# 1x D single LED Lantern



## Martin (Jan 9, 2007)

Does anyone know this lantern ?











What makes this LED lantern really stand out is the fact that it feeds on a single D-cell. It runs a very long time on such a cell.

Pushing on the top turns the light on / off. Single low level, OK to navigate a room (or read a book and spoiling ones eyes), perfectly white color, nicely diffused light. The light is abt 1" taller than a 2AA Mag. The body is hard plastic and feels durable. It is not designed to be dropped and it has no seals to keep water out.

Electrically, it draws 180mA @ 1.5 V, 120mA @ 1.2V, 60mA @ 1.0 V. This tells me there's no regulation.

On the packing it says it uses an "ultra bright white Japan LED", so I assume it's a Nichia.
What would the LED current be ? Without disassembling, I estimate: Nominal consumption 1.5V x 0.18A = 270mW. Converter efficiency estimated at 80%, resulting in 216 mW into the LED. At a Vfwd of 3.2 V, this results in 68 mA LED current. Just nice for a single Nichia.

Advertised runtime is 200h. Based on the current consumption (120mA on average) and on an 18Ah Alkaline D-cell, I arrive at a calculated 150h. In any case, rather long. A single AA (2200mAh) could power this lantern a calculated 18h.

I've bought the lantern thru German Ebay (it cost EUR 10, find one here) and it carries the name "Lunartec". Some sellers show pictures of the same item labeled "Sonca". The light is made in China.

This lantern works as an indoor emergency-light or night light. Affordable, economical to run, easy to use, good light quality but NOT bright. Unfortunately, no regulation.


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## Phaserburn (Jan 10, 2007)

Energizer was selling this exact lantern in 3-packs for between 10-20US. They are very handy. My 2 year old daughter likes hers because she can turn it on and off herself.


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## Martin (Jan 10, 2007)

Thanks for the hint, Phaserburn. I just found the old thread thru Google.
My little son likes it too !


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## jch79 (Jan 10, 2007)

Wow - companies essentially swapping logos on the exact same products... I feel like we're seeing it more and more nowadays. :shrug:


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## Blacklight (Jan 15, 2007)

jch79 said:


> Wow - companies essentially swapping logos on the exact same products... I feel like we're seeing it more and more nowadays. :shrug:


 
This usually happens when a manufacturer uses a factories design, instead of providing their own Industrial design. What probably happen is that Energizer has an exclusive for the design in the US. Just a guess though...it's a decent way to get a new product out the door quickly and cheaply (as you don't have to pay to tool the product then).


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## ViReN (Jan 15, 2007)

U seriously need to mod it with a Cree.. and see the Brightness tripled with same runtime


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## Flying Turtle (Jan 16, 2007)

Yes, those are just like the Energizer Accent Lanterns. Love them. The 3-pack boxes even came with yard stakes that fit on the bottom.

Geoff


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## Martin (Jan 16, 2007)

ViReN said:


> U seriously need to mod it with a Cree.. and see the Brightness tripled with same runtime


Such big lights are great for mods. I imagine a new circuit board with a fully-synchronous converter. Multilevel.
Would a Cree really be beneficial when driven at such a low current ? Or should I rather look at a JELED ? Or some of them in parallel ?


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## ViReN (Jan 16, 2007)

Cree XR-E or SSC P4 is the way to go... because they have higher Lumen/Watt as compared with other LED's (including most 5 mm LED's)....

If the driver is feeding upwards of 40 mA current to LED, most 5mm LED's would be on verge of collapse where as XR-E or SP4 will be at 'idling' mA....

you could easily get around 20 - 30 lumens at 60 - 70 mA for a SSC P4 U Bins... (91-118 Lumens at 350 mA) .... there is a sale thread running... https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/148921

Its great to get LED's from PhotonFanatic


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## Martin (Jan 18, 2007)

20..30 lm from a Cree compared to 12 lm from a JELED ! I already started disassembling the light:




Now just waiting for them LEDs to drop in price.


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## Martin (Feb 3, 2007)

I'm stuck removing the circuit board.
Has someone done it before ? How ?


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## Lynx_Arc (Feb 3, 2007)

I got the board out.... the black ring around it is sort of glued and has to be popped loos with a fair amount of force.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 4, 2007)

were can you buy these lanterns from, is their a link.

thanks.

John.


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## ViReN (Feb 4, 2007)

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/1832033&postcount=103 here is authentic proof of Seoul Semi SC P4 U Bin Emitter producing 19 to 25 Lumens with 60 - 80 ma of Current, with relatively minimal heat sinking (if at all) .. the LED is costing $7 - $13 depending on the vendor and tint/bin

Thanks to jtr1962 for his hard work.....


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 6, 2007)

anybody, know were i can buy some of these lanterns from.

I have tried the ebay seller in the link at the top, but i have had no reply.

tried to google for them but no luck.

thanks.

John.


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## Nebula (Feb 6, 2007)

TB - I too would like to find a supplier for this little lantern. From what I can tell this lantern has been out of production for a number of years. Finding a few, or even one, might be a real challenge. That said, if you have luck in locating a few please post here or send me a PM. I will do the same. Thanks. Kirk


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## glockboy (Feb 6, 2007)

Try pm member "Sigman"



TinderBox (UK) said:


> anybody, know were i can buy some of these lanterns from.
> John.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 6, 2007)

Hi.

anybody looking for these lanterns you can buy them at the link below.

if possible can sombody buy a pack for me and post them to the UK, I will paypal you any money required.

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp155532_333181_sespider/handy_trends/touch_lanterns.htm

PS. spend over $25.00 and it`s free delivery.

thanks.


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## Martin (Feb 6, 2007)

I got mine from EBAY.DE
There were several sellers, at this time I can find only one who offers these lanterns. Go here.

The manufacturer of the light is SONCA from ShenZhen and the item is called "All Place Lantern I". The part number is 150L.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 6, 2007)

Hi.

Martin

I sent you an email yesterday from CPF, did you not get it, anyway

I emailed the ebay seller twice without response, I think he only sells to germany and austria.

plus his prices are a bit steep.

thanks.

John.


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## Lynx_Arc (Feb 6, 2007)

Walmart is selling some similar lanterns 3/9.99 that look to have a different hook on top.


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## Nebula (Feb 6, 2007)

Lynx_Arc said:


> Walmart is selling some similar lanterns 3/9.99 that look to have a different hook on top.


 

Are you certain that the Sprawl-Mart version is a 1xD? If so, I would like more information as I have not seen these at my local stores. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. Kirk


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## Martin (Feb 7, 2007)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> Hi.
> Martin
> I sent you an email yesterday from CPF, did you not get it, anyway
> I emailed the ebay seller twice without response, I think he only sells to germany and austria.
> ...



Sorry John, nothing received. You can find my e-mail address on pilom.com or you can put the message here.

That EBAY seller is neither responsive nor very fast to ship nor cheap, but he sit's in Germany and has actually sent me the light that I had ordered. It took 3 weeks to arrive.

Your above link to drugstore.com (3 of them for USD 9.99) makes me want a 3-pack. If Nebula takes 3 and you take 3, that's free shipping. Not international, though.


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## Nebula (Feb 7, 2007)

Martin - I ordered five packs of three last night. I got the free shipping, but they charged me an extra $5.99 for telephone service (I will absorb the extra fee). John wants two of the five. I planned to keep two. That leaves one pack of three. If you want it, it's yours. I can send all three to John and he can send one on to you if that works out cheaper for the two of you. Let me know what you would like to do. Cheers. Kirk


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## Lynx_Arc (Feb 7, 2007)

Nebula said:


> Are you certain that the Sprawl-Mart version is a 1xD? If so, I would like more information as I have not seen these at my local stores. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. Kirk



I am perhaps 95% sure. they look identical on the box with exception of the hook on top and sport the same 100 hour rating (or 200?) rating the energizers do. I saw them up front in the store on a display in front of the cash registers with other boxed stuff but they may be in the garden/landscaping section in some stores. If I didn't already have enough of the engergizer version I would probably buy a few boxes of them.


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## Nebula (Feb 8, 2007)

Lynx - Thanks. I will check my local stores. BTW - I ordered a number of packs last night from an on-line seller. If I need more, and cannot find them at my local Wal-Mart I will contact my family out your way. Kirk


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## LuxLuthor (Feb 8, 2007)

Amazon.com has them


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## Rob187 (Feb 8, 2007)

Mine is on providing background light as I am surfing around CPF and the web.
Dim and longlasting.


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## Martin (Feb 8, 2007)

Nebula said:


> Martin - I ordered five packs of three last night. I got the free shipping, but they charged me an extra $5.99 for telephone service (I will absorb the extra fee). John wants two of the five. I planned to keep two. That leaves one pack of three. If you want it, it's yours. I can send all three to John and he can send one on to you if that works out cheaper for the two of you. Let me know what you would like to do. Cheers. Kirk



For sure want it ! Thanks a lot Kirk !

John, will that be OK for you: Kirk sends 3 packs to you and you send one pack on to me.
You and me we PP Kirk our share and I PP you for the shipping from UK to DE.
Alternatively, Kirk can send to me and I send on to you.
Which way we go ?


