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

[matik42]

interested

[olafzwaan]

Also interested in one

[Rat_Racer]

Interested in 2

[dave101]

I’m in……

[ToyKeeper]

@DavidEF

A friend of mine put a cell in backwards in a modded SRK-style light we were using. The light was like that for a couple minutes before I even realized it. I had a real scare, but nothing exciting actually happened. So, I took the cells out of the light and put them back in my four-slot charger, since they had all run down trying to reverse charge each other! Okay, they were a little bit warm, but no more than they usually are from running continuously on high mode.

I have a SRK here with two burnt springs from when someone put the cells in with alternating polarity. And they were only NCR18650A cells, the old low-amp ones. The rest of the light is fine, but the fuses (er, springs) are dead and need to be replaced.

It may be possible sometimes to get away with battery mistreatment, like mismatched or maybe even reversed cells, but we shouldn’t recommend it or consider it a selling point of the light.

[ToyKeeper]

@Phlogiston

A small firmware suggestion for the switch LED: when it’s being used as a locator, it would be nice if it first started flashing or otherwise warning the user at half charge.

That way, people using the BLF lantern as an emergency lantern would be warned to top up the charge while the light still had a useful charge in it.

It might save someone from picking up the lantern in an emergency and only having a 10% charge left because the switch LED had mostly depleted the cells over a long period on the shelf, but the conventionally-set low battery warning hadn’t triggered yet.

FWIW, the switch LED has no significant effect on how long the batteries last during standby.

However, it might be interesting to replace the switch LED’s plain beacon mode with one indicating voltage. Basically, if enabled, instead of blinking once every few seconds while off, it could maybe blink 1 to 4 times to indicate how full the batteries are. (4 is full, 1 is close to empty)

Personally, I prefer to leave the switch LED in a constant-on state while the light is off, and check the battery state with the battcheck function. Having it blink all the time is kind of annoying.

[DavidEF]

@ToyKeeper

@DavidEF

A friend of mine put a cell in backwards in a modded SRK-style light we were using. The light was like that for a couple minutes before I even realized it. I had a real scare, but nothing exciting actually happened. So, I took the cells out of the light and put them back in my four-slot charger, since they had all run down trying to reverse charge each other! Okay, they were a little bit warm, but no more than they usually are from running continuously on high mode.

I have a SRK here with two burnt springs from when someone put the cells in with alternating polarity. And they were only NCR18650A cells, the old low-amp ones. The rest of the light is fine, but the fuses (er, springs) are dead and need to be replaced.

It may be possible sometimes to get away with battery mistreatment, like mismatched or maybe even reversed cells, but we shouldn’t recommend it or consider it a selling point of the light.

Yeah, to be clear: I DO NOT RECOMMEND putting any cells into any possibly “harmful” situation intentionally. But, I definitely want to show appreciation for all the R&D these four top brands put into their cells. I would literally trust any of them with my life. The others, not so much.

[sbslider]

@matik42

interested

matik42 added to interest at number 943

@olafzwaan

Also interested in one

Welcome to BLF olafzwaan I added you to interest at number 944

@Rat_Racer

Interested in 2

Rat_Racer added to interest at numbers 945 and 946

@dave101

I’m in……

dave101 added to interest at numbers 947

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.

[dealgrabber2002]

Reverse polarity? I am clumsy like that.

[DBSAR]

Some updates on the mess i am dealing with outside the community, but don’t worry, i will be still working on this BLF lantern project to make it a reality for everyone, as i have dreamed of designing a lantern that has the best of what a lantern can do.

* See topic here: >> Lifes disasters seem to follow me around.

[aswang]

I’m also interested in one

[puglife2]

@DBSAR

Some updates on the mess i am dealing with outside the community, but don’t worry, i will be still working on this BLF lantern project to make it a reality for everyone, as i have dreamed of designing a lantern that has the best of what a lantern can do.

* See topic here: >> Lifes disasters seem to follow me around.

You should make a GoFundMe page for people who want to donate

[goshdogit]

@DBSAR

…Eceen 10-Watt USB folding solar charger…

Hi, Den! Could you share more about your experience with the ECEEN solar charger?

I’m hoping to top up my iPhone and BLF Lantern during multi-day trips.

I ordered the 10 Watt ECEEN yesterday after watching this review from ‘MegaWoodswalker’ on YouTube:

ECEEN Folding 10 Watt Solar Panel Phone Charger With USB Port Review.

