The Blackout Eater: Build Thoughts, Ideas, etc...

The Blackout Eater

This is an idea I've had for awhile.

I'm frequently torn between ceiling bounce vs. lantern illumination, and unable to make up my mind, I decided I want the facility to easily swap between both.

So, I picked up this and will be picking up the "SolarForce PTS-4 Remote Switch Pad".

The pressure portion will get snipped off, and a female DC barrel jack will get soldered on.

Then, an Anderson Powerpole connector with, say six feet of cable will get a male DC barrel jack put on its other end.

Using a 360 watt hour LiFePO4 pack, I will be able to drive an LED at one amp for a very, very long time.
Additionally, there are commercial housings available which the battery pack can sit in, providing not only switched Powerpole outputs, but 12V cigarette style outlets and USB charging ports as well.

The wand on the Surefire 6P will let me readily switch between ceiling bounce and direct illumination "modes" as I see fit.

The only question left is which LED to go with.

I had been eyeing the Cree XM-L2 T5 5D3 80CRI, which should pump out approximately 406 lumens while consuming 3.025 watts.

Are there any other neutral LEDs out there with more efficiency that are also guaranteed to produce 80CRI or better?

Mountain Electronics has the "Nichia 219C D280 3000K - Bare LED - 80+ CRI" rated at 386 lumens for those same 1,000mA at 3.1 watts.

Mountain Electronics also has the "Nichia 319AT D400 3000K - Bare LED - 80+ CRI", but I have no idea how many lumens it is rated for at one amp current.

What do you guys think?

For a device that will be able to:

1) Provide indoor and outdoor lighting
2) Charge USB devices
3) Let you use a laptop/other device via 12V cigarette outlet

I think it is pretty cool!

I just wish it was a little cheaper; however, I think the tech behind it is really cool and will save up for it.

Something warm and ~100 lumens; the multi-hundred lumen outputs will drop your night vision, which means you're using more battery than needed..

I wouldn't butcher a pressure pad switch for that. Get a normal (cheap) solarforce tail switch. Desolder the switch and remove the boot. Solder some wires where the switch used to go. Goop some silicone where the boot used to be. Don't forget about the dummy cell!

There are also a lot of inexpensive diffusers for lights of all sizes. Personally I use one of the fanciest ones: a Fenix AD502. It is $9 at fenixlighting.com. It fits over top most P60 lights.

I haven't modded any of my P60 lights for external power. I use the lantern all the time though. Maybe I should do that so I don't need to swap batteries every night.

@StarHalo, I archive screenshots when I research topics, and I have a screenshot from years ago where you make the same exact statement. I've thought about it a lot, and I currently have an XM-L2 T5 5D3 80CRI being driven at 350mA, retrofitted in a yellow World War II navy lantern, ceiling bounce only, and the 154.9 lumens it produces are much appreciated. However, I would like something more powerful, even if it does inhibit my night vision.

@parametrek, I will consider this idea. However, the Solarforce pressure pad switch isn't that expensive, and I think the mod will be cleaner/neater this way.

* * *

Mountain Electronics has as well a "CREE XP-L V2 7C LED on Noctigon 20mm MCPCB - 80+ CRI" which produces 434 lumens at that same one amp of drive current, albeit at 3.058 watts vs. the 3.025 watts of the XM-L2 T5 5D3. It maintains the 80-or-better CRI, which is a plus.

I know that the Nichias are supposed to have a very favorable tint!

I think the only question is whether I want 3000K or something closer to 4000K.

If it were strictly for camping/outdoor use, I would, without a doubt, go for either the Cree or Nichia at 3000K.

However, indoors, I am wondering whether the XM-L2 T5 5D3 tint is a "just right" compromise, at a rated 3750K-3875K.

It looks like the current efficiency champ is the

"CREE XP-L V2 7C LED on Noctigon 20mm MCPCB - 80+ CRI"

which produces 434 lumens at 1,000mA.

It somewhat depends on the use goal.

If you are using the light as "twilight" and planning to fall asleep soon after using it, then going a bit warmer - even 3000 K - can be useful.

If the goal is to use it and stay awake for a a while, then 4000+ K is potentially better.

80 CRI is not that great IMHO. If you can find something closer to 90 with a lot of R9, it might be lower in efficiency in terms of lumens / watt, but at least for me, the ability to resolve color and details with the extra spectral output makes up for the lower lumens levels.