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 8, 2007)

I am easy either way, but you might find it cheaper for kirk to ship your set directly to you, as the US standard international postal rates are quite good.

I think it would be more expensive to ship from the US to UK, and then to GERMANY.

also the pound and the euro are strong against the dollar at the moment more reason for kirk to ship separately.

I am going to leave the descision up to kirk.

PS.

I think this is the best value rate

Global Priority Mail - Flat-rate Envelope (Large) 4 - 6 Days $9.50 - Dimensions: 9-1/2" x 12-1/2" up to 4lb


regards.

John.


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## Nebula (Feb 8, 2007)

Martin - it's yours. 

John and Martin - I will check rates and when the packages arrive in Virginia I can let you know how they will pack and what the various rates will be. I am happy that this is coming together for everyone. Per Lynx's note above, I will check my local Wal-Mart stores for more of these. If I find a few more I will let you know. Kirk


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## Martin (Feb 10, 2007)

Kirk, thank you for taking the trouble of getting these lights over to us.

I visited my closest Walmart last night. They are still well-stocked, in spite of the fact that Walmart decided to sell all German operations. In the course of lights there's nothing exciting. Hasn't been for a year. I hope the new owner will be a flashoholic.


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## glockboy (Feb 12, 2007)

Any update on the mod?


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## Nebula (Feb 13, 2007)

John and Martin - The lanterns arrived today. Please PM your shipping information and I will obtain a quote for shipping. I checked all of the lights and am satisfied that all are in working order. Once I receive your infromation I will pack and let you know details. Kirk 




Martin said:


> Kirk, thank you for taking the trouble of getting these lights over to us.
> 
> I visited my closest Walmart last night. They are still well-stocked, in spite of the fact that Walmart decided to sell all German operations. In the course of lights there's nothing exciting. Hasn't been for a year. I hope the new owner will be a flashoholic.


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## Martin (Feb 14, 2007)

glockboy said:


> Any update on the mod?


My current plan is to use the LTC3490 step-up with current control, dimming option, undervoltage cutout.
It's a low-prio project, though. By the time it comes true, I could well have incredibly efficient LEDs at my disposal.


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## Martin (Feb 24, 2007)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I got the board out.... the black ring around it is sort of glued and has to be popped loos with a fair amount of force.


I failed to get that ring popped out, it seemed to be part of the body. I just cut the ring away along the edge with a sharp knife:





Not beautiful but the light can be put together without the ring and then the mess is invisible. The PCB sits in a groove along its perimeter and the spring holds it down, too. It won't come out just so.

So I got to the PCB:








Now here's the stock circuit:




Nothing too exciting but needs no odd parts and is uncritical.

Finally I benchmarked the converter performance:




So we're getting something around 50% in efficiency, not too exciting. The state-of-the-art LTC3490 is around 80% at 1.2 V => a redesigned converter would get along with 38% less energy / would run an additional 38% of todays runtime (assuming same LED current).

I compared the original LED of the light against a JELED 50K and noticed no difference in brightness. The JELED appeared just a little more bluish. It was also a bit spottier but because of the diffuser this is not beneficial. I kept the stock LED because of its warmer tint.

The typical operating current of the LED is 20mA (actually 18.7mA at 1.2 V battery voltage). I should consider an LED that has a maximum efficiency at this current.


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## TinderBox (UK) (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi. Martin

nice work.

have you worked out how to intergrate the LTC3490 into the circuit, or are you going to make a new pcb.

what is the price of the LTC3490.

PS. I think there might be two versions of the 1xd circuit board one with transistors and one with a small step-up transformer, have you seen it.?

regards

John.


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## Martin (Feb 25, 2007)

TinderBox (UK) said:


> have you worked out how to intergrate the LTC3490 into the circuit, or are you going to make a new pcb.


Definitely needs a new PCB.



TinderBox (UK) said:


> what is the price of the LTC3490.


Good question. For sure the new converter board will be more expensive than several complete lanterns, due to the cost of UPS-ing samples internationally.
Any suggestions for a well-stocked international electronics mail order shop, ideally in China, welcome.



TinderBox (UK) said:


> PS. I think there might be two versions of the 1xd circuit board one with transistors and one with a small step-up transformer, have you seen it.?


Yes. I believe the one with the two transistors and the simple inductor is the newer (cost optimized) one.


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## Martin (Mar 7, 2007)

Received a letter from the customs bureau this morning. I went there and picked up the lanterns that Kirk (Nebula) has sent me. Luckily, they didn't charge me any tax.

