My LT1 came in the mail today. Batteries are being charged up now.
Ordered off Amazon 10/10, arrived today exactly 2 weeks later. Lantern is awesome! Many thanks to the team!!
I donât have my LT1 yet, but about the type-C usb brouhaha, this is my .02:
I have read some members complaining using the non-OEM cable that came with it as ânot chargingâ.
IIRC, the complainant used a type-C/adaptor intended for a Pixel phone. I too have a type-C cable/adaptor from another company (onePlus) that has proprietary designs built-in their charging system. In the oneplus, previously they called it âDashâ charging, now they even increased the charging rate, calling it âWarpâ charging. Samsung has their own ultra-fast âAdaptive fastâ charging system.
I have both used oneplusâ Dash and Warp charging and they are not even completely compatible with each other. It will only display âcharging rapidlyâ if I interchange the different adaptors and even the cables that came with the phone.
If I use some aftermarket type-C cable, it will charge my oneplus phone but at a very, very slow rate.
Now I read that Pixel phone user got his LT1 charged by using the factory cable that came with the unit.
Not surprising at allâŠif we just use an aftermarket âregularâ type-C or the cable that came with the unit, it will charge it alright, factor than any micro-USB cable.
Just avoid using âproprietaryâ fast-charging type-C technology adaptor/cable system especially from phone companies that are now touting their âultra-fastâ charging, of which the LT1 is NOT designed to work with their system and Iâm quite sure we will not have a problem with the charging.
I dont think PD is âproprietaryâ
Maybe its too high end for Sofirn, or too hard⊠but such is cutting edgeâŠand future proofing
Wow! You people can make some really nice pictures (and videos)! Very nice!
Canât wait but I must, until #17xx.
From what Iâve read, the other resistor types are used in the charger to signal to the device (power sink) what current the charger can provide. It is then the responsibility of the device to make sure not to draw more current than the charger supports. So by doing the simple/cheap fix of adding the 5.1 kΩ resistors without adding the additional sense logic, it would be up to the end-user to make sure to use a USB-C charger/source that supports at least the current that the LT1 is designed to draw (do USB-C sources that canât provide at least 1.5A even exist? This potential safety issue may be a non-issue in practice).
Batteries charged and running. Best Lantern I have ever used. Big thanks to the LT1 team for a awesome job.
This has nothing to do with out-of-spec/non-standard chargers or cables. The LT1, without the two 5.1 kΩ resistors, will simply not work with a spec-compliant USB-C charger and a spec-compliant USB-C to USB-C cable (because under the spec there is 0V going out of charger by default).
Itâs a minor issue today (since the LT1 does come with a USB-A cable that works for charging), but itâs going to be annoying a few years down the road when you canât use the same cable as for your phone and have to remember to bring a legacy cable/adapter on your camping trip/etc.
Not that the LT1âs cable is out-of-spec, to the contrary. Itâs just that the phone companies have added their own specs or features designed for their fast charging systems.
Usb-c might be the future, but I only have one device that uses it. And it came with a usb-a power supply. Most of the other stuff I have uses micro usb.
lumiere you are right!
The 5.1k should be good enough if they donât interfere with the rest of the charging in the lantern.
For a laptop 1,5A are sometimes too much. But a dedicated charger should be OK.
I hope it is an easy fix for Sofirn and they can rework batch 2.
Similar problem. I got the same PM, asked for a code for lantern with batteries still haven't heard anything. It'll be 2 weeks tomorrow. I'm guessing we have to go the eBay or AliExpress route.
You can find the Amazon listing for the lantern here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YS9L6R1/
But it's "currently unavailable"
The included USB-A cable is fine. Itâs the USB-C on the LT1 itself that is out of spec (which, to be fair, a project as prominent as Raspberry Pi didnât get right on their latest model).
Again, this has nothing to do with phone companies. A Dell USB-C notebook charger will not work with the LT1. Neither will a Lenovo USB-C notebook charger. Nor an Apple Macbook USB-C charger. Or any other spec-compliant USB-C charger. Because the LT1 is missing the two resistors that tell spec-compliant USB-C chargers to turn on 5V output.
