Cabin Lighting Using Flashlights (and other odd lighting items)

lordraiden

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EDIT: Okay, here's the video uploaded to youtube. It'll take a few minutes to process. Hopefully things don't crash again. Ugh, today has been the case of the impossible when it comes to browsers. Grr. Anyhow, the video, which explains what I was trying to post here, but my browser wouldn't let me. PS, if it doesn't load right away, give it a minute. => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkJh9CcXHcM
 
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AnAppleSnail

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I've thought of getting a dozen Mag LED 3D lights, holders, and sticking them around the place pointed upwards. The trouble is that while flashlights aren't much more expensive than lamps, they are dimmer, batteries are a lot more expensive than electricity. This can be offset by using rechargeables.

For this, I would use one or two per room, with AA NiMH Eneloops in D-size shells. I guess we could use the prettier C LEDMags, but you probably want the dims-and-runs-forever type of drive circuit. Then at least the 'cost' of running the batteries dead is shuffling a few dozen batteries into the charger and back to the lamps.
 

Poppy

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lordraiden,
With all due respect, I think that you are going through way too much work for too little reward.

I also like to tinker, and did something similar (before I was introduced to Li-Ion rechargeable, and eneloops (and newer duracell/duraloop) NiMH rechargeables.

I bought a few commercial emergency exit or stairway lights (Lithonia brand) they are powered by 4.5 AmpHour 6 volt SLA batteries. I pulled the incandescent bulbs that would kill the battery in about 90 minutes, and wired in a 24 LED satellite camping tent lantern. I forget, I think it will give about 20 - 25 hours of about 35 lumens. It comes on when the power goes off, and it has a push button on and off switch. They claim 20 hours on 4 AAs, which is about 2.5 amp hours, and you know that the claims are somewhat over-stated.

I have gifted two sets like that, and still have two at home. I also have a few of those power failure flashlights in different rooms of the house so that every room will get SOME light in the event of a power failure so that where ever you are in the house, you'll be able to navigate to get additional light.

I started a thread asking how many lumens, and how many batteries would it take to last a week of power outage for a family of four. I believe that it became a great thread. In that we covered many power related things including heat, sump pump back-up, fans etc. While many are comfortable with less light, it seems to me that with-in each group of four there will be at least one who REALLY prefers at 100 lumens of light, at least in the main room. I'm personally in that category.

Within that thread I calculated how many 18650 batteries could be charged from a car battery, and how long it would take for the car's alternator to recharge the power taken from it. I also did the calculations for AA eneloops.

Pretty much any 18650 battery with a 70-100 lumen setting can deliver that many lumens for 5-7 hours.
And a light like the sunwayman D40A (one that takes 4 AA batteries) if it has a 70-100 lumen setting should also run for 5-7 hours. The D40A doesn't output in that range, I think its' is 30 and 220 lumen settings.

The point being, if you have a car, and a charger that you can plug into it, you can get by nicely for a week or longer with rechargeables, and with more light than those puck style lights will supply.
 

lordraiden

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AnAppleSnail, yeah, I tested the idea of having them on the floor and shooting towards the ceiling and really lost too much light to make them practical. That's why I went with the ceiling light idea.

Poppy, thanks for the reply. As I said in the video I'm still in the early stages of the experiment. So I haven't gotten into the really nuts and bolts part of usage, drain, longevity, etc. Right now I'm concentrating on the ease of use long term over power usage and the like. Once I get the ease of use sorted out I'll figure out a better battery setup, better lighting, etc. I do have the system drawn down to only pull 100ma at 2v so that'll help longevity a lot, but as this gets further along I want to go into a bit more detail like your work to iron this one down a bit. As for the rechargeable batteries, I've got a solar recharging rig I'm gonna be using to make that happen as one of the places where I'll be (as far as the cabin is concerned) I won't have access to a vehicle to charge with, but I will have solar power.
 

StarHalo

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Why not a small solar rig feeding a tiny SLA bank indoor-wired to LED bulbs? That's how Les Stroud worked out the wiring in his cabin..
 

Poppy

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Poppy, thanks for the reply. As I said in the video I'm still in the early stages of the experiment. So I haven't gotten into the really nuts and bolts part of usage, drain, longevity, etc.
Sorry my friend, but 17 minutes of video is about equal to a full episode of "the Big Bang Theory", and I'm sorry but not nearly as entertaining. You might shorten it to about three minutes, if you stay with the nuts and bolts.
 

lordraiden

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Star Halo, the only thing we have up there is a little portable 20w rig. It's enough to provide some basic battery charging and the like, even charging some small devices, but not much more. Part of the reason isn't about if we should have solar or not. it's the fact that where the cabin is requires me to hike stuff 5 miles into the woods, so whatever we take anytime we go up has to be packed in. Plus we're only in there a couple weeks total each year. Hence a full solar rig is kinda pointless when the cabin isn't used for 46 of 52 weeks each year. So this was my little solution for that issue.
 

Poppy

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I had done some calculations at one time for my convoy S2:
Convoy S2 Cree XM-L U2-1B 1400ma 2-Group 3/5-Mode EDC LED Flashlight Cool white tint

Group 1 (5-Mode): Lo (5%) > Mid (40%) > Hi (100%) > Strobe > SOS;
Group 2 (3-Mode): Lo (5%) > Mid (40%) > Hi (100%)

From a 3400 mAh battery one might expect:

low: 30-35 lumen: 40 hours.
mid: 150-200 lumen: 6 hours.
max: 400-450 lumen: 2.5 hours
--------------------------------------------------------------
Those numbers are for an XML driven at 1400 ma.
An XM-L2 would increase the lumens by ~7% I think.

The point being... one 18650 battery a day MAY work for you.
I don't know how many days you go to the cabin at a stretch.

I think that a 18650 battery, and a HIGH quality D cell have about the same capacity. A 3400ma @ 4 volts vs a 8000ma D @ 1.5 volts comes out to about the same watts. Depending upon the weather, the 18650 might be recharged but I wouldn't bet my life on it. The D cells will drop off relatively quickly at first but then can maintain for a while (provided the demand is relatively low).
 

pblanch

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Mar 22, 2011
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Have a look at
Ikea Solig Solar-Powered Table Lamp.

I love mine. Gives a few hours of light which is pretty much all I need for what I use it for.
 
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