I still remember running a test (on my self) to "time" how long it took to recognize an object using various CRI levels and it was pretty significantly different. It was enough different that a police officer certainly should never use a low CRI light.

I know what you mean about the power packs - I recently picked up a portable system for my van that has 2000 watt-hr of battery pack, inverter, outlets, etc. I am thinking about buying or building a light to go with it as well.

The deed is done!

Here's what I got:

1) Battery Pack

Bioenno 12V 30Ah LiFePO4 Pack and 6A Charger

It was super expensive but the reviews on their gear on Amazon and around the web are very positive.
A lead acid battery would have been way cheaper, but I wanted lightweight and small.

2) Powerwerx PWRbox Portable Power Box for 30-50Ah Bioenno Batteries

This has two USB charging ports, a cigarette socket, and PowerPole connectors.

Too many times I've been on a laptop in a public park on a nice day with free wifi (a perk of my ISP, so I suppose I should instead say "included wifi") just to find that the power outlets in the pavilion were disabled or there was no power available. A $16 and change Dell charger on e-Bay, dual-purpose AC/12V compatible, arrived yesterday. Now I will be able to go anywhere in the park I want and use my laptop; that is, if I'm not making the arguably healthier choice and hiking instead.

3) LED

I did pick up the ""CREE XP-L V2 7C LED on Noctigon 20mm MCPCB - 80+ CRI"
from Mountain Electronics. 434 lumens at one amp sound mighty juicy to me!

4) Driver

Richard asked me what the cutoff should be. The PDF spec sheet from Bioenno specifies an open circuit voltage range of 10 to 14.6 volts. So, I said that depending on the available precision of the driver, 10.20V warning and 10.00V stop would be good.

* * *

I'm pretty excited about this because it's more than just a light. The USB ports will allow me to charge anything, anywhere. The cigarette socket will let me use my laptop or any other device on the market designed for it, of which there are hundreds (thousands?) floating around. I'll need to install the battery in the box myself but it looks simple enough. I'm slightly worried as the one review on the 6A charger said it got very hot; hopefully, that person got a dud. 14V(?) * 6A =84W. I don't like the thought of an 84W device catching fire!

Unpacked the battery, charger, and storage box. Figured out the ideal fitment, and used the included velcro strips to "mount" (fix) the battery in place. Flipped the switch, and the battery voltage indicator reads 13.2V. Plugged the charger into a watt meter and it was pulling a steady 80 watts at first. Now, ten minutes later, it is fluctuating between 76 and 80 watts; not sure what that means. The charging brick is warm but not hot and does not inspire confidence; it feels rather cheaply made.

The LED is red which the included pamphlet says indicates "CC" phase; green equals "CV" phase.

There is ample room in the housing to hold both the charger and a lantern, once the lantern is crafted, as well as an Apple and Android charging cable.

The plastic covers on the 12V cigarette socket and USB ports are sticking but the cover on the Powerpole sockets keeps flapping up, which makes me wonder about dust/moisture intrusion. The plastic battery housing is also less solid than I thought it would be and has some flex, but I wouldn't quite say it is flimsy; it's just not as rugged/firm as I thought it would be. I have no doubt you could build something like this yourself; you pay for the convenience of a ready made product.

I just held the charging brick in my hand and it is now getting hot, and the power draw is holding steady at 77 watts. I'm not using the most accurate watt meter in the world, but, this seems in the ballpark of where it should be. I'll be keeping an eye on it to see if it falls over the next few hours (and if the brick cools down along the way).

The LiFePO4 pack itself feels exceptionally stout and very solid.

I will report back after further testing...

Very cool project--thanks for sharing! Looking forward to some pics.

If the box is flimsy, it looks like you might be able to install the cool bits from the powerwerx box into a better case, like the Pelican iM2100 or something similar. Next project!

—glad you found it cool!

I'm about to drive from the Lower Hudson Valley to Massachusetts and will test the box once I arrive.
If anyone in the Plymouth, MA, area wants to see what it looks like, shoot me an email (PM is disabled).

My goal is to get the unit from the CC to the CV phase before leaving.

I did position a small fan pointing at the power supply to keep it cooler while charging; the fan was running anyway and it's cheap insurance. :thumbsup:

EDIT: 3:48 P.M.

Power supply LED is now green and the brick is cool to the touch. Watt meter indicates a 13 watt draw; perhaps it is performing cell balancing?

EDIT: 4:09 P.M.

Oops! It was negative 14...same thing it shows when nothing is plugged in. So, it must have finished charging!