** BLF LT1M-Mini Project - The little Lantern! ( PM's sent today June 21, 2022)**

Very true, Maybe sacrificing a bit of CRI to have a candle tint glow at it’s warmest setting is fine. I have some random-brand LEDs in modified lanterns in the 1800 ~ 2000K range, and love the near candle flame color tints, regardless of the lower CRI, and its not really noticeable when they get into that flame yellow range.

BLF member rngwn has had 1900K 5mm leds made with wonderful tint and CRI (1900K, 93CRI, duv –0.0010, I recommend these btw, he has many still for sale in his thread). I’m not saying that these should be used for the little lantern (at 10 lumen max per led you need too many of them), but apparently there are chinese led manufacturers willing to custom make leds with special tints, at low quantities (rngwn’s batch was 10,000 pieces). Maybe a route for the lantern?

Interested as well!

Nichia recently added an 1800K, R9050 version of the E17A to their product listings:

http://www.nichia.co.jp/specification/products/led_spec/NCSLE17AT-E(6277)sm18x%20R9050.pdf

They are also supposed to have an 1800K version of the 219F coming out, which will be easier to work with due to the XP-sized package, but so far, only 70 CRI has been announced. It should still be far better than amber for imitating firelight.

https://www.nichia.co.jp/en/about_nichia/2021/2021_070601.html

1800k Nichia’s sound nice. When modding an LT1 any Chinese made led ‘you’ are happy with is just fine. But for off the shelf production I think USA or Japan made high quality emitters are a must. The LT1 has a sense of quality noticed by its users that is important. I think whatever DBSAR and Co come up with will sell, this lantern has a big following here and abroad.

Chinese emitters can be anything from very bad to as good as the known brands. For a lantern especially the tint is relevant and chinese leds can deliver some very good tints (like the high CRI Getian leds).

Sure maybe your right, the lantern also needs a decent max output that’s where I think the Chinese led’s may fail, also efficiency too. But I’m just a flashlight hack with little to minimal knowledge. I know what’s good when someone else has done all the hard work, wrapped it up in a cardboard box and slipped it into my letterbox. After that point I become an ‘expert’.

I am interested!

Additions to the interest list since post number 1078

Post# / Added / User Name
1080 / 08/02/2021 / Puffy Panda
1087 / 08/04/2021 / TentCityVIP
1089 / 08/04/2021 / Mantion
1093 / 08/05/2021 / egarsenal16
1098 / 08/07/2021 / bibihang

Interested in 2

Interested

A lantern with E17A at 1800K and 4500K and tint mixing would really be perfect imho.

It would allow for a neutral 4500K light option, a candlelight/fire-like light option at 1800K and very rosy light at all CCTs in-between. If Sofirn cannot offer this, I would be happy with replacing the mcpcb if someone offered a replacement with these emitters already reflowed. Maybe there will be a market for such an offering.

Is there a current time line for this light? Haven’t heard I a while.

There have been recent PM’s with Barry and along with designs from Sofirn. It’s great that DBSAR has been able to get back into the mini, and even greater that his health and situation allows him to do so :+1:

In my opinion we’re close to getting to the final design and thus closer to production.

Ah, very cool that his situation has improved. Hope to receive this awesome light soon! Keep up the awesome work!

OP Updated, Aug,17,2021

Some news for everyone interested in this LT1-Mini project! The team is well underway with the design & development of the BLF/Sofirn LT1-Mini! While DBSAR has been going through a big move & life’s change, he is slowly getting re-settled in a new home, and getting back into work of things on these lantern projects. In this case, LT1 team member Lux-Perpetua have stepped in to really help push this project forward with a finalized design for the mini LT1 lantern. Barry of Sofirn is with us 100% on the team to get this into testing phase and production soon!

As mentioned above, the OP has been updated :smiley: Hopefully soon with new drawings & images from development team member Lux-Perpetua of the LT1-Mini. :+1:

That’s very exciting, congratulations!

I hope the warmest tint will be 2000K or warmer. I never go higher than the warm end of the ramp, 2700K, on my full-size LT1!

Interested

Interested in two :sunglasses: