Has Anyone Also Made A High Powered Portable Floodlight ?

[archilles2]

Ahoy ,

I'm on role here today , bored because i can't get out so i i figured

i might as well try and improve my tackle and gear strategies.

Just wanted to ask if anyone has made a high powered portable floodlight ?

I've found what i think might be some good squidding spots but lighting

is soo poor and there is no power. I'd love to connect a halogen light to

a portable power source such as a car battery. Has anyone tried this one with successs ?

Also how do you keep something like this charged and prevent the battery from draining itself ?

Thanks again for you help raiders.

Edited September 15, 2009 by archilles2

[fishermangreg]

Not sure if this helps but still handy to know.

When squidding from a wharf up in nth qld, i used to tie a rope and hang a kero lantern with a hood on it over the edge.

[fisherdad]

You will need to start with some maths to know what you are able to achieve.

You divide the Watts of the light to give you the current draw (Amps)

55w Halogen draws 4.58 amps. So a 50 Amp Hr battery will be dead flat in less than 10 hrs. Warning running Lead Acid batteries too flat kills them.

100w Halogen draws 8.3 amps twice the watts twice the current.

If you purchase a Internal Balasted HID you will get more light but at half the amps but the lights are $250 ea.

LED worklights are great as they produce good light (Not quite the same as Halogen) at a low current draw but your looking at $250 ea.

To charge the battery you will need a charger, buy a good multi stage charger not a $25 special.

The big question is how much light you need to attract squid and I cant help with that, I use $20 notes.

[Evets]

Achilles,

I found a led spotlight on special at a big local hardware store for $10. The last time I saw it at the hardware shop it was back up to about $40. Found it in the electrical section. Would be absolutely perfect for squidding. Couldnt find a picture of the one I have but this is similar.

The bulb itself dosnt look like a normal led light. This bulb is a tiny little oblong about 3mm x 5 mm and is really really really bright. The light output is amazing - almost like a car headlight.

It is rechargable and lasts for about 20 hours before it needs to be recharged. Very light as well. Less than a kilo I reckon.

Perfect for squidding

Steve

PS Did I mention that its really really bright ?

[archilles2]

Hi David,

Thanks for that great reply ! Let's say i get a 100w light and attach it to a car battery , let's say i get about 10 amps per hour, that means in 5 hours it will be dead.

What if i only need it to run for 3 hours straight , when i get home i have to hours left in the battery - do i re charge it for the next time out ? orr

do i charged the battery just before i go out again ?

Sorry mate, i never studied the sciences and am pretty hopeless when it comes to this stuff.

Thnks,

Archilles

[Jason Sunn]

Lets talk batteries.

Firstly there are 2 main types of lead acid batteries.

Deep Cycle vs. Starter Batteries

Batteries are typically built for specific purposes and they differ in construction accordingly. Broadly speaking, there are two applications that manufacturers build their batteries for: Starting and Deep Cycle.

As the name implies, Starter Batteries are meant to get combustion engines going. They have many thin lead plates which allow them to discharge a lot of energy very quickly for a short amount of time. However, they do not tolerate being discharged deeply, as the thin lead plates needed for starter currents degrade quickly under deep discharge and re-charging cycles. Most starter batteries will only tolerate being completely discharged a few times before being irreversibly damaged.

Deep Cycle batteries have thicker lead plates that make them tolerate deep discharges better. They cannot dispense charge as quickly as a starter battery but can also be used to start combustion engines. You would simply need a bigger deep-cycle battery than if you had used a dedicated starter type battery instead. The thicker the lead plates, the longer the life span, all things being equal. Battery weight is a simple indicator for the thickness of the lead plates used in a battery. The heavier a battery for a given group size, the thicker the plates, and the better the battery will tolerate deep discharges.

For your purpose I would recommend a Deep Cycle battery.

With regards to battery charging. Firstly as a principal, most battery manufacturers advocate not discharging their batteries more than 50% before re-charging them and the maximim discharge amount is 75% (leaving 25% of the charge inthe battery).

The healthier the "living conditions" of the batteries, the longer they will serve you. Lead-Acid batteries like to be kept at a full charge in a cool place. As such it is advisable to recharge your battery when you retur from your trip.

Depending on how often you intend to use the light will depend on what happens next. Lead Acid batteries typically use lead alloyed with Antimony to increase their mechanical strength. However, the Antimony also increases the self-discharge rate to 8-40% per month. This is why lead-acid batteries should be in use often or left on a trickle-charger.

I hope this goes some way to help.

Cheers Sunnyboy1

[vinksy]

i think their is a simple kit jaycar electronic supply very efficient