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

Certainly. I will add you to the list sometime tomorrow. Welcome to BLF. :beer:

You can unscrew the button ring an darken the LEDs with a Sharpie.

djypo added to interest list at number 950

c_wolg added to the interest list at number 951
interest list sorted by entry number

interest list sorted by user names

The user name list often as the last few entries not sorted in, so if you don’t find your name in alphabetical order just look at the end of the list.

I still love the idea of charging/power bank but of course I rather it be a fantastic lantern first and foremost. If it’s not going to add much to the cost I’d love to have that function.

I love the idea of a battery bank charger. However, I don’t see it being able to be implemented without increasing the cost greatly, or having a poor implementation. I feel that it would end up as a cheap add on.

**Hello everyone,
Just checking in to see if anyone here know of anyone in the forums who could do up a CAD type drawing based on my cross-section drawing of the lantern? I believe Barry needs something like this to help his engineers to further work on the lantern production prototype design.
Also i believe they will need something in a perimeter & specifications for the driver PCB schematic and the components that is need to be used for it, along with the adaption of either the USB charger/bank circuit on the same board, or as a separate board connected with leads & a connector. I believe that is what is needed to get this project rolling further, as i am lost on that ability to handle the driver design and a good CAD type drawing for the factory to study. I know DEL had started something for our project, but he went missing in action over 5 months ago before he could finish an initial driver. Then sbslider stepped in to help, but i don’t know if he as to much on his plate to really put time in on it. Toykeeper has the firmware abilities taken care of. TheMiller who also had a lot of input & provided a lot of help on this project when it got started, but sadly also went MIA over 4 months ago.
-Even though i have returned home after my trip east to a financial mess and a ton of stress involving my finances & future,
I am still here to try my best to my ability to make the lantern a relativity for everyone…
Regardless of my personal situation at home, the BLF lantern has been a dream of mine for many years, and working with a team of great people here at BLF, and i wanted to make this project a success for everyone on BLF, and to make it become a reality like the Q8, GT, etc all did with help & team work, and its something that been worked on doe so long and hope we can make it a realty together. I know ToyKeeper can handle the firmware, but we do need an established driver design that uses known quality components and does what it needs to do for the lantern.

- Dennis

I would gladly pitch in if I could but unfortunately I have zero knowledge or ability in regards to that.

I do CAD for work, I can take a look at it. No promises, it really depends on how complex it is.

I can offer you this as a baseline. Please be aware that I just did my best to make your sketches 3D - but I did not give thoughts to correct dimensions, spacings and what not.
The battery tube was copied with measurements from the BLF-Q8.

Things I know which would need work:

  • Side-Button as the space around it is too small
  • Remove Fins at the bottom and add cooling fins at the top
  • Correct inner dimensions for the top half of the BLF-LT
  • Missing Charging-USB Port
  • Missing Guts: Glass ring and the middle support are just for looks, but the PCB, MCPCB Switch and so on would also need to be added as a component.
  • And many more things which would need proper dimensions added to it.

Looks decent for a mockup!

I’m currently working on a design too. Using the original Q8 battery tube to make sure the dimensions are close to correct.
Will probably share a picture tomorrow.

Thanks, That looks really good!

Did you have these cross-section drawings to help you with it? ( I can get the dimensions of the top and other parts for you if needed.

Here is a quick pic of my version :smiley: . Next to the Q8.

I took the head of the Q8 as a baseline for the inside and made the outside much simpeler. As the lantern doesn’t need any cooling fins at the bottom I removed them all and made the diameter smaller.
Still need to do some work on the top part.
Might not be easy visible but there is a center bolt (M6) and a plastic sleeve around it with some room for 2 wires.

