# 2005 Coleman 8D Pack Away Fluorescent Lantern



## Icebreak (Apr 23, 2005)

My apologies if this one has already been discussed.

I bought the (New?) 2005 Coleman 8D Pack Away Spiral Fluorescent Lantern on Wednesday at Wal-Mart for $19.79.

8D Pack Away at ColemanDotCom 







This picture is a little wrong. The square lens is totally clear all the way around. 

I haven't field-tested it so I won't recommend it yet. I have a couple of concerns. This lantern collapses into itself. I haven't looked to see how they engineered the locking mechanisms. I wonder how durable they are. Your fingers don't have to press anything. You just give it a jiggle and a yank then it expands and locks in the extended configuration. Give it a little shove and the illumination section slides down and locks making a compact unit that feels sturdy. I like the feel of the lantern in this position. It looks like some kind of ammo carrier in the "Pack Away" configuration.

The switching is on top. I wonder if that is such a good idea for rainy weather. I suppose one could easily protect the switch.

The batteries load very easily from the bottom. They do rattle but that's of no concern to me.

I was really surprised with how bright it was when I turned it on. It's somewhat painful to look directly at the lit spiral. From reading about fluorescent lights on this forum I would attribute the brightness to the compactness of the 15W spiral tube. Also, see that reflector? It really works very well. A lot of light is reflected upward and outward. See the hole in the reflector? That's to allow the spiral tube to enter the power section when collapsing the lantern. Pretty slick.

With 8 D primary cells in it the lantern is heavy. One advantage might be that it could probably endure 35 - 40 mph winds without tipping over. I guess if I wanted it to be lighter I could make an investment in some rechargeable D cells.

I'm thinking that this will be a good power outage light. Set on a coffee table it throws light all over the living room. There is a 4'x4' dark spot (not really a shadow) on the ceiling. While I'm sitting in a comfortable chair 8' away from it there is more than enough light to read by. I don't know about that 26 hour claim but I think 18 hrs. would be reasonable.

For $20.00, I thought this light was preliminarily good enough and interesting enough to say something about it.

-------------------------

- Jeff


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## raggie33 (Apr 23, 2005)

pretty cool icebreak ,but some reason i cant get my self from not likeing gas laterns i guess there is something about the hiis .or the way there cheap to run


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## Icebreak (Apr 23, 2005)

Oh yeah, me too, raggie.

I love the light from a traditional white gas powered, mantled Coleman. They are so light-weight and, as you said, inexpensive to run. Plus they just bring back memories of good camping and fishing trips. I like the hissing sound too.

The advantage of this lantern is that it might be less likely to fail if it was tipped over and there is little chance of it starting a fire. In the home it won't burn oxygen or expell unwanted exhaust.

No way it can compete with a gas lantern in output.

There was a program on the History Channel a while back about Coleman products. How they helped to make camping become something fun to do instead of something you did while escaping the great depression and the dust bowl. How the miniature stoves helped to vastly improve the moral of ground troops.

I liked that program.


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## raggie33 (Apr 23, 2005)

o i saw that program to icebreak i love the history chanel. i have a coleman latern i got at garage sale its army and made in 1955 it has 4 peaces a glass in stead of one .perhaps they couldnt make one peace it dont work though and parts are missing


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 24, 2005)

A 15 watt tube is about the same as a 60 watt light bulb. One thing you can do is figure out how to wire it up to a 12v sla and you wont have to buy batteries for it if you start using it a lot. I don't much like the price of 8D cells but one of the walmarts here had the C and D everactive 8pack batteries on clearance for $3 formally $4.50. Look around and see if they are clearing them out and get some spares.


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## markdi (Apr 24, 2005)

if you like the light from a gasoline coleman lantern.
you should see the 400cp petromax kerosene lantern in operation.


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## cheesehead (Apr 24, 2005)

Agreed, 

Heck, if you like light, the gas lanterns are just much nicer for camping. For the price of 8D cells you can buy a propane cannister, and that has the energy of a bomb, vs 8D cells, which is enough energy to,... um,... er,... well,... hmm,... light a dim incadescent bulb? 

Try gas, you'll never go back.


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## jtice (Apr 24, 2005)

Very nice, I have had my eye on these. 
I have a gas colmen lantarn like it alot, its the larger ones they make.

I might have toi check one of these out, 
I just hate to kill 8 D cells on one run /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

BTW, I have a camping trip comming up, was thining of getting another gas lantern.
What is the best SMALL one?


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## cheesehead (Apr 24, 2005)

Hmm, never tried the small one/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif, I just was so impressed with the regular size lantern/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif. You can adjust to to low, running like a small lantern/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif. Although, if there's a small gas lantern /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/au.gif then that'll be very nice. The other lights to check are the Aladdin series /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/aaa.gif, they pull a little trick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sssh.gif to get more light and again, run time, is measured in hours.


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## cheesehead (Apr 24, 2005)

OK, seems like everyone is on the same page. Gas is #1. But that 8d cell seems like a much better idea inside the tent. 

And plus, I would assume the run time is HOURS. Darn, now I think I need that light too, lot safer around 3-6 yo fingers.


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## Icebreak (Apr 25, 2005)

Lynx Arc -

Two good ideas. Thanks for the heads up on the 37 cent D cells. The best I've been able to do lately is 67 cents per cell for 16 Energizer Alkalines.

Markdi -

Oh yeah. I've been wanting a Petromax ever since I saw one on this forum I think about 2 years ago. Those are really nice. I enjoyed reading about the history of them on this site:
PetroMaxBerlynEnterprizes 






Cheese -

Yes, double agreed.

I like gas. I have gas. Maybe that's TMI? ***edit*** I didn't see your other posts befor I posted. Yes, I think it is safe. Inside a tent it would be nice. Coleman claims 26 hours. I think more like 18.

jtice -

I don't know. I've seen glorb in thread titles but never read about them. They look good for your purposes.
GlorbOnBackpackGearTest






Hey. Wait a minute. How come my thread is all off-topiced? Oh well. Sometimes OT is more fun than the topic.


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## markdi (Apr 25, 2005)

kerosene pressure lanterns are much brighter than gasoline or propane lanterns and run a lot longer on a tank of fuel.

kerosene has a lot more energy per unit of volume.

kerosene lanterns emit very little carbon monoxide
so you can use them indoors.

kerosene is a lot less Volatile than propane or gasoline - 
so it is not as dangerous.

sorry I will go away now

I do not want to hijak this thread


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## markdi (Apr 25, 2005)

kerosene is number one

then gasoline 

propane

and last but not least electric

ha ha

I thought my big petromax was 400 cp 

it is 500 cp

puts out as much light as a 400 watt incandesent light bulb

I also have the 150 cp lantern

and a petromax kerosene pressure stove.

does any one know where to get repair parts other than britelyte ?


