Long term light for Africa, no electricity or batteries, what do you recommend?

[bao123]

OP, you might consider the 3 D-cell Mag Rebels. At up to 72 hours of run time per set and with a couple of sets of batteries, they might be more attractive than self-powered lights in every way except for portability.

Another option is the 2AA version. AA's have less performance/weight in this application. But, they lights themselves are smaller. So, you can pack more lights without taking up too much additional luggage space.

Edit: L91s would be the best and most classy option IMHO.

 

[broadgage]

Despite the O/Ps statement that there is no money for batteries, I would consider a 2D maglight with a low power LED drop in.
That will give hundreds of hours light from 2 D cells. Send a dozen Dcells as well and that is several years simple reliable light.
When the batteries are used up, I suspect in even the poorest places, that money can be found for 2 D cells a YEAR.

If the budget permits, and motor vehicles are available, then a Magcharger and vehicle charger might be worth considering.

 

[Mr Bigglow]

Freeplay never gets much respect on CPF, but actually their products were originally developed for use in Africa and the rest of the third world. Not sure now, but at one point they were also being made in Africa, which is an obvious benefit to their economic situation. Not all of their products have been trouble free, but get your friend a windup Sherpa or two, serious long-life lights that I can personally endorse. And if you're feeling extra generous, you could also take a look at their windup radios; I believe the shortwave versions are good for Africa (you should get your friend to check however).

 

[325addict]

Let's start with the charger: this one should accept ANY power source that's available. I used the Trustfire TR-001 to good effect on my last trip to France. No mains, so I used the car battery. It is cheap and very reliable, but has NO complete shut-down as soon as the batteries are fully charged.
It accepts 100 to 240V AC and 12V DC.
Double up for when it breaks down. Better buy three, and they nearly cost nothing. The DC in jack is the weak point here. The rest of the charger is very, very rugged indeed. I've been using a couple of them for over a year now, no failures so far. And I use them often!

Then, take a multiple output LED-light on 2X 16340s.
Emphasis should be on long runtime rather than on high brightness.
Some 4sevens and Fenix lights have extremely long runtimes on low.
Buy two if you're serious.
P3D or PD30 come to my mind. Preferably P3D, as this one comes up in LOW upon switching on.

Then, add 10 AW protected 16340 cells.

Then, add a few boxes of Surefire SF123A batteries for when the AWs have given up or charging is not possible at that time. Maybe the only Toyota generator breaks down, and before there's a replacement... well, you get the point. 24 of these batteries will last a long, long time. A friend of mine used a pair of them in his P3D, it took him over half a year to deplete them

Add a solar-panel of around 12V / 500mA when you want to be absolutely sure the charger can be used ANYWHERE and ANY TIME.

Add all kinds of charging cables, AC and DC, and indeed one with (large!) alligator clips so it can be clipped to a car battery directly.
Cables die, so double up ALL cables. Make sure all cables are as rugged as possible, especially the DC plug for the charger is prone to failing. Add heat shrinkable tube with glue over the connector and cable in order to mechanically strengthen it.

When I remember correctly, the DC input of the TR-001 has a reverse polarity protection, but CHECK this.

This should last some serious time I think. If you're into modding electronics, replace that 1000µF/16V capacitor in the chargers for a better one (a Rubycon ZLH series 1000µF/10V is a good replacement).

Timmo.

 

[TedTheLed]

quick, 12 volts, can't overcharge. any combination of 4 batteries aa - D + 9v.

http://www.ccrane.com/more-categories/batteries-chargers/cc-quick-charger-2.aspx

The QC-2 recharges up to four "AA", "AAA", "C", or "D" or two 9-volt NiMH/NiCad batteries at a time. A Discharge option is available. There is also a USB port..

Additional features include an LCD display screen that shows each battery and its charge level as it charges or discharges.
.

The CC QuickCharger-2 comes with a 100-240V AC adapter for use in USA or overseas. It's so versatile you can even use an optional 12V DC car adapter

Batteries not included.

