Battery-Powered LEDs
October 20, 2023 11:31 AM Subscribe
Are there any battery-powered LED lights that can last 30+ days?
I'm a woodworker, and I make lamps, among other items. I have been invited to create a display of my work that will be up for 30 days in a location without electricity.
I'd like to swap out the lightbulbs in my lamps for some battery-powered LEDs, but I can't find any that will last the full 30 days.
Are there any that you're aware of? Or another battery-powered solution you'd recommend?
(Preemptively: Yes, I know there are other ways to solve this problem - that's not what I'm asking about. Thanks.)
I'm a woodworker, and I make lamps, among other items. I have been invited to create a display of my work that will be up for 30 days in a location without electricity.
I'd like to swap out the lightbulbs in my lamps for some battery-powered LEDs, but I can't find any that will last the full 30 days.
Are there any that you're aware of? Or another battery-powered solution you'd recommend?
(Preemptively: Yes, I know there are other ways to solve this problem - that's not what I'm asking about. Thanks.)
With a small-enough LED and a big-enough battery you can easily have one that lasts over a year. So the question is: what kind of bulbs, their size and the required brightness, and how will they be powered? Yes, batteries, but can they be external to the lamp? Are these lamps normally mains-powered, so do they have a power cord?
posted by Stoneshop at 11:50 AM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Stoneshop at 11:50 AM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I use a variety of bulb / bulb sizes depending on the project, with a power cord, plugged into the wall.
That said, I'm not looking for a 1:1 replacement, just something that lights up a bit to demonstrate that the object is a lamp and produces light.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 12:05 PM on October 20, 2023
That said, I'm not looking for a 1:1 replacement, just something that lights up a bit to demonstrate that the object is a lamp and produces light.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 12:05 PM on October 20, 2023
Best answer: Amazon has these battery powered candles that claim 1,000-hour battery life using 2 AAs.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:09 PM on October 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:09 PM on October 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Those are great - I'd love it if I could find something without a built-in timer, though!
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:13 PM on October 20, 2023
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:13 PM on October 20, 2023
How many lamps or pieces will be in the display? My first thought would be to leave the lamps basically stock, just use everyday consumer screw-in LED lamps suitable for whatever kind of lampholder you're using.
What I'd build is a box with a power cord input, and then several outlets, each controlled by a momentary pushbutton switch. Think of this box as part of your display. Basically building a multi-outlet power tap/surge protector, where each outlet is "off" by default, but can be turned "on" by someone pushing a momentary switch. Assuming your lamps are using fairly standard on/off switches, leave the lamps all "on", so that when a lamp's pushbutton is pressed, it turns on. Number the lamps, number the buttons, there ya go. Since a lamp is only briefly illuminated while its corresponding switch is depressed, they're not being left on all the time.
Power the whole thing off a portable power bank. Plus side is if you build it with standard (for your location) power outlets, wiring, and switches rated for mains, you can use this same rig to demo your lamps, whether this setup is powered from mains or from a portable power bank/inverter.
posted by xedrik at 3:38 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
What I'd build is a box with a power cord input, and then several outlets, each controlled by a momentary pushbutton switch. Think of this box as part of your display. Basically building a multi-outlet power tap/surge protector, where each outlet is "off" by default, but can be turned "on" by someone pushing a momentary switch. Assuming your lamps are using fairly standard on/off switches, leave the lamps all "on", so that when a lamp's pushbutton is pressed, it turns on. Number the lamps, number the buttons, there ya go. Since a lamp is only briefly illuminated while its corresponding switch is depressed, they're not being left on all the time.
Power the whole thing off a portable power bank. Plus side is if you build it with standard (for your location) power outlets, wiring, and switches rated for mains, you can use this same rig to demo your lamps, whether this setup is powered from mains or from a portable power bank/inverter.
posted by xedrik at 3:38 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the thought, but it doesn't work for the space. There's a reason I'm looking specifically for a solution that runs for the full period without intervention.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:59 PM on October 20, 2023
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:59 PM on October 20, 2023
You can get a backup battery and run an led light string from it. A timer to turn it off if the exhibit is closed at night, perhaps.
I would love to see pictures.
posted by theora55 at 6:44 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I would love to see pictures.
posted by theora55 at 6:44 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
It comes down to how bright and how long, and I suppose how many lamps. These are some ballpark estimates with available items:
A 12 volt 12 watt LED bulb with a regular screw base can be good for about 900 lumens, about the same as a 60 watt tungsten bulb. You could do it with 7 count group 27 lead acid batteries, 100 amp hours apiece.
A 12 volt 2 watt LED bulb, same base, 250ish lumens, 25 watt tungsten equivalent could run on just one of those group 27 batteries for 25 days.
Of course, if you ran it for some fraction of a day every day, say 8 hours, you need a third the battery or you can run it 3 times brighter (with a nod toward Peukert's laws of lead acid batteries), so 2 group 27s for the 12 watt LED bulb for 30-ish days.
And how bright is dependent on what the ambient light is in the display area, of course. A 60 watt tungsten bulb will be nearly invisible outside in the sun. A 25 watt equivalent bulb will be blinding in a cave.
posted by the Real Dan at 6:51 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
A 12 volt 12 watt LED bulb with a regular screw base can be good for about 900 lumens, about the same as a 60 watt tungsten bulb. You could do it with 7 count group 27 lead acid batteries, 100 amp hours apiece.
A 12 volt 2 watt LED bulb, same base, 250ish lumens, 25 watt tungsten equivalent could run on just one of those group 27 batteries for 25 days.
Of course, if you ran it for some fraction of a day every day, say 8 hours, you need a third the battery or you can run it 3 times brighter (with a nod toward Peukert's laws of lead acid batteries), so 2 group 27s for the 12 watt LED bulb for 30-ish days.
And how bright is dependent on what the ambient light is in the display area, of course. A 60 watt tungsten bulb will be nearly invisible outside in the sun. A 25 watt equivalent bulb will be blinding in a cave.
posted by the Real Dan at 6:51 PM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
If it is possible to retrofit a stock flashlight into your work, ZebraLight models (such as this) have very long runtimes in their low modes.
Low: L1 5.0 Lm (13.5 days) or L2 1.8 Lm (1 month)/0.6 Lm (2 months)/0.2 Lm (3.5 months)posted by fairmettle at 11:14 PM on October 20, 2023
Is the location outside? Are those portable solar panels they sell to backpackers an option?
posted by ananci at 8:17 AM on October 21, 2023
posted by ananci at 8:17 AM on October 21, 2023
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https://hitlights.com/pages/battery-life-calculator-hitlights
posted by tiamat at 11:45 AM on October 20, 2023 [1 favorite]