BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

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BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby adapotato » Sat Sep 22, 2018 5:12 pm

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/44923

FYI: Lantern is not available yet, still in design phase. (lantern is based on the popular BLF Q8 flashlight.) My guess on lantern price is under $55 dollars.

-Specifications:
- uses up to four button-top 18650 LiIon cells (in parallel configuration) Driver based from Lexel, Firmware from Toykeeper (LT1-Anduril)
- 150mm tall x 57mm wide
- Lighted electronic switch, (same as Q8 but with amber or yellow LED.
- USB charging, (either USB-micro, preferably newer USB-C input
- USB Power-bank charging out port, (up to 2.1 minimum continuous Amps for smartphones or tablet charging)
- down-firing LED design, with four Samsung LH351D 2700K high-CRI LEDs, and four Samsung LH351D 5000K High CRI LEDs.
- between 700 to 900 lumens on maximum mode.
- Ability to run lantern on the lower modes while charging from a minimum of 10 watt solar panel) (able to sustain a minimum of 1 amp charging rate.
- up to 1.75 amps at the four cells combined on maximum draw, on maximum mode.
- minimum water resistant of a IP67 / IPX7 rating
- electronic & mechanical lock out. (Mechanical by loosening battery tube
- 1/4”-20 tripod mount on bottom for use as a raised lantern on a tripod.
- 1/4”-20 tripod mount on back of lantern, same as Q8 (for accessory reflector)
- steel loops on head for addition of para cord Lanyard( or one included with the lantern)
- 20% lens frosting (or frosted internal sleeve) for smoother light, but not reduce the output no lower than 5% of bare LEDs.

– Up-coming available accessory kit will include:
> white durable plastic directional reflector, (covers 40% of one side of the lens increasing light in one direction.)
>plastic snap on wide base cap for more stability (similar to the ones used for the propane gas Coleman lanterns for stability)
> long 12 foot USB charge cable (for remote Solar charging)
> padded woven storage sleeve storage case.
> upper “wide-hat” plastic white hood brim/reflector for increasing light downward when hanging above outdoors.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:29 am

It will be a nice battery powered lantern. It'll look something light this latest artist rendition.

Image

It could be as much as a year before it is available.

For those who are not aware, BLF is a forum for a bunch of flashlight 'nuts'. I am one of them. The flashlights are designed by group inputwith a few very technically minded people in different areas. The lights are made by Chinese companies and sold through Chinese vendors. The design process is slow with a lot of back and forth.

If you sign up and place your name on the 'want' list that guarantees you a light at the first run, discount price. After those orders get filled then the lights go on sale to anyone. The price goes up after the initial group buy.
Last edited by MtnDon on Sun Sep 23, 2018 1:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:32 am

Just FYI, the black parts are aluminum, not plastic and some machined details will differ. EG, the flats on the battery cylinder may be omitted... body may be round and knurled.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby GTS225 » Sun Sep 23, 2018 3:06 pm

Adjustable brightness control?
Possibility of solar charging cell on top center? (Makes use of rechargeable batteries possible.)
Might want a hanging device on top, too.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Sun Sep 23, 2018 3:54 pm

GTS225 wrote:Adjustable brightness control?
Possibility of solar charging cell on top center? (Makes use of rechargeable batteries possible.)
Might want a hanging device on top, too.



The light uses a UI that incorporates what we call "ramping", that is an adjustable brightness setting, up and down the range. It should also incorporate some other features like a battery voltage checker.

A solar cell that would fit on the head would contribute such a small charge amount it would be basically useless. The light uses rechargeable 18650 size Li-ion cells, 4 of them in parallel. t will function for reduced runtime on a single cell. These are only available as rechargeable cells. They are nominally 18 mm in diameter x 65mm in length. In reality, the cells are longer from adding the button tops.

There is a hanging loop incorporated in the upper plate.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby GTS225 » Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:41 pm

Reading through your first post again, I realized you had answered all three concerns at that time. Guess I should "listen" better before running my mouth.

While it's understandable that you may wish to utilize the latest battery technology, I have concerns yet, over Li-Poly type batteries, and their seemingly inherent instability while charging or discharging at high rates. We've all heard far too many stories of them starting fires or grounding commercial airliners.
Might it be possible to power this lantern from AA or AAA batteries?

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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby KTM_Guy » Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:46 pm

Very cool, what is the thought behind the 3200K and 5000K emitters? To give a choice of warm and old light or are both on at the same time?

Any idea how many levels of brightness? The problem with lights like this is they never go low enough. We have a nice North Face we like but wish it would dim down another 30%.

What is the best way to get in on the group buy?

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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:52 pm

No, AA type cells are not compatible with lights of this type. The Li-ion cells the design uses are 3.7 volts, AA cells are 1.5 volt in alkaline types.

These are not lithium polymer cells. Those are usually flat and thin-skinned. They are the usual type that is used in things like phones, etc. that are designed with the battery sealed inside the unit; not user replaceable. There are also lithium prismatic cells, the type that are used in devices like the older Samsung Galaxy S5 and laptops that used flat type batteries that were designed to be easily popped out and replaced by the user. Those are safer than li-polymer as they have a case (aluminum or plastic).