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## cheesehead (Apr 25, 2005)

No no no, kerosene is not #1 indoors. Kerosene is #1 OUTDOORS. Indoors, a AAA led from Dorcy is enough. Gas, Kerosene, Propane, they are all CO emitters. Even if they don't emit the CO, whey will all use up O2.


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## markdi (Apr 25, 2005)

I have run my big petromax in my dining room of my house
for 4 hours straght.

there was a slight smell of kerosene 

no one got dizzy or passed out or died.

you should open a window(a few inches or so depending on size of window etc) 

I did not open a window because I wanted to see how bad the 
kerosene smell would get.


petromax still lights half of the world(or something like that)


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## markdi (Apr 25, 2005)

my mom's condo has a natural gass stove.
I installed it 2 years ago.

it draws air from the room that it is in.

with the oven burner and all four of the range top 
burners burning it must use more oxygen than my petromax.

I do not think there was a exaust system either.

so why doesent the carbon monoxide kill the renters ?

maybe I am wrong and I hooked it to some sort of air inlet/exaust system.

I have nothing Against the renters ha ha.

maybe if you are in a small room that is sealed/insulated well you would have a problem.


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## Icebreak (Apr 25, 2005)

No. Please don't go away markdi. You are making it fun.


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## Steelwolf (Apr 25, 2005)

There is no denying how bright some of these liquid fuel lamps can get. I love the output from my Coleman Northstar. It's a bit big for what I need these days and I'm planning to get a Glorb and one of the mini Coleman Expedition lights. The downsides I've always had to operating one of these was the flareups at the start, the cool down period before you can start packing away everything, the regular cleaning of the fuel ports and anything that gets coated in soot during the flareups, and the need to keep replacing mantles. (Part of the reason for switching from the Nortstar is that its mantles are expensive and hard to find, since it uses the tube style. I can't find generic replacements either. The Brunton and smaller Colemans use the typical bulb-like mantle which is cheaper, easier to find and has tons of generic replacements.)

But I love my electric lanterns too. Judiciously used, their meagre output is still enough for many of my needs, the rest being supplemented with a headlamp and a couple of handheld torches (more toys! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ). Clean and easy with quick setup and take downs (I just need to get another charger so I can recharge more cells at any one time). And the so-called "meagre" output isn't really that meagre with the new spiral/energy-saver tube lanterns. And I'm not so worried about breaking another mantle when it gets jostled in my backpack.

What I would really like is when there is a way to efficiently extract power from fuel for electrical operations, without having to carry around heavy, noisy generators. Imagine, the Coleman Fluorescent lantern (or something bigger!) powered from a fuel cell! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif 

*sigh* may that day come soon.


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## raggie33 (Apr 25, 2005)

hoolly molly what ya all is saying about keroscen that it is bright as 400 watt bulb.. u can probaly play firisbes out doors at night with one.i love All leterns there something about em.i even like the old huricane ones that use a wick.i get the keroscen ones for like 3 bucks


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## cheesehead (Apr 25, 2005)

400 watts, that's impressive. 

Natural gas stove, why isn't everyone dead, hmm, I don't know, I would assume they would be from my last post (not this post, but about a year ago, where I got jumped). Stoves emit next to nothing in CO, they are almost all CO2. A lantern too if it's blue or close too it, will be safe, but there have been reported deaths in closed tents from their use.


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## markdi (Apr 25, 2005)

there must be an exaust system hooked up to a natural gas stove.

how do they exaust the carbon monoxide from the burners you use to heat up a bowl of soup ?



kerosene emits very little carbon monoxide.


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## BB (Apr 26, 2005)

From one of many natural gas safety warnings:

[ QUOTE ]
Incomplete combustion of any fuel can produce poisonous carbon monoxide gas. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often similar to someone coming down with the flu, except without the fever. Symptoms could include: Dizziness; fatigue; nausea; or heart palpitations.

[/ QUOTE ]

*As always, if you suspect CO exposure, get to fresh air and contact a doctor/emergency personnel (if needed). Get a cheap CO alarm if you have gas appliances in your home).*

So--if the stove is properly adjusted, little CO will be produced. However, it will use up the oxygen in the room and produce lots of carbon dioxide (as well as water/moisture)--all good reasons to have ventilation.

The reason CO is so much more dangerous than low Oxygen or high carbon dioxide in an enclosed space is because:

Medical Encyclopedia

[ QUOTE ]
Hemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and body tissues.

If certain chemicals or drugs are introduced into the blood stream, they can alter the hemoglobin so it no longer functions as a transport medium. Measuring abnormal hemoglobins can be helpful in diagnosing and monitoring exposure to these agents.

Carboxyhemoglobin is hemoglobin bound to carbon monoxide instead of oxygen or carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide has a much higher affinity for hemoglobin than does oxygen (210 times more), and high percentages of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood impairs the normal transport of oxygen by the blood. 

[/ QUOTE ]

-Bill


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## cheesehead (Apr 27, 2005)

Um, as far I know there is NO requirement for an exhaust system for a natural gas stove. Actually, I can't recall any houses that I've been in that have an exhaust that it on when the stove is working. 

Yes, CO is dangerous, but if the flame is blue, life is good. Houses have air turnover every 2 hours or so, so you can't really use up all the oxygen, unless you really really try.


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## markdi (Apr 27, 2005)

I know that my natural gas furnace and hot water heater 
have a exaust system hooked to them.


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## cheesehead (Apr 27, 2005)

I know that my mom's stove does not.

I assume because it's not used as much as a furnace, but I don't know.


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## BB (Apr 28, 2005)

When I typed "ventilation"--I was trying to say either natural or forced ventilation... Many stoves (not built-ins) have a chimney/ventilation connection to the broiler (to remove smoke).

When we installed our new range, it was recommended that we have, approximately, 10 CFM blower/hood rating for every 1,000 BTU burner rating.

A standard US stove seems to have a total of 40,000 BTU maximum (some are 4x 10,000 BTU's, others have a mix of smaller 5,000 BTU to 17,000 BTU burners that still add to 40,000 BTU's). --I don't know if this was a limitation for natural ventilation or a US Government energy efficiency requirement... Either way, a 10,000 BTU burner is difficult to properly stir-fry anything more than a small amount of meat and/or vegetables per batch.

Now back to to Fluorescent lanterns--I have a couple of 4D lanterns (U tube)... Seem to work OK but I have yet to have any serious blackouts for many years.

One complaint that we always had with Coleman gas lanterns was that they seem to have way too much glare... No matter where we placed them--or even when hung high from trees. My Dad (40 years ago) ended up sanding the glass globe to try and reduce the glare somewhat.

-Bill


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## cheesehead (May 6, 2005)

My one complaint with fluorescent lanterns is that they are horrible (i.e. S-CK). A gas lantern has the energy of a bomb, why not use it camping? Much better light.


