" The Apocalypse Lantern" -Produce light, power, cook food, burn any fuel or no fuel. *UPDATED-09/27/2015

[DBSAR]

So this project is underway.
Its actually now becoming part of a build competition in another contest in a Flashlight community too.
I have not officially named it as of yet, but "Apocalypse Lantern" seems to fit the bill.

- This is being built from all unused extra parts i have in my junk boxes, parts and pieces repaired from salvaged lanterns and stoves, 236, 200, 335, 431, etc. loose parts, and some new replacement parts, all cobbled together, with old plumbing parts, raw brass material, and some specialized ordered parts and engineering going into a "frankenlantern" like no other.

- what this will be is something really different. I am completely re-working the principle of pressure-gas mantle light here. This lantern will be truly multi-fuel, Kero, CF, gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, Jet-A, and even alcohol may work in this once i get the testing refined. So far i have tested the Lantern part of this build with Kero, CF, gasoline, Diesel and have it adjusted to work great on these fuels.
With the use of both Solar cells and ThermoElectric (Peltier Junction) modules, this lantern will beable to generate power when running to charge your cellphone, tablet, 2-way radios, and charge a built-in removable LED Flashlight/Lamp when is use. It will also boil your water and cook meals, and during the day when the lantern is not running it will still be able to charge your cell phone in "another" way.

below are some photos of the project so far, to give the hint of what is going into this project. as you seel below, 70 % of this is being built from scratch and raw pieces & junk parts.
I can explain the inset images to more detail later.















- I will update this unique lantern build project more as i do more work on it, after the various parts i have ordered to complete it arrives.

After a couple hours of fighting & perfecting adjustments to the air/fuel mixture tubes to refine the flow & mixture, i have this project Build lantern burning pure alcohol at 18 PSI in the fount. ( methyl-Hydrate or Gas-Line antifreeze as you call it.) Alcohol is now added to list of fuels it can run, including Camp-Fuel, Gasoline, Kerosene, and Diesel that it can burn to produce light.




Some updates on this crazy re-incarnation & re-engineering of bits and pieces of Coleman lanterns!

- So i pulled an all day today in the garage working on the Apocalypse Light.
After all the testing to run it on various liquid fuels and refining the burner adjustments, i began to add the LP gas capability. (Propane, Butane, etc.

- The image below and number descriptions:
IMAGE #1 - Its fun to salvage vintage fittings and parts, and with a wire brush, some elbow-grease, and a polishing wheel and compound various pieces clean up nicely:
IMAGE #2 - An old Brass propane torch head will be rebuilt & modified to supply the gas for the lantern section:
IMAGE #3 - After grinding & drilling out some more fittings, i made an adapter to clamp the propane torch head to:
IMAGE #4 - A part of the gas-collector in place in one of the two air-supply tubes for the burner/mixer head.
IMAGE #5 - The other Air-supply tube on the other side of the burner assembly, gets a flap-slide adjusting cover to adjust the air/gas mixture to allow the burner to run on LP gas efficiently.




Below photo collage and explanations:

IMAGE #1 - with some heating i bent the torch tube to 90 degrees.
IMAGE #2 - Here showing the LP Gas attachment in place. I tested this set up and it works great so far on Propane! (next to test it on Butane.) I will provide photos and possibly a video of it switching over between liquid fuel to LP gas and back again.)
IMAGE #3 - one of the many part i had to order finally arrived, a new 236 globe from OCP to fit the lantern section's lower frame measurements.



I then put the lantern/power generator section aside to work on the LED Flashlight/Lantern section.

Image below and explanations of the work steps:

IMAGE #1 - working on the light part, i soldered a tail cap spring from the flashlight parts bin to a 1/2" hex fitting plug. (which i cut a slot to open it with a coin, key, washer, etc.
IMAGE #2 - i cut and sanded a flange to cover the clicky side switch on the 4-way fitting of the body on the light.
IMAGE #3 - with a Dremel grinder (my favorite tool!) i ground away slots in one side of the 4-way to hold the switch in place with some 5-minute epoxy.
IMAGE #4 - with the switch ready and wired i place on one side, the other side will hold a TP4056 USB Li-Ion charger PC board, to recharge the LED light's 18650 cell from the main Lantern's generated " free" power.