The 18650 Li-ion cells are cylindrical and steel cased. Good ones from the major manufacturers have an extremely good safety record. They have temperature and pressure safety devices built into the cell. They should not be over-discharged or over-charged. Excessive heat should be avoided; that not only shortens cell life but can cause the electrolyte to gas off. This lantern is low powered and as designed has a low amperage draw. The cells will not be stressed, will not get excessively hot. They should be handled with care. If the wrapper is damaged that could cause a short. This is especially important at the positive end where a torn wrapper could cause a short between the smallish central positive and the negative case. The circuitry in this light uses quality components and has both low and high voltage protection.

If anyone is uncomfortable with this type of cell they should not buy the light. BTW, 18650 cells are the type that used to be used in all laptops. When makers started to design for smaller and slimmer sizes they switched from the 18650 type of cell and went to the lithium polymer or the lithium prismatic. Tesla uses a Panasonic made cell; about 7000 per car. Because they are in large modules they use a liquid cooling system to control high temperature.

Here's a link to a pretty good article on 18650's.
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We have a small off grid cabin we built ourselves in the NM mountains; small PV solar system; 624 watts PV, Outback CC & inverter/charger ... http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2335.0
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby Ottsville » Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:00 am

The depth and breadth of knowledge in this group never ceases to amaze me.

Looks like a very interesting project. I'd buy one.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby adapotato » Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:25 am

I wonder how this $50 light would work as a versatile backing light since it has a magnetic tail cap, just place on bumper when backing into that campsite at 1am, then take it to the bathroom to go pee. :) (Uses a slightly larger 26650 lithium-ion rechargeable battery).

https://youtu.be/2m6wexd2YlU
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby Photophobic » Mon Sep 24, 2018 6:30 pm

Curious why you're using a driver on a battery powered device. Drivers are typically used to convert AC to DC and rarely completely eliminate the flicker, just ramp up the frequency. Cheaper circuits increase the off time for dimming but an increasing number of people are sensitive to the flicker so it's far from an ideal design especially when you are starting with a constant battery power source.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:26 pm

Curious why you're using a driver on a battery powered device.


All LED flashlights I am familiar with have a driver circuit to permit different levels, blinking, strobing, variable brightness, etc. Some use current regulators like the 7135, along with an MCU like the attiny 13a (or 25 or 85); others use FET's to adjust brightness. Some drivers use both 7135's and an FET for different modes. The MCU provides the programming. Some of the FET drivers provide direct drive of the LED; basically a direct connection between led and battery/cell. I cannot see any flicker on any of the quality lights I have. Neither can I hear a buzz or hum,so they must be a fairly high frequency. Use of a driver also permits the use of e-switches for on/off and mode changing rather than depending on mechanical on-off switches.

Drop by BLF and explore if you have interest. There is a flashlight build contest underway at this time.

Hope that helps.
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:06 pm

KTM_Guy wrote:Very cool, what is the thought behind the 3200K and 5000K emitters? To give a choice of warm and old light or are both on at the same time?

Any idea how many levels of brightness? The problem with lights like this is they never go low enough. We have a nice North Face we like but wish it would dim down another 30%.

What is the best way to get in on the group buy?

Todd


Sorry, I missed this post....

The best way to get in on the group buy is to become a BLF member and post a message in the build thread that you are interested and how many lanterns you would want. It could still be a while before the design, prototype testing is complete and production starts.

Brightness levels; variable. Other lights I have using similar driver properties have low settings that are very low. So low that I seldom run the light on the lowest setting unless it is pitch black.

LED types; The lantern will use 4 of the Samsubg LED's. I am not sure at this point what color temperature will be used; ideally, we will have a choice of either 2700 - 3000K or a cooler 5000K. There has also been some talk of using a mix of emitters and being able to ramp the color warm to cool. I have had too many different things going on and must admit to not knowing all the details on the latest ideas. One problem with adding features such as temp ramping is it adds complexity and expense.
Our 6x12 deep vee nose cargo trailer camper conversion... viewtopic.php?f=42&t=58336

We have a small off grid cabin we built ourselves in the NM mountains; small PV solar system; 624 watts PV, Outback CC & inverter/charger ... http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2335.0
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby MtnDon » Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:47 am

Ignore some of my last post. I was not up to speed on the color mixing. YES, the lantern will have 4 -3000K emitters and 4 -5000K emitters. The firmware will have color mixing. The user will be able to dial in a color they like best from 3000K to 5000K. The color will be held in memory


http://budgetlightforum.com/comment/138 ... nt-1385655
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Re: BLF Ultimate Lantern Project

Postby Photophobic » Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:10 pm

MtnDon wrote: I cannot see any flicker on any of the quality lights I have. Neither can I hear a buzz or hum,so they must be a fairly high frequency.



Honesty that's a big part if the problem, people who can't see it (or not realizing they do) insisting others can't. For pennies more per unit you could change the voltage on the elements rather than the pulsing or if the elements you want to use can't vary their output a different circuit design could simply turn off elements to provide the luminosity change. I own several. Battery powered lights that get a constant current on full power and a few others that dim fluidly without any flicker.

I've tried a 20khz LED driver in a former workplace, not nearly as painful as florescent but still visible, still causes eye pain and migraines. The flicker caries as far as the light so you're impacting a much larger area than perceived and makes the wilderness more inaccessible to people who can see it than stairs affect people in a wheel chair.
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