12 volt stand by

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:07 am

Once again the 12 volt system kicked in to save the day.. It runs the furnace and a 32 LED light..The generator is siting in stand by.. God shit to learn on the Eplaya Q&A.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:44 am

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:05 am

Bob wrote:Huh?

/
Forgot to say: the power went out for a spell. I learned from the eplaya Q&A how to use dc power. So I have it in the house.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:29 am

I don't have a system on the playa, just a small 14V solar panel, alligator clips, and old batteries from Weird Stuff.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:33 pm

I build most stuff from scraps others discard.. But the 12 volt worked so good I reinstalled with new..Now I have solor panels/w a generator back up.. The power come back on so will recharge the the next time.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:49 am

I would recommend fluorescents for 12 volt power because of higher efficiency.
You can get complete fixtures or just use a 12v ballast and there are now screw in compacts.
Of course, you can use an inverter and a standard fixture.
Quality does vary.

LEDs can't be beat for the headlamps you wear though.
Nitehawk, Foxfury and Sten make very good ones.
Brinkmann has a good cheap 3 watt at target.
Elektrolumens has flashlights and kits to make tent kits.
Look for luxeon leds.
They are very wide angle and make a good tent light.
But if you need more light than a 3 watt puts out (75 lumens), go to fluorescent.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:36 am

gyre wrote:I would recommend fluorescents for 12 volt power because of higher efficiency.
You can get complete fixtures or just use a 12v ballast and there are now screw in compacts.
Of course, you can use an inverter and a standard fixture.
Quality does vary.

LEDs can't be beat for the headlamps you wear though.
Nitehawk, Foxfury and Sten make
very good ones.
Brinkmann has a good cheap 3 watt at target.
Elektrolumens has flashlights and kits to make tent kits.
Look for luxeon leds.
They are very wide angle and make a good tent light.
But if you need more light than a 3 watt puts out (75 lumens), go to fluorescent.

/
I have three 10 inch double fixtures if I need more light. For just putsingaround the house I have one 32 LED over head and two 21 LED table lamps. Also put the head lamp on to type, cook or general moving around the house. The monitor is a 13 inch 12 volt TV with and invertor to run the webtv.. The small gas furnace is 12 volt.. I keep them pumped with 110/w generator stand by..

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:25 am

gyre wrote:LEDs can't be beat for the headlamps you wear though.

I have two complaints about LED headlamps. I once tried to fry chicken at night using an LED headlamp, and the chicken looked white and undone at all stages. Switching to my incandescant headlamp gave the the more or less true color, and I could tell the crispy brown doneness of my meat.

Second, my incandescant headlamp focuses. If I'm riding my bike at night, I can focus the beam several yards out to see upcoming crap in my path. While LEDs provide some general glow around the bike, they doesn't reach far enough out for me to stop or dodge in time.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:28 am

I went trolling in the post-Xmuz clearance mess at MallWart and came out with some lovely little 2.3 Ah 12V batteries, each with its own charger, for seven clams per. They'll be added to the array with some other foundlings and a solar panel, to run the lights and systems for the PBR Mod Spacecraft that'll be docked at LabWerks, orbiting above Apokiliptika in Terminal Village. Y'all come visit, and I'll mix up a fresh pot o' Tang!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 10:30 am

I have an old Coleman head lamp that will run 24-30 hours.. I agree best light for bike..

Come to think of it.. I have a realy old head lamp. From the 50's still in the box.. It takes 2 D cells in a metal belt pack. It will be fun to bring it along to show.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:44 pm

I tried to post but it vanished.
I'm not retyping it.
What is wrong with this site?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:48 pm

Here are some good digital headlamps that can dim and stay white.
If you haven't used a luxeon, you will be surprised.
I use nothing else for a bike light.
The nitehawk is a true digital.
You can do hot changes with the batteries.

http://www.nite-hawk.com/ecoheadlamps.html

Foxfury is unique and wide angle.
May not make a good bike light.

http://www.foxfury.com/

This one has 2 leds and you can select the optics.
Good for 25 feet of water.
Should keep dust out.

http://www.stenlight.com/

If that isn't bright enough, here are some hid bike and headlamps.
Two on the bike and a headlamp would give you the light of a motorcycle.

http://www.bikelights.com/Products/Products.htm

675 lumens per lamp

I used a 3 watt brinkmann this year.
Plenty of distance. No dimmer.
Can be too bright up close.
75 lumens
$30 at target
Only takes AAAs.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:36 pm

hey, it's burning man - everyone should use a carbide lamp. Hard to get much older than that! Can be used to light cigarettes too.....