Every avid fan of winter fishing or camping faces the burning question of a practical way to light a tent.
We will look at three of the simplest and most inexpensive options, with which you will get bright and long-lasting light for one or even several nights.
To power such lighting, you can use either a bulky standard 12V battery or several other devices:
- power banks (price from 1000r to 2000r)
- small batteries from uninterruptible power supply systems (“bricks” from 2000 rubles)
- rechargeable batteries 18650 format (from 200 rubles per piece)
Choose your own power source based on your budget and availability. The only note is that when buying a battery, make a choice in favor of devices labeled AGM.
These batteries are more suitable for cyclic operation - charge-discharge and will last you much longer.
To calculate the operating time of a battery with lighting of different power, you can use the formula:
t ≈ C / (I * k)
where t is the battery operating time, h (h);
C—battery capacity, A*h (Ah);
I - total current consumption, (A)
I = P / U (P - lamp power W, U - voltage Volt);
k - coefficient of incomplete discharge of the battery (k = 1.3)
Low voltage light bulbs
The first option is low-voltage light bulbs with a constant voltage of 5V or 12V. First, let's look at 5-volt ones.
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They cost from 100 to 200 rubles. One such lamp is ideal for a small umbrella-type tent.
There will be more than enough light from it. If you want even more, simply remove the diffusing cap and expose all the LEDs.
Of course, this will completely destroy all moisture protection, but in cold weather nothing bad will happen to the light bulb.
It is connected via a wire with a USB connector at the end. This connector is simply inserted into the power bank.
Example of lighting in a tent
At the same time, in order to minimize the length of the wires and get rid of everything unnecessary under your feet, the Power Bank can be tied directly on top of the tent not far from the light bulb or thrown into the top pocket.
Night light
The magical New Year's mood after Samhain continues to inspire)
The base is plywood, materials used: pebbles for the fireplace, wooden products, art plasticine, stained glass, LEDs.
12V lamps
If the brightness from a five-volt lamp is not enough, use 12 volts.
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And there are two connection options.
The first is from the same power bank through a boost module from 5V to 12V.
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For full illumination for a couple of nights, a 5-watt light bulb will suffice for you, even a 20 A/h power bank, not to mention large capacities.
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The second option is direct connection to a large battery via alligator clips.
If you don’t have 12V bulbs, you can use homemade LED lamps, which are widely used in spotlights on the ceiling.
They come in different capacities. The most popular ones are 3-5-7W.
To simplify the connection of all wires and contacts, find ones that have two sharp pins on the reverse side (GU 5.3).
This male-female terminal connector is screwed onto these pins.
It fits perfectly. The factory base in the cold, after several times of pulling out the light bulb, very quickly begins to act up.
You can also use a standard small E14 cartridge. Just buy the corresponding adapter GU5.3 - E14 for it.
Solder the pin connector from the audio cable onto the power wires. Or use a ready-made speaker cable for this purpose.
This wire does not tan in the cold and is more resistant to negative temperatures.
This plug will snap onto the male-female connector on the light bulb.
Of course, you can assemble everything using twists, but how long will they last you?
Plus, don’t forget about the convenience of connection. You can assemble a whole garland from similar light bulbs for a large tent or marquee.
You buy a splitter and assemble a “chandelier” with 2-4-8 lamps through it.
For convenience, place this switch at the very beginning of the cord. It is usually used on sconces or table lamps.
A loop is made at the end of the wire, to which a carabiner clings.
With its help, all the lighting can be easily hung behind the hub or arc of the tent. Here is a clear example of lighting a tent with just one such 5W LED lamp.
Those who want to get really confused and fully control the brightness of the lighting, while controlling the battery charge and the speed of the heat exchanger fan, make a variety of homemade units.
It turns out to be a real life support control center for the entire tent.
DIY Chinese lantern - examples, diagrams and techniques for creating Chinese lanterns (85 photos)
If you need to decorate a room, garden or even a Christmas tree in an unusual way, then distant Asia comes to the rescue. Its people traditionally light thousands of colorful lights in the evening. In the Middle Kingdom these are “Kom Loy”, in our country they are just Chinese lanterns.
