GE 300 Lumen Lantern

[blackdragonx1186]

I just picked this up from Costco earlier today. Seems to be fairly well built. Not quite as cheap feeling as I was expecting. For the brief time I was able to power it up, it seemed to be fairly bright, but I was in a well lit room. I don't have any D cells currently, so I used my 2S RC car lipo pack to power it. It can run on 4 or 8 D cells, so I figure 7.4ish volts won't hurt it when it normally runs on 6v. I might rip it apart, just to try and see which emitter it has, and maybe the driver config as well. It has 3 modes, although there was almost no difference, probably due to the increased voltage. I didn't see this on here, so I figured I'd post it on up. And for $20 bucks, it seems like a good buy.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

I can't tell:

In the second picture, is the lantern lit, or is that sunshine streaming through...?

 

[Stereodude]

I've got one of them also. It's a decent lantern. Definitely better than some of ones that have an exposed Cree LED and rely entirely on shiny reflective surfaces to spread the light. However, I think the folding 4/8AA Energizer Light Fusion lantern is a better lantern than the GE.

 

[Stereodude]

I decided to get out my power supply and meter and test it. It definitely does not have a constant current LED driver. Brightness and current increase as the voltage increases. Seems like there's just a current limiting resistor in there.

Current draw with 6.0V input
Hi - .81A
Med - .41A
Low - .16A

Standby current settled around .7uA

 

[blackdragonx1186]

I can't tell:

In the second picture, is the lantern lit, or is that sunshine streaming through...?

Just sunlight.


I metered slightly higher numbers, but I was running at 7.4v. Just over an amp on high.
Sounds like I need to actually rip it apart and use a proper driver. And I'd image heatsinking as well.

 

[flyingtoaster]

I just saw these on a display at Costco in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for $20. How hard would it be to make this plug-in? You could electrify a few of those $8 Walmart hurricane lanterns and make rustic patio lighting.

-Ryan

 

[Captq]

Does the lantern lens seem dusty or foggy to you on this lantern?

I dont know if the lens is light diffusing or if the lens is degraded in some way on mine.

I do like the very long run time and the fact that you can use 4 or 8 d cells and it will still run

 

[Phaserburn]

Mine is the same. It's supposed to be diffusing to cut glare and artifacts.

Stereodude, did you take readings at 12V? Curious what kind of efficiency, if any, is gained.

 

[Stereodude]

Stereodude, did you take readings at 12V? Curious what kind of efficiency, if any, is gained.

It runs a 4S2P battery configuration so it's a 6V lantern whether it has 4D cells or 8D. I wouldn't attempt 12V on it.