New lantern idea

I’ve considered buying one of these bulbs

Tearing it apart

Replacing the LED with an XM-L i have lying around and using a 105C driver reprogrammed to one mode
then using this to hold the bulb and make it portable and mountable

then using a switch similar to what Dbsar used here

and this battery pack for 4NiMH in series

And have myself a cheap lantern with built in heatsink and diffuser
Thoughts?

Something like these i modified for camping trips? ( these are modified from ones i found on aliexpress, they have cell phone cells in them, but i changed the internals out for a 3-AAA holder and warm-white LEDs, but still uses the solar panel and switch circuit to they charge during the day and run for 7 - 8 hours per night.

Yeah pretty much, the big problem is finding those bulbs since philips went to the new style which needs many led chips, i suppose a chinese one would work since i’m removing all the insides anyways, but i would rather avoid all the mystery ingredients

Many of these 120 VAC LED bulbs will operate directly from 12-14.4 VDC without mods. :wink:

So it could be plugged in to a cigarette lighter?
Is there a way to determine this without sacrificing a bulb?

If it blows, return it for a replacement.

Am i the only one who thinks this is a dishonest thing to do?

Just thinking in terms of “bort”.

Ive remember reading a few articles on the subject, just did a search and cant seem to find them ATM.

So I just tested an expensive ecosmart markdown at 14.4VDC that works just fine. Screwed it back into 120VAC and confirmed still working. Google search for a while and you’ll probably find more info.

quick google search has not found much but if you find that article please post it (also search your browser history)

Even if the bulb blew, what difference would it make? That was the humor I was trying to convey.

Your stated intention was to: “Replace the LED with an XM-L i have lying around and using a 105C driver reprogrammed to one mode then using this to hold the bulb and make it portable and mountable”.

So buy the bulb, connect it to 3 x 18650 in series and see how it goes. If you like it, you’ve found the easiest mod in the world for your purposes. It it blows, complete your mod as planned. You might even start with 1 and then 2 x 18650 in series to see if it works at lower voltages.

By the time you buy the bulb, Im sure others would have commented here as well.

It will probably be a few months before i get the bulb, its well below –40F right now so lets just say i’m not planning on going anywhere

New idea, not as elegant but who cares

small heatsink
http://www.fasttech.com/product/1353002

diffuser
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10001948/1140009-beam-light-diffuser-for-led-flashlights

battery holder
http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002604/1290205-4aa-serial-batteries-holder-case-box-with-leads

What switch did Dbsar use anyways?

I have a ton of those heat-sinks here in a box, ( same ones i used in some other smaller LED lantern mods i did last year)
The switch i used in that module is just the common ones found in cheap 9-LED dollar-store & 3W police lights. :slight_smile:

I was thinking of just buying some switches that are used in our regular flashlights, whatever Convoy uses should be fine i figure

I wonder what the voltage drop is in a 120V light switch, would it be much higher then our flashlight switches, i was thinking of making a closet light and it would be a very convenient switch.

Looks like a fun project.

have you considered these options?

Hanging camping led lantern that uses 3x AAA cells. They also have a model that takes 18650.
Costs about 3$

USB LED bulb. Connect it to a powerbank or battery pack.

one can also base it on a led mr16.
they run fine from 12v dc.

If you are planning to replace the existing bulb, it’s better to go for a good quality one. Try any branded websites like Everyday, Mafeemushil or any other better online stores which providing quality one.

If a 450lm lantern is bright enough, you don’t have to tinker. Just stick to high quality 12V AC/DV lightbulbs from this german company:
http://megaman.de/led/speziallampen/led-classic-niedervolt/index.html
https://www.google.de/shopping/product/7704730236393900802?prds=scoring:tps

And you don’t need AA-cells anymore in 2017, better go with 18650.
https://enerprof.de/shop/batteries/enerpower-4s1p-battery-14-4v-14-8v-2900-mah-li-ion-with-dc-round-plug/