Suggestions for an LED area light

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Phaserburn

Phaserburn

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 30, 2003
Messages
4,755
City & State/Province
Connecticut, USA
I am looking for something that will be used for outdoors/deck and indoors/power failure situations. I would like it to be bright with good runtime. I would also like it to be easy to use, i.e. not just a typical flashlight that needs to be stood on end or propped up to point at the ceiling. I'm talking about something lantern-ish or is designed specifically to be an area light. Alkaline cells preferable.
 
Actually, I have a glo-toob fx (after at your suggestion, I believe!). Thanks, but I'm looking for something much brighter to light up a room.
 
I use a coleman flourescent lantern indoors for power failures. Mine's powered by a 12v gell cell rather than the 8 Ds it came with. I haven't found any good LED lanterns so I plan to simply build my own. I need a small 360 deg. reflector from a walkway light - I want to use a 3w luxeon with a constant current regulator. You might look at cheap LED walkway lights - most seem to have a wide angle (120deg.?) but I haven't found any of interest to me. They are too dimm, too big, or both. -RussH
 
My suggestion would be to make your own. Direct drive an LS on say 3 alkaline AA's.
Mount the LS in a small flat box about the size of a pack of 20 cigarettes lying flat. Reflecting the light off the ceiling will give you the best effect.
Add a switch that can switch in 2 different resistors to give you variable output.
A simple project for about $10-00!!
 
Wouldn't a fluorescent lamp be more efficient than LEDs for area lighting? If so, then wouldn't it make more sense to use a fluorescent lantern instead? After all, I don't think impact resistance is a top priority when it comes to a stationary lantern.

Of course, fluorescents just aren't as cool! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
I think if you check out the Lantern forum, you will find a ton of info on Fluorescent lanterns. There's a cool little hand-sized fluorescent lantern with an LED with an optic. The LED gives a beam similar to the Inova X2 for a "spotlight". I saw it at PhotonFest 2 a few weeks back.

For a lantern, it's tough to beat the fluorescents though.
 
I'll agree that flourescent lamps are probably the "smartest" choice.

But in a pinch, a LW3000 or LW4000 with a translucent plastic drinking cup jammed over the LEDs as a diffuser makes a very workable area light with great run times.
 
I have one of the Energizer Lanterns that use 4 D cells. If you can trust their numbers it is rated for 40 hrs on one tube, 20 hrs if running both.
 
Well it's not exactly what you asked for, but I'd have to agree with Streak's second post. An LS pointed at the ceiling is superb for illuminating a room. Just keep it above eye level.

Obviously that doesn't work outdoors, so for that I've been using a Rayovac 4AA "kids" lantern. Don't let the "kids" label fool you. They're really solid lanterns. Walmart has them for less than 10 bucks. I've been planning on modding it to LS, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
 
I have two Energizer Folding lanterns. They have two fluorescent tubes and take 4 D-cells. Claimed to run 40hrs on one tube and 20 hours on both tube. Folds very nicely to the size of a very thick paperback book. Price was $12.99 at Home Depot. I've bought six of them in the last 11 months, kept two and gave two to my parents and brother. Great use for D cells, cause your not carrying these things all over the house. I prefer AA's, C's and 123's for flashlights because they tend to be smaller and easier to stick in a pocket.


GregR
 
[ QUOTE ]
Phaserburn said:
I am looking for something that will be used for outdoors/deck and indoors/power failure situations. I would like it to be bright with good runtime. I would also like it to be easy to use, i.e. not just a typical flashlight that needs to be stood on end or propped up to point at the ceiling. I'm talking about something lantern-ish or is designed specifically to be an area light. Alkaline cells preferable.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that this has been extensively discussed and was also the subject of a recent group buy. Take a look at:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB5&Number=283695&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

I have one of these I think it meets your criteria....
 
Hmm... a Milky Candle? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

Actually, I'd agree with a previous poster that you ought to make your own area light, but I would use a 5-watt LS, a cheap computer heatsink (optional but cheap insurance), a SLA (sealed lead acid) rechargeable battery, and perhaps one of goerges80's uFlex microcontroller boards. With this combo, you ought to be able to make a righteous amount of light for several hours, or dim the emitter all the way to a minimal level that could last quite literally days. Plus the battery's rechargeable. It wouldn't end up terribly large but would be a little heavy, mainly because of the SLA battery. (After all, there's LEAD in it!) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

One of my upcoming mods will be to build myself a hanging work light using similar parts.
 
Here is a cheap idea for you that has worked for me
inside as well as outside. The flashlight I used was a
Arc LS. I made a lantern from some candle lanterns the
wife had. These had a reflective top. I made a holder for
the Arc and put it place of the candle. Not an overly bright light but still nice. (Bad thing is now the wife is letting me get more small flashlights.)
 
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