Next, was to work on getting the TP charger board, wires, Custom built LED driver, switch, and all in the tiny space in the 4-way fitting. TOOK ME 3 HOURS and a ton of headaches to do successfully. ( photo below:

IMAGE #1 - with the driver, switch, TP4056 charger board, wires, etc ready to be somehow squeezed inside the tiny 1/2" 4-way fitting on the body of the light.
IMAGE #2 - The nice, neutral tint of the installed XP-L V2 emitter in a stippled TIR optic lens during testing of the wiring, driver, circuits.
IMAGE #3 - After 3 HOURS of frustration & pain, i managed to get all the parts inside the 4-way fitting, and have it all work!



After some hours working on the LED section, i went back to the gas lantern section. ( photo below)

IMAGE #1 - after nearly 2 weeks, the fount and all gas fittings held 15 PSI pressure and never leaked down at all, passing the leak
testing!
IMAGE #2 - the only Stainless Steel part used so far, a dollar store camping plate, which will become the brim of the vent/top.
IMAGE #3 - a salvaged from the wife brass flower pot tray will become the base.
IMAGE #4 - the straightened tubes salvaged from a brass chandelier (sacrificed from my hallway) will become support tubes on the base.
IMAGE #5 - tapping 1/4-20 threads in the burner part to hold the top cooker, which was another salvaged brass flower can.
IMAGE #6 - another shot showing where the LED light will clip into.



finally at 12:00 midnight, i assembled the parts of what is done so far on this nearly completely re-engineered GPA Lantern to what is in the photo below.
Keep in mind, this lantern has been tested and adjusted/modified, and ran so far on CF Fuel, gasoline, Kerosene, diesel, Alcohol, Propane, etc. and the top will be a stove for cooking, it will generate power in two ways for charging the built in LED light/lantern plus a cell phone at the same time, using either the Mantle lantern or sunlight.




- - - More updates on this project!

+UPDATE-4: September,1,2015+

Spent a ton of knuckle-grinding hours in the garage this past weekend working on the Apocalypse light.
tested it with more fuels, including propane, Butane, and even EverClear 191-proof Grain-Alcohol booze!

- Inset images are explained below with final work on the Li-Ion Flashlight/lantern section:

IMAGE #1 - A cover for the TP4056 charger end of the light i cute it out of a piece of sheet brass.
IMAGE #2 - dremel tool with fine carbide tip cut the port and LED indicator light openings. ( i used a piece of acrylic plastic to direct the charge indicator lights to the open light port in the bras sheet.
IMAGE #3 - a ferrule from a bras garden hose fitting will make a retaining ring.
IMAGE #4 - the ferrule cut, ( then sanded & polished.
IMAGE #5 - the ferrule ring pressed into place holding the cover over the TP4056 port.
IMAGE #6 - for a diffuser to use on the LED flashlight, i decided on a salvaged diffuser from an old Garden LED light.
IMAGE #7 - with some hack-sawing, then dremmeling i re-worked the plastic diffuser to removed the collar, then glued a piece of extra-large frosted drinking straw inside to help diffuse the light more and cut glare.
IMAGE #8 - The removable diffuser in place on the LED flashlight.
IMAGE #9 - on medium mode. ( using a 3-7135 Q-lite, with a good 3000+ Mah 18650, i tested its run time to 7.3 hours before the driver low voltage kicked in.
IMAGE #10 - for mounting the flashligh/diffuser in "lantern mode" in the light, i made a hanging bracket for the top out of, well more brass.
IMAGE #11 - (Flashlight holding bracket installed on top.



