KOGALLA RA User manual
RA BASIC OPERATION
RA operates in one of three modes: LOW, HIGH and FLASH.
To turn on RA, plug it into a BatPak, turn on the BatPak by single press-
ing the BatPak power button, and then press the RA button. RA will
power on in the mode it was last in when it was powered o. Pressing
the RA button within two seconds of the last button press will cycle
modes from LOW to HIGH to FLASH with each press.
To turn o RA, wait two seconds or longer since the last button push
and then press the button. RA will power o and remember which
mode it was in when it powered o.
BRIGHTNESS ADJUSTMENT
FLASH MODE
FLASH mode uses the brightness setting from the HIGH mode. With RA
in FLASH mode, push and hold the button to cycle through the available
rates. While the rate is adjusting, RA will ash three times at each rate
setting before moving to the next setting. From the lowest ash rate
setting, RA will change to an SOS ash pattern - three quick ashes, fol-
lowed by three long ashes, followed by three quick ashes. When the
desired setting is reached, simply release the button. RA will remember
the new setting for FLASH mode.
With RA in LOW or HIGH mode, push and hold the button to adjust
brightness. While the button is held, RA will cycle through its brightness
settings. When the desired setting is reached, simply release the button.
RA will remember the new setting for that mode. When the lowest or
brightest setting is reached, RA will ash three times before adjusting
the brightness in the opposite direction.
Not many things are more annoying than being blinded by a bright
light when you wake up in the middle of the night. To power on RA in
its lowest light setting regardless of how RA was set at last power o,
press and hold the button for three seconds. RA will turn on at its lowest
brightness. To turn o RA, wait at least two seconds and press the but-
ton. Moonlight mode is not stored as the last used setting. RA will return
to the last used mode (LOW, HIGH or FLASH) when turned on with a
single button push. Adjusting brightness in Moonlight Power On Mode
will switch RA to LOW mode and store a new LOW brightness setting.
MOONLIGHT POWER ONMODE
FACTORY SETTINGS
RA comes set from the factory with LOW mode set to 30% brightness,
HIGH mode set to 100% brightness, and ash rate at about 5 times per
second. To restore those settings on your RA, Press and hold the button.
After three seconds RA will power on in Moonlight mode. Continue
to hold the button (about twelve seconds total) until RA ashes three
times and then shuts o. Release the button. Factory settings are now
restored.
THERMAL MANAGEMENT
RA was designed to dissipate the heat that accompanies bright lighting.
It is normal for the unit to become warm especially when used at high
brightness. In virtually all real-world conditions, RA will continuously
output full rated brightness. For abnormal or fault conditions, RA has a
mechanism to prevent overheating. If the operating temperature of the
LEDs start to approach their upper limit, power to the LEDs is reduced to
keep them within their safe operating range.
Caution: Ensure that RA is not operated while covered or enclosed. It is
good practice to disconnect RA from the power source when packed
away or not in use.
POWER MANAGEMENT
RA is designed to be used with a high-current, 2A or greater, USB-A
power port. If RA is attempted to be used with a low-current source
such as a computer USB port or a low-current battery pack, RA will try to
adjust its brightness to stay within the capabilities of the power source.
While this may work, it can produce unpredictable and unsafe results.
It is strongly reccommended that RA be connected only to a USB-A
powerport capable of supplying 2A.
WARNING! RA produces very bright light! Extended exposure to bright light can harm your eyes.
Do not look directly into light at close distances! Do not shine light directly at someone at close distances!
4 Full
3 + ashing 75-99%
2 + ashing 50-74%
1 + ashing 25-49%
ashing 0-24%
4 > 75%
3 50-74%
2 25-49%
1 3-24%
ashing < 3%
CHARGE LEVEL METER
Charging Discharging
BATPAK OVERVIEW
The BatPak operates much the same as an ordinary power bank. Howev-
er, it has a few dierences to make it work with RA.
The rst dierence is that the auto shuto feature on the BatPak only
becomes active after a four hour time period. This is to allow the lights
to be turned on and o via the push button switch on the lights as well
as be used at low-light levels. Ordinary power banks shut o after about
30 seconds if the current draw is less than 50 mA. Since the lowest light
setting on RA is well below 50 mA, ordinary power banks are impractical
to use at low light settings. Also, anytime you turn o RA for longer than
30 seconds, an ordinary power bank will auto-shuto, thus requiring
both the power bank and the lights be turned back on. This can be ex-
tremely inconvenient in many situations. The four hour auto-shuto on
the BatPak allows continuous low-light use and convenient intermittent
light use.
The second dierence in the BatPak compared to an ordinary power
bank is that all of the BatPak outputs are high-current and each will
support RA at full brightness individually and simultaneously. Many
ordinary powerbanks have a high-current output and a low-current
output which share the same power circuit. When using two RA at full
brightness, an ordinary power bank will often overheat and turn o.
The third dierence is that the BatPak uses high-energy-density lithium
ion cells that each hold 3,350 mAh of charge. Many ordinary power
banks use standard-density 2,600 mAh cells. This gives BatPaks a 29%
runtime improvement over standard power banks for the same number
of cells and similar weight.
We didn’t start out with a goal to build our own power banks, but the
normal operation and performance of standard power banks didn’t
meet the practical needs for powering RA.
CHARGING THE BATPAK
The BatPak ships with a partial charge for safety reasons. You can use
the BatPak right away, but it is reccommended that you charge it rst.
To charge the BatPak, connect the micro-USB input port to any live
USB-A power port using the included cable. A car charger, wall charger
(neither included) or powered computer USB port will charge the
BatPak. The speed of the charge will be determined by the amount of
power available by the supplying USB power port.
The four orange Charge Status LEDs will blink to indicate charging, and
are a fuel guage indicating how“full” the BatPak is charged.
TURNING ONAND OFF THE BATPAK
The four orange Charge Status LEDs also function as power on indica-
tors. With the Charge Status LEDs o, press the power button once to
turn the unit on. Once on, the unit will remain on for approximately four
hours and then will automatically shut o as long as the BatPak is not
supplying power to a load.
To turn the unit o, wait two seconds from the last button press and
double-press the power button. This will turn the BatPak o.
The four orange Charge Status LEDs are a fuel gauge indicating how
“full” the BatPak is charged. These tables illustrate the charge level indi-
cated by the LEDs during charging and discharging.
Table of contents
