actually make it Two…Will take two of these lanterns when realeased!!!
interested depends on price.
Interested.
UPDATES,April,30,2018-With Photos!
( OP updated too, with updates placed at bottom of the OP.)
-Work is underway on the new Version-2.0 prototype, now based from the BLF Q8 body, using the Q8 illuminated switch. First, the new BLF Lantern prototype will be slightly shorter & more compact than the V1 design. It will also use a new center-post/bolt head design, which is stronger & simpler than the V1. The head top cap is thicker solid aluminum to help with better heat dissipation, and a new paracord lanyard attachment design. The new V2 also will use either two or four down-firing LED emitters, the first test of the prototype will be using the same star & XP-L emitters as in the Q8 flashlight, and will use the original Q8 driver, (once i figure out how to limit the peak amps to the LEDs.) for now with the Q8 firmware & modes. (until we can work out the new Lantern firmware programming with the addition of ToyKeeper’s Candle & sunset modes.)
This new design will make the lantern simpler to build, and hopefully reduce production costs, and with Thorfire the interested manufacturer, (been communicating with Bary & Miranda of Thorfire and they have expressed interest in this new BLF project) Thorfire already has the designs and schematics at their facilities for most of the parts that are common with the BLF Q8 flashlight. The completely new parts that will have to be blueprinted designed into production will be the head section, driver changes, firmware, and the addition of a USB charging capability. Below are photos of the new V2.0 Prototype. The new design will also use a moderately frosted main globe/lens instead of a clear one, and eliminate the second internal frosted diffuser globe.
I hope to have the V2 prototype functioning, and beginning field testing with it in 3 weeks when we go on a wilderness canoe trip at the end of may.
- The machined, solid aluminum head section (which will serve as the heat sing for the LED star(s)
Please put me down for one.
List updated.
I will take one. Nice project.
Regards Frank
I’m very interested
I’m very interested as well!
Looks great DBSAR! Is the plan for the globe to be plastic or glass? Whichever you choose, I’m hoping it’s sturdy enough to toss into a pack without having to wrap it up in a sock or something. Keep up the awesome work!
The top of the lantern looks pretty heavy in the current prototype - maybe a few fins would help reduce weight and add surface area?
DBSAR,
Your new Prototype V2.0 looks GREAT!!!
Thank You and all the others involved in this project for all of the work it will take to make this light available to everyone.
I think that the Candle and Sunset Modes are very cooooooooooool 
I haven’t been too involved here recently… But just wanted to check back in and say I’m still very excited about this! Thanks for working on it as your time allows, DBSAR!
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?