's flash). There is at least one application out there that allows you to put and hold the LED's at that power level, and if used for extended periods at that high level the potential of overheating and destroying the SMD's is there.
I am sure that HTC has determined the maximum thermal dissipation of the SMDs and built their flashlight application around that, knowing that users will be tempted to use the application for longer lengths of time.
When I put my phone on the charging orb, sometimes the screen comes on and I get the notification sound to indicate it's charging, sometimes I don't. Either way it charges. What gives?
ahandlen003 said:
Try it with ringer on vs silent. Your welcome.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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No, that's not it at all. My ringer is always on, yet I get the notification about 20% of the time and no notification about 80% of the time.
If I had to guess, it has something to do with charge level and time since last on charger. If the charge level is below a certain amount (60% or so, don't know the exact #) AND it's been awhile since the phone was on the charger, I get the notification almost evry time. If the charge is high OR the phone was recently on the charger, I get no notification (but it still charges fine).
Google probably did this so that it doesn't disturb you when you put it on the charger for a touch up during the day. I just want to know what the exact parameters are and if there's a way to modify them.
ahandlen003 said:
More importantly are you on a custom rom or stock?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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Completely stock.
I saw another site that said the notification plays anytime the battery is under 90%.
But that can't be right either. Yesterday I got the notification when I put it on and it had 91% at the time, later in the day I put it on the charger at 59% and no notification.
It seems random.
Mine does it too and when the sound comes on it only plays a millisecond of it sometimes and plays the full charging noise sometimes ... I'm rooted on project E.L.E with faux kernel so I figured it had something to do with that so didn't think too much about it
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Hello,
I now own an LG G2 and, although it has a 3000mAh battery which lasts a day most of the time, I would like to get a phone that has improved battery life, especially because I always have it paired with a Moto 360. Moto X Play caught my attention due to large battery and midrange chipset which should be energy efficient.
The problem is that I'm a heavy notifications user, and I learned that most Motorola Phones do not have a notification light (at least one accessible out of the box and not by rooting, etc. - I am not interested in rooting). Most Moto X owners will tell you that it has the even better "Moto Display".
I use the notification light to look across the room and tell exactly what type of notification it is and whether it needs to be attended or I should not bother. I have set different pulse patterns and different colors so I can easily see what kind of notification it is.
Can this be achieved using the Moto Display feature of the Moto X Play ? I mean, does it stay always-on so I can look at the phone and tell if I have a notification or not, even if I am a few meters away ? Or does the display turn off after a short while, so I don't know if I have any notifications or not ?
Thanks !
The display turns off after a few seconds. Otherwise your battery would be draining constantly as the display would always be using power.
That said, if you're using a Moto 360, wouldn't you get your notifications there?
Exactly. How is all that even relevant if you use Moto 360?
Moto Display lasts for exactly one full second. If you're not already looking at the phone when the notification comes in, you won't see it. And since it's black and white and all notifications use a similar round icon, you won't be able to tell which type of notification it was from a distance.
If you are used to using an array of LED notifications to tell what's going on from a distance, Motorola phones are not for you.
Devhux said:
The display turns off after a few seconds. Otherwise your battery would be draining constantly as the display would always be using power.
That said, if you're using a Moto 360, wouldn't you get your notifications there?
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Ciebiada said:
Exactly. How is all that even relevant if you use Moto 360?
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Well, I don't want to have a phone that depends on my watch to deliver notifications. I don't wear a watch all the time and the battery drains in 10 hours or so. It just doesn't feel right to need a watch for my phone
Cst79 said:
Well, I don't want to have a phone that depends on my watch to deliver notifications. I don't wear a watch all the time and the battery drains in 10 hours or so. It just doesn't feel right to need a watch for my phone
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Click to collapse
Then without rooting this phone isn't right for you. I'd say learn to adapt and if notifications are a big deal to you then have your 360 on all the time. Or, take the money you'd save by getting a Moto X Play and buy a new smartwatch that has better battery life.
How come your moto 360 only lasts 10 hours? Mine is paired with Nexus 5 atm, and I take it off the charger around 7am and around 8pm I still have around 30% of battery (ambient screen is on)
On topic: is waving above the phone working for showing the notifications?
dudaka said:
How come your moto 360 only lasts 10 hours? Mine is paired with Nexus 5 atm, and I take it off the charger around 7am and around 8pm I still have around 30% of battery (ambient screen is on)
On topic: is waving above the phone working for showing the notifications?
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This phone doesn't have IR sensors, so no. The X Style has them.