Has any one ever built something like this ?

[ikk]

Lowes has a LED work light on a tripod that folds up and collapses for $99.



Most home improvement stores sell Florescent tube holders that are clear plastic



Here is the description on Lowes site

Durable clear plastic protects 8-ft T12 fluorescent lamps from dust, moisture and accidental breakage
Safely contains the glass from your fluorescent lamp in case the lamp breaks
Protection against broken glass and sparks that can result when fluorescent lamps shatter
Easy installation - they simply slide over your existing bulbs
Plastic end caps included

 

[rayra]

It would even be easy to fabricate a semi-circular reflector / shade for those PVC tubes, Using a larger diameter pipe and end caps, lined with mylar. Which spins / pivots so you block the light that would otherwise shine outward and would help redirect that backside light to where you want it.

 

[mep1811]

Remote Lighting System

As promised, here is my write up and parts list for my lighting system.

https://badlandsexpeditions.wordpress.com/2016/03/07/remote-lighting-system-and-12vdc-power-supply/

 

[Happy Joe]

Personally I started out by determining the minimum acceptable light that I prefer for general use including reading (it turned out to be around 450 lumens; roughly 40 watt equivalent in a 120 volt LED bulb). I went for minimum as it will result in the longest runtime for a given battery size, and if more is needed, more lights can be added. (Not sure why anyone would want a thousand or more lumens, based on my lantern experiences it would be obnoxiously bright).
Next, experience (years (decades) running fluorescent camp/tent lighting) gave me a range for the battery size; in my case around 30 amp hours works well for just lighting for 4 or more nights (at a couple of hours per night) before recharging... Note; power usage is very much an individual need and varies widely.
Next, I decided to go with widely available 120 volt LED bulbs since I use this system as a power outage backup, the bulbs are in all our table lamps anyhow and replacement bulbs are now cheap and available anywhere.
Finally I ran a series of tests to find the most efficient combination of small inverter and various 120 Volt LED bulbs... ended up finding that some bulbs or inverters have a definite "preference" efficiency wise.
So I used Velcro to attach a slightly modified (switch and DC terminals added, wire and plug removed and heat sink compound added) small 80 watt harbor freight inverter to a 35 amp hour battery. The inverter is turned off when not in use, it provides USB recharging capability and the battery inverter combination small enough to be readily portable.
Recharging at home is either from a computer ups or a float capable automotive charger; in the field a home brew "briefcase" solar setup or vehicle charging suffices.


Enjoy!

 

[rayra]

Happy Joe, any particular reasoning for not staying 12v native with your setup?

 

[Happy Joe]

Happy Joe, any particular reasoning for not staying 12v native with your setup?

I tried 12 volt LED "bulbs" and had a few (mostly personal preference) issues;
Lower voltage LED need a special (usually automotive) fixture/socket; 120 volt bulbs use a standard Edison base and fit in many/most 120 volt fixtures. A light weight commercial fixture gives the lighting a finished, professional look.
LEDs should have a "driver" circuit to protect them against over voltage; burned out some ~$25 RV LEDs by charging the battery while the lighting was connected. The driver is a part of 120 volt bulbs, so I don't have to provide a driver and carry a spare. (I do carry an easy to change, spare inverter and a spare bulb).
Few lower voltage LED "bulbs" seem have reliable specifications as to actual lumen output, at least at the time that I assembled everything.
At the time I made this up there was little choice/specification of color temperature in lower voltage LED "bulbs"; we like lighting in the soft white/2700 K color temperature range (easily available in 120 volt bulbs) instead of bright white even blue or purple light at higher color temperatures.
A major part of the project was to provide easy to use power outage backup lighting, for home use. All of our home lamps and most fixtures use 120 volts have Edison base bulbs, and are now equipped with LED bulbs. In the event of a power outage its just a matter of un plugging the battery & inverter from the computer UPS an, carrying it to the lamp (already equipped with an LED bulb), plugging lamp in and turning the inverter and lamp on.
By standardizing on one bulb I am able to limit spare bulbs to those used at home.
By using standard easily/widely available bulbs I am assured that I can get replacements nearly anywhere.

Enjoy!

 

[TwinStick]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Energizer-EN180-12-Volt-180-Watt-Cup-Inverter/27435082

http://www.walmart.com/ip/18-Warm-White-LED-Indoor-Outdoor-Christmas-Rope-Lights/42451633


We have LED rope lights for our camper (red, blue & green). We run them on shore power, but led's can't draw that much power & a small inverter should run them, yes ? If you want a military look, put them in a pelican like box. It's cool to change up the colors for something different.