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## Lips (May 6, 2005)

Say the power goes out in the summertime, the last thing you want in a house without A/C is a gas lantern! Happened to me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif


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## Lynx_Arc (May 6, 2005)

Not to mention the mess and smell of various fuels needed, storage of them also and possible fire hazard. I have an unleaded coleman lantern I used last power outage but now I have several flourescent lights and probably wont use the gas lantern unless I have a big crowd because I really do not need that much light. My gas lantern gets pretty hot and I have to set it aside for an hour after I use it before I can put it back up, worry about the fuel running out and pumping air pressure into it again and replacing mantles that cost a buck a pair every once in awhile. 

It takes a few minutes to fire up my gas lantern while my flourescent lantern takes..... one switch.... on, off instantly.


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## Phaserburn (May 6, 2005)

Fluoros still not getting any love. Hard to believe. They are far more efficient than incans and leds, yet...

What other source can give you 250 lumens for 20 hours (or 125 for 40) on 4 D cells like in an Energizer folding fluoro? Don't compare fluoros to gas lanterns just because they have a similar shape. Compare them to flashlights, too. There's no doubt a gas lantern is brighter. Fluoro lanterns aren't "better", but have other advantages.

Arc AAA or candle?


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## Lynx_Arc (May 6, 2005)

I like the look of higher output fluorescent lanterns but tend to shy away from 8D cell versions unless I plan on adapting them for 12v external use. If you use them a lot off of alkaline cells the costs can start adding up quickly. Tapping a lead acid cell can drive costs down to managable levels and buying 8 nimh D cells and a charger fast enough to be useful for them can run into perhaps more money than it may be worth in the short run, you wouls have to use it a fair amount to justify the expenditure. I wish they would make a model with a battery carrier that you could either use 8D cells or slide in an SLA and charge it but sadly you either have on or the other and all the SLA version lanterns are costly and end up mosly using 4watt tubes instead of the 9watt and up models.


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## markdi (May 6, 2005)

My small 150 cp petromax lantern is very kool.
it runs for 20 hours on 1 pint of kerosene.
it is very easy to pump up and light - very little kerosene odor - about the same as my aladin mantle lamp - using quality kerosene.
and it can run for over 6 hours with out needing to 
add more air pressure to the tank.
it will run on a wide range of liquid fuels
but kerosene is the best - highest energy density - lot higher than gasoline.
and very little carbon monoxide in the lantern's exaust using kerosene. 

I would never run a gasoline lantern in a house
gasoline vapors and it's flashpoint make id pretty dangerous compared to kerosene = then there is the issue of carbon monoxide poisioning with gasoline.


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## cheesehead (May 6, 2005)

Gasoline is 125,000 btu's per gallon
Kerosene is 135,000 btu's per gallon
Propane is 91,000, but doesn't stink and is safe for indoor use (like a gas stove).

Both kerosene and gasoline can produce CO. Propane can too, but it's easier to get a safe "blue" flame with propane than with a liquid fuel. Blue=good, yellow=CO. Plus, kerosene and gas both stink in closed spaces-no way around that.


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## cheesehead (May 6, 2005)

PB, 

250 lumens for 20 hours on 4 D cells??? Hmm, may have to rethink the whole propane thing. Energizer folding lantern, hmm, Walmart (I assume),...have to get one.


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## jtice (May 6, 2005)

Phaser has a good point,

I always light up a couple candles for room lighting, you cant beat them, period.

Now, about this lantern /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Which one are you referring to? I like those numbers.


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## Sway (May 7, 2005)

I really like my 8D twin tube I found at BigLots for $9.99, it puts out enough light setting in the kitchen to get around the house with no other lights on. I use 8 NiMH D cell in it but it's also happy running on a 35Ah 12V SLA I keep around just incase of an extended power outage and it will run my Triton to charge other cells if needed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I'm not sure how long it will run on the 8D cells, 7 hours is the longest I have ran it so far but it should be good for 12 hours or more off a fresh charge.....

Later
Kelly


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## Lynx_Arc (May 7, 2005)

It would be cool to have a 25watt flourescent twister powered by a 12v SLA in a lantern. Around 2000 lumens of flood.


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## Phaserburn (May 7, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
It would be cool to have a 25watt flourescent twister powered by a 12v SLA in a lantern. Around 2000 lumens of flood. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there such a lantern?

jtice, the lantern I was talking about is the Energizer Illumifold lantern. 2 x 4W tubes powered by 4D cells. I use nimh in mine, and have swapped the 6000+ color temp tubes with 3000 incan-ish warm color ones. Much nicer for longer burns. Especially if you like candles!


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## eluminator (May 7, 2005)

Well I have to take issue with the kerosene thing. It's true that run of the mill kerosene stinks (and is somewhat volatile) but that's because of the impurities. Pure kerosene like Klean Heat has very little smell. It's not volatile either, I'd call it a light lubricating oil, and use it as such. Because it isn't volatile it is generally considered the safest fuel to use indoors.

For an emergency light a plain old Dietz kerosene lantern is hard to beat. It's fairly windproof so it can be carried around and used outdoors. It will self-extinguish if tipped over. Some say it's the safest non-electric light to use indoors, and I agree. When it's burning you will notice a smell (I prefer to think of it as an aroma /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) but it's very faint and I've never encountered anyone who thought it was objectionable.

The smell of Klean Heat reminds me of when I played trumpet in the school band many moons ago. I had a little bottle of light (low viscosity) oil to lubricate the moving parts of the trumpet. It smelled just like Klean Heat, and I like it.

I also just got a Petromax. More for an emergency source of heat than light. I'm still debating if I want to coat the inside of the tank with epoxy gas tank sealer. Apparently most any fuel reacts slowly with the brass and produces particles that can plug the orifices. I haven't used mine enough to know if it's a problem.

Klean Heat costs 8 or 10 dollars a gallon, so if you are using a kerosene stove a lot, you'd probably want to use 1-k kerosene which does have somewhat more smell.

You can also use "lamp oil" instead of kerosene. That's the stuff used in the "oil candles". Apparently it has even less smell. It's a little more viscous than kerosene and doesn't produce as much light in a lantern.


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## jtice (May 7, 2005)

Found this review on the Illumfold.
http://zelandeth.artamir.org/cpf/4dlantern/

Seems like a really nice light for $12 !
Now, I have to find one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


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## Brock (May 7, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
It would be cool to have a 25watt flourescent twister powered by a 12v SLA in a lantern. Around 2000 lumens of flood. 

[/ QUOTE ]

They make a THOR with what a 13w twister, it is suppose to be good flood work light, but it only lights in 180 degrees.

My idea light would be a 5w twisty, either CF or CCFT and 4 D cells base with an open top / globe. Then if you hang it upside down it lights an entire room as a normal ceiling light would.

It drives me nuts that they put "caps" or hard tops on fluorescent lanterns to make them look like gas lamps.

For non-electric I prefer Aladdin lamps, you can dim them and they get quite bright, not as bright or noisy or as much work as Petromax, but easily as bright as a 60w incandescent lamp.


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## eluminator (May 7, 2005)

Aladdins are nifty lamps. I like that small hot blue flame. But to depend on it in emergencies you'd need spare mantles and a spare chimney.