The main thing is that the aestheticism of the thematic decor remains the same. Therefore, you can make a Chinese lantern out of paper with your own hands both for the interior and for children for fun.
Children's Chinese lantern
The practice of making themed decorations welcomes an easy start. Therefore, simple children's flashlights will be needed both for “training hands” and for their intended purpose.
The future glowing toy requires arming yourself with:
- Colored paper;
- Pencil;
- Ruler;
- Scissors;
- Paper glue;
- Sequins;
- Satin ribbons.
- The process of making a children's flashlight is as follows:
- One edge of colored paper is cut for a 2 cm wide pen;
- The remaining area is bent into two equal parts to sketch a line 4 cm distant from the edge (the corresponding strip will serve as the “cut border” of the flashlight);
- One part of the sheet is marked with lines for cuts that must be made from the fold to the cut border;
- Then the paper is opened and cleaned with an eraser if there are marks;
- The next step is to attach the edges and handles using glue and paper clips.
To make your own Chinese paper lantern better pleasing to a child’s eye, you need to decorate it with sparkles, tinsel, and threads. You can also color the paper with colored markers.
Original Chinese lantern
Traditionally, skyfire consists of paper and a frame. Moreover, both elements must be special:
- Firstly, the frame is made of bamboo;
- Secondly, the paper must be rice paper and impregnated with a non-flammable composition.
Cotton fabric is responsible for the combustion inside the Chinese lantern. It is pre-impregnated with wax so that the burning is long and continuous. All that remains is to attach the paper burner to the frame using a thin wire.
- Current models have definitely changed: textiles and parchment have replaced polymeric substances, but the same thick rice paper and mulberry panels are used to make the frame.
- When finished, thematic products are white in color, which can be painted or decorated with decor.
Making an original Chinese lantern
If you are interested in how to make a Chinese lantern with your own hands, then first you need to purchase the following consumables:
- 25gsm paper m (thicker analogues are not suitable, because because of them the product does not take off);
- Fire retardant to make paper resistant to fire;
- Light wooden twigs (barbecue sticks are suitable);
- Lightweight wire;
- Cotton fabric;
- Oil or wax to give the fabric flammable properties;
- Glue or tape.
- The principle of making an air light is to fold a single sheet of paper and then cut it in the middle so that the structure has cuts and can “get fat”.
The edges and individual fragments like the handle are connected to the “body” using tape. But first, the workpiece must be treated with a fire retardant. It is preferable to bend the roof of the lantern.
Air lights are cylindrical, rectangular, round, square. Therefore, each scheme for creating a Chinese lantern with your own hands varies depending on the desired shape and area of the thematic product.
It’s good if the design of a Chinese lantern is reinforced with chopsticks. The latter also make it possible to obtain complex shapes.
If wire is used instead of sticks, then it can be used to create a design in the shape of a romantic heart. To do this, just bend the wire.
The finished form requires equipment - a crosspiece fastener that will hold the fuel. Although, if necessary, flammable textiles can simply be glued to the frame. The main thing is not to forget to soak the fuel with hot wax or flammable liquid.
LED Strip Light
The second option is to use LED strip in any of its forms.
This can be either a homemade assembly from short sections glued to an aluminum profile with a diffuser, or ready-made kits, such as daytime running lights or kitchen lighting.
Everything is already assembled there and ready to connect. All you have to do is stretch and connect the wires from the battery or power bank.
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To secure the top of the tent to such a lamp, Velcro is glued. And they are already being led beyond the arc.
Some fishermen attach LED modules not to the top, but to the lower legs of the clamshell.
In this case, the face area remains not illuminated by bright direct light, which is very convenient and non-irritating, while the entire space near the holes and the floor are perfectly illuminated.
To get maximum ease of control, a miniature controller or dimmer is placed between the power supply and the LED strip.
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When connecting it to the wires, do not mix up the ends. The one where it says Led goes to the lamp, where 5-24V goes to the battery.
The dimmer comes complete with a remote control. With one button, without getting up from your seat, you can either lower the brightness or turn off the lighting completely.
