l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don't get it!

l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get it!

hi all.

some time ago i built a lantern. it is a 6v. plastic lantern body with a custom faceted aluminum reflector. hp52 lamp. and step up circuit that is running 7.18v off a 6v. 'box' battery(alkaline). the battery is only 3/4 good.

anyways i was out in my very large barn a few nights ago trying to do electrical work on the ceiling. and it dawned on me that the size to brightness ratio of this thing is pretty poor. i was right! didn't need to go any further than the l4(which obviously has way more lumens) and the e2e(has more lumens AND throw!). what the heck?

tell me, either i really got to hand it to surefire, or i did something way wrong when i built my lantern. i mean other than runtime why would anyone want something that weighs over two pounds that isn't as bright as something that weighs around 5 ounces?

the 10x dominator is lighter than the lantern and i don't even have to tell you it makes the lanterns spot dissapear completely!

thanks,
nitebrite.

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

The SF really puts out the most lumens per cubic inch of size. I have been able to top their lights, but my designs are always much larger and I need to go to some serious extremes.

For example, I have a light that is brighter than the Surefire M6, but I automatically lose in the size department: it is housed in a 4D Maglite. The M6 is slightly smaller than the 2D Maglite. Gotta respect PK and Co. for getting it all figured out.

Enjoy your Surefires for what they can do, but keep pushing the lantern design. Maybe you just need a bigger, baddass'er 6V bulb.. and I can tell you where to get one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

You don`t mention what wattage your bulb is.
if it is a low wattage bulb without fill gas it cant´t match the surefire`s xenon bulb output

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

i mentioned that it is an hp52 bulb. nothing fancy. that might be the problem. but the thing runs for, well....ever!
i don't really want to give up the enormous runtime.
i guess it just isn't fair to compare it to tactical lights.
sf's run at their maximum output for short periods of time. or with a led head, for a long time at practically no output. my lamp might actually be pretty impressive considering it's output has hardly dropped off in THREE years! no, it doesnt need a battery yet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif.


nitebrite.

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

Hi,

I used to make my own lanterns using those batteries - and yes, mine lasted years too, but was dim and yellow compared to the SureFires I use now. I love the brightness of SureFire but not the thirst for batteries - brightness comes at a cost.

Here is what I reccomend. The new Streamlight 3C has an excellent output, runs for a good long time and doesnt cost the earth to refill when the time comes to change the batteries. Those 6V lantern batteries look the business (big and square) but they are not actually very good at running a lantern efficiently.

Try the Streamlight 3C Luxeon and you will have a good mix of brightness and runtime. They are a wonderful work light.

Ian, UK

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

Is your step-up circuit actually boosting the voltage under the load of the lamp? Unless you're using a good regulator controller made to deliver high power, your boost circuit will probably not be able to deliver the power to the lamp.


I tried looking up an HP52 bulb - what I got was a tiny 12V, 6W automotive number plate illumination bulb - is that the bulb that you have?

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

i apologize. the bulb is an hpr50. 5.2v.
i was getting my model numbers confused.
my regulator puts out the 7.18v. when it is not under load. it is not very robust and has a small heatsink. but it is also a three year old battery.

the lantern is so much easier to lug around than the 3c.

i am not trying outright to make the lantern brighter than an e2e. i was just mentioning how darn impressive that little e2e really is! however, the output of the giant lantern is just sad compared to the sf's.

but it really isn't a fair comparison. it's like comparing a m3 to a jetta. they are both cars. thats where the similarity ends!

nitebrite.

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

Well, an HPR50 ideally outputs 80 lumens at it's rated voltage. It'd easily hit 100 if boosted to 7.2V. If it's stuck in a generic lantern body with something like a 3" or 4" reflector, it should easily be outthrowing the E2E, and probably equaling total output.

Your regulator probably isn't really pushing the full voltage to the bulb under load, possibly even compounded by a weak battery. If you're really thinking about tinkering with it, check the voltage at the bulb while it's on.

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

it was my battery. under load it just conked out. i guess they run low even with not much use just sitting on the shelf for years. it is after all an alkaline. albeit a big one. this thing isn't so cost effective now considering the price of those energizer 6v. boxes.


thanks,
nitebrite

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

I recently saw those 6v 'box' batteries at Big Lots for 4 or 5 dollars. They were Fuji brand. I don't know if they're any cheaper than the Energizers, but I thought I'd post about them just in case.

Re: l4 and e2e kill my custom lantern? i don\'t get

thanks. the energizers are $9. but fuji is an off brand. might be worth it or not. i'll go to big lots.....

nitebrite.