*BLF LT1 Lantern Project) (updated Nov,17,2020)

I’m interested, please add me to the list!

Interested here!

Sigshooter lots of diffuser things can be used with the Q8 but DBSARs aim was a really good lantern
Hence the down facing LED in warm tint.
There are no real good ones now, either plastic or expensive or both

It is possible to design & build the production model of the BLF lantern using the exact same body-center section, bottom PCB & springs, and a slightly modifived version of the tail cap as on the Q8 to help save some costs in new machining and parts.

Most all those predictions with the ideas are good. even if this lantern is sold for $50 ~ 60 That is an great price for a quality lantern with the capabilities this will have compared to the many large, all-plastic, bulky, cold-tinted and badly designed lanterns on the market in stores or online in that price range. Even the best lanterns in the $80 to $100 dollar range i have & tested don’t come close to what the Prototype does right now.

DBSAR, I just wanted to say thanks for doing what you’re doing. I’m very much looking forward to it.

That was kind of my thought that the head was the most significant and costly part of the lantern. I can definitely see a modified tail cap with perhaps a hook on the bottom to allow hanging it from a limb, etc. In any case it was just a passing thought and I wouldn’t expect the body to add more than $10 - $15 to the lantern (just a guess of course). The ability to swap heads would allow some flexibility when taking the Q8 into the outdoors since only a single light would be needed. But then again it’s not that much more effort to take a Q8 and a lantern than a Q8 and a large lantern head.

The tail cap on this 4-cell flashlight almost threads onto the bottom of the lantern prototype. I really like this design, as it is very stable as a base, has lots of slots for a bottom lanyard, and is thick enough to add a tripod-mount hole in the center.

its not only me, we now have a team working on this. :slight_smile:
It got started as a project to design & build a lantern that works better than any store-bought lantern i have used & seen on the market so far, and to be able to offer a tested design as a production model with the help of some great people here on BLF.

That tail cap looks great for a lantern. As you said a stable base and the ability to hang lots of lanyards from it.

BLF is a great place with lots of talented people who are willing to share their time and expertise. It’s also a bad place that tempts people to spend spend spend :money_mouth_face:

Just kidding on that last part of course…well maybe :person_facepalming:

Hi, I’m interested, please add me to the list! Thanks!

Well, it certainly is promising to hear that there is now a team working on this. My sincerest compliments to the team! Nonetheless, special thanks to you for vision and motivation.

Djozz wrote -

This makes me think, probably impractical, but how about using one slot of the battery tube from the Q8 for the USB charging/powerbank function. That way if you buy the lantern, you have the option of converting your Q8 into a 3 cell with USB charging/powerbank.

Will be to difficult to design the driver base contact plate, (adding to the cost & complexity, and require 2 charger circuits, & a complex set up for battery configuration. Also the capacity of a single 18650 charging power bank is almost useless for thew newer larger phones like an iphone 8 or Galaxy 8 , and a 3-cell set up for the lantern will just lower total run times and form the lights i seen the size reduction is not even worth the redesign for a complete new body when we already have a great body design with the Q8. A four 18650 in parallel set up like the Q8 is the only practical way for best performance overall to power both the lantern & a power bank option.

You must not over-estimate the effort of designing body parts for the manufacturer, that is thinking for them, what they are and are not prepared to make they are perfectly capable of deciding themselves.

For the Q8, we went with an existing Thorfire battery tube which IMO does not really fit the head in a design point of view, which I still think is a bit of a pity (and looking at the picture in post #670, that would have been a nicer and more practical tail end). And thinking back, that was not because of cost and complexity but because we were uncertain of the dedication of Thorfire to the project and wanted to make them feel comfortable by using a part of their own design (a thing that should not be needed anymore, now that the Q8 project has proven to be succesful).

Aim high!! :slight_smile:

That looks nice! If it legoes with the Q8 head, I might have to order 2 lanterns :wink:

By the way, why is there a need for a tripod mount on a lantern? If you make a nice lanyard hole on the bottom, you can delete the threaded holes IMO.

A hook on the head would be nice, I don’t have a need for it on the bottom.

If you happen to have a tripod it allows you to not only raise it, so that the table (for e.g.) it is on does not cast a shadow everywhere, but it also allows you to tilt it to cast a shadow behind so you can more effectively light things to one side and have no glare on the other.

Also it allows you to raise it above eye level on a table so it is not blinding everyone sitting there, when you don’t have a tree or something to hang it from. And if the tripod mount is central it allows for mounting a ring to hang it from that is central, so if it spins there is no distracting shifting of the light pattern.

Worth having, especially if you are taking a Q8 and/or a camera with you as well, so everything is compatible and more options are opened up.

I haven’t actually had time to fully read through the thread but I have always wanted a good lantern so please add me to the interest list for one.

I thought I already expressed my interest but I’m not on the list yet, so put me down as interested please.