Neutral night reading lamp for friend at hostel

jjp888 · Mar 16, 2015

My friend in college need a reading light.She is at college hostel and there power is switched off from 11.00 to 5.00.As my friend is a "night learner" she needs kind of battery operated reading lamp.She hates the blue hue in leds and prefer incandacent for reading (believe it or not she now uses a wax candle to get that "incandacent" tint ).She says she gets headache when reading with cool led lantern.

So I was thinking of gifting her a fenix cl20 lamp with eneloops and charger.I have never owned one myself .Now what I need to know are these
1.whether fenix cl20 can be used for long readings?
2.are there any other aa neutral reading lamps at around 50$.
3.also I was considering a neutral flashlight with diffuser(like ea41/d40a),will it deliver the same dispersed light as a dedicated lantern and which aa flashlight will do the best when used as a diffuser(Iam also considering tn4a because of it's price ,but couldn't find a diffuser for it , is ther any diffuser for it ).

If any one could help I would be very thankful.I would have gone with cl20, but I doubt it's capability with only 2 aa's.I would have loved if it was in 4*aa setup.I don't want to mess her up with li-ion's and their chargers.So I was searching for an aa laterns and found out that cl20 with 2*aa may fill in the task, so before finalising I thought I ask the experts.so everyone please help me choose.Thanks in advance.

markr6 · Mar 16, 2015

Lamps are nice, but I would really consider the versatility of a headlamp. It can go on the head or stand on a table.

Something like a Zebralight H52Fw for $64 sounds like a winner. I found the 11lumen setting to be sufficient for reading at night. That will go for 27 hours on a 2000mAh Eneloop (per Zebralight specs).

robert.t · Mar 16, 2015

Ceiling bounce? I very often use a Xeno E03 like a candle. It's very stable tail standing, provides just a nice amount of light on low for reading and seems to last for ages on a single AA Eneloop. Mine is warm white, which I much prefer for night time reading. It's available in neutral too, but it sounds like she'd also prefer warm, which is more like incandescent/candle light.

It costs about $30, but feels more expensive: very well made with extremely nice coloured anodising.

Charles L. · Mar 16, 2015

I've become addicted to reading with a headlamp. Love markr6's suggestion.

LetThereBeLight! · Mar 18, 2015

jjp888 said:
My friend in college need a reading light.She is at college hostel and there power is switched off from 11.00 to 5.00.As my friend is a "night learner" she needs kind of battery operated reading lamp.She hates the blue hue in leds and prefer incandacent for reading (believe it or not she now uses a wax candle to get that "incandacent" tint ).She says she gets headache when reading with cool led lantern.

So I was thinking of gifting her a fenix cl20 lamp with eneloops and charger.I have never owned one myself .Now what I need to know are these
1.whether fenix cl20 can be used for long readings?
2.are there any other aa neutral reading lamps at around 50$.
3.also I was considering a neutral flashlight with diffuser(like ea41/d40a),will it deliver the same dispersed light as a dedicated lantern and which aa flashlight will do the best when used as a diffuser(Iam also considering tn4a because of it's price ,but couldn't find a diffuser for it , is ther any diffuser for it ).

If any one could help I would be very thankful.I would have gone with cl20, but I doubt it's capability with only 2 aa's.I would have loved if it was in 4*aa setup.I don't want to mess her up with li-ion's and their chargers.So I was searching for an aa laterns and found out that cl20 with 2*aa may fill in the task, so before finalising I thought I ask the experts.so everyone please help me choose.Thanks in advance.

I'd go with the WakaWaka light which is powered by the sun-- It is used in poor countries, there are various lumen settings, And it can recharge a smart phone. Also it is very compact & convenient.

LetThereBeLight!

Mr Floppy · Mar 19, 2015

If she really likes that incandescent feel then the JANSJÖ usb light from ikea would be perfect. Lasts ages on 4xAA, and works with an unregulated 4xAA usb box.

jjp888 · Mar 22, 2015

Mr Floppy said:
If she really likes that incandescent feel then the JANSJÖ usb light from ikea would be perfect. Lasts ages on 4xAA, and works with an unregulated 4xAA usb box.

