The best tent lantern!!

[branw33]

I wired an individual LED from a strip to a usb cable, cast it in acrylic for protection and boom, ultralight LED tent lantern! It will run for about 30 hours with a small 10,000 MaH power bank.
Would be happy to make them for anyone interested.

 

[Bcoonce117]

This is awesome! Good idea!

 

[northernalpine]

That is an incredibly cool setup. For S’s & G’s you could solder in a marine-grade potentiometer (adjustable resistor) for about 2 bucks and be able to dim the light and extend battery life…I might need to do some tinkering this weekend and make one. Thanks for sharing

 

[Dos Perros]

Do potentiometers actually extend battery life? I was under the impression they just increased resistance so the energy that would have become light now becomes waste heat.

 

[northernalpine]

Do potentiometers actually extend battery life? I was under the impression they just increased resistance so the energy that would have become light now becomes waste heat.

Touché. It would allow you to dim/brighten the light, however, me thinks you are correct in that it wouldn’t reduce the power draw from the battery; that would require a lower rated LED. I have a few on order to mess around with, I’ll run a multimeter on it at different resistance settings and see if the amp draw changes, but I think you nailed it.

 

[oldbay]

nice how much would something like this cost. i have a bunch of batteries already

 

[NRA4LIFE]

That's pretty cool. Do you know what the lumen rating is on the element?

 

[branw33]

nice how much would something like this cost. i have a bunch of batteries already

Like $5-10 depending on if you have a usb cable. That's really the most expensive part.

 

[long hunter]

Neat set up I can see this as not only a tent light but it would be good for a late evening field dress and meat prep for a pack out along with a head lamp should light up you’re area pretty good, should even be ok in wet weather with a bit of plastic wrap and some elec. tape around the connections. Mongo like.

 

[cmeadors13]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805522363981.html?spm=a2g0o.detail.0.0.4c7eszjEszjE7x&mp=1&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

 

[OutOfMyMind]

That's super cool and a simple DIY. Any specific USB cables work best?

I might try cutting the cable all the way down to the USB-A connection. A little less flexible but might be in a good way.

 

[4XBuilder]

Super Cool

 

[Mrtoyz]

Goal Zero crush lights are great. Lightweight, fold flat and solar.

Crush Light

This collapsible solar powered lantern is a lightweight companion to any adventure with 60 lumens of usable light on high, and a 35 hour runtime on low. The Goal Zero Crush Light also features a soft, candle flicker mode for ambiance.

goalzero.com

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I love it.

 

[Rcycs24]

Very cool! I was thinking of something like this. But I’m always trying to find ways to used one piece of gear for multiply purposes. I may try Exped’s new sleeping pad pump. It’s 3oz and triples as a pump, battery pack and tent lantern