- Next image collage, is more work on the lantern/frame section:

IMAGE #1 - to add an external primer/preheater fill point for the gas-lantern pre-heater cup, i counter sinked out a brass fitting to make a small funnel
IMAGE #2 - the tube will be made from 1/4" stainless steel automotive brake line.
IMAGE #3 - the "funnel" piece connected to the brake line tube via compression fitting.
IMAGE #4 - the brake line/fill tube bent and placed into the primer cup.
IMAGE #5 - the funnel end mounted into the top for filling the pre-heater cup from the top of the lantern frame.
IMAGE #6 - an old salvaged water valve hand wheel will be modified for a gas control knob.
IMAGE #7 - to add more protection to the components below the lantern head, an added heat deflector/shield is added, using a re-worked stainless steel electric range burner tray from the hardware store.
IMAGE #8 - the heat shield/range tray in place under the lantern base.
IMAGE #9 - for a mounting bracket for the Li-Ion Flashlight for use as a front lantern, spot light, and charging the light from the gas lantern.
IMAGE #10 - the bracket mount was made from a block of red-brass and piece of yellow brass flat-bar.
IMAGE #11 - the Flashlight mount/holder in place.
IMAGE #12 - Here, showing the LED Flashlight in the Lantern-mode clip position to be used to power the apocalypse Light in LED/Lithium Ion mode.









Next, is work on the solar power section that will charge the Flashlight/lantern, or charge your cell phone.

IMAGE #1 - i visited a hobby supply electronics store here locally recently, and found some later solar cells they had as one piece. (the largest one is 145 mm x 145 mm, and rated at 500 mAh at 6 volts DC, and should be plenty to power the TP4056 or slow-charge a cell phone. (will likely add more Solar options to this build so it can charge more than one accessory at a time.
IMAGE #2 - i had one of those USB extrnsion cords, so i will salvage the female-end of the USB plug to connect to the panel.
IMAGE #3 - the plug-end from the cord, and with a volt meter i determined the positive & negative power leads. (red & black)
IMAGE #4 - Salvaged a blocking diode from an onlt curcuit board from the junk bins, (to use as a anti-feedback diode on the solar panel.)
IMAGE #5 - the diode & USB plug soldered in place.
IMAGE #6 - i used 5-minute epoxy to secure it in place on the back of the solar panel, and covered the traces with plastic tape.
IMAGE #7 - to mount the solar panel, i made to brackets from brass plate.
IMAGE #8 - the brackets to mount the panel to the lantern main frame, and allow the panel to face the lantern at night for charging, then face up to the sun during the day for charging.
IMAGE #9 - the panel in place for night charging (the gas lantern produces light and radiation similar to the sun, and the panel works really well this way!
IMAGE #10 - the panel facing up for charging during the day in the sun.



- Next photos show modifications to the gauge and LED lantern mode.

IMAGE #1 - I found a lower pressure 1-30 PSI gauge , more accurate gauge in the junk boxes to use for the gas lantern part, ( better as pressures are usually always below 20 PSI) but here i had to use the outer
frame from the 0-160 PSI gauge as it was in better shape.
IMAGE #2 - I decided to add the continuous "glow tube" feature to this light as i did to last years Steam Pipe Light project. I placed the Green LED in the gauge to work as both a night light, and gauge light at night, and the 2-AA battery pack is mounted under the base of the tank. (this will run continuously 24-7 as it does on the Steam Pipe Light, and will never turn off for 2-3 years before it needs its two AA Alkaline batteries replaced.
IMAGE #3 - showing the green "glow" permanent light in the pressure gauge.
IMAGE #4 - here, showing the flashlight with diffuser in place in the lantern for fuel-less LED mode, ( next to the gas mantle.)






IMAGE #1 - Here is the Apocalypse Light with the LED Flashlight in the lower position, diffuser on, and in Moonlight mode. (in this mode, it will run for years non-stop as long as the solar collector is in place and charged by either the gas lantern section or the sun.
IMAGE #2 - here is the LED Flashlight placed in Lantern-Mode with Diffuser in place, in Medium mode. Here it will run on LED mode for 7+ hours per night, charged by the solar panel using either the sun, or the gas lantern (when lantern is in Gas-light mode with the Flashlight moved down to the lower clamp.)Keep in mind here, the LED emitter used in the LED mode, is a high-CRI, ( Color rendering Index) tint, meaning it a perfect neutral white light, and not the typical blueish color of cheap LED lanterns. (closer to the bright white of a Coleman Lantern running with full pressure and Peerless Mantles.



more outdoor photos to come soon of this build with it in use while camping this weekend coming.

Below i added the base cover, to allow storage of extra lantern mantles, Li-Ion cells, the charging cords, accessories, tools, etc.

IMAGE #1 - the base plate was Jigsawed from a used vegetable cutting board.
IMAGE #2 - four brass tabs were cut from sheet brass, to make clips to hold the base cover in place.
IMAGE #3 - the completed base cover in place.
IMAGE #4 - i decided to add an extra feature to this build, the ability to boil water & cook food when using it in fuel modes. (using two pieces cut from stainless steel for a top burner grill.
IMAGE #5 - the cooker plates in place. ( i discovered due to the "chimney" like design of the top, it funnels all the heat up to the bottom of the pot or kettle, and boils water rather quickly!
i have found the adjustment to be able to turn the lantern down to a lower mode for simmering by using the generator cleaning needle adjusted to a partly closed position, (more so on Camp Fuel or gasoline, but using diesel, kerosene or paint thinner as fuel the needle in the generator tends to plug up a little after running for 20 minutes on low, (it seems to be easily cleared by rotating the cleaning lever a few times.
IMAGE #6 - Here showing the accessories stored in place, ( USB charging cords, extra 18650 cells, extra gas lantern mantles, cooker plates, tools, etc.
IMAGE #7 - here the main solar collector in place in storage when not in use in the base over the accessories.




Well i managed to get this build close to completed, with beam shots and running photos.

First up, is the complete build with the flashlight incorporated into its lantern host, running on Li-Ion LED mode in lantern and front-light modes (no fuels) at the camp this past weekend.
-( As seen in the photo below. ( *note the fuel cap on the fount is off & empty, with the pressure gauge at zero,)
IMAGE #1 - In LED mode running in High-Mode with the module in Lantern-position.
IMAGE #2 - In LED mode running in the lower position in High mode.



Next up below, is the light running on fuel-modes.

IMAGE #1 - First here running on Propane. propane is not quite so bright as the other fuels, or the LED Li-Ion mode, but it does run very well on it and is the easiest to light up with no pre-heating needed. (**-note that the fount cap is off again ( fount still empty) due to the variable air/fuel mixture adaptability in this mode it will run on most any LP gas you can find, (Propane, Butane, Natural Gas, a fart, etc ) and with the use of a common gas adapter hose can be run from BBQ tanks, etc.
IMAGE #2 - Here it is running on Camp Fuel, (Naptha fuel/White gas) this fuel is the brightest & seems to produce the whitest light. ( the next easiest fuel to light up in the unit next to Propane.
IMAGE #3 - Next after siphoning out the camp fuel, is Kerosene. To run this fuel it requires a longer pre-heat of the gas generator, (using the pre-heating cup filled with alcohol or using the propane mode to pre-heat the burner & generator.)
IMAGE #4 - After Kerosene, here its running on common Gasoline. this lights up & burns similar to the Camp Fuel, but not so cleanly.

An interesting discovery, i found that there is no flare-up at all after running it on propane first to get it up to operating temperature, (roughly 4 to 5 minutes) then i can switch to any of the the other liquid fuels without turning the lantern off at all, (running in propane-mode preheats the fuel generator & burner head to full temperature, then simply open the air flap valve slightly on the other air-tube, then slowly turn on the fuel valve, then turn off the propane valve after (then remove the propane nozzle & tank) seamlessly switches it over to liquid fuel mode with no flare-ups at all on even diesel fuel or paint thinner.






