Jack_Crow
Enlightened
All,
As some of you know I work as a contractor in Iraq. The conditions here are a little primitive. I share a tent with six other guys who work rotating shift. The situation here got interesting last night.
At about 04:30 there was an explosion someplace outside the base. I just hope it was a Saddam Loyalist who didn't read the instructions that came with the IED (Improvised Explosive Device aka bomb). The troopers don't object when one of those idiots spatter them selves across the landscape.
Anyhow….
First thing in the morning, getting enough light to see by inside the tent is a trick without waking up ones neighbors.
Most standard flashlights are too bright and too directional to get dressed with.
One of the guys gave me an odd duck kind of product.
I think it's a GE product. Looks a lot like a dome lamp in a car. A milky white hemisphere on a hard white base. It holds four AA cells. When you press on the hemisphere there is a switch inside the unit that latches on. The bulb is some kind of "incan". At this time I have not had reason to force it open. No screws, no easy to spot plastic latches. It looks like the unit was made not to be serviceable. Since when did that stop any of us?
Last night the cells faded out, turned it off, went to install fresh ones, then discovered the latching gizmo of the switch had quit. In a matter of seconds it went from useful to useless. I may knock this thing apart and see what the story is. Perhaps dig around and find some other kind of switch I can fit to it. Someplace around this base is some junked equipment I can scavenge from.
When it worked it worked well.
Enough light to get dressed by.
Just enough to read in bed after lights out.
It was a battery burner, but with NMiH cells that's not a real money problem. The discharge curve of NMiH means I can watch the light go from full on to dim in a matter of moments.
Anyhow……..
Any of you guys know a dealer where I can order some.
I think they come in packs of five or six.
That's fine, need a couple for my self, and the rest I can store or pass out to the troopers here.
This dealer should be able to send to an Army APO address.
Secondary Issue……..
Anybody make or ever tried an LED conversion on this item? White, red, blue, or green?
For this I would be willing to spring for a few 40 dollar LED lamps. In its current mode I get a couple of hours light from it then the NMiH's fade out. A lamp that won't fade out in the dark would be a handy thing. Changing cells in the dark ain't my favorite activity.
Ideas, comments, or suggestions would be welcome at this point.
Thanks in advance
Jack Crow in Iraq
PS
There was just another bang that just shook the Com Trailer. Since base security didn't call an alert it couldn't have been a real problem. The Sappers will find and destroy IED's in place. The bad guys plant them at night; the good guys clear them by day. They have special vehicles and tools to do this safely.
I have the deepest respect for the Army here. They have been great hosts, and take care of the contractors very well. Had the chance to serve with some good people. Be nice to a vet please.
If you want to see my photos from Iraq, try this link.
http://www.obscure-reference.com/hosted/RadioMike/index.html
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
As some of you know I work as a contractor in Iraq. The conditions here are a little primitive. I share a tent with six other guys who work rotating shift. The situation here got interesting last night.
At about 04:30 there was an explosion someplace outside the base. I just hope it was a Saddam Loyalist who didn't read the instructions that came with the IED (Improvised Explosive Device aka bomb). The troopers don't object when one of those idiots spatter them selves across the landscape.
Anyhow….
First thing in the morning, getting enough light to see by inside the tent is a trick without waking up ones neighbors.
Most standard flashlights are too bright and too directional to get dressed with.
One of the guys gave me an odd duck kind of product.
I think it's a GE product. Looks a lot like a dome lamp in a car. A milky white hemisphere on a hard white base. It holds four AA cells. When you press on the hemisphere there is a switch inside the unit that latches on. The bulb is some kind of "incan". At this time I have not had reason to force it open. No screws, no easy to spot plastic latches. It looks like the unit was made not to be serviceable. Since when did that stop any of us?
Last night the cells faded out, turned it off, went to install fresh ones, then discovered the latching gizmo of the switch had quit. In a matter of seconds it went from useful to useless. I may knock this thing apart and see what the story is. Perhaps dig around and find some other kind of switch I can fit to it. Someplace around this base is some junked equipment I can scavenge from.
When it worked it worked well.
Enough light to get dressed by.
Just enough to read in bed after lights out.
It was a battery burner, but with NMiH cells that's not a real money problem. The discharge curve of NMiH means I can watch the light go from full on to dim in a matter of moments.
Anyhow……..
Any of you guys know a dealer where I can order some.
I think they come in packs of five or six.
That's fine, need a couple for my self, and the rest I can store or pass out to the troopers here.
This dealer should be able to send to an Army APO address.
Secondary Issue……..
Anybody make or ever tried an LED conversion on this item? White, red, blue, or green?
For this I would be willing to spring for a few 40 dollar LED lamps. In its current mode I get a couple of hours light from it then the NMiH's fade out. A lamp that won't fade out in the dark would be a handy thing. Changing cells in the dark ain't my favorite activity.
Ideas, comments, or suggestions would be welcome at this point.
Thanks in advance
Jack Crow in Iraq
PS
There was just another bang that just shook the Com Trailer. Since base security didn't call an alert it couldn't have been a real problem. The Sappers will find and destroy IED's in place. The bad guys plant them at night; the good guys clear them by day. They have special vehicles and tools to do this safely.
I have the deepest respect for the Army here. They have been great hosts, and take care of the contractors very well. Had the chance to serve with some good people. Be nice to a vet please.
If you want to see my photos from Iraq, try this link.
http://www.obscure-reference.com/hosted/RadioMike/index.html
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif