Need help with a proj. lamp conv. project in Iraq.

Jack_Crow

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Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
417
Location
West Palm Beach FLA (for a while anyway)
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
 

Turt

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Joined
Jun 4, 2003
Messages
326
Location
Anaheim, CA
I own one of these dome lights that you are talking about. Mine is made by garrity, but I don't know any online dealers for these... I actually put a 5mm led in mine(salvaged from my turlelight) and it works fine.
 
B

Birmingham47

Guest
Jack,
I'd be willing to send you a couple of these (finger light)
for the cost of shipping. (I've got plenty of them) You can use them as is, or take them apart and use the LED's in them. I ship to APO's. If that doesn't fit the bill, I can send you one of these (Bonfire Blaze)
at my cost plus shipping. I can't think of anyone other than walmart or someplace like that to find those dome lights. You can try theledlight.com, they ship to APO's and have lots of conversion equipment and stand alone lights to fit the bill. I like your pics. My business partner and I were both in that part of the world not long ago. Got a few pics of my own. (Iraq/Afghan Aviation Pics) Anyway, keep your head down and thanks for helping out our boys over there. Let me know if you need any help with anything else. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 

dtrego

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Messages
68
Location
Grove City, OH, USA
Re: Need help with a proj. lamp conv. project in I

Jack,

Is this the kind of light you're referring to? night lights . Never dealt with this vendor, but I just used the search "touch light" on amazon.com and this is what it came back with. If this is what you want, I've got three you can have - my kids broke the first one in a matter of hours and I decided the other three weren't worth the trouble... just PM me your APO address.

- Dwayne
 

WildRice

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
1,135
Location
SW Michigan
Re: Need help with a proj. lamp conv. project in I

side note. I have modded several of these for my boys, they are on the wall by their beds. 2x 5mm whites sanded flat work good. Also, I put finders in them. 1x 3mm true green LED running at .1mA, makes it really easy to find in the dark. and the 'finder' LED (stays on) dosen't kill the batteries.
Jeff

Also, I found smaller ones at $tree, 3xAA about 4" in diameter. 2 for a buck.
 

Jack_Crow

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
417
Location
West Palm Beach FLA (for a while anyway)
T,
Greetings and thank you for your reply.

I want to thank you for your suggestions and kind offer.

Just want to make an internal issue totally clear. Im a contractor here, and ITT is paying well. It would be a violation of my internal ethics to take for free or at a discount any item intended for the guys in uniform.

It's the troopers here that need support and anything guys like you are willing to share.

I would be happy to pay top dollar so you can afford things for the MP's here.

With that said here is what I will do.
Check with your web site and pickup some items including a couple of the Blaze units.

The trick is to have a light that is not too bright. My current wake up is at 04:45, most of my tent mates are still in snore mode. Need just enough light to see and get dressed. The dome unit that failed was nearly ideal.

So when you see the order come through, if you want, put some extra items in the box. I will share them out with the troopers here and send you some photos.

Your thoughts please, and again, many thanks.

Jack Crow in Iraq.
 

Jack_Crow

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
417
Location
West Palm Beach FLA (for a while anyway)
Re: Need help with a proj. lamp conv. project in I

D,
That's the item.

Please see my note to Mr. T for any ethics questions.

So if your confortable with that, pop me a private note and I will send you the address.

If you need some dollars for this stuff or the cost of shipping let me know as well.

What I don't use will be shared with troopers on the base.

So many thanks
Be well
Jack Crow in Iraq
 

Jack_Crow

Enlightened
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
417
Location
West Palm Beach FLA (for a while anyway)
Re: Need help with a proj. lamp conv. project in I

W,

Thanks for your reply.

Just so you understand the situation here.
Even simple projects tend to be very tough. At home I have a little work shop built into a closet. It has some very fine tools in it. When your used to an HP 3456A for measuring voltage, a normal portable DVM is something of a let down.

Same thing applys here in Iraq.
I don't have a bench, just some left over tables the departing troopers 'forgot' to take with them. I have to be careful not to dammage them.

There is very little test gear. Got my gold star meter, no scope, audio generator, or power supply. None of that good stuff. The scope of projects have to be simplified to an extreem degree.

An LED conversion might have to wait. Stock products will work for now since there is a good supply of NMiH cells.

I don't have the support of my usual work shop. Had to trim the tool collection to the bone. For the moment my personal tool kit fits in two small bags. All the little bits that make up a workshop and contribuite to the success of a project don't exist here. So building or modifying anthing here is a lot like an eternal scavenger hunt.

So if I ordered some LED's there is no way to sand them flat, let alone bring up a shine on what's left. Epoxy or some other glue I don't have would be required to hold them in place. Wire I can find. We have a load of CAT 5.

So anything more than the most simple of projects is almost too much. The other thing to remember is some day I get to go home, and all that stuff will have to come back or be abandoned here.

The TV/dvd player in our com shack we picked up from a trooper that was heading home. It's a fairly large JVC monitor that would not have fit in the luggage allowed on a USG flight.

The 'finder led's are a neat idea. 100uA is hardly much of a draw. Look up the LM 3909 chip if it's still in production. Perhaps you can get your kids to make some "LED Flashers". That will cut your 'finder' ckit's current draw down to a couple of uA.

So keep it safe.
Hope all is well
A frustrated
Jack Crow in Iraq
 
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