I don't think mine puts out a 60 watt equivalent. My mantles are new and probably don't contain thorium. I hear that older mantles put out considerably more light.


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## Icebreak (May 7, 2005)

eluminator -

Thanks for the added and useful information on kerosene. We used to buy "white gas" when I was a kid to power generators etc. I knew that camping supply stores sold a higher grade but I didn't have a clear understanding of it until you and others posted about it.

Dietz and Aladins? I'll have to check them out.

Lips -

Good point. Power outage when it is hot outside begs for cool light sources.

LynxArc -

I couldn't agree more. Simple click on for light when I need it. I didn't ever buy into fluorescent lanterns because they just didn't seem bright enough. This Coleman Pack-Away is bright. I should correct myself and say I would like to get a couple Energizer Folders. It's one of the most highly touted lights on CPF.

Your idea of an SLA driven 25 watt twister sounds great.

jtice -

Good find on the review. Here are a couple CPF discussions about it. The first one is from 2002. In the second one the improved reflection board is revealed, PhazerBurn gives more detail on the tubes he uses and Lowes/Home Depot is shown to have them in some cities.

2002 discussion 


2005 discussion 


Sway -

$9.99 for emergency area lighting sounds good. Tapping into a 35Ah 12V SLA sounds even better.

Brock -

I found a pic of a Thor fluorescent from a JohnGault post but this one only has the U-tube in it.







I like your idea of a globe hung upside down.

The Pack-Away's reflector does a good job of throwing light up and out, somewhat solving the hardtop problem. In a room the light bounces onto the ceiling and off the walls onto the ceiling. For its' design a hardtop was needed. I wish I had a pic of it in the collapsed configuration.

More Coleman 8-D Fluorescent Twister Pack-Away info:

When you open the battery compartment a very nice graphic can be seen showing how to load the batteries. Go with this. However, the panel has big plus signs where the negative ends should go. This wouldn't confuse you guys because they are plastic so the nipple wouldn't get any contact if you loaded the lantern incorrectly. Everyday consumers? Probably. Maybe this is a wrong load safety feature?

Also, part of the locking mechanism I was concerned with can easily be seen in the battery compartment. Four metal rods slide down channels that have flex tabs with round indentations in them. On the ends of the rods are spring-loaded plungers that seat into the indentations. The plungers? If this weren’t CPF they would be hard to describe. They are clear plastic and look like large side-emitters. No kidding! They are not, of course, but that's what they look like.

I now have much more confidence in the locking mechanism.

------------------

- Jeff


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## eluminator (May 7, 2005)

Yep, when I was an explorer scout (about a hundred years ago) we had a Coleman that used white gas. It seemed the Coleman put out the whitest light I had ever seen. I'm wondering if the mantle gets hotter than an ordinary incandescent filament. And incandescent lights were about all we had back then. 

I get Klean Heat in an upscale hardware store chain that are only found around Rochester NY, but there must be many other places.

My Walmart sells just about everything W. M. Barr makes except Klean Heat. I.E. Klean Strip, acetone, paint thinner, mineral spirits, and 1-k kerosene.

By the way I don't think anyone but Barr knows what it really is. They call it kerosene substitute. They used to make another product whose name I forgot, that they called synthetic kerosene.


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## Kilted (May 7, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
It would be cool to have a 25watt flourescent twister powered by a 12v SLA in a lantern. Around 2000 lumens of flood. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I've got a little bigger arrangement. It's a 5kw inverter hanging on the wall with 24kwh sla (agm's actually) feeding it. To make it usefull when there's no power outage I have 5.2kw of solar panels that sell back to PG&E through the inverter. The house is wired to autoswitch, just had a pg&e switch transit this morning. That is when they are working locally and they switch from one feeder to another feeder power is out for a few seconds and screws everything up. Not any more!!

I also have 5 kerosine Aladdins, also have a couple Fenton all glass Aladdins, with electric converters. Then there are the flashlights... 

Think I've got enough lights?

=D~~ Kilted


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## Lynx_Arc (May 7, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Kilted said:*

Think I've got enough lights?

=D~~ Kilted 

[/ QUOTE ]

The only time you have enough lights is when you have too many lights, and then you only have too many of the wrong lights and not enough of the ones you really want.


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## eluminator (May 7, 2005)

I think you are in pretty good shape. Now if you would kindly ship some of the California sunshine out here on the leeward (and cloudy) side of Lakes Ontario and Erie, I 
could get one of those solar collectors to work.


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## Kilted (May 7, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
[ QUOTE ]
*Kilted said:*

Think I've got enough lights?

=D~~ Kilted 

[/ QUOTE ]

The only time you have enough lights is when you have too many lights, and then you only have too many of the wrong lights and not enough of the ones you really want. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Your Rught!! =D~~ Kilted


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## Brock (May 7, 2005)

Kilted what inverter or inverters are you running?

I have stacked SW2512's for 5kw @ 240vac, but only 12kw of battery and 480w of solar. I have most loads on the inverter panel and don't backfeed the grid, it would be hard to with only 480w of solar.


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## Lips (May 8, 2005)

Ebay is selling jump start battery boosters with inverters built in to them. Take a clip-on incand light fixture and put a 13w twisti in there and you should have light for several days.


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## Kilted (May 8, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Brock said:*
Kilted what inverter or inverters are you running?

I have stacked SW2512's for 5kw @ 240vac, but only 12kw of battery and 480w of solar. I have most loads on the inverter panel and don't backfeed the grid, it would be hard to with only 480w of solar. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Brock,

I'm using a Beacon Power M5. http://www.beaconpower.com/products/SolarInverterSystems/M5.htm

The Battries are Concorde agm's http://www.concordebattery.com/xtender_main.php there eight (8) PVX-258L 12V @ 255A wired as 48V 510A battery bank. The solar panels are in two blocks 40-SP75's and 12-Sharp 185. Currently it is overcast and the system is generating .250KW. Yesterday I was putting out 2.7kw it was a -10KWH day on a cloud less day I will do -19KWH. Overall output for the last 12 months had been approx 5,400KWH, that's not a typo, 5.4 mega watt hours! So what do I do with all that power, I have a car like Darrell's a Toyota Rav4EV. No oil wells in the back yard, just solar panels on the roof. And it all cost less than a Hummer!

=D~~ (pluged in) ~~ Kilted


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## markdi (May 8, 2005)

lips i hope the 13 watt twist has a 12 volt ballast


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## Radiant (May 8, 2005)

I think he meant the battery packs have regular AC power outlets on them so you could plug in standard lamp + CFL bulb.


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## Radiant (May 8, 2005)

Any chance we could get some pictures of the Coleman 8D in action? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Are there any NiMH chargers out there that actually hold 8-D cells at one time?


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## Lynx_Arc (May 8, 2005)

I think I saw a charger that holds 8D nimh cells but it was pitifully slow... probaby took a gnats life to charge em all.
As far as the coleman lantern I am guessing a small 60 watt (equivalent) twister bulb you get at the stores would put out about the same amount of light.


