I always liked a LED lantern. I really prefer something with a lot of flood as opposed to throw. A year or two ago i built one, which was pretty nice but wasnt as ergonomic as i wanted, and didnt have a 360 flood.
So I am working on a new project. Right now I am just at component test level. This will never be a production unit, just something fun to play with. I will probably use it like this for a while, to see how all the electronics work out.
right now it is 6 domed led's rated as "warm" and 3w... for whatever a chinese watt is... all mounted on a copper pipe as a heat sink
I am powering it with up to 3x 18650 running in parallel. (not ideal, but its what i am doing).
Fuses at all battery connections
Qlite rev a driver
and a volt meter (only watches the parallel output, not individual cells).
Its something to play with to see how it works, might get refined, might get scrapped. I will post back as/if this evolves.
Here was the old one i have used which this might compliment... or replace... (proof they sometimes look a little more refined)
Good job! I have a soft spot for all lanterns. I have several cheepies and they are usually kinda shotty in tint and performance. Like your downhome approach.
After a long hiatus i have my lantern nearly done. Still working on finalizing the structure, and might stain it.
3x 18650 batteries
4x red led bulbs,
1x soft white led bulb (all 12 v automotive bulbs).
The soft white wasnt soft enough, so i dripped amber wax over it to diffuse it some and add a soft color.
The system is all driven by a small arduino chip, running the lights with some mosfets. This lets me watch for battery voltage getting too low, control how bright the red lights are to get the right color hue, and lets the system flicker like a very bright candle. I have a switch to turn the flickering effect on and off.
I think this lantern is pretty cool and rustic looking. We don’t always need the smallest and brightest light, sometimes just a warm glow, like from a campfire, is perfect.