Thanks MR Floppy for this wonderful idea.I followed your advice and bought a 4*aa emergency power bank and a xiaomi warm white usb lamp.Both for around 8$!!.
I had a sony charger with 4 sony batteries which has been in my shelf as I brought the eneloops probattery and nitecore d4. Now I can gift her a night lamp also which can double up as a power bank for her mobile.
Now waiting for the order to arrive.(meanwhile I was planning to gift myself with a new flashlight with the saved money).Again thanks a lot guys.

mrme · Mar 28, 2015

My favorite reading light for many years was an incandescent headlamp that had a dim setting. For a while recently I used a foursevens LED flashlight that had a 0.5v lumen map reading mode. The absolute best I've used is a Fenix HL20 headlamp. It comes on in low mode (if that's where you last used it anyways) and comes with a diffuser that illuminates the pages BEAUTIFULLY!

StorminMatt · Mar 30, 2015

For a reading light, you might look into the Zebralight H502 or H602 reflectorless headlamps. These lamps cast an even, diffuse light rather than having a hotspot, which would make them IDEAL for reading. The 18650 powered H602 lights would be ALOT brighter on max. But for reading, you certainly don't need that. The H502 lights would certainly suffice. Another nice thing about the H502 lights is that you can get them with 85 CRI emitters (either the 4000K H502c or 5000K H502d). Either of these would be perfect for reading, especially if you are also looking at colorful pictures. The only downfall is that, unlike the reflectored H52 series headlamps, they WON'T run on a 14500. Not that you need the burst mode for reading. But if you use the light for, say, reading in your tent while camping, Li-Ion capability comes in handy since Li-Ion is easier to charge in the wilderness than NiMH.

Timothybil · Mar 30, 2015

jjp888 said:
Thanks MR Floppy for this wonderful idea.I followed your advice and bought a 4*aa emergency power bank and a xiaomi warm white usb lamp.Both for around 8$!!.

If that Xiaomi is the 6" light stick one, then I agree. I bought one to use with my power bank as a sort of night light when I get up in the middle of the night, rather than turn on a room light. I keep it on my night stand so I can have light as soon as I get up, rather than stumble across the room to the wall switch. I like it so much a ordered three more, just to have around. Both of my power banks have two USB jacks, so if I really need some light in an emergency I can plug all four in. Just be warned - the sucker is bright!

jjp888 · Mar 30, 2015

Yes the same one.I haven't received it though!(sinceI chose shipping through normal air mail around 30 days to reach me).
Anyway as you said it is bright ,is it suitable for reading.How long would it last on 4*aa power bank setup and also ,is the tint towards warm side of neutral ??

Timothybil · Mar 30, 2015

Yes, it should be very suitable for reading. Your friend will probably want to find some way to place it above and behind her, just like a regular light. As far as I can tell, there are six leds in the head, and the light is a very pleasing warmish white.

As far as run time goes, it depends on the AA cells involved. If they are typical cells, I would say she should get five or six hours of light before they need to be recharged. I have one of the higher end banks rated at 15,000mAh, and I get about sixteen hours of use before I have to recharge.

Hope this helps.

jjp888 · Apr 20, 2015

Timothybil said:
Yes, it should be very suitable for reading. Your friend will probably want to find some way to place it above and behind her, just like a regular light. As far as I can tell, there are six leds in the head, and the light is a very pleasing warmish white.

As far as run time goes, it depends on the AA cells involved. If they are typical cells, I would say she should get five or six hours of light before they need to be recharged. I have one of the higher end banks rated at 15,000mAh, and I get about sixteen hours of use before I have to recharge.

Hope this helps.

I got it delivered yesterday.The led lamp is neutral as described and more towards warm tint.To test it I hooked it up on the power bank.Yes it's bright and beautiful dispersed beam.
So ,I thought of conducting a run time test.But during the test at around 30 min ,I noticed the lamp is getting pretty hot, very hot you cannot touch the metal heatsink behind.
Is it normal or should it be used continuosly for only 30 minutes.I stopped the test at around 35 minutes,since I feared it might ruin the led.
Anyone here has used it running for more than 30 min continuosly,also if the heat is normal for such usb lamps??

Mr Floppy · Apr 20, 2015

jjp888 said:
Is it normal or should it be used continuosly for only 30 minutes.I stopped the test at around 35 minutes,since I feared it might ruin the led.
Anyone here has used it running for more than 30 min continuosly,also if the heat is normal for such usb lamps??

That depends on the lamp. The Ikea one gets warm but not super warm, it only consumes 0.15W. If the Xiomi consumes the full 1.2W, then for a head that small, then yes it could get quite hot.

Timothybil · Apr 20, 2015

The one I bought can be seen here: http://www.banggood.com/Original-Xiaomi-LED-Light-With-USB-For-Power-Bank-Tablet-p-950793.html

There is no metal showing at all, the exterior is all plastic. I have had mine running for two or three hours at a time without any problem. Mine appears to have six small LEDs arranged in a row behind a diffuser. At 1.2W total, that comes out to 0.2W per LED.

jjp888 · Apr 20, 2015

Timothybil said:
The one I bought can be seen here: http://www.banggood.com/Original-Xiaomi-LED-Light-With-USB-For-Power-Bank-Tablet-p-950793.html

There is no metal showing at all, the exterior is all plastic. I have had mine running for two or three hours at a time without any problem. Mine appears to have six small LEDs arranged in a row behind a diffuser. At 1.2W total, that comes out to 0.2W per LED.

yes,I have the same one(six leds).This also has the same heatsink just behind the leds.You can feel the temperature while touching that small metal plate.

But just now I opened the silicon covering and the diffuser plastic.
I could see that the six led are mounted on a circuit plate and is screwed to a plastic case(????),it doesn't have any direct contact with the rear metal plate.
I opened it up to add a resistor ,so that I could increase run time and to reduce it's heat production.
It's quite difficult to put the silicon sheat back ,and I eventually had to glue it !!!.Actually I made a mistake,to add a resistor I should have removed only the diffuser cover,it gives direct access to led board, the silicon sheath neednot be removed(but removing it ,showed me the terrible heatsinking).So those who want to upgrade or repair their's please take note of this, otherwise you will have a terrible time gluing the silicon back.
Now I added a 53ohm to it and it is bright enough and lesser heat (possibly more run time too)

Timothybil · Apr 20, 2015

After posting this morning I ran mine for three hours without any major temp rise. When I touched the head I could feel a slight warmth, but my MT06 penlight gets warmer than that after a few minutes use. I think yours is defective, or the power bank you are using is giving out more than five volts. Oh well, if you are happy with it the way it is modified than that is all that matters.

jjp888 · Apr 20, 2015

jjp888 said:
yes,I have the same one(six leds).This also has the same heatsink just behind the leds.You can feel the temperature while touching that small metal plate.

But just now I opened the silicon covering and the diffuser plastic.
I could see that the six led are mounted on a circuit plate and is screwed to a plastic case(????),it doesn't have any direct contact with the rear metal plate.
I opened it up to add a resistor ,so that I could increase run time and to reduce it's heat production.
It's quite difficult to put the silicon sheat back ,and I eventually had to glue it !!!.Actually I made a mistake,to add a resistor I should have removed only the diffuser cover,it gives direct access to led board, the silicon sheath neednot be removed(but removing it ,showed me the terrible heatsinking).So those who want to upgrade or repair their's please take note of this, otherwise you will have a terrible time gluing the silicon back.
Now I added a 53ohm to it and it is bright enough and lesser heat (possibly more run time too)

yes ,I tested it with regular alkalines(1.5v) in the 4*aa powerbank it made it too hot to touch.I forgot the fact that they were together producing more than 6v.But when I used rechargeables it was fine.Sorry for all the trouble .I should have tried it with an 18650 power bank before modding.Anyways it's always good to know whats inside the things that we use.

Timothybil · Apr 20, 2015

I would imagine it looked a lot like the bare USB LED lights they also make, the ones with the touch on/off and dim. I don't know who designs these things for Xiaomi, but they sure know how to turn out some really sweet-looking circuit boards, and are able to stuff a lot of stuff into a very small space.

jjp888 · Apr 20, 2015

Placed order for a few more of these excellent lights.Now @$1.5 shipped from aliexpress.Best bang for buck really.It makes a perfect gift for night readers and campers .So compact and bright diffused beam.Will never regret buying one!!

Neutral night reading lamp for friend at hostel

Newly Enlightened

Flashaholic

Enlightened

Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Flashlight Enthusiast

Newly Enlightened

Similar threads