More fuel types tested below Image:

IMAGE #1 - Here running on Diesel fuel. This fuel seems to be the dirtiest to light up after long pre-heats, and give the most smell, but again it runs fine once at full operating temperature
This also means the light will run on Jet-A, stove fuel, furnace fuel, etc. if you have some as all are similar levels of refinement as Diesel & Kerosene. (i do not have any Bio-Diesel to test sadly.)
IMAGE #2 - I thought i would give Paint-Thinner (Varsol) a shot to see if it works, and it sure does! Here running on Paint thinner. (again like the other heavy fuels, it took a longer pre-heating and some fine adjustment of the added air-fuel flap-valve.
IMAGE #3 - and lastly in this round of testing, i used Methyl Hydrate. ( basically its Gas line Antifreeze, alcohol, moonshine, Grain-Alcohol, rubbing alcohol, etc.) This fuel also took a bit of preheating and air mixture adjustments, and it running properties is similar to propane with the lower light output and slightly yellower color hue of the light, but it does run!

** This fuels testing all took a number of hours to do, as i had to siphon off each fuel before filling with another, then fine-tune the air-fuel flapper valve to get the cleanest & brightest burn rates of each



Ok after the above testing its confirms than it is possible to run this light on nearly any liquid or gas fuel you can pour in it in an emergency situation, (other than vegetable oil or motor oil which i have not tested, and may need to custom build & fabricate a special purpose generator to run such a heavy viscosity fluid through it.)
Most of all the fuels tested seems to run great at an average of 10 to 12 PSI tank pressure, (except for the Methyl Hydrate, which ran better at 15 PSI or higher.

Nex
t testing is the power generation function. I planned to add more removable panels eventually,(to the sides) but right now this one main panel is working great.

IMAGE #1 - here showing the solar panel/generator in place on the folding arms, charging the Li-Ion LED Flashlight/Lantern module while running on fuel mode. (*note the red Indicator of the built-in USB charger on the light module is on charging the Li-Ion 18650 cell.)
IMAGE #2 - Here the solar collector is charging my cellphone. (green light on the phone indicating its at full charge. (* also note on the top of the unit, the pot-holder plates are in place & a kettle boiling water for a cup of late night coffee at the same time.
All the accessories, including the solar panel, USB charging cords, top cooking burner plates, extra lantern mantles, extra 18650 cells, tools, etc. are all stored in the base of the unit.

- Multi-usability is the key here behind this project build, it can provide heat, light, charge your phone, radio, or its built in removagble LED flashlight/lantern light module, and cook meals/boil water at the same time while begin able to burn nearly any burnable liquid fuel or LP gas you can find in an emergency or survival situation.



Below is a photo lf the light using both fuel and LED light running at the same time (here without the LED light diffuser in place as a frontal flood light:



Below, the same dual running mode with the LED diffuser in place as added lantern lighting:





While using both fuel and LED light modes, the lantern part illuminates the entire area around you, (trails, hazards etc.) and the LED light module (without the diffuser in place) lights the path or area in front. (as seen below when carried.)



- For the most part, this build is completed and usable on our camping trips, emergencies, as of right now,
I will provide more photos soon of it in use & recharging accessories during the day.
So far this build has been used at the camp & working great, while providing multiple means of "light" from many sources of fuel and Li-Ion cells.
Some other addition & upgrades/refinements planned for it is more additions, including an adapter for it to run from various power sources to power its light, including 12 volt DC sources, 6 volt sources, AA NiMH rechargeable cells, Alkaline batteries, etc. to add versatility in emergency or "apocalypse" situations, to find power sources to provide Light, heat, cooking, and charging power.
Other additions may include Peltier ThermoElectric generator module, more fuel types testing, more refined cooking/stove top set up, a piezo-spark lighting attachment, (from an old BBQ) and more.





*** - More updates in Post #40.

[CrazyCamperGreg]

Can't wait to see the outcome!

[xvz12]

Very interesting!

[greendohn]

I want one and it's not even finished!!LOL.
I'm a sucker for gadgets and your project looks like the it would rank as "King of Gadgets"

[micaglobe]

Too much Moose Head and Molson.

Fred
ICCC#324

[DBSAR]

EMonk wrote: It will be interesting to see how it behaves with all the different fuels through the generators.
Like, are you doing to have a multiple, or variable tip, or some kind of venturi that does the atomization?
Would you consider having adapters on it in order to use propane or butane?