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## Icebreak (May 8, 2005)

Radiant -

I'm not sure when that might be. I don't have a digital camera. I may be able to borrow one. Work has me way tied up so it's a time constraint/capability thing. My apologies for not having posted any real world shots.

----------

- Jeff


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## Lips (May 9, 2005)

Markdi,

About $69 for the jump start booster with a\c inverter (150 watt), 3 12 volt plugins, 4 safety lights and an air (tire) compressor all in one unit. 

example Item number: 4548515407

I own two other older cheaper boosters with less features. This one is loaded with features.
Lights up a 13w twisty with no problem using the built in inverter.


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## Minjin (May 9, 2005)

Rather than starting a new thread, I figured I'd just ask here since its just a pretty haphazard discussion on lanterns...

Has anyone considered taking the CCFL from the Energizer 4AA light and putting it in a 4D lantern? This seems like it would be a pretty hot setup to me. Relatively small, decent amount of light, and a very healthy runtime. 

Mark


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## Lynx_Arc (May 10, 2005)

I took the ccfl from an eveready doublebright and put it into a 4AA rayovac lantern it is rather bright, I think you would desire two tubes for a 4D setup becaues the amount of power in 4D cells would easily power about 600-700ma of flourescent for probably close to a day.
rayovac kids lantern fluorescent mod


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## Brock (May 10, 2005)

Minjin, that is exactly want, I want a nice small 360 CCFT lantern.

And Lynx_Arc built one for me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I have to go post in that thread


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## Lynx_Arc (May 10, 2005)

You can build that little lantern I made for about $20 without the frills and using the stock switch the hardest parts are tearing apart the eveready light to get the CCFL out of it and making the plastic top and bottom supports for the tube.


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## Brock (May 13, 2005)

Ok, I just got the Coleman pack away, $19.99 at Fleet Farm a local Home Depot sort of store. Anyway I like it except it is pretty darn blue in color; I know they are a bit brighter, but that color is to cool for me. Anyone know if you can get med or warm tubes for this lantern?

Other then that I like it. It seems like it might collapse on itself by itself after a while, but if it is hanging it won't. I do like that it shuts itself off if it is collapsed.

All in all I give it a thumbs up.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 13, 2005)

the only replacement bulbs I have seen for that lantern are made by coleman and probably are typically cool white which is in 99% of lanterns these days. Too bad you couldn't dip the tube in a red die or something. I used to make red light bulbs by dipping them in red fingernail polish when I was a kid. Coleman makes a non packaway lantern using the same bulb that has two settings and a nightlight (incan) I have spotted at sams for $20 and BigLots for $15 at times.

Come to think of it if you could get some red tinted plastic just replace the windows of that lantern.


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## jtice (May 14, 2005)

I was at wal mart the other day,
and they have about 5 differnt types of these lanterns.
Two were even rechargable! Most expensive one was $30

They also had the spiral tubed, pack away one that you have Icebreak.
How are you liking it so far? I just about got it, but there was so many to choose from I didnt know which to get.
They also had the red bodied U tube Colmen one, and a couple with 2 straight tubes.

I think the pack away one was the one with the most wattage.
Did you ever determine its real life runtime?

Can nimh cells be used in it?

Also, what voltage is it getting from the batts?
I was thinking of hooking it to a small tractor or motor bike battery, for when its just sitting out at the camp site all night.

I would get a rechargable one, but I hate not being able to just swap batts, and be back in business.
At least with rechargable D cells, I could have the best of both worlds.

~John


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## Brock (May 14, 2005)

I am running NiMH 9000mA in mine and it works fine. Actually I loaded it with alaklines and metered it and it was the same brightness either way with it pulling a bit more on NiMH. It is a 12v setup.


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## Phaserburn (May 14, 2005)

jtice, I agree with you. I was at The Big Wally today as well, looking at fluoro lanterns. I almost got a 4D model; 9W, around 10 bucks. Not as bright as an 8D, but you can have two sets of batts instead of one (I already have 8 D nimh cells). Not as heavy, either.


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## jtice (May 14, 2005)

Thanks alot Brock, Im real glad to hear ita a 12V setup /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I might pickup a 12V SLA batt for it then. Was thinking a small bike battery. For the most part, I plan to use it while camping, and it will need to run alllll night, for a few nights. I doubt I would even have time during the day to get all 8 D cells charged agian for the next night.

I assume it doesnt have a wall or car cable?
I will be near the truck, and it will be running other electrical stuff anyway, could wire it right to the truck batt I guess /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Phaser, Yea, I imagine it weighs a ton, but I wont be carrying it around much at all.
But your right, 8 D cells for one change sux. But Im wanting the brightest one, and the 8D one has the highest wattage.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

I was eyeballing the rayovac 8D twin 9watt utube lantern at wally world for about $25. I would want to put a DC input jack so I could run it off of external 12v power though.


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## Brock (May 14, 2005)

Ahhh, if your around 12v you might just want to get a 12v CF lamp and power it right from the car or truck battery. I don't have a spiral one yet, but I ahve them in 7, 9, 13 and 18w U tubes. They work great and are pretty darn bright. But if you want to be a bit further away, this is the brightest CF lantern I have so far.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

Now if they would only make combo LED/fluorescent lanterns with more than just one LED in them but rather a mode with like 4-8 LEDs so if the batteries get near dead the LEDs can keep on going.


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## jtice (May 14, 2005)

Brock, I thought about useing cold cathodes that go in computers, and running them from a 12V bike batt, but can I do that?
Or do they need cleaner power? They shure are cheap enough, and only draw about 350mA.

Brock, which is your brightest? got a link?


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## Icebreak (May 14, 2005)

***edit***
I missed the last three posts while I was typing. Learning a lot here.

Brock -

Ack.

I should have mentioned it was very cold. If I run across some warmer tubes I'll be sure to let you know. Lynx Arc has me thinking you could use spray paint that is used on the clear bodies of RC cars to warm up the windows. I would think disassembling the lantern and painting the inside of the windows would be best. Test the idea on clear clamshell packaging first?

Thanks for answering most of John's questions. The 8 NiMH 9000mA D solution was helpful to me as well.

jtice -

I would be embarassed to tell you how many times I've stood in WallyWorld staring at flouro lanterns trying to decide which one to buy.

I think the best of both worlds thing is important. We can get Alky Ds about anywhere.

Right. No cables are included.

No sir, I haven't done reasonable real world testing yet. However, outside in a dark environment with dark-adapted eyes, I can navigate further than I expected. For home use I like it. We had tall storms come in last night. The power stayed on but it was nice to know I had this lantern if I needed it.

It stands 11 1/2" tall then collapses to 7 5/16". I think you would like that aspect.

Phaserburn -

Or for that price you could get two for the same you would pay for one Pack Away, have 18W total and spread the lanterns.

Lynx Arc -

So that would be 18W total? 

