Just picked up a new 4 door Jeep and am looking for a rechargeable flashlight to put in it. I'd love to find one that shuts off charging when it's full so it's not draining the battery if the Jeep sits for a long time. I see that some of the Pelicans have direct wiring options, which I like because I have a Rig Runner under the dash. Any suggestions?
Rechargeable for my new Jeep
- Thread starter Malpaso
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021411
Enlightened
How about a Streamlight LiteBox? You can hardwire it to your car but I'm not sure on the charging system (if it shuts off).
senna94
Flashlight Enthusiast
Another great option that will take up very little room and is easy to mount is the Streamlight Strion. It has a Li-Ion cell that can't be overcharged and can be bought with 1 or 2 charging cradles. One for your house and the other for the vehicle.
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
Pelican 7060 LAPD.
Pelican is a good option and I have and like the m11 and it would do a good job. Streamlight is also a good option with great easy to use combos. What you plan on using it for would also effect the choice. You can go with a regular "flashlight" or more of a "lantern" type light. In any case Pelican and Streamlight have several options of both types and would probably be the easiest to find. As for chargers that shut off the problem with that is if you didn't use and/or charge the light then it will drain and eventually go dead. Light chargers must trickle charge to keep this from happening, but it's so small a drain unless you leave your Jeep for weeks without running it you won't have a problem.
I was wondering why no one mentioned the T4 It's a great light. Though would make sure you get the 2007 model with the reflector instead of the optic.
tussery
Enlightened
The T4 looks like a good light and definitely a nice charger setup, but for an in car light something full size makes a lot of sense. Personally, unless you're a big LED person, I don't see the benefit over incan since runtimes are a very small issue.
Diesel_Bomber
Flashlight Enthusiast
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+1
No matter what light you choose, I would wire it so it's only charging when the ignition is on.
:buddies:
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
Ther's no way a light trickle charging on a charger could drain appreciably from the vehicle's battery except over a very long period of time.
senna94
Flashlight Enthusiast
Wiring the charger so that it only charges when the ignition is on could leave you with a dead battery in your car and in your flashlight if you don't run your vehicle for a while. I think I would prefer to have the charger which draws very little on all the time and at least have a light to connect jumper cables with in the event the vehicle battery dies. At least then you know the light would be the last to go.
:naughty:
Diesel_Bomber
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How in the world is a flashlight going to drain your car battery if it's only being charged when the ignition is on, aka engine is running?
Edit: Just went and measured the amperage drawn by one of my MagChargers. 220mah @ 12.8 volts. There is NO WAY I would wire this up to anything but an engine-on source.
Edit: Just went and measured the amperage drawn by one of my MagChargers. 220mah @ 12.8 volts. There is NO WAY I would wire this up to anything but an engine-on source.
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tussery
Enlightened
That is what I am wondering also. I think he meant a constant hot and not an ignition hot. That is my only guess.
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
That's fast charge. It only keeps that up for a little while. Then it switches to trickle.
BlackDecker
Enlightened
Diesel_Bomber
Flashlight Enthusiast
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Have you measured this? How much current is drawn on trickle charge?
I suppose something else that needs to be quantified is how long "a long time" is for a vehicle to sit. For some people this will be over the weekend, for others it will be months at a time.
:buddies:
LukeA
Flashlight Enthusiast
While I have not measured current on a MagCharger, I do know that chargers either switch to trickle charge or simply turn off. They are not large constant draws for days or weeks at a time.
A charger won't pose a problem to an automotive battery. The battery can supply about 5 KWh. The light will draw 8.14W to fully charge (7060). So, to drain the car battery, constantly drawing 8.14W, would take over a month. But the charger is only drawing about 2W for 4 hours, then shuts off (7060 charger, others use trickle). When the light's battery reads less than full, it is supplied with 2W until it is full. For chargers that use trickle charge, after the fast charge is completed, the trickle phase begins. In this phase, the battery is supplied with about 15mA continuously. If the light runs at 6V and trickle supplies 15mA at 6V, then the charger draws 7.5mA at 12V from the battery. At that rate, it would take over 70 years to deplete the battery. The vehicle's ECU draws far more than that.
