Personal Area (Lantern)

rtginc

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Hi All,

Semi-lurker here cross posting from the Moved to Lanterns - Norm. A user by the name of dss_777 mentioned that this might be a more appropriate place for discussion.

So, here's the goods:
rpal-18650.jpg


The quick rundown:
- powered by an 18650 Lithium Ion battery
- 4 inches in length, 1.6 inches outer diameter (including lengthwise ribs)
- < 5oz in weight
- 15 adjustable logarithmic brightness settings
- a bunch of micro controller features (automatic shut off, low battery indication, beacon / SOS modes)

We designed it from the ground up around the 18650 format. It's also driven / controlled by a custom integrated circuit that we created.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on our lantern (if that's what you would like to call it!)

There's also a youtube video of the product in action (and my cheesy voice to go along with it):
http://youtu.be/zZHp2GzXTkY
 
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rtginc

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I like it, looks like a nice warm tint on the video...Robert

Hi Robert, Thank you very much for the kind words. We worked extra hard to get the right LEDs for the lantern. We're using 3000K CRI CREE LEDs in the product.

We aren't a huge fan of the cooler LED CRI's that we've seen in other products.
 

blackbalsam

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May 18, 2009
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WNC
Hi Robert, Thank you very much for the kind words. We worked extra hard to get the right LEDs for the lantern. We're using 3000K CRI CREE LEDs in the product.

We aren't a huge fan of the cooler LED CRI's that we've seen in other products.
Yeah, a lantern should be warm like a campfire
 
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rtginc

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What are all of your thoughts on something like the Streamlight siege? I view their product as a direct competitor, but I may be mistaken.
 

crazyk4952

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Jan 10, 2009
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This thing looks really awesome. I just added it to my Amazon wishlist.

A couple of questions:

Does it have any sort of lock-out mode that would prevent it from accidentally turning on in a backpack?
Also, is the light output regulated, or will it dim as the voltage of the battery drops?

Thanks for posting the video. It is very helpful to get a feel for the light.
 

rtginc

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This thing looks really awesome. I just added it to my Amazon wishlist.

Sweet! I'm glad to hear you like it! I hope you find it useful if / when you get one!

Does it have any sort of lock-out mode that would prevent it from accidentally turning on in a backpack?

Unfortunately it does not, however it takes a good amount of force to actuate the switches inside the device. The balance ribs also provide some protection to guard the on / off button from actuating.

However, the device does have an automatic shut-off mode, where (if activated) it will turn itself off after ~15 minutes or so.

Also, is the light output regulated, or will it dim as the voltage of the battery drops?

The light output is regulated. We use a boost circuit to supply the correct voltage and current. The product will not dim as the voltage of the battery drops. Also, the low battery warning will eventually shut the device off if the voltage drops too low to prevent over discharge of the battery.

Thanks for posting the video. It is very helpful to get a feel for the light.

Not a problem, we are continually adding more videos to our channel to see how our product compares to other popular lanterns on the market.
 

Phaserburn

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Mar 30, 2003
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4,755
Location
Connecticut, USA
Thanks. I'm really interested in this light, but would only buy if a diffuser solution was present. I think at brighter levels, the bare emitters would be quite glaring, IMHO. A well diffused version would certainly get my order.

The lens I see on your website looks cylindrical. I imagine it would handle a strip of diffusion film quite well.
 
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rtginc

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Thanks. I'm really interested in this light, but would only buy if a diffuser solution was present. I think at brighter levels, the bare emitters would be quite glaring, IMHO. A well diffused version would certainly get my order.

The lens I see on your website looks cylindrical. I imagine it would handle a strip of diffusion film quite well.

Yup! It is a cylindrical lens. We are in the process of creating a variety of lenses that can be used with out device. Some ideas being thrown around are shrouds that cover the intense spots at higher brightness levels. Our main concern with a diffuser is that many substances tend to dramatically cut the light down.

In the use case of full brightness, the device approaches the brightness level of a pretty good 40 watt bulb. Our assertion is that people will be looking at their surroundings rather than straight at the lantern, but I can see how it would be difficult to avoid occasionally glancing at the R-PAL. Perhaps a frosted lens will an option in the near future..
 

gunga

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I would think some kind of protection over the LEDs is a good idea? Looks very nice but is more than I wanted to pay for a lantern.


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rtginc

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I would think some kind of protection over the LEDs is a good idea? Looks very nice but is more than I wanted to pay for a lantern.


Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

Thanks gunga! We're always working on getting the price down. If it helps, we have a promotion running from July 4th on our website for 20% off using the code RPAL4JULY.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but we are manufacturing the device right here in Southern California (Anahiem, in fact). That, combined with the general cost of high quality parts keeps our BOM at or above the price that most regular lanterns cost. That, and our lantern uses technology that other lanterns don't really take advantage of.
 

gunga

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It appears to be a premium product and I understand economics are not always friendly. It does look amazing but, As of yet, is untested/reviewed/proven. If I'm wrong, please forgive my ignorance.




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rtginc

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It appears to be a premium product and I understand economics are not always friendly. It does look amazing but, As of yet, is untested/reviewed/proven. If I'm wrong, please forgive my ignorance.

Sent from my iPhone using Candlepowerforums

No, you are not wrong. We currently have units out for evaluation at a handful of review sites. Our latest reviewer is Norm from Tested.com! Hopefully he will have some useful feedback for us soon.

Also, on the same note, we are always open to any suggestions for valued review sites!
 

rtginc

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Have you given any thought to using a digital linear driver?

Unfortunately, no. We actually design and fabricate the IC inside the device as well, which houses both control / feature logic and LED driver circuitry. That is a large reason why we can keep our PCB so small, given the feature set and capability.

It may not seem that small, but in my incredibly biased opinion :)naughty:) our fixture is one of the most compact 18650 fixtures out there to offer all of these features. The reason it is so long is actually because of the 1/4-20 threaded inserts on both ends.

Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent.

Also of note, the driver inside the R-PAL is one of a family of 4. We're hoping to do some more awesome things with these chips, providing that these features are actually desirable.
 
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