In all honesty, this looks pretty darn amazing DBSAR!! . 
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The ability of the lamp to run by USB only is a HUGE advantage and opens it up for precisely this.
I’d like to see a V1A created (“A” for ABS plastic). Tough ABS plastic body instead of anodized aluminum. This cheaper version could be priced more like $19. And then with subsidies, it could be made available at half that (or less) to impoverished nations. This was done previously with a solar cell project, to provide a cheap renewable power source for people in impoverished nations. So the whole product cycle for a cost-effective version was probably already done. It could be repeated with any product, I imagine. Including the BLF LT1.
I wish I could speak more authoritatively about this, but I’m going off of an article I’d read a couple years ago and don’t have any practical experience in this area. But it might be worth tracking down the agency that was the conduit for that solar cell project and see if there might be interest.
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V2 feature request: Either a dedicated switch or some UI control that will govern how the light is charged. This is to address the possible batteries overcharging when the light is on plugged into USB. So you could optionally “shut off” battery charging when not desired.
The main intention is to prevent overcharging of batteries. Now there might be several ways to address this without any manual control. I’m presuming that the battery charging stops once the software detects that the batteries are fully charged. If this is the case, then… maybe reroute the circuitry such that when plugged into USB, the driver pulls power directly from the USB source rather than the batteries. I’m guessing this would be too complicated. So… maybe something more simple? For instance, the logic test: if USB plugged in —> if light is ON —> if current power cycle has detected 100% battery charge, delay battery charging again until 90%.
The other thing I’m thinking of is a manual lockout to the battery. So it requires some user intervention. The idea being that when the user sees that the batteries are fully charged, twist the body to break the battery connection. Now the LT1 running off USB will not affect battery drain.
My apologies if any of these ideas have already been discussed. I was AFB for a good number of days and now there’s too much to catch up on.
Don’t worry Xevious.
We’ve been talking about doing a 4xAA model for a while now.
Would be dope.
Let’s wait for the BLF Lantern to be made and then make other stuff.
Hey BSM, that’s absolutely something I’d not managed to address but you’re totally right — for such a project you’d definitely want 4xAA. Because 18650 are probably scarce and costly in impoverished nations. I’m sure some people have gotten into harvesting 18650’s from dead laptop battery packs, but commercially the cells would be significantly more expensive than brand new rechargeable AA cells.
Yeah, it’s easy to get ahead on this when LT1 hasn’t even gone to retail mode. But it’s hard not to, because it’s such a wonderful tool — well thought out and opening up so many possibilities. 
Ok…I added you back on the list.
Fantasy. It has been mentioned as a possibility for later, but no concrete plans have been made that I’m aware of, and the focus is on getting V1 released.
Nice work, Den! :+1:
I love it! Especially the warm color of the outer surface.
The shade looks like the perfect accessory for using the LT1 at or below eye level.
I’m really looking forward to more accessories. Keep up the excellent work!
I like that bowl lamp shade. Nice color.
Lionheart said
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Unlike most on this site I’m happy to wait for the better product and not have 2 of them with one being inferior.
Lucky I’m the minority but yes I see your point.
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I know exactly what you mean, that’s what I’ve started to do with torches especially now that anduril is now common ,there are a few versions of it , IMO it peavs me when stuff is released before it’s ready with bugs or things not working like they should ,then a newer version is released , we all rush out to buy it then discover there’s a better version ,BUT hundreds of people have already paid good money out & not everyone has the tools or knowledge to update it themselves ,so to get the better version they have to spend the same money again for the newer one , I’m speaking for myself here when I say I would rather wait for the bugs & unreliability to to ironed out before I spend money on a device eg Fw3a ,D4 etc , but I’m confident the Lantern will be up to par because I’ve seen the way DBSAR has been thourally testing it & making sure all is perfect before it goes to production.
Oh & reguarding the charging of cells whilst using the lantern & the possibilitie of cells not terminating , I have a Philips Bluetooth speaker that I can charge while using it & I can confirm that the battery will stop charging even though it’s still connected to the charger & being used at the same time , I’m not sure if it’s the circuitry in the speaker charging circuit that is responsible for it terminating charge whilst it’s still connected & being used or if it’s the apple wall charger , either way ,it can be done.
So I see from the final rendering that the integrated bottle opener didn’t make the cut? 
Not to worry, you can rig one to screw into the side tri-pod mount & you’ll be good to go….
Sofirn have posted the BLF LT1 pics on their facebook:
So… the waiting is almost over, right?
Woah, so awesome. I can’t wait.
I like the concept of a less expensive version (e.g., plastic) for countries with no light or money. There could be a BLF project.
I do not think that AA batteries are suitable. In the target users, the AAs in-country probably cost some days of food. Decision points: have light for their children to do home work and reading, eat. Rechargeable only.
To be useful, it must be dead cheap.
If you want to pursue this, I would suggest including reasonable quality bare bones Li rechargeable and a low cost solar panel. Not garbage: but durable. Don’t leave it in the rain. This people can use without having to scrounge for batteries.
A target operation. Minimum - day of solar charging for 8 hours of night light. Possibly an external port for charging ultra cheap flashlights and maybe radios and very simple phones. These could be NiMh or Li for cost reasons. An absolutely lowest power LED portable/pocket light and area lighting would be huge.
If you can present a viable price package, you might be able to sell high volumes to the groups helping people with pretty much nothing, to help educating their children and making a more comfortable and productive night environment. Much better than fumes for various combustion generated light sources. And probably cheaper. I think there are those sorts of devices around. But a beautifully engineered BLF lantern - priceless.
I just registered but I’m interested in one… Is it ok?
It looks amazing, good work!
Well, I’m going to keep this in mind.
Maybe we should be making a 4x18650 LT1A made of durable recyclable plastic.
To make it less expensive by using a plastic body, we’d need to sell a lot of units.
It would be using a 4x7135 driver with 4x SST-20s 95CRI at 3500k or 4x LH351D 90CRI 3000k/5000k, 4x included 18650s with capacities of 2400mAh, a micro-USB input for charging, and USB-A for output, along with a small handle.
I’d be for including a non-user-serviceable built-in Lithium battery pack, and making the whole light basically “not meant to be opened” so that the structure of the plastic body can be made simpler and waterproof. A single waterproof USB-C charge port with a rubber cover (port is waterproof without cover, but cover helps keep dirt out) would probably be enough. It doesn’t need to be usable as a powerbank. To be a bit cheaper, a set of 2x or 3x high CRI 4000K emitters would even be enough. But, I guess 4x would make it marginally more efficient in use.
OK then.
Non easily replaceable 10000mAh internal cell with 4,05V charging for good cycle life and 4x SST-20s 3500k using the same MCPCB as the Q8, but made of aluminium instead of copper.
A lantern like this, especially a cheaper plastic one, would be invaluable for people like Peace Corp volunteers in places like Africa. My middle daughter was in Uganda for 3 years and based upon a 2 week visit there and talking to her about her experiences, a BLF lantern and solar panel would be in high demand. Many places have spotty or no electricity and she told me about hospitals losing power in the middle of surgery with a corresponding loss of life. I think that if Sofirn was smart they would try to market the lantern to people going to or living in 3rd world countries. Maybe produce a version with a non-replaceable battery since 18650’s are going to be rare if not impossible to find in many poor countries.