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

oh man, can’t wait for the pictures of the lantern in use and your canoe trip.

You know what would be REALLY cool AND totally outside the scope of this project? Add four RGB LEDs around the main LED (s)and make the “candle” mode full color flicker (mostly red/orange/yellow) with the main white LED (s) on at a dim constant for a little bit of real light. I would love that as a “middle of night” mode. If the lighting level could be ramped up (or multi-mode) then it could also serve as a “fuel” torch/lantern and even all the way up to “campfire” if the light is capable of getting bright enough.

In for 1.

Sure.

Nice! Thanks for the update.

Enjoy your canoe trip!

I have something like that in my lightsaber firmware, actually. The modes there are a sum of two oscillators in a HSV-like color space (hue and “intensity”, which is a combination of saturation and value). One oscillator ramps between two arbitrary points, while the other oscillator adds to the intensity. It would be fairly simple to map the candle mode ramp onto a line through color space, like from a dark red to a bright yellow.

I think it is essential that you need to decide at this point what the maximum output of the lantern will be, before do any further designing or building more prototypes. If the maximum output is to be indeed only 500 or so lumen it makes sense to skip a lot of material (making the lantern cheaper to build and more portable without sacrifying any of the performance). The thick chunk of aluminium at the top can be reduced to 1/4 the size, with a few fins added, and all the thick aluminium that is above the battery tube in the ‘Q8’ prototype can be reduced to a thin aluminium shell. Also at 500 lumen there is no reason to use more than one led. Compared to one XP-L or LH351D led run at 500 lumen, triple or quad leds will hardly be more efficient and they complicate the design.

Does it really need RGB? Maybe NW+WW or WW+NW+red would work adequately?

Will be plastic, probably a polycarbonate lens type so it will be very durable. I was thinking of cutting fins in the head, but my 2mm channeling carbide cutter for the lathe is chipped & can;t do it without a replacement. The one for the manufacturer CAD design may likely have fins in the head to help dissipate heat & reduce weight.

The V1 prototype uses 1 LED, and is roughly 470 ~ 520 lumens on high. With two LEDs i may test the new Q8 based version to 700 ~ 800 lumens, and monitor heat levels. The new design with the center bolt/post will be stronger & simpler than the V1, and wil require the use of 2 LEDs at least, ( one on each side of the center bolt) to avoid a shadow from the bolt. Very true on the Q8 mid section, the fins & some of the metal below the side switch can be reduced & thinned down to shave more weight, as that part will no longer be subject to the heat of the LEDs.

x2!!

Also, just curious. This is about 2 yrs in, and what looks like a close to (but not yet) final prototype is being built. Is having the final unit available through Thorfire likely 6 months away, 2 years away, or still too early to know?

I am interested in one when available.

Put me on list :slight_smile:

The project was on hold for some time over the4 last year as life’s disasters got in the way. I hope we can get a pre-production model rolling by this late spring or summer or as soon as we can. I will have the final prototype completed before the end of May, and hopefully the others who have the driver expertise, and we can get a team rolling with someone to provide a final CAD for Thorfire to work on once i get the specs worked out form the prototype testing.

interested when available

Please put me on the list for a second and third one, thanks

Please add me to the interested list.

Thanks for the feedback. I have not followed one of these projects before and just did not know what it takes to really make something like this happen in your “free” time. Sorry to hear about your disasters, hope they are behind you for now.

I am also interested. Thanks

Thanks alot for your work on this, just read the latest post. Great news about using the Q8 in this.

Will definitely be buying the final lantern, as I’m pretty sure it’s going to kick ass!

This is getting very interesting. I was no. 377 on the list, please add another one for me (total 2).

Thanks for the hard work!