I really think that these ppl with non-functioning specific chargers have other chargers in their drawers/boxes that will function fine with the LT1.
We didnât build the LT1 to have a complicated fast-charging circuitry like new phones have, we wanted to keep costs down, simple, and reliable/compatible with most possible USB power sources where a lantern is most likely to be used, (camping, off-grid, cottages, cabins, power outages, RVs, and so on where in most cases without electricity a digital/smart/fast/adaptive charger is useless and not going to be used. It was built with a proven Lithium-Ion controller chip, (TP5100) there was no slow or fast charging intended for the BLF LT1, it has a simple, regulated, Li-Ion charging system that can be configured to charge its four 18650 cells at either 0.75 amps or 1.5 amps. Using a complex, smart-fast charger will be of no different benefit to the LT1 than using a good generic 2+ Amp USB wall charger. It seems some many not understand that there was no slow or fast adaptive charging intended for the BLF LT1, it has a simple, regulated, Li-Ion charging system that can be configured to charge its four 18650 cells at either 2 different constant configurable rates, 0.75 amps or 1.5 amps, to allow some low-current remote charging systems to actually work on the LT1. I canât see how using a complex, adaptive smart-fast charger will be of any benefit what so ever to the LT1 than using a good generic 2+ Amp USB wall charger, which as mentioned above that 99.9% of everyone has a one or two standard Wall chargers with the USB-A socket kicking around for other devices somewhere, that will work fine with the supplied cord. The only reason we went with the USB-C plug interface really because its the new plug interface, that is stronger & more durable than the Micro, and has bidirectional ability (that micro & the mini USB does not have) also that eventually everything will use a USB-C interface socket plug type.
Correct! This is the point of my post.
Just use the USB-A to USB-C cable that comes with the unit (which is practically the same to all aftermarket type-C, but not to some fast-charge protocol used by some phone companies), and thatâs it.
I think people should keep in mind that the LT was designed and carried through to an actual product by volunteers who did it in their spare time, some even incurring out-of-pocket expenses on top of it. Missing some features that donât affect the functionality of the LT strikes me as being par for the course. Even major companies miss things when designing new products, and they have a profit motive to get things right.
On top of things we were working with a company based in China so itâs not as if people could easily drop by or have face-to-face meetings. Iâve worked on many projects with off-shore companies and the LT project went better than almost all of them. And I was getting paid for those projects 
Does the LT work as intended? I havenât seen anyone say it doesnât. Can it be charged with the vast majority of chargers? Iâd say definitely yes. Will it work with all future chargers? Who knows, no doubt there will be changes made to the charging circuit as well as other things that people may want (powerbank, etc). Will this be implemented in the current production run? Only if people want to wait even longer.
Maybe there should be a threat opened up to capture and even prioritize enhancements. And donât forget that ultimately itâs Sofirn who has the final say on any design changes.
Itâs eco-friendly! Instead of throwing away all of your âoldâ chargers save them and use them for years to come with the LT1.
This will keep tons of tech-waste out of the landfills. LT1 FTW!
Any place inside the lantern where a micro>C adapter could be stashed in case us old folks donât have access to a C plug?
Sure. Nobody is claiming that the LT1 is useless or that people wonât find a way to charge it. The issue is that without the two resistors the device isnât future-proof and youâll need to carry/remember to bring a legacy cable instead of just using a regular USB-C to USB-C cable that every other mobile device will be using in the near future. I used to carry a Mini-USB cable but fortunately I donât need to anymore.
In any case, someone should probably tell Sofirn to update their marketing (e.g. Amazon listing) as âUSB-C charging portâ is misleading and will result in negative reviews when buyers discover that it doesnât work with a USB-C charger. This is a minor issue with an otherwise great product and it just needs to be communicated properly to buyers so thereâs no misunderstanding. All thatâs needed is two sentences: âThis product requires a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging (included). It cannot be charged with a USB-C to USB-C cable.â