Abstract: A light, such as a miniature flashlight, includes a housing adapted to hold a battery, a voltage step-up circuit disposed so as to come into electrical contact with the battery when the battery is placed in the housing and an illumination device, such as a light emitting diode (LED), electrically connected to the voltage step-up circuit. The voltage step-up circuit increases the voltage provided by the battery to drive the LED, to thereby enable the flashlight to use a power source, such as a single standard AA battery, which provides a DC voltage below the turn-on threshold voltage of the LED.