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unclearty

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
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434
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Mid-Massachusetts
I live out in the sticks..it gets pretty dark at night. I always find myself fumbling with keys in one hand, and some other crap in my other. What I've decided I need is a stick on LED light..with a small ON timer....in other words, I'd like something about the size of a Photon...that I could stick to a door jam...press the top of it once...and have it lite up and stay on for about 10 seconds. I'd be able to mount one on each door jam just above the key slot...then even with arms loaded, I could find my freakin' key hole.
It's great having an Arc AAA on my keyring, but..it's impossible to use with one hand AND still put the key in it's slot. Any ideas?
 
Not quite what you had in mind, but here is what I use....

keys.jpg



My key chain seperates into two pieces with the car keys and light on one half and house keys on the other.
 
Paint glow powder on your lock, blast it with the ARC for a couple of seconds and then you should be able to see the slot when you shut the light off?
 
I've thought of the key illuminator...I'm just trying to cut down on the BULK on my keychain...I may have to resort to that idea.
 
Lunal_Tic said:
Why not get one of the LED lights that fit <on> your key? You squeeze it as you're using it.

-LT
Click to expand...

The last time I had a duplicate key made at the hardware store, I noticed they had key blanks with a red LED squeeze light built in. These were not much bigger than a normal key and not very expensive (less than $5).
 
What about one of the inova microlights? Mount it above the keyhole (velcro, whatever you want). Press the button once, it comes on high for 4 minutes, then shuts off. $7 at Target.

Not perfect, but it would work. I use one on my keyring. Used it to get into the house last night.

Another suggestion (not a flashlight, but what I do). Get some x10 stuff (I know, but it does work). I've got a motion sensor attached to the ceiling of my carport. When I drive in, it sends a radio signal to a transceiver plugged into an inside socket. The transceiver sends a signal over the house wiring, which activates the carport light and the light inside the utility room. The motion sensor is programmable and will send an "off" signal also. You can control the amount of time. Oh, it also senses day and night, so I use it to control my front porch light (on at night) also. Weird thing is, when I pull into the driveway, the motion sensor turns the carport light on, then thinks it
s daylight so turns the front porch light off. When the time expires and the carport light goes off, the motion sensor turns the front porch light back on. No big deal but I bet the neighbors wonder about me... I could fix this, but why?

Anyway, I had to buy the motion sensor, the transceiver, and two light switch modules. I got some of the stuff at Lowes but they don't seem to carry it now. Try www.x10.com. Yes, the popunder people...

Good luck!
 
Install a regular light with a motion detector. You walk up the door, the light turns on.
 
My problem is ...the front door is a little recessed..so it's behind the porch light. So far, I like the idea of the Inova best...I think that may work.
 
unclearty said:
My problem is ...the front door is a little recessed..so it's behind the porch light. So far, I like the idea of the Inova best...I think that may work.
Click to expand...


tape a mirror to a tree in your yard to reflect the light toward your door

:p
 
If you go with the X10 stuff you can put the motion sensor wherever you want. It's listed with a 100 foot range to the transceiver (that's probably a straight line with no obstructions--mine has to penetrate a brick wall--works with no problems but is only about 15 feet away).
 
Zigzago said:
The last time I had a duplicate key made at the hardware store, I noticed they had key blanks with a red LED squeeze light built in. These were not much bigger than a normal key and not very expensive (less than $5).
Click to expand...
I saw the same thing. The ones I saw were not white LEDs, but came in several colors, amber being the whitest. The battery is apparently not replaceable. But the whole thing was very compact, and the switch had a nice feel to it. I thought it was a very clever design, and it would probably be my first choice if I actually had trouble finding key holes.

The store also had a key light that fit over the head of the key. The one I saw had a plastic loop for the key ring, and didn't allow you to use the metal loop of the key itself. I wouldn't trust my house key to a plastic loop. If there were a different design that let you use the metal loop of the key, it might be a good option.
 
It is not LED, but I have some "press on lights" with a timer for the kids closets. They were not very expensive at Home Depot. They are about 6 inches in dia, with mounting clips on the back. Not sure on price, but certainly under $ 20, maybe under $ 10.

I loaded them up with 4 x Li AAs - plenty of light, and last a long time.
 
I went to Target last night..the Microlights don't say anything about 4 min timer..at least on the package. They would be a perfect size for what I want.
I also looked at the Garrity flat pocket LED light. Boy if THAT had a timer function...it would work perfectly. Still looking.
 
Battery powered closet lights. Sticky back. Just touch the dome to turn them on.
I noticed one at Walmart CANADA by Globe that uses a motion detector.and LED bulb.
 
The Inova does have the 4 minute feature. I just bought one of these little things 2 days ago. Basically it's to keep you from running the batteries down if you inadvertantly leave it on or if it gets turned on while in your pocket and you don't realize it.

It's a nifty little keychain light. The beam is not as great as a photon(has artifacts) but still it's pretty bright. So yes, a little velcro or double stick tape and that should work great for what you are trying to do.
 
The instructions for the inova microlight are inside the package (go figure). It ships in a 'protected' mode--press and hold for light. To switch to 'normal' mode, you press and hold for several seconds (10? I forget) until the light blinks. Then, press once for high, again for low, again for strobe, again for off. If you leave the light on in any mode for more than 2 seconds, the next press will shut it off. In high it shuts down in 4 minutes, but will not do so in low.

Warning: it's probably not waterproof, so that might be important for your use.
 
Cool!!! Waterproof is not a real issue..the door is recessed..I'll pick one up this afternoon and try it tonight. Thanks for your ideas!
 
How about cutting two small notches on either side of the keyhole and epoxying two tritium viles into the door!

-tom
 
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