What is a finder headlight?
A seeker headlight is an additional external lighting device for vehicles that forms a narrowly directed light beam to illuminate the space around the car in situations where the low and high beam headlights are not enough. This device is a spotlight; it generates a powerful and narrowly focused light flux, which is achieved by the absence of a diffuser and some other design features.
The term “finder headlight” often refers to two types of lighting devices:
Thus, a searchlight is a type of spotlight; this light device can be rotated, which allows you to illuminate a wide area around the car. This quality is especially valuable when driving off-road, during search or search and rescue operations in the dark, and in other situations.
Camping lantern
With all the advantages of the previously mentioned lighting methods, they have a main drawback - a web of wires.
These wires must always be hidden somewhere; in the tent they get in the way and get underfoot. They need to be connected and disconnected through special connectors.
Buy the connectors themselves somewhere, solder them to the wires, etc. Add to this the problems with bulky batteries.
All this takes up space not only in the tent, but also in the car. Therefore, many sooner or later think about an alternative.
And there is such an alternative - YN-F03. This is a compact camping lantern powered by 18650 lithium-ion batteries.
With it you will forget not only about wires, but also about heavy batteries.
Many are afraid that Li-Ion may lose some of its charge due to cold weather. However, in a heated tent, it does not experience any problems with loss of charge.
Moreover, it is hung at the very top, where, in fact, all the warm air rises.
The flashlight is very light. Made of high quality (doesn't stink like many Chinese products) and thick plastic.
There is a hook on top for hanging, as well as a magnet. If necessary, you can simply magnetize it to any metal surface.
The battery charge is controlled by a simple and clear 4 indicator strip.
Recharging is carried out via a micro-USB connector. There is also another 1 Amp output next to it.
With it, the flashlight can be used as a full-fledged power bank.
The problem with most cheap LED lights is that they don't last long. And this happens primarily due to the degradation of LEDs from overheating.
The Chinese want to squeeze out as much light as possible, saving on everything else. Things are much better with this flashlight.
In addition to the honeycomb structure of the top cover (for better heat dissipation), a metal disk is additionally hidden behind it! Which is very rare for the budget segment.
The declared capacity of the built-in rechargeable batteries is 7200 mAh (3 batteries) or 4800 mAh (model with 2 batteries).
The main question is how long does this light last? These are the declared characteristics from the Chinese:
But what about the fact? Here are real measurements taken by Lumeniac user:
The flashlight has three brightness modes:
- low (this is not a firefly at all, but rather a night light)
- average (most popular)
- maximum
They are switched by pressing the orange button. The maximum mode is comparable to the glow of a 50 W incandescent light bulb.
But it doesn't last long. Literally after 2 minutes this brightness drops by half and shines until it gradually reaches medium mode for almost another hour.
However, too bright a light in the tent is not needed at all, especially since at shallow depths of the hole it will simply scare away the fish. For a 2*2 cube tent, even a 3W LED light bulb is enough.
Medium is the most useful mode. When suspended, it performs perfectly.
You will be able to see all the small details perfectly. The light is good and soft. With it you can calmly read without straining your eyes.
In medium mode, the flashlight operates at constant brightness for almost 6 hours. After which the brightness gradually decreases to a minimum level over the course of an hour.
If you initially turn on the flashlight in minimum mode, which is almost 30 Lumens, it can work continuously for two days!
With a competent combination of modes, you can completely extend the operating time throughout the night.
Shotgun mount
You can make a mount for a flashlight to a gun from plastic pipe clamps. You need to take 2 of these rings of a diameter suitable for the gun and attach them to the flashlight body.
This is done using the already familiar epoxy.
Useful! They need to be glued in such a way that the ring with a magnet for turning on the flashlight moves easily along the body, and the screws securing the clamps when fastened are free of glue.
Any diver can buy a ready-made spearfishing flashlight in a store. But if you make it yourself, you can change its characteristics in a way that is convenient for the hunter himself. In addition, the manufacturer makes great efforts to make it high quality and durable, which cannot be said about purchased models.
