Red LED Flashlight/Nightlight suggestions?

I'd like to hang a red led flashlight in my sailboat for use as a nightlight. It would remain on all night. What light would give me lots of runtime? Also broad light is better than focused, but that's not critical.

I saw red CMG Infinities at the store, but they state the same runtime as the white ones...41hrs.

Ron, are you wanting the light as an anchor light, or a "walking around" light?

I've been houseboating for a few decades, and an Infinity red, even the dim first model would make an excellent anchor light. The Ultra (I think you can get red) would be better, AA's are cheap, and the run time would still be OK.

Can't count the times I've nearly been run down by some damn inebriated fool at 3:00AM.

RonM, I agree with JohnK that the regular Infinity in red would be good, although if you really want to leave it on all night, I guess 41 hours wouldn't be enough. If you could just turn it on as needed, it would probably last for months.

I am just about positive that the Ultra is currently only available in white, by the way.

a red spider led is super bright and uses 50ma. You could power that off of a pair of batts for a long time.

I use an Infinity Bonfire Blaze for red "easy on the eyes" (and "easy on the batteries") light at night, and probably change the batteries every 4-6 weeks. Granted, I don't leave it on all night - if you did that, you might have to change the batteries every 3-4 days (the advertising says 70 hour battery lifetime on the red LED).

Somewhere around here, I have an "old style" CMG Infinity in red, but I don't know where it is at the moment.
I used that until I got the Bonfire Blaze. It's bright and has a relatively wide-angle, relatively ring-free beam.
It supposedly uses a Hewlett-Packard red LED. At least that's what it says on the package.
Newer model red Infinities seem to have dimmer, ringier beams. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Ditto that ringy red beam, Craig. I have a couple of the newer reds, and its like looking at a bullseye. One of my Ultra's is like that too, believe it or not. It makes me appreciate Arc a little more.

Still, the red Infinity is a very good light if a little red is all you need (i.e. if it's actually really dark). I still recommend them.

BTW, the Ultra is white only.

If you want something you can put in any 2-cell light try this: Break the glass bulb on a PR base bulb and solder a 100 ohm resistor in series with a red LED. Pot it with a dab of epoxy and install it in your choice of 2D lights. It'll run for days. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
I use one around my telescope and 2AA's last all year.

There is also the eternaLight model 3 that can be special ordered in RED/WHITE or GREEN/WHITE, with two white/two colored LEDs. Other colors available are: BLUE, AMBER & INFRARED.
The downside is 6 units is the minimum order. This light does have flashing & SOS modes, it's not just a flashlight.

TechAss special orders



Also, the eternaLight Derringer is one RED/two WHITE LEDs.

What about the $5 red/oranage (non-luxeon) adapter from Inretech? I haven't used one myself, but I would think it should run for a *really* long time on 2xAA. I'd like to know more about that particular model myself.

That uses a "spider" LED, probably from Lumileds, but I don't know what the total runtime on a set of batteries is.
I know you aren't supposed to use lithium batteries in it, or you could let out all the magic smoke. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

You could always have an Opalec with the red lens. You could run it on rechargeables and just recharge them during the day.

Jbechto made me a 3 red led cluster bulb set to run at 3 volts. I thing the total draw is 60Ma. Runs a very very very long time in a 2 D cell flashlight.

JohnK - The red light is to illuminate inside the cabin while protecting night vision. Regulations require anchor lights to be white lights visible through 360 degrees and visible for 2 miles. Most are 10W incandescents. Not sure how you are using a red infinity for an anchor light, but you may want to reconsider your approach. Getting hit by drunken boaters at 2am is no small matter.

I think the single red LED with a 100ohm resister in a PR base may well be the best (and cheapest) solution.

Thanks,

Ron- I knew that (Chapmans sits beside me) but I didn't want to sound like an a---hole, and tell you the red anchor light was not a good thing.

I don't use the red anything for an anchor light.