I noticed right away that these new lanterns are of a lighter build quality than the one I have.
At home I compared both models side by side:




The left one is the original Sonca, the right one is the one that Nebula obtained from drugstore.com
The left one has a nice white light, while the right one is very dim and very bluish.
The left one weighs 150 g, the right one weighs 113 g.
Left one is of a somewhat hard plastic and built well, right one is made of thinner soft plastic with burrs remaining and feels flimsy: The silver ring drops down by itself when unscrewing the top, the head doesn't move too smoothly when pressed, removal of the head tore the plastic converter housing that held it (sure I've been very careful).
Left one has a forward clicky switch, right one has a less-intuitive reverse clicky.
Left one has a dual-transistor converter circuit, right one has the simpler single-transistor blocking-oscillator circuit (I will draw and measure that later).
Left one has a stronger battery spring and a more accurately-bent return contact strip than the right one.
Left one has a rather long conical diffuser and a white ceiling (maximum of light refracted sideways), right one has a short guide for the LED with a big hole on the top (most of the LED's light hits the black ceiling of the lantern).

The individual parts of the right side lantern:





Its converter PCB can be easily removed, it actually falls out together with the retaining ring as soon as the head of the lantern has been removed:





Obviously, the mechanical details of both lanterns differ so much, that they cannot come from the same mould. I suspect the right one is a copy of the original Sonca (left).

Full electrical analyzis coming up soon.


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## moraino (Mar 8, 2007)

Waiting to see your finding.


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## Martin (Mar 9, 2007)

Had a look at the converter of the Sonca copy, found it has been stripped down to the absolute minium cost, leaving lots of room for tweaks.
The converter drives the LED at 10mA average at 1.2V battery voltage (15mA at 1.5V), so no surprise this light is dim. It pulses the LED, resulting in a nice color temperature at the cost of efficiency.
Now here's the original circuit and a very simple modding suggestion that causes a pretty good boost of the light output while the input power remains the same:





In words: Remove the 10R resistor and the diode. Add a Schottky diode and a capacitor as indicated. The PCB has lots of space to do this. Once modded, the LED is no longer pulse-driven and the average LED drive current is roughly twice as much as before.
Eventually, replace the bluish LED with something nicer (I used a JELED 50K).

Performance comparison of the fake Sonca and the modded fake Sonca converter:




Now before I assembled back the lantern, I put some reflective aluminium foil on the ceiling of the head. I also cut away the LED guide from inside the translucent lampshade.

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the fake Sonca and the modded fake Sonca:




Not the brightest, but not bad either IMHO.
Bonus: This cheap converter starts as low as 0.6 V (LTC3490 needs 1V minimum).

Surely this is one of the better budget-modding experiences, as a 3-pack of these lanterns sells at just USD 10, providing one piece to mod, one to keep for comparison and one to mess up.


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## adirondackdestroyer (Mar 9, 2007)

3 of these for $10? Where are these being purchased?


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## Martin (Mar 9, 2007)

adirondackdestroyer said:


> 3 of these for $10? Where are these being purchased?


Read this thread from the beginning and you will find several sources.
Be aware that the lanterns that come in a cheap pack of 3 are not as bright and not as well-built as the single ones. You can identify the cheap ones by their ring on the top.


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## moraino (Mar 10, 2007)

I bought mine from The Souce, former Canadian Radio Shack, for $5 CDN. They are of good quality and bright.

And thank you Martin for sharing your finding. Great posts.

http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/P...g=Online&category=Nightlights&product=6119036

Henry


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## Martin (Mar 17, 2007)

2 days ago, Ma fell in love with the Sonca lantern and I gave it to her. Now I lost my reference ! Reason enough to get a new one. I spent the whole night trying to find a source and eventually I did:

German gadget-shop pearl.de sells the original Sonca lantern for EUR 6.90 only !

These guys have quite a few LED products and even litium batteries and chargers, all at relatively low prices. Shipping is low, too. Looks like a German version of DealExtreme. I really should have found out earlier.


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## Martin (Apr 29, 2007)

Meanwhile I have fitted the lanterns with LEDs of different color temperature:





From Left to right:
JELED "10MM Wide Viewing angle Golden White LED Lamp @85cd" in fake Sonca host. Very yellowish.
JELED "5MM Warm White Mega Bright LED Lamp 20,000mcd" in fake Sonca host. A tad yellowish.
JELED "5mm White LED Lamp 55,000mcd" in fake Sonca host. A little bit blue.
Real Sonca with original LED, probably Nichia. The whitest of the bunch.
Note: To get an idea of the true light color these lanterns produce, the saturated areas (right where the LEDs are) should be ignored.

My wife likes the leftmost one. A friend liked the second one, the right one has become a birhtday present for the neighbor's kid. Enough justification to order some more..


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## moraino (May 7, 2007)

Where the JELED can be obtained? I have read a lot about them being one the most efficient.


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