Input jack for 12V is a good idea. I wonder if I could put a second input jack on a lantern using NiMhs so I could use the sip charger I bought for my Thor?.

-----------

- Jeff


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

CCFL tubes from computers work fine off of batteries as long as you have enough capacity and output for them. You could even run that tube off 8-10 AA batteries depending on type.
It would be cool if you could heat up the tubes and bend them into shapes more suitable to fit in lanterns, Like donut and U shapes instead of straight.


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## jtice (May 14, 2005)

thanks for the info guys.
I think I will pick up the spiral tube 8D cell one, seems to be nice for what I want.

I dont know if I want to spend the $$$ on nimh D cells, or a SLA for it.
Both would cost about the same, but im guessing the SLA would run it longer? How many Ah are bike or tractor batts? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

I still like the idea of using the computer ones also.
I could use a LM317 chip, it will take the voltage up or down 1.2V, that may help keep it high enough voltage for long runtimes with a SLA, tractor, or bike battery.

I dont think the computer ones tell what watt they are though, if I knew that, I would know if they are worth it.

~John


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

jtice
it all comes down to capacity in ampere hours. The advantage of an SLA is it may be cheaper and easier to manage charging. I believe the highest output nimh D cells are about 10-12,000mah or 10-12 Ahr and you can get SLAs of larger capacity but at a cost and weight differing. The main best advantage in an SLA comes when you don't use the lantern but once every few months and keeping the nimh D cells charged up all the time can be a big hassle if you don't use the lantern often. I passed up getting a float charger at Harbor freight for about $7 that if works would keep an SLA always up to charge with perhaps no trouble nor loss of capacity.

I would guess that you can run a 12v fluorescent lantern off up even up to 14 volts without much harm. A 12v SLA shouldn't be a problem overdriving it.


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## jtice (May 14, 2005)

Just looked at my 300mm long blue tubes for the computer,
the ballast will run 2 of them, with both on its drawing 700mA, not toooo bad.
These are rated at 29,000 cd i think white ones would be more.

$7 for a float charger! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif thats nice, I have wanted one of those anyway.
Thought about using one for the thor, since it doesnt see much use.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

I have a spotlight with a 5ahr SLA in it and haven't recharged it in months and it still lights up fine. SLA batteries don't discharge that fast at all as I have a 6v SLA spring top lantern battery replacement I bought new at walmart about 4 months ago and never have charged it measures 6.25v when I got it it measured about 6.33v and I have used it some to power an isotip soldering iron for about a minute and test a few 6v lights. A float charger would be better for marine batteries when you store a boat for a year or two between seasons or store a car for a few years.


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## Icebreak (May 14, 2005)

I got this little float charger for my Thor for $9.95 plus $1.95 for the SLA charge cables. I don't really use it much because I don't use the Thor much. If I were storing it in a cold garage I might use it more often.

BatteryMart 

They've got some SLAs and other stuff you guys might like. I've ordered from them 3 or 4 times with no problems.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 14, 2005)

I just saw something of interest tonight at home depot. It was a 60watt twister REPLACEMENT bulb for $2.97. I think there is a very good chance it will fit the coleman 15 watt lantern and it is warm white. I saw it on the bottom shelf so if you don't like being blue.....
go get one and warm up.... too


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## Icebreak (May 15, 2005)

Would that kind of rating work?

This one has 1204 printed on one side and HS/S15W/6500K on the other. It is a drop-in with four copper colored prongs on top. 

Nice poem.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 15, 2005)

I dont recall any of the numbers on the bulb but I did notice four pins on the plastic socket not quite in a square pattern from what I could see. I am guessing they used the same socket design in the coleman as there is little reason to see why coleman would bother with a proprietary bulb if there was an available non proprietary that suits their needs. I believe the bulb may have been listed as 14watts, but that shouldn't make a difference if the socket is the same as the difference between 14 and 15 watts shouldn't cause a problem. If someone was interested they could pull the bulb out of their coleman and take it to Home Depot and compare the two sockets/bulbs. I don't recall the manufacturer of the bulb but I believe it was the same one that they were selling the 60 watt 120 volt bulbs also so look around carefully before giving up that they have them.


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## markdi (May 15, 2005)

12 Volt dc Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=12+volt+compact+fluorescent&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=ff&oi=froogler


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## Icebreak (May 15, 2005)

Lynx Arc -

OK. I knew I was missing something. They _REPLACE_ 60W bulbs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif Yep. I think you may have found what Brock was looking for.

markdi -

Those are screw-on bases but I'll bet Froogle will find the four prong drop-ins.


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## markdi (May 15, 2005)

the inverter to boost the 12 volts(and regulate) to the high voltage needed for the compact Fluorescent tube is built into the base of the 12 volt cfl bulb.

my 11 watt 12 volt cfl is pretty bright
it draws around 900 ma


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## Brock (May 16, 2005)

jtice the brightest battery lantern I have is this Coleman foldaway without a doubt.

I will have to go to home depot and check out that other warm spiral lamp. I would also agree that the lamp used isn't made just for them, as a matter of fact I know we have some very similar here at work with the same base, but they are 9 and 11 watt straight U tubes.


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## jtice (May 18, 2005)

Well, I broke down and bought one of the Coleman 8D 15W lanterns at Wally World for $20 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I plan to mod it, of corse, with a plug so it can run off any 12V source.

Here I am running it off a 12V 7 Ah SLA battery.
Its draws about 668 mA on Low and about 1,000 mA on High
It was going up about a mA every 3 seconds when i had it on High.

Here are some "beamshots". Please excuse the mess /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
Room lit only by computer monitors.
Lantern on Low
Lantern on High















not bad at all, Im happy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Should make a real nice lantern after I mod it alittle /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

~John


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## Radiant (May 18, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*jtice said:*
Well, I broke down and bought one of the Coleman 8D 15W lanterns at Wally World for $20 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I plan to mod it, of corse, with a plug so it can run off any 12V source.

Here I am running it off a 12V 7 Ah SLA battery.
Its draws about 668 mA on Low and about 1,000 mA on High
It was going up about a mA every 3 seconds when i had it on High.

Here are some "beamshots". Please excuse the mess /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
Room lit only by computer monitors.
Lantern on Low
Lantern on High

not bad at all, Im happy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Should make a real nice lantern after I mod it alittle /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

~John 

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for the pics. How exactly are you running it off a SLA though? Just have it clipped onto the terminals?

I assume the color is not really _that_ blue , is this a more accurate view of what it looks like in person? :


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## Icebreak (May 18, 2005)

jtice -

Glad you like it. Your pics show the ceiling bounce and 4'x4' dark spot I found hard to describe. Maybe when you mod it you could give us an update?

--------

- Jeff


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## jtice (May 18, 2005)

Radiant, Its not that blue no, just a hint. but not as bright as your edited pic.
Yes, I just had leads clipped to the terminals, I am currently modding it to have an external power port,
so I can easily plugin any 12V source I want /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I was instructed by a certain CPF member ... YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE !! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif
That I was to post pics of the battery compartment. sooooo...






