Re: OAUSA Net – May 20, 2021 – Electrical Storage Devices
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 3:18 pm
Tools to build your own box
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Keeping with the theme for this evening let's take a look at power management; specifically lighting and providing the light you might need for what goes bump in the night or simply conducting tasks during limited visibility that work to your advantage by putting a little light on the subject.
- A collection of lighting in the LED realm of evolution.
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If it produces a lot of heat, incandescent or filament bulbs are known for this, it probably isn't a power sipping light and it probably uses a lot of energy to produce the lumen or candella you are counting on for "usable light" that will provide a good light to battery life ratio. Simply put, it doesn't do you any good to have a highly efficient power storage unit if you squander it on inefficient lighting and that can become an issue very quickly for any system build.
Lumen: Light Output. In simple terms, Lumens (denoted by lm) are a measure of the total amount of visible light (to the human eye) from a lamp or light source. The higher the lumen rating the “brighter” the lamp will appear.
Candella: The base unit of luminous intensity in the International System of Units that is equal to the luminous intensity in a given direction of a source which emits monochromatic radiation of frequency 540 × 1012 hertz and has a radiant intensity in that direction of ¹/₆₈₃ watt per unit solid angle —abbreviation cd.
What does all that mean? It is a way of researching one product description vs. the next but it is not the end all be all way to do this. Sometimes it is simply taking the word of reviewers and those who have traveled this road before and have made many mistakes while working through real world use of products.
- L to R: A newer IR sensor $10 solution vs. a multi-piece motion/dusk to dawn solution at double+ the cost.
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- D cell batteries need management to avoid leaking batteries. On the right a two-station 18650 charger that will plug into a 12V socket.
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- Strongly recommend the 18650 or Li-Ion based batteries, like the 18650. This headlamp is a faithful companion on many an outing and it is as simple to recharge as your cellphone.
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- The evolution of LED for safety, convenience and light vs. size, weight and power consumption. The Goal Zero Light-A-Life is definitely a favorite. It is definitely a great light to hang up anywhere and provides two settings, Lo & Hi. Like most things Goal Zero, however, they cost a little more than lights. Still a favorite and would consider buying more.
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- However, this setup takes the prize. A USB LED light bar that readily adapts to any USB port/power cell, costs less than $1.00 and it is readily available from a company that is ham and electronics oriented, Wired Communications out of Scottsdale, AZ.
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Not only is Wired Communications good for the little thumb drive LED lights they are a great place to look for project materials for your next electronic or ham build. https://www.wiredco.com/LED-Mini-Portab ... light1.htm
Here's an example of a recent adaptation to LiFePO4 battery technology from a SLA battery.
- This was part of the original build. The power socket face and light.
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- More of the connectors available.
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- The Miady 36AH battery.
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- The fused distribution block for all the sockets. During the change over the terminals poles were reversed and it became a logistical issue putting the new battery in with the existing wire harness. NOTE: Leave enough to work with should you need to change batteries down the road.
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