Emergency lighting on the cheap.

[ASSEMbler]

Quite shocking that in a major american city the power would fail so much, but it does.

Many of the retail emergency solutions flat out suck. The market is flooded
by dyno powered lights sporting Li-on buttons cells.

After two incidents and much hand cranking, this nonsense has to go.

The plan:

6v lead acid battery(ies) - Cheaply found in go-karts
Led lights - 4/8 10K MCD lights.
Battery charger with overcharge protection.

Inspired by this video
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hsWFUfFZIsQ
However using much beefier batteries. Why ni-cad? Anyway...

Originally I considered the MN-918 Alkaline battery.
It's basically a doubled up 6v spring cell.
http://www.batteriesandbutter.com/Merchant2/p/L/MN918MAR2003.jpg
30,000 mah of power. $13 each. Very cheap.

However, there is a 6v lead acid rechargeable
for the same price.
http://www.lakewoodconferences.com/direct/dbimage/50024148/6V_170Ah_Sealed_Lead_Acid_Battery.jpg
However it is only 12,000mah.
But it is reusable.

The charger for the 6v battery would be around $7-20.
I would prefer the more deluxe model with overcharge
protection. However if someone knows what IC they use
in them it would be nice to make my own.

For lighting I was considering something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/8-White-LED-Modules-6V-12VDC-power-POWER-SAVING_W0QQitemZ200235379996QQihZ010QQcategoryZ207 06QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/amplebiz/8WhiteLEDModule01.jpg
The seller has been nice enough to provide the schematic for his product....

I would use four modules, so that would be About 12 hours light on the lead acid as it will probably heat up and combust below 20% charge.

The alkaline would give a staggering 30+ hours of strong light before it starts diminishing.

I was thinking this would nicely fit into a broken xbox or something.

I thought about 12v but at that size I might as well just get a generator.

Feedback is valued.

[WolverineDK]

Sweet :) and inspirational I must say :)

[ASSEMbler]

Well you can get something like this for cheap.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mule-Company-Emergency-Exit-Lighting-NIB_W0QQitemZ110264932210QQihZ001QQcategoryZ109613 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

About $24 shipped.

The problem is it comes with dual 7 watt bulbs that will kill the battery in about 90 minutes. It's not worth buying it to junk the lights.

[Parris]

Black outs a regular issue in the US?

[babu]

This thread made me think of this one ;D
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0rA-zhTJuFU

[Borman]

Power was out for a few hours yesterday (2ish I guess). They thought it take 8 hours, so Id say they did relatively well. A pole just fell right apart, and was across the road. No car hit the pole or anything, it just sorta fell.

[dj898]

get one of this instead~
not only you can light up you can also cook on it too apparently~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsIHyRyETKg

not sure what will happen if you point it to the back of your enemy... - -;

[billnes]

Hello ASSEMbler!

People living outside the New York City area may not realize that the infrastructure here is quite old. For example, the steam pipe that burst on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue in July of 2007 was installed in 1924. After the explosion, streets in the area closed for several blocks in all directions. Moreover, subway service in the area was suspended. I wasn't in Manhattan on that day but I rescheduled a trip to go to J & L Games on Elizabeth Street. and Book Off on E. 41st Street because of it. I was afraid that Penn Station would be a conjestion nightmare. Sometimes I really do thank god my employment is in Levittown and that I don't have to schlep into NYC every day.

Millions of pounds of steam are pumped beneath New York City streets every hour, heating and cooling thousands of buildings, including the Empire State Building. Some of the pipes carrying steam through New York City are still wrapped in asbestos. As ABC News reported: It was later found that the explosion was caused by a condition known as a "water hammer". This is the result of condensation of water inside a steam pipe. The sudden mix of hot steam and cool water can cause pressure to skyrocket, bursting the pipe.

In addition to all of that, as of this writing, Monday, 30-JUN-08. Many parts of NYC are still getting their clean (pottable) water from clay pipes that were installed in the 19th century. Also, there are still some parts of Manhattan where the streets are still Cobblestone, from the 19th century. Let's not even get get into the discussion about some of the worst sewage problems in NYC being in a part of Queens that's named Flushing.:confused:

Best wishes and warmest regards,
Bill "The Colonel" N.
Your humble cinema maintenance man from Hicksville, NY

[Psycho]

One thing to keep in mind with the lead-acid batteries from go-karts- NEVER leave them charging when you aren't around... Or at least definitely install a smoke detector near them.

They can start fires occasionally. Probably not the most common thing they can do, but still not a risk you probably want to take...

http://www.modifiedpowerwheels.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=136

[ASSEMbler]

Yes, if you let them discharge below 20% the internal resistance can cause intense heat. Charging can also cause fire if not done properly.

That is why I would not skimp on the charge controller IC, it would sense the rate of charge.

[retro]

However using much beefier batteries. Why ni-cad? Anyway...


Because NiCad is rechargeable, whereas you're not supposed to recharge Alkalines. Yes, I know you can, but you're advised against it!

Don't you guys have emergency lighting?

http://www.scldirect.co.uk/emergency-lighting/8w-bulkhead-luminaires.html

http://www.theexitstore.com/EMERGENCY.htm


New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles require specific emergency lights approved for the city. According to February 7, 2007 data an emergency light can cost anywhere from $13.00 to $15.00.

I would recommend keeping a couple of rechargeable lanterns. I have this one and it works well:

http://flashlightsunlimited.com/relanternarea.htm

I have used that in a power cut. Was good!

Also have one like this:

http://www.watsonscaravans.com.au/site.cfm?p=SparesDetail&SparesID=133

Saves having to piss about building anything, and you'll get the same results... well, better!

You could probably modify a UPS to run a 12V bulb for quite a while... be careful, though!

[handofg0d]

You could probably modify a UPS to run a 12V bulb for quite a while... be careful, though!

Or just plug a lamp into it, lol.

[Mark30001]

:lol:

[abionic]

the thing about those gokart/moped wet cells is they give off hydrogen when you charge them, s'why they have the drain tubes.. so not so much the heat problems as, catch a spark and KABOOM

[ASSEMbler]

It was much cheaper to buy the "on wall" emergency light, and swap out the high watt bulbs for leds. I'm set for anything now.