Here is is slid out of the casing alittle. (this thing isnt easy to take apart)





Top of lantern





You unclip the switch right off the top, no tools needed.
The circuit is in the switch part.





Heres how the power gets to the top.





~John


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## Sway (May 18, 2005)

Very nice John thanks for the pic's /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Later
Kelly


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## jtice (May 18, 2005)

I finished modding the Coleman lantern, for now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I wanted a way to at least connect outside power sources when I didnt want to use D cells.
So I tapped into the top of the metal rods that bring the power to the top, using an RCA cable connection.





The way the clear globe screws onto it, and the shape of the top green part, made running the wires alittle odd looking, but hey, it works /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif





Now I can just make up cables and packs with any battery configuration I want.

Here I have it running off the Thors 12V 7 Ah SLA cell.









I will probably end up adding other features, such as builtin charging, and mabye just pack it full of a more perminate rechargable battery pack.

~John


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## markdi (May 18, 2005)

so it is not really 15 watts

1 amp at 12 or 13 volts is not 15 watts

looks like a good deal for 20 bucks


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## Gene (May 18, 2005)

Jeff,
Thanks for the heads up on what looks like a nice lantern. I'm always on the lookout for good DC lanterns. Unlike most folks here, I wouldn't own another fuel or propane lantern. Yes, they're very bright but I'll never replace another mantle!

I've used fuel and propane lanterns for 30 years and I do a lot of camping. I finally got rid of my LAST propane lantern this winter after replacing it's delicate mantles twice. They pulverize almost by looking at them. They're just not up to rough handling which I subject my lanterns to.


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## Icebreak (May 19, 2005)

Dang, jtice. You got busy. Thanks for showing us what you did with these most excellent pics.

What's your opinion of the way the locking mechanism was engineered so far?

Gene -

I can see that point of view. With dark adapted eyes I would think two of these would be more than enough to navigate the camp site and have a way to take a short excursion late at night.

I sure like John's idea of multiple input sources. If your camp is near your vehical it would be no problem to tote a couple of SLAs along...or one big on.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 19, 2005)

Get a deep cycle marine battery and a couple of those lanterns hooked to it and cover the area with light.


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## jtice (May 19, 2005)

The locking system seems to lock in place rather well, the only thing I dont like about it is that it very apruptly disengages!
Twice while I was modding it, I pressed down on the top, and BAM! is slammed closed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
I figure it would take a good bit to break it, but still.
Sometimes when I pull it up, it will squeek and creak as the snaps lock into place.
It is very nice to be able to collapse it like that though.

I am very happy with the output, its more than enough light to fill an entire large room. And there are very little shadows casted.
It will light things on the table right next to it, which I was worried about. But you can place it right next to what you are working with, and its very wide angle beam will light it up.

I do however think that low mode should be MUCH lower, theres barely any difference between the two modes.
Maybe it can be modded? :think:

~John


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## Brock (May 19, 2005)

John, does that mean the step up is in the top of the lantern? Couldn't you just use the top flipped over connectoed to power then? Ohhhh I have ideas now... Thanks!!!


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## jtice (May 19, 2005)

YES !!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have already thouht about buying a SECOND one ! and using just the top part of it! LOL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

The top switch part has all the electronics in it, and it holds the bulb down, in place in the top of the green part.
Heck, you could mount the swich assembly where ever you wanted, on the side of a box or something, and make your own enclosure.
For $20, its not bad, even if you dont use have the parts. 
I just dont know what I would use as an enclosure yet, but putting a high Ah SLA in an enclusure with it would be sweet !


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## Lynx_Arc (May 19, 2005)

If you have a BigLots or sams you can get the retro lantern which probably uses the same electronics/tube in it for $20 at sams and if you can find it $15 at Biglots. It even had a nightlight and looks like a standard red fluorescent coleman lantern if that suits you better.


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## jtice (May 19, 2005)

hmm, my local biglots ussually doesnt have much /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif but I will stop by there tonight and look /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

you know, cuz, i need another lanter.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif


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## Lynx_Arc (May 19, 2005)

They had perhaps 6 of them here awhile ago but I think they may have sold out by now. I didn't bite because 8D cell lights doesn't appeal to me and I had my eye on a lantern at Kmart but before I could get it they discontinued it. It had 2 9v Utubes, a nightlight, 12vdc input and a remote control for about $25. Northwest or something like that brand. Looked identical to the walmart rayovac twin tube for $25 but was green instead of black.


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## Radiant (May 19, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
They had perhaps 6 of them here awhile ago but I think they may have sold out by now. I didn't bite because 8D cell lights doesn't appeal to me and I had my eye on a lantern at Kmart but before I could get it they discontinued it. It had 2 9v Utubes, a nightlight, 12vdc input and a remote control for about $25. Northwest or something like that brand. Looked identical to the walmart rayovac twin tube for $25 but was green instead of black. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually Coleman has a rechargeable spiral compact fluorescent. It is not a pack-away and 11 watts instead of 15 but sounds like it would be nice.


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## jtice (May 19, 2005)

Just got back from Biglots, 

All they had was one 2 tube 8D cell lantern.
Couldnt tell what wattage it was, or what runtime. 
It was $9.99 and I almost bought it, but eh, I know it probably wasnt gonna be as bright as the Coleman 15Wer, so I passed.

They had some other AL 2D and 3D lights, alot like mags, but a less rounded side head. They were $9
and a Thor lookalike, alittle smaller, 6 MCP, for $20

I just about bought a kero lantern, it was $5 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
they had mini ones for $3.89

Wonder how long one of those will burn.
Actually, I guess they use lamp oil, not kero, donno if you could, or should use kero in them, in the house.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 19, 2005)

The two tube big lanterns have 6watt tubes in them, runtime should be similar to your lantern between low and high settings about 400ma/tube I estimate.


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## Radiant (May 22, 2005)

I just bit the bullet and ordered the Retro Rechargeable version of this light from ****s Sporting Goods for $44 shipped. It was $39 -15% off code then $10 shipping. 

I'll post some pics of it when I get it. The pack-away version looks neat but 8D NiMH cells and a charger would have made it really a really expensive toy. I don't even really need a lantern but I am sure I will *find* uses for it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## Icebreak (May 22, 2005)

Radiant - 

I almost went with the Retro Rechargeable version. Much cheaper buy-in for a rechargeable 15W and you get plug and play. I'm looking forward to reading your opinion of it.

Lynx Arc -

I went to Home Depot last week. Scouring the bottom shelf, I found some spiral CFLs with four prongs. The prongs were in the pattern of a rectangle instead of a square. There was a cube shaped protrusion centered in the pattern so I know these won't work in the Pack Away. Do these sound like the ones you found?