I sure like the idea though. I saw a camp stove at a local store, that no only cooks your food but has a USB adapter on it to charge your phone.

The Propane adapter added the the burner head is an option i been thinking about adding, but not right away. So far its run on several fuels in testing, (photos soon) and Diesel takes so far requires the most pre-heating of the generator and produces the less light output, but it ran it nevertheless.

[brucesheehe]

Genius at work.

[Matt98B5]

Nice work! I'm looking forward to the finished product, thank you for posting so many interesting pictures of the fabrication process! This is a really neat idea!

[joemiller1059]

Make a parts list and a drawing!???

[DBSAR]

VintageCamping1937 wrote: Very cool, very "Steampunk".

Big difference here is most Steampunk apparatuses are only cosmetic and don't work or have a real operation other than "looks", This custom build will be a full working lantern with other actual working parts, functioning additions, and real useful abilities while camping and power-outage durations.

[DBSAR]

joemiller1059 wrote: Make a parts list and a drawing!???

There are no drawing yet as such, ( as im designing parts & building as i work on it) the the parts list will be extremely long when completed, (including the custom fabricated parts.)

[DBSAR]

Updates in the Original-post.

[HappyKamper]

You gotta make it run on straight veggie oil!!!

[DBSAR]

HappyKamper wrote: You gotta make it run on straight veggie oil!!!

Raw Vegetable oil may be the most difficult to get to run as its such a high viscosity & requires massive pre-heating to get it to burn efficiently under pressure. The standard Coleman style Generator would somehow need to be modified to have a "variable" size needle-jet orifice for the higher viscosity to atomize correctly in the burner head/mixing chamber to burn properly & cleanly in the mantle.

[BigRico]

[DBSAR]

** More updates on this crazy lantern project in the main post.

[Matt98B5]

Wow, amazing work! Also, you do a wonderful job with documenting your progress! Thank you!

[DBSAR]

Matt98B5 wrote: Wow, amazing work! Also, you do a wonderful job with documenting your progress! Thank you!

Your welcome. I just had this lantern running on Butane earlier tonight. and have it set up to switch from Propane directly to the other fuels without even turning it off! ( meaning starting it on the Propane mode will pre-heat the burner and Generator to full temperature, then switching over to Kero or other fuels completely eliminates any flare-ups or sooting.
will provide photos of it running on different fuels soon, and even a video of it switching over from LP gas to liquid fuel while running.

[ehodges]

Way cool!

[nomis1]

That is truly amazing. I've followed this since the beginning and it's been fascinating. Looking forward to more pictures/video.

[DBSAR]

shane1130 wrote: How does the DC power generation work? What sort of parts did you use? Might be a useful mod to a Coleman lantern.

The DC power generation come from solar panels to be mounded as rear reflectors, and two Thermo-electric generators, (Peltier junction plates) mounted above the burner assembly. meaning it will be able to charge its built in Lithium Ion light cells and your phone or 2-way radios at the same time while the lantern is lit.

[wpnaes]

Sure would be cool to incorporate an old TV tube as a part of the ambiance.

[DBSAR]

wpnaes wrote: Sure would be cool to incorporate an old TV tube as a part of the ambiance.

That would be only "cosmetic" though and have no function. this project is about making it functional in so many ways, and every part of it have a working function.

[DBSAR]

*** More updates on this re-engineered lantern in the original post!

[GasPrescue]

This is an incredible project. I'm amazed

[DBSAR]

** More updates in the original post above:
- with photos of running on various fuels, boiling water, charging the built in flashlight module and charging my Cell phone, and photos of it in use.

[rangler]

What you have done amazes me. Impressed with your skill set and your ability to design and produce something that is your own idea. Which reminds me of a question. What gave you the original concept? Is it totally your thought up device or did you see something that was somewhat similar and decided to take it to the next level. Please do not take that last comment as any kind of a cheap shot as it was not intended to be.

[DBSAR]

cosmogs wrote: 2500 BC: Presumably the pyramids were built (general consensus).
1969: Man walks on moon.
2015: DBSAR constructs the Apocalypse lantern.