He mentions a 3-minute ‘automatic reset’ feature that helps eliminate charging errors, especially with Apple devices.

He explains this feature in his video of the ECEEN 13 Watt model at the 5:05 mark:

ECEEN 13W Foldable solar panel charger review.

The 13 Watt model was a big jump in price, so I went with the 10 Watt model. I purchased it on eBay for much less than I’ve seen elsewhere.

[DBSAR]

@goshdogit

The 13 Watt model was a big jump in price, so I went with the 10 Watt model. I purchased it on eBay for much less than I’ve seen elsewhere.

That is odd… i never of “charge errors” before. I have the exact same 10-watt Eceen model, and min has never did that reset thing, it always charged my Samsung Note-3 perfectly and the V1 of the lantern perfectly. ( after 4 ~ 5 hours of use on high mode with the V1 each night, the Eceen 10W charges it back up to full charge easily in a day of good sun. Maybe if i can get the time i should do a video review too on that panel & use my USB monitor to see how it goes.

[goshdogit]

@DBSAR

That is odd… i never of “charge errors” before. I have the exact same 10-watt Eceen model, and min has never did that reset thing

MegaWoodswalker actually mentioned that he was confused at first, but noticed while using his USB meter that the reset was occurring exactly every 3 minutes. ECEEN commented on his 10 Watt review and verified that this is indeed a feature:

This reset feature works around Apple’s pickiness about third-party accessories (and even cables! :person_facepalming: ) working with their phones and tablets. I’ll bet that most iPhone users are familiar with the “This accessory may not be supported” error.

The way MegaWoodswalker explains it, intermittent cloud cover causes a drop in charge, which makes the iPhone think it’s connected to a questionable/faulty power source and triggers the error. The iPhone will not resume charging until power is disconnected and reconnected.

Apparently, the intermittent drops in power output can cause issues with lithium-ion battery chargers and other devices too. MegaWoodswalker has another video in which he tests many different battery chargers for compatibility with solar charging. He explains the issue at the 1:45 mark:

USB Powered Battery Charger Solar compatibility Tests. Which is Best!

@DBSAR

it always charged my Samsung Note-3 perfectly and the V1 of the lantern perfectly. ( after 4 ~ 5 hours of use on high mode with the V1 each night, the Eceen 10W charges it back up to full charge easily in a day of good sun.

That’s great news. I’m excited to try capturing sunlight to be used at night. :partying_face:

@DBSAR

Maybe if i can get the time i should do a video review too on that panel & use my USB monitor to see how it goes.

That would be great. I enjoyed your BLF Lantern videos.

I think BLF Lantern users who plan multi-day trips away from electricity could really benefit from your input about a compact and portable solar charging kit.

[WhitedragonBC]

Interested

[sbslider]

@aswang

I’m also interested in one

Welcome to BLF aswang! I added you to the interest list at number 948

@WhitedragonBC

Interested

WhitedragonBC added to the interest list at number 949

[djypo]

Interested

[SKV89]

@The_Driver

Has the concept of using Nichia E21A high-cri R9080 LEDs been discussed yet? They have even higher light quality compared to the Samsungs and would allow for a greater range of CCTs, from 2000K all the way up to 6500K.

The Samsung LH351D has been pretty disappointing to me. I just tried a Meteor M43 with Samsung LH351D 4000k 90CRI and I much prefer the stock M43 with 4000k 5D 70CRI XP-L HI. On the 4000k LH351D, everything including white appears yellowish whereas with the 4000k 5D tint, whites actually looks white. Colors are rendered more vivid on the 70CRI 4000k 5D tint compared to the 90CRI 4000k LH351D to my huge surprise. My 4000k 219B 9050 lights also does not have the yellowish tinting and renders colors even better.

Maybe consider the SST-20 95CRI 3000k as that one was tested by Djozz to be at or below the BBL so we won’t get that yellowish tinting. The Samsungs I’ve read are all above the BBL so the tint is yellowish/green.

Also consider the 219B 2700k 9050. You can order a sample from LEDRISE. They told me Nichia doesn’t have the 2700k 9080 but have 3000k - 4500k available in 9080.

Ledrise - High Performance Led Lighting Search results for: 'leds nichia...

[The_Driver1 (The_Driver)]

The Nichia E21A is better than the 219B-V1 most applications up to 2A. It’s more efficient if you factor in the missing dome. It’s also available in a wider range of CCTs and has a more even tint because of the missing dome.