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  • Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

    So, being a cheapskate and not wanting to spend a lot of money for a rechargeable LED lantern, I decided to try making something myself. I figured USB power packs (the type you use to recharge your phone on the go) are ubiquitous and pretty affordable, so that would be the power source. For the light itself, I got some of these:
    http://www.amazon.com/2-Pack-Lightbu...ilpage_o02_s00

    With a cheap ($10) 10,000 mAh pack, one of those will run for about 5 hours straight. That would probably be a weekend's worth of light for a lot of folks (assuming it's not the ONLY light you're using). Plus, since it's just plugged into a charger, it would be a fairly simple matter to just carry a spare one and swap it out when needed.

    The problem, though, is finding a way to package it. On a scout campout once, I saw some lanterns that one of the leaders (an electrical engineer) had made which used a similar light source but a fairly heavy (2-3 pound) rechargeable battery, all encased in PVC. The inside looked like standard gray PVC (3-4" OD), but the outside was clear PVC (or maybe Lexan?). Also, there was a conical reflector on the bottom, with the LED array at the top, pointing down, so when powered on, the light spread out in about a 15' radius. Very impressive.

    The bottom line is that the person who made them refused to give me any details about their construction (not very scout-like, if you ask me), so I'm left to reverse-engineer something I saw and handled (but did not take apart) for about 15 minutes over a year ago.

    I guess what I'm asking here is: what materials would you use to make a sturdy, preferably weather-sealed lamp/lantern housing? I can find the gray PVC easy enough, but the clear stuff is crazy expensive everywhere I look, plus it's only available in 6' or 8' lengths. I need maybe 3-4 feet. I've also looked into custom reflectors, but they're on the pricey side as well.

  • #2
    Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

    Coleman gas lantern. Fuel cost (gasoline): $0.50. Run time: 8 hours.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

      When I was experimenting with backpackable solar I converted an old headlamp with a USB cord for use with a USB power pack (see pic).
      Rayovac makes some replacement flashlight/lantern 4 D cell, 40 lumen, LED bulbs that work pretty well with the 5 volt output of USB power packs (I find them at wallymart occasionally, they do not seem to be in stock all the time).
      The total cost of my headlight was $3.50 plus the old headlamp housing plus the cord from a dead USB mouse.
      I use the above bulbs in 4 cell (even some 4-AA cell) lights and lanterns. My, few remaining, 2 cell flashlights get the 2 cell version of this bulb.


      I have seen home-grown lights made from the clear plastic tubes that are used to blow bottles although I don't know where you can get them (maybe ebay?)

      Note using the power pack (and backpackable solar, in general) turned out to be too much of a hassle, for me (too many wires); so I (mostly) went back to standard AA lights and medium to high quality NiMh rechargeable AA cells, except for the 12 volt main tent light.

      Enjoy!
      Attached Files
      Last edited by Happy Joe; 04-23-2016, 08:46 AM. Reason: add pic
      2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
      For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
      Ground tents work best for me, so far.
      Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

        USPlastic sells clear PVC pipe by the foot. Not cheap, but you won't have to buy a full 6 - 10 foot piece.

        http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/ite...5313&catid=554

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

          I think you might be over thinking this. I actually HAVE that light. I used it for the first time on my last trip. It works great but it is really designed to hang down. I put mine on a table while setting up my tent and it worked well enough for that but if you wanted to make more of a lantern style thing why not just get some clear tupperware? Just turn it upside down because the lids are usually a solid color. Screw a hook into the top to hang the light and seal it with silicone so it doesnt leak.

          You can put the whole battery inside and then you just need to find the reflective material.....maybe just use the shiny side of some aluminum foil rwapped around some constructionpaper or a wood base
          “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
          – E. B. White

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

            Was this ever resolved?
            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
            – E. B. White

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

              Originally posted by James. View Post
              Was this ever resolved?
              No...like most of my projects, it got shoved to the back burner. I have a lot of back burners.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                Originally posted by ChadVKealey View Post
                No...like most of my projects, it got shoved to the back burner. I have a lot of back burners.
                Had to laugh on that one. When I walk through a hardware store and an employee asks me if I need help or if I'm looking for something in particular, I usually tell them something like, "You don't want to get involved in this - I have like 20 projects running circles around in my head. But thank you, if I need help, I'll yell".

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                  Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                  Had to laugh on that one. When I walk through a hardware store and an employee asks me if I need help or if I'm looking for something in particular, I usually tell them something like, "You don't want to get involved in this - I have like 20 projects running circles around in my head. But thank you, if I need help, I'll yell".
                  And the worst part is that once in a while (maybe every 2-3 months), I'll set aside a day or evening to sorting out and cleaning off my workbench. Invariably, I'll find some partially-started project there and spend the rest of the time on that. I haven't actually seen the surface of my workbench in a couple years.

                  And that's just my "general around the house & yard projects". My computer/electronics projects are piled up in my makeshift data center (aka: the utility room in the basement). My wife's fear is that our furnace will someday start absorbing things and become self-aware.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                    Originally posted by ChadVKealey View Post
                    And the worst part is that once in a while (maybe every 2-3 months), I'll set aside a day or evening to sorting out and cleaning off my workbench. Invariably, I'll find some partially-started project there and spend the rest of the time on that. I haven't actually seen the surface of my workbench in a couple years.

                    And that's just my "general around the house & yard projects". My computer/electronics projects are piled up in my makeshift data center (aka: the utility room in the basement). My wife's fear is that our furnace will someday start absorbing things and become self-aware.
                    Hahaha
                    “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                    – E. B. White

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                      You can always place your electronics in a 2 gallon opaque bucket from a home or farm store with a snap on lid. Create your own rechargeable LED bucket light.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                        Originally posted by ChadVKealey View Post
                        No...like most of my projects, it got shoved to the back burner. I have a lot of back burners.
                        I might pick up the mantel on this one. The idea intrigues me.
                        “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                        – E. B. White

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                          Here is a quick and dirty long lasting portable...not 5 volts, and kinda heavy though.


                          Enjoy!
                          Attached Files
                          2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                          For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                          Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                          Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                            LOL, a model of efficiency indeed H-Joe.
                            “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                            ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Need ideas for an LED lamp/lantern housing

                              Originally posted by Happy Joe View Post
                              Here is a quick and dirty long lasting portable...not 5 volts, and kinda heavy though.


                              Enjoy!
                              Dont sell yourself short. You also have to consider that there are a couple extra outlets for add ons.
                              “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                              – E. B. White

                              Comment

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