Another good drawing :slight_smile:
i removed some of the lower fins, but not all of them in my original cross section, & thinned out the upper midsection fins. ( i need to update the design a bit in the mid section near the lens/globe area though & taper or smooth out the “ledge” like you did in your drawing.) some fins helps with holding grip, and the small amount of heat generated by the driver/charger/bank circuits, & retain some of the robust style. The head may need some fins for those who wish to mod their lantern for more output. I left the head very thick & solid aluminum for that are has to dissipate the most heat from the LEDs.

Nice work guys! :sunglasses: :+1:

Great work thijsco19 and zeroflow :slight_smile:
Are there any public available 3D files for the Q8 with dimensions?

This is exciting. Great work!

No fins needed for the heat but they do increase the holding grip and improve the robust styling.
However they do increase the overall size of the lantern. It will increase the height and diameter of the head.
I’ve currently used the same switch part from the original Q8 cad, if that’s still the same as the production version and they want to use it, some diameters are a bit limited.

What are the dimensions for the diffuser cup?
And the overall diameter of the top part?

I have not been diligent at following the thread.

Would it be more robust structurally if the polycarbonate were not slanted. The sloping may make fracturing at the bottom more likely. It is also possible that it will cost more to cast the slanted version. If the casting of the plastic allows a fillet/champerfing (?) on the inside for the bottom of the casting, it would also lower the fracture chance for either of the approaches. Note: it has been a very long time since my only statics/dynamics class. And I hated it at the time. I presume the slant may be an effort to improve light dispersion. If the inside is nice and reflective; will it matter?

For those viewing this as an emergency lamp, the operation has to be dead simple when an itinerant passerby simply needs it to light. Unlike the base Q8. Yes, I know most of the arguments about that, including feedback from 5 out of 5 people using the Q8.

I have seen a couple of comments about the cap not needing a heatsink. But at least one of the drawing proposals appear to have reduced the top mass. Putting the same sort of fins as the Q8 uses (or thinner and deeper) in the cap may have merit. It adds machining; but lowers the amount of Aluminum in the BOM and weight. And getting mass off the top would help with stability. In any event, fins on top would provide better heat removal. There ain’t no such thing as an over cooled LED. And less annoying to the touch. I don’t recall seeing temperatures.

I have said before; I really do not like the idea of ports for recharging or feeding phones. It is a lamp. And should (in my opinion) remain a lamp. Not a recharge center. The batteries are easily changed. Simple to carry. Hikers/backpackers here have noted that they are unlikely to haul this lamp along.

There are many many little small and inexpensive boxes to recharge phones. If you want solar recharge, get one of these boxes to go with your solar panel to recharge your second set of batteries (and your phone). The ports have a high probability (in my view) of becoming a leakage point. They will wear out. Then you need to get a tube of Silicon rubber and fill it in. I would care a lot more about having a waterproof secure light source walking around in a hurricane than knowing I could recharge my phone from it with water penetrating the open port cover. After finding the correct version of a USB cable. Whatever port connection you select; it will be wrong for some of the buyers. Spare sets of batteries are a very reasonable alternative. With the storage life of Li vs time to recharge, this would be particularly true in an emergency. And I believe many buyers are seeing this as an emergency light. Campers (e.g., next to the SUV) have a multitude of resources (like the cigarette lighter socket [or the built-in USB port] in the SUV) other than poking a cable into the lamp.

What about two groves for a “clip” at the head and the body?
The clip is a half circle lampshade to enhance light in one direction.
In use you clip it to the top, not needed to the lower part.

And Sofirn offers the Lampshade Clip for extra costs

Plastics are usually easier to mould - and therefore cheaper - if they are slightly tapered. That way, they eject from the mould more cleanly. A straight up-and-down shape can get stuck in the mould by friction, because it has to slide out instead of just falling away.

When it comes to fracturing, the lantern design has a centre bolt which will hold off any vertical loads. If you apply a heavy load sideways, directly to the polycarbonate, nothing will save it, tapered or not.

As to the rest: ultimately, DBSAR decides. I’m personally quite happy with the way this project seems to be going.