I really like to go camping and love LED lights. Problem looking for a solution? All the available lanterns I've seen are what I would call a poor implementation of a lantern. Sure, they're cheap, but that's just the problem....They're cheap. The light output is paltry when used for area lighting. I wanted it to survive a fall. I checked out all the lanterns at the usual places and did some searching on the forums. I found that except for custom made lanterns, no one was offering anything I was interested in. My solution? Make my own, better lantern that would allow me free lumens without the need for a constant gas source or the need to deal with messy fuel.
I sat down and thought out what I wanted in a lantern. Long runtime is very important, but I also wanted the ability to turn the light up high for short periods. I wanted something fully variable, not just with levels. I chose a Shark driver and paired it with 6 SSC stars. Overkill? Maybe, but I wanted good efficiency at lower drive currents (more LEDs, so less current for better lm/w) and wanted to be able to really crank it when needed. I paired the shark and 6 LEDs to a 9 cell 11.1V, 6600mAh li-ion pack. I wanted the ability to dim the lantern all the way down, keeping in mind the VF drop at low currents I chose a lower voltage pack.
The construction was important to me. I wanted the lantern to be near indestructible. I researched the available options and picked out a 1/4" walled acrylic tube that is weather resistant. I lightly frosted the inside of the tube to help disperse the light and to avoid glare to the eyes. I picked up 2, 1/4" thick 6061 aluminum pieces for endplates. I took 1/4" stainless steel threaded rods and used them to compress the tube between the endplates on each corner. The lantern can survive a good fall or impact without breaking a sweat.
I incorporated a 12V charger into the design to recharge the lantern anywhere. The PCB protection, I chose had the ability to use a battery level indicator with 5 red indicator LEDs. Each represents 20%, and below 20%, it flashes. A quick press of the button lights them up for 10 seconds. The PCB protects each cell pack (3 18650 cells in parallel) from overcharging, overdischarging and overdraw by the driver.
By using a 6 LED pattern, equally spaced, the light dispersion is nice and insures there are no large gaps between the LED hotspots. I was afraid that by using 3 or 4 LEDs I would have centralized hotspots in various places with obvious gaps in lighting. I was trying to avoid major artifacts that plague most cheap lanterns that can be bought by various companies. After seeing the newest Colman lanterns, I'm sure you all know what I mean.
On low, the lantern draws about 7.5mA from the battery. On high, about 1.25A. Except for the corner support rods, the dispersion pattern is very nice. I've drawn up some ideas on how to get rid of the square endplates to let more light shine up and down from LEDs.
It is very difficult to show exactly how bright the lantern is, but the table in the background in the following picture is perhaps 10-15 feet from the lantern.
In this picture, the light shining to the left of the lantern is a Dereelight SSC on high with tight focus.
I find this lantern much more effective than the cheap 1 LED ones that can be found at most stores or online shops. They typically have a poor beam pattern with pitiful output for serious use or poor runtimes. My lantern will make a great area lighting tool for my fall camping trips. It has enough power to truly light up a large area with usable light. In addition, by using a Li-ion battery pack, the battery is ready to go in all reasonable weather conditions that would kill the output from NIMH cells.
Honestly, I was quite shocked at the lack of quality offerings in this particular market, which led me to go ahead and make my own solution. It performs its task well and has met all my expectations for get togethers and nighttime fire sessions. I tend to use it at lower drive currents for the efficiency and runtime. Frankly, it is too bright on high to be used as 'subtle' lighting when hanging out with friends. The ability to dial in the drive level you want is a big plus. I've run it in excess of 1/2 hour on high without trouble from the shark driver. Keeping the Shark cool is a big challenge.
I've also integrated a connector that allows you to connect the lantern to a 12v source, such as a car battery, and completely bypass the battery system for extended runtime sessions from your car battery or other available source. A great feature for versatility.
I have ideas for improvements, I'd like to implement on the next build. I'd be interested in hearing any suggestions for improvement you guys may have. If interest warrants, I would be willing to do a small run of lanterns.
I sat down and thought out what I wanted in a lantern. Long runtime is very important, but I also wanted the ability to turn the light up high for short periods. I wanted something fully variable, not just with levels. I chose a Shark driver and paired it with 6 SSC stars. Overkill? Maybe, but I wanted good efficiency at lower drive currents (more LEDs, so less current for better lm/w) and wanted to be able to really crank it when needed. I paired the shark and 6 LEDs to a 9 cell 11.1V, 6600mAh li-ion pack. I wanted the ability to dim the lantern all the way down, keeping in mind the VF drop at low currents I chose a lower voltage pack.
The construction was important to me. I wanted the lantern to be near indestructible. I researched the available options and picked out a 1/4" walled acrylic tube that is weather resistant. I lightly frosted the inside of the tube to help disperse the light and to avoid glare to the eyes. I picked up 2, 1/4" thick 6061 aluminum pieces for endplates. I took 1/4" stainless steel threaded rods and used them to compress the tube between the endplates on each corner. The lantern can survive a good fall or impact without breaking a sweat.
I incorporated a 12V charger into the design to recharge the lantern anywhere. The PCB protection, I chose had the ability to use a battery level indicator with 5 red indicator LEDs. Each represents 20%, and below 20%, it flashes. A quick press of the button lights them up for 10 seconds. The PCB protects each cell pack (3 18650 cells in parallel) from overcharging, overdischarging and overdraw by the driver.
By using a 6 LED pattern, equally spaced, the light dispersion is nice and insures there are no large gaps between the LED hotspots. I was afraid that by using 3 or 4 LEDs I would have centralized hotspots in various places with obvious gaps in lighting. I was trying to avoid major artifacts that plague most cheap lanterns that can be bought by various companies. After seeing the newest Colman lanterns, I'm sure you all know what I mean.
On low, the lantern draws about 7.5mA from the battery. On high, about 1.25A. Except for the corner support rods, the dispersion pattern is very nice. I've drawn up some ideas on how to get rid of the square endplates to let more light shine up and down from LEDs.
It is very difficult to show exactly how bright the lantern is, but the table in the background in the following picture is perhaps 10-15 feet from the lantern.
In this picture, the light shining to the left of the lantern is a Dereelight SSC on high with tight focus.
I find this lantern much more effective than the cheap 1 LED ones that can be found at most stores or online shops. They typically have a poor beam pattern with pitiful output for serious use or poor runtimes. My lantern will make a great area lighting tool for my fall camping trips. It has enough power to truly light up a large area with usable light. In addition, by using a Li-ion battery pack, the battery is ready to go in all reasonable weather conditions that would kill the output from NIMH cells.
Honestly, I was quite shocked at the lack of quality offerings in this particular market, which led me to go ahead and make my own solution. It performs its task well and has met all my expectations for get togethers and nighttime fire sessions. I tend to use it at lower drive currents for the efficiency and runtime. Frankly, it is too bright on high to be used as 'subtle' lighting when hanging out with friends. The ability to dial in the drive level you want is a big plus. I've run it in excess of 1/2 hour on high without trouble from the shark driver. Keeping the Shark cool is a big challenge.
I've also integrated a connector that allows you to connect the lantern to a 12v source, such as a car battery, and completely bypass the battery system for extended runtime sessions from your car battery or other available source. A great feature for versatility.
I have ideas for improvements, I'd like to implement on the next build. I'd be interested in hearing any suggestions for improvement you guys may have. If interest warrants, I would be willing to do a small run of lanterns.
