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

Do you know what was the rationale behind the “ohm resistors used to activate the 3/4 and 5 regulators as stock instead of having the pads manually bridged from the factory.” A minor adjustment overall for efficiency, or to address a particular issue? I also agree that dip switches can be a very useful way to customize functionality in a more semi-permanent fashion.

OK, good to know — thanks! Might be possible to utilize a neoprene cover for a water bottle, trimmed to fit.

The biggest reason for this (IMHO) was to remove a manual manufacturing step and related QC needs. The originals required the first pads to me manually soldered at the factory. More than one example made it past QC with incorrectly soldered pads. There’s no knowing how many were sent for rework or how much time was spent on this manual process. Adjusting the traces to accept factory placed 0 ohm resistors lets them be placed automatically and consistently like the other components.

I believe it was due to a quality issue, not getting all of the pads 3/4 and 5 soldered correctly (or consistently). This likely had to be done by hand. By installing a 0 ohm resistor, they can just install the part there (like all the others on the board) and reflow the solder paste and make the connection automatically. That’s my suspicion anyway.

Edit: Amishbill beat me to it. by a while . . .

This is probably a strange question, but does anyone know where I could get a few more of the large orange o-rings that come with the LT1? Or even the actual size of the original ones?

I’d like to be able to put one in the groove above the diffuser and another in the groove below it.

Thanks for the support, much appreciated! :smiley: :+1:

Great, thank you for this Bill. While the odds of getting one are probably slim, if you’re unlucky to get one you’re stuck with having to mail it back… which adds significant expense & time. I think I’ll wait for the 5.0 version!

If you have soldering iron (or reportedly an old-school pencil) you can close or open the pads on your own in a few minutes. Having the wrong pads open or closed is a mis-configuration. This runtime vs max brightness adjustment was always intended to be a user-serviceable item.

Just got my LT1 a week ago. Love it.
A question,

When charging, mine stops with the batteries at 4.16v.
This is wonderful as far as I’m concerned. Helps with longevity.

Is this by design, or am I just lucky?

Glad you’re hanging in there Dennis.
All the Best,
Jeff

I have 2 that stop at 4.17v and 1 at 4.2v so I’m guessing it’s a matter of luck more than design.

Cool,
Glad I got one that stops a little low.
All the Best,
Jeff

I to prefer the lower termination voltage of charging, (better for the cells) the variation between lanterns is likely due to if your using different typs of cells in different lanterns i found, and variations in the TP5100 charging chip programming.

What are you all seeing for a low voltage cutoff?

Mine shuts down at 2.65v.
I had to use a single crappy cell to test that.
Using the 4 Sofirn cells, the darn thing shines forever!

Also mine is the Rev 5 version. I got only about 1.5a max charge using the included cable.
The power supply I used is capable of more. It’s a QC 3.0 (supposedly).
Don’t care really, it’s a wonderful lamp.
If I need faster charging the Vapecell S4+ gets thing done quickly.
Just curious what you are getting.

All the Best,
Jeff

The charge circuit only supports basic charge currents. One of the design criteria was to be chargeable from low current sources like a small solar panel. A high current fast-charge was not pursued for various reasons, including maximizing cell lifespan with slow charging.

Cool,
I understand now. Thanks
All the Best,
Jeff

IIRC mine stops at 4.17 also. I tend to only charge it until I see 4.1 blinks anyway. Had it for 8 months now, maybe charged it 4 or 5 times? This time of year it doesn’t get used much, but from Oct to Mar/Apr, it got used an hour a day easy. I love candle mode in the morning.

somehow having a sunrise alarm function would be off the charts.

If it had a programmable timer, (for turning it off or on) would be a great option for those who want the LT1 to turn on at a certain time & off at a certain time every day. (especially for those living in remote locations of the North where there are 40 days of night and no sunlight.

I couldn't help but suddenly remembered this film... :-D

I guess I’ll bring this up again - I recognize there might simply be no one browsing the thread with the time and skills to design a custom emitter PCB for this lantern as a mod option.

But is anybody else at least interested in alternative emitter options? Usually there’s a decent number of people eagerly looking for even higher color performance than R9050 equivalent and a slight green tint on the cool end. Should we keep a conversation simmering about this or let it go?

:+1: :smiley:

I do have the original design drawing, but the production one has been changed a little from that.