LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Dark

Shown above is a hiker's combo that may be of interest to those that travel in the great outdoors. I put a Brass AAA LED flashlight together with a Brass Liquid-filled compass. In order to minimize magnetic interferance, an extended brass wire snap-lok clip was utilized. Futhermore, the compass and LED light are secured to your person, or pack using a non-magnetic, titanium link.



Even though the LED Pocket Light is all brass, the AAA battery has some magnetic steel in it and adversely affects compass readings. However, the light and compass can be seperated adequately using the long brass snap-lok clip. The whole mess hinges nicely and hangs vertically for carry off of the Ti link.



Brass is a gas...... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Edited to correct battery size-Duh

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

Nice! I have a Brunton GITD compass that came with a brass split ring, that would be a nice color match for that Marbles compass. There are of course also some fancy compasses with tritum lighting. I wonder if anyone makes non-magnetic batteries (not necessarily AA size, maybe some of those ultra-thin lithium polymer cells or something).

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

Sweet! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Thanks for making me drool all over with that brass Arc AAA...

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:SNIP-
There are of course also some fancy compasses with tritum lighting. I wonder if anyone makes non-magnetic batteries (not necessarily AA size, maybe some of those ultra-thin lithium polymer cells or something).

[/ QUOTE ]

That LED Flashlight runs on AAA's not AA. I edited the post.

paulr - I'd like to see one of those Tritium lighted Compasses. Got a link? That sounds cool. Also-yes-a polymer battery would really help. Maybe with silver, or copper contacts.

Stanley-You are welcome /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

Atomic6: http://www.google.com/search?q=tritium+compass

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

Very nice Atomic6 - Where can you get that brass compass? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drool.gif (And also the ti link)

Jan

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said: There are of course also some fancy compasses with tritum lighting.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, there are several, but most of them are not bright enough to use it under adverse conditions (been there, done that, maybe getting old)
[ QUOTE ]
I wonder if anyone makes non-magnetic batteries

[/ QUOTE ] Oh yes, there are several. SAFT, for example makes them. I've seen a Li-D cell in non-magnetic and there are a couple of other sizes I don't know about.

Actually for this compass shown above it should not be an issue, as its accuracy is pretty low.

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

One other option for a nonmagnetic battery might be carbon zinc. At least they are common.

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

[ QUOTE ]
cannon50 said:
One other option for a nonmagnetic battery might be carbon zinc. At least they are common.

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All of my carbon zinc AAA cells have a magnetic steel mantle (just checked them). Could you find a non magnetic one?

I also have very low magnetic cells (D-cells) here. There are good enough about 10cm away from a survey compass.

And I have a compass with a tiny Li cell already built in.

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
Atomic6: http://www.google.com/search?q=tritium+compass

[/ QUOTE ]

paulr-thanks. You use Google too /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I see lots of those military style tritium compasses-some as low as $64.00 with blem anodizing. I thought maybe you found some really trick little Tritium pocket compasses. That's all I need is something else to obsess over...

Thanks

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

[ QUOTE ]
JanCPF said:
Very nice Atomic6 - Where can you get that brass compass? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drool.gif (And also the ti link)

Jan

[/ QUOTE ]

Jan-Actually, both items can be purchased through Countycomm.com (Sponsor here). See the Banner ads...

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

PeLu .... Don't have any personally but my boss brought some cheap heavy duty cells to work for our lights and when one leaked I cut it open to find the zinc can covered only by plastic film. It may have had steel ends though. On second thought, carbon/zinc cells probably would not be a good choice .

VERY handsome, Atomic! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I dig brass, too.

Britt

[ QUOTE ]
BC0311 said:
VERY handsome, Atomic! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I dig brass, too.

Britt

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Thanks Britt. This combo is more "eye candy" than "save yourself in the woods" rated.



For full-out survival, perhaps a Cammenga Tritium Compass and a Electrolumens Tri-Star runing red LEDs would be the ultimate combo. paulr was right about the Tritium Compasses.

Cammenga USG Tritium Compass Link

Re: LED & Compass Combo-Finding Your Way in The Da

I have a Brunton compass on a glow-in-the-dark plastic backing. The compass works pretty well, though the GITD fades rather quickly.