 

[netprince]

Ok, I spoke with my friend again and she gave me some more insight to the situation. She also wanted to clarify that this is for Gabon (central Africa), and that conditions in other areas are likely different...

First off- any electricity in villages is from generators...usually owned by chiefs who do not supply the whole village. Also, these can only be run when there is oil- which is NOT always available.

And, the problem with oil is that at times the country really just does not have. I am speaking of kerosene here. The chief will usually have some but will only sell at a high price or guard it for himself. Then, getting the stuff to the villages can be a nightmare. We have literally had to have people buy gas in the capital city (8hrs by train or more away) and send it with the train....I have literally been at a shack at midnight trying to pay a HUGE amount for gas in the rain....I believe it was the last one in a 20mile radius.

Thus, people will use kerosine if they have money but this also causes fires etc. But, I agree with the guy that they can make anything work if given a few meager items. But, no to the batteries. First off they cost money for the person. They never last long and are imported from Nigeria.They are never disposed of properly but just thrown along the side of the road or anywhere in the village, many times rusting open or leaking whatever they have into the ground which of course runs into the water supply. I have left rechargeable batteries with people who could use them but those are not many people.

I had a shaky flashlight and found it to be crap- but it was a freebie so was prolly just a bad one. Though, I find winding an easier motion to do. For the wind-up, from what you showed me I think the kito is just fine. solar power is just too tricky over there in terms of "gaurding it". If they are given something nice, they usually can make it last a very very long time.

So, with that in mind, I'm thinking I will get her 2 Kito lights (from freeplay) and see if I can upgrade the battery packs to eneloops. I've read that the original freeplay packs have been stored for some time and have reduced capacity. Its a shame they aren't ALL easily replaceable.

I may also get her a nightstar shake light. I doubt she had one with a capacitor for energy storage.

Still open to further suggestions though if anyone has them...

 

[wyager]

Hmm, I wasn't thinking about the side effects of battery pollution... Honestly, I think that's the least of their problems but I suppose it could be a concern. So I guess internal batteries only? Here's an idea-I think I've seen some of those handheld flashlight-radio things that can charge via solar, crank OR power supply, all built in to the unit. I think it received shortwave transmissions. It would be nice if they made that, but just a flashlight....

 

[KenAnderson]

I've been giving this one quite a bit of thought and I don't believe a good solution exists if rechargable batteries and solar are left out. Really, all that's left is a shake or crank light and neither are high quality and neither will last long term. Being that Lithium primaries last 10+ years and retain 90+ percent of charge and that lights are available which run at low level and are quite mizerly on power consumption, I would reconsider the lithium option and send a decent supply of batteries.

 

[MikeAusC]

A very cheap source of area lights - indoors or outdoors - is common solar-powered garden lights.

Just put them out in direct sunlight during the day.

 

[ama230]

an eton light would be perfect as it has many ways to be charged and is 29 bucks and is not of cheap quality. It can charge a phone and has a radio and a light. Charges via crank or sunlight and is same brightness as a bogo as they are over priced. This light carries the swiss name on it so it has to be great quality. They also have a great lineup now, so give these a look as they might be what you need for quality, cheapness and longevity.

 

[NE450No2]

I have been to Africa several times.

I always take SureFire lights and 123 batteries for my use.

If you want to leave villagers a light that they can use over a period of time, it must be rugged, have LED's and must have a build in solar charger.

 

[JBorneu]

Contrary to what many people believe, there are quality shakelights and cranklights. There is only one brand of each, and all of them sold in retail are total crap, but still, they can be found.

Nightstar is the only brand of quality shakelights
Freeplay is the only brand of quality cranklights

Get a couple of those lights, they will be worth their price, and they are the only brands worth buying. The rest is chinese crap. Most shakelights contain a blob of metal and a coin cell instead of a magnet and a capacitor, once the coin cell is empty the light won't turn on anymore. Most cranklights have a rechargeable li-ion watch battery which is constantly overcharged when cranking it and overdischarged when using the light.