--------------

- Jeff


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## Lynx_Arc (May 22, 2005)

Icebreak, yes I think so... the price was about $3 each
I don't have the coleman lantern to compare so I wasn't sure it would fit or not. If the prong pattern would work perhaps the protusion could be cut out or something otherwise I don't know if it can be adapted or not.


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## jtice (May 22, 2005)

Dont know if this is nessisarily useful, 
but I made a vid of my Coleman, modded with external power port.
It will now run off any 12V source /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Top of this page
http://www.jtice.com/home_movs/lights/

Soon as my Triton chrger gets here, im doing a runtime test on the 12V SLA 7 Ah batt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## Icebreak (May 22, 2005)

Yes, $2.99. For that price and that color a mod might be in order. I'll take measurements next time I'm at HD. If the cube protrusion holds part of the ballast but the entire unit is shorter, it could be as easy as soldering on some copper wire or copper tube extensions that flare to a square pattern ending at the desired length for correct contact.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 22, 2005)

I saw the coleman lantern at Kmart for about the same price.... within a dollar I think. Doesn't that have an incan nightlight in it? would be nice to swap that out for an LED instead.


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## Icebreak (May 22, 2005)

John -

Very useful! Excellent video. Thank you.

------------

- Jeff


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## jtice (May 23, 2005)

WHOOOOOOAAAAA !!!

I just had my Coleman 8D cell 15W lantern running, of my 7 Ah 12V SLA,,,
It was running about an hour, and the top is so damn hot i cant keep my hand on it!

Is this normal!?!!??? have you guys ran yours a long time yet? 
if not, PLEASE DO! i need to know if it should be getting this hot :fire:

~John


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## Lynx_Arc (May 23, 2005)

Measure the voltage off your SLA, you could be overdriving it a little more than alkalines do. It is common for twister bulbs to get hot when they are on for an hour in a fixture that isn't ventilated as long as the plastic doesn't melt it should be fine I would think. If you ever touched even a 40 watt incan bulb after an hour I bet your lantern is perhaps cooler.


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## Icebreak (May 23, 2005)

I'm no battery expert.

I think the unit is expecting no more than 12.8 V. Your battery could be in the 14 V + range. But that's what Lynx Arc is referring to. Here's another possibility: It could be that since your battery can deliver 2 Amps the current is too high. I don't know what the current value of 8 Alkalin Ds or 8 9000 Mah NiMhs would be. If we knew this it would be possible for someone more knowledgeable than me to calculate what resistor could be used to calm down the current to a correct level.

I took the switch apart and there is a coil next to the circuit board. It could be that it is what is heating up due to too much current. If you take the switch apart beware that the gasket will straighten out where the tab is. Just press it back into place.

I tried to find a replacement lamp on the Coleman site to possibly get the specs and they didn't have one listed.

I'll run my lantern for an hour tomorrow night and let you know how it handles heat.

--------

- Jeff


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## jtice (May 24, 2005)

I think thats whats happening, the SLA is ussually around 13.8V or so, I cant remember, but I thik it was feeding it about 13.5 V last night.
Even the wiring I had was getting very warm, and soft. Not near melting, but still.
on low, it wasnt that bad at all, on High, it was very hot.
I dont hnow how hot th ebulb itself got, but the top of the switch was very hot, I couldnt hold my hand on it.
Looks like this setup might need a resistor /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


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## Lynx_Arc (May 24, 2005)

Measure the current from the battery and compare it with the current from alkalines and you will have an idea of the power consumed by both scenarios. One thing you could do if there was room is put in a small computer fan with a switch in the top part to cool it off or fashion an aluminum heatsink for similar materials. In another thread MrAl used a large diode to drop a volt or so on an SLA powered drill setup, maybe this would also work.

There is one other possibility... slight resistance in a switch or wiring. You could try temporarily bypassing the switch with a jumper and see if the heat goes away, if so the switch has a little resistance to it.


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## James S (Jun 24, 2005)

Well now I'm in the same boat as I picked one up at wallmart for the same $19.95 price. Mine will also be getting some external connections for 12v input very shortly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 24, 2005)

Go to radio shack and get a DC input jack so you can use a walwart or car cord if needed and leave the batteries in it. If you wire it properly the batteries will be bypassed when you plug into external power sources.


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## James S (Jun 24, 2005)

Lynx Arc, thats a good idea. I was actually thinking of screw posts, like for speaker connections. Good at carrying higher current and you can screw any wire to them so that even if you dont have a plug and you're lost somewhere, you can jerry rig something together easily enough. Perhaps a switch for battery/input...


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## jtice (Jun 24, 2005)

I thought abotu useing those type of connectors also. but didnt have any handy, and was in the modding mood, 
so I just used the RCA jack /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Be careful, my 12V 7Ah SLA ran the light VERY hot on high, on low it was ok.
I would be afraid to see what car battery would do /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

~John


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## James S (Jun 24, 2005)

Thanks John, I'll have to be careful with that. Have you had a chance to measure the current draw from the batts vs from your mod connection? It would be interesting to know if it pulls significantly more or not and if it gets that hot on D Cells after an hour too.

It's really a nice piece of kit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I will also be keeping a loot out for a warm white bulb for it...


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## jtice (Jun 24, 2005)

James,

I dont have enough D cells around here now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

BUT, there are 8 10,000 mAh Nimh D cells comming the 27th /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I will be sure to test it then.
Though I am sure it probably runs hotter off Nimhs than Alks


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## wquiles (Jun 24, 2005)

John,

I got mine today, and also have a 7AH 12V battery (from a computer UPS that died!) to try it with.

Did you ever measured the current with "D" cells vs. the 7AH SLA?

Will


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## Lynx_Arc (Jun 24, 2005)

What would be interesting to calculate is the wattage in via the 12v SLA vs D alkaline vs D nimh cells. I am guessing the SLA will win out when it comes to input over the other types.


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## jughead2 (Sep 18, 2010)

i own one of the round pack away coleman lanterns that makes a flashlite or a lanten. uses 8 d cells. can i substitute the 15 watt coiled flourescent for the 11 watt which seems to be discontinued. with out hurting the electronics?


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## Phaserburn (Sep 18, 2010)

If it fits, I believe so. It will simply draw less current at the same voltage as the 15W. I have a Coleman Retro fluoro that comes stock w/ the 11w, and it can use the 15w, albeit at reduced runtime.

Coleman still sells the Retro, which means you can probably get the 11w bulb directly from them if you give them a call.


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## jughead2 (Sep 18, 2010)

the 11 watt i got from them wont fit. walmart has the 15 watt that will. just didnt wont to ruin the electronics. because i love this lantern. modified it to run on 12v battery, have rechargeable d cells, small charger to run on 110, and can charge the d cells without removing them.


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## petersmith6 (Sep 19, 2010)

Fluorescent Lanterns are3 ok for instant light but ill stick to my colman northstar and my 30year old tilly paraffin lantern.ive done many a camp in the winter and found the heat they chuck out makes the difference from being cold and grumpy to warm and happy or atleat knock a fair amount of the chill at night.


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