I had a great idea on the way to boat launch yesterday.
For some background, my boat is a 15' runabout, with very little freeboard, very splashy, and no waterproof storage lockers. Every time I go on it, I'm worried about soaking my phone, wallet, or car keys (the kind with remote door unlock etc.) For most people the answer to this problem would be a Pelican case or equivalent. But most people don't belong to flashlight forums...
I had one of those crappy, incandescent, 6V, Rayovac floating flashlights kicking around. The kind normal people buy for ~$7 to leave in the car or the camping gear or whatever for emergencies. The kind where you would get around 50 lumens for a couple hours, except that gigantic battery self-discharges to nothing before you ever actually use the light and you find out replacement batteries cost as much as the light itself.
So my moment of brilliance was that if I took the battery out of they floating flashlight I would have a waterproof floating case for my phone, wallet, etc. Even if I didn't already have the flashlight, it is still cheaper than a Pelican case! In addition, it looks much less tempting to steal than a Pelican case.
Not satisfied with just having a storage area in an inoperable flashlight, I decided to make the flashlight work again. I stuffed a Night Ize LED from a mini mag conversion kit in where the bulb used to be (took some filing to make it fit) then used a bunch of electrical tape to mount and connect a CR123 battery to the existing wiring.
It is not a pretty build job, and it is still a pretty crappy flashlight. But it is better than before AND it meets my storage requirements.
I'm not sure why my images are not working. But they really aren't anything special. Go to amazon and search for "floating rayovac flashlight" to see what I mean. The imagine the most ringy beam pattern ever. It is so ringy you could get a lifetime ban at CPF just for having seen such a terrible beam pattern.
Maybe, but if you need a light to fix your engine, or signal for help, you'll be glad you've got it - well done, I say!
It's hard to see from the pix, but if you have just taped the wires to the CR123, you could upgrade your mod by getting a CR123 holder off eBay for $1.
(then you can post it over at CPF!)
Even the basic flashlight looks better than similar ones we get out here in the 3rd world - it looks like good, thick, flexible (not brittle) plastic - an ideal base for a mod.
This is a pretty awesome idea! especially for a boat. Wish I could see the pics but from the sounds of it, you made a pretty innovative and functional use out of that light. Love it!
Nice!!. You did good on that one!! Just a side note... many of these kinds of "camping" lights/lanterns are reverse polarity. With incans and the PR style incan lamps its immune to polarity reversal, but LED drop-ins however are not. I tried a similar mod with a 4D eddie bauer camping lantern and it smoked the nite-eyez PR drop-in!! I didn't think to double check polarity, and reverse the cells.
Brilliant idea . . I hope others will come up with some nice ways to mount a battery to the back of the bulb/reflector. Did you use a PR2 sized Nite Ize led bulb, or something else?
"Oh dear. And this was such a nice thread, too. Sigh..
"She can take down MY particulars anytime she likes! Muahahaha! :love:
