The Best Camping Lantern I Have Ever Used.

HarryN

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Jan 22, 2004
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3,976
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Pleasanton (Bay Area), CA, USA
That is a great project! Really prefect for something to build with your kids or a school / scouting project.

Since the aluminum heat spreader is glued into the lid, it doesn't need to be round if that helps simplify the build.

Keep up the great work.

Harry
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Jul 4, 2007
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Hudson Valley
I love it!

Simple, cheap, easily replicable, dim or bright as suits the need, materials readily found, and a wonderful video tutorial to boot!

The fact the surface area is so large no doubt has a lot to do with the smoothness of the beam and saying that it is smoother/gentler than fluorescent is really saying a lot, as none of the LED lanterns I have yet played with have quite come that close to being as uniform as a quality fluorescent.

Two big thumbs up!
 

DIPSTIX

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Jul 6, 2016
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Location
Wisconsin
Why would you run the batteries in series and not parallel? Wouldn't you be running 12v with 3x 4.2v batteries? It looked like you were using 3v Leds. I don't know much about this kind of thing. I'm just wondering.
 

vestureofblood

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Jun 19, 2008
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Missouri
Why would you run the batteries in series and not parallel? Wouldn't you be running 12v with 3x 4.2v batteries? It looked like you were using 3v Leds. I don't know much about this kind of thing. I'm just wondering.

Hi Dipstix. Learning is what this is all about. I ran the cells in series because it takes less wire and less time. Just wire them end to end vs 6 wires for each battery. The LEDs are wired the same way - to + end to end. When you do that with the LEDs the need voltage input grows the same what as the voltage output does when you wire the batteries in that config. The LEDs are considered to be "3 volt", however thy can be driven with much higher voltage when heat sinked propperly. 9 volts would be about the minimum needed and as much as 12+ can be run though the circuit. I added the resistors to clip just a bit of that extra voltage. I'm guessing they see around 3.3 volts each now. The PWM takes care of dimming from there.

I could have simply used a traditional flashlight driver and a pot for the project and had a bit more efficiant system, but I wanted to try and do it with parts that are easily obtainable by the average person and not a flashaholics specialty creation.
 

iamlucky13

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Oct 11, 2016
Messages
1,139
Nice project, not just for the utility of the lantern technique, but for showing what can be done with a few fairly simple parts. Thanks for including links to components like the PWM supply in the video comments. I always appreciate it when DIY'ers do that.

I've started seeing somewhat similar lanterns in stores with inflatable defusers. If there was a way to do the same for this project, it would become more portable.
 

Keitho

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Jun 7, 2017
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781
Location
CO, USA
I've started seeing somewhat similar lanterns in stores with inflatable defusers. If there was a way to do the same for this project, it would become more portable.

Ooo, I like that idea. Maybe not inflatable, but I have a few collapsible camping drink cups in the bottom of my camping gear bin somewhere--one of them might make a good portable diffuser...

The other think that would actually be inflatable would be a clear or frosted inflatable ball--bungee cord it to the outside of the LED.

Or, the ol'e tried and true, strap it to the outside of a water bottle, facing in, just like I do with my headlamp all the time in the tent.
 
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