 

[Mr Bigglow]

Ok, I spoke with my friend again and she gave me some more insight to the situation. She also wanted to clarify that this is for Gabon (central Africa), and that conditions in other areas are likely different...



So, with that in mind, I'm thinking I will get her 2 Kito lights (from freeplay) and see if I can upgrade the battery packs to eneloops. I've read that the original freeplay packs have been stored for some time and have reduced capacity. Its a shame they aren't ALL easily replaceable.

I may also get her a nightstar shake light. I doubt she had one with a capacitor for energy storage.

Still open to further suggestions though if anyone has them...

I'd be interested in hearing about how your friend finds the lights work for her in her situation. Also, in hearing how the proposed eneloops upgrade works out here in the First World.

 

[Monocrom]

Shouldn't be a problem to hang a Bogo just inside a window so it doesn't grow legs and walk off.

 

[JBorneu]

Shouldn't be a problem to hang a Bogo just inside a window so it doesn't grow legs and walk off.

No offense, but you clearly have no clue what a typical house (we westerlings call 'em huts) in most of Africa looks like. Floors are earth, walls are made of sticks with a dried mud coating which needs to be repaired after each rain season. The roofs are bundles of dried grass, the door is a hole in the wall. Windows, if there are any, are also just holes in the wall, so they offer no protection from greedy hands. People who have glass windows are RICH because before you start thinking about buying glass windows you already have a brick house with a corrugated plastic roof and a real door, which would take about 20 years for somebody who has a very well paid job.

 

[Monocrom]

No offense taken.

Still, if things are that bad; I seriously wonder why a nationwide uprising hasn't taken place yet.

 

[Darvis]

jtblue & kestrel: I like the idea of sending a nice AA light. Its not easy to find a single channel AA solar charger. Anyone have suggestions?? (I also agree eneloops are the way to go)

nyctophiliac: got a name or model for those hand crank lights?

connor: I'd consider a magnetic shake light, I remember reading about them in the past. Some cheap ones tried to use a small cell instead of a capacitor... What is the recommended model shake light?

Thanks everyone...

Check out Sundance Solar and have a look at the powerfilm foldable 4AA charger. A bit pricey, but very portable, durable, and sure does charge eneloops! I have one and use it all the time and keep it in my GO bag for power when needed. Honestly, this type of item would benefit the whole village as they could charge AA's for any use, not just light. Send a few packs of eneloops and, heck, even a small radio as well.

The theft thing might be an issue, I got nothing for you there, but the nice thing about this solar charger is that it can be strapped to a backpack and carrried around while charging... That may help a bit.

 

[Aquanaut]

I have a "Princeton Tec Impact" led light that uses four AA batteries. I have had four alkalines in this light for over ten years and it still works OK. Of course I don't use it that often and the lumens are quite low, but you can easily get around with it in the dark. The light is used by scuba divers, so it is waterproof. It is turned on and off by a twist of the bezel. I don't know if you can buy it today, but when I bought it, it was claimed to last for 100 hours on four alkalines.

 

[Burgess]

Hello Aquanaut --

I have a Princeton Tec XL flashlight myself.

Factory-rated (right on the package) said 17 Lumens.

(that's correct, not a mis-print -- Seventeen)

(believe they might have later adopted a "brighter" bulb)


On 4 AA Sanyo Eneloops, mine lasts 6 or 7 hours, before "dying".


I still see these lights sold by Camp-Mor , at a price of $ 25 US


Hope this is helpful.

:candle:

PS: don't be too eager to believe their run-time claims of 100 hours on Alkalines.
_

 

[TedTheLed]

well if they have oil, or kerosene, or parafin, how about skipping the batteries altogether and using the light from an oil lamp. ?

http://www.lehmans.com/store/Lamps_...ps___Wine_Light_Flame_Protector___11140?Args=

--this one uses a wine (soda, water, whatever) bottle, available locally? with a glass chimney to keep the flame steady..

..there's also an olive oil lamp at Lehmans..they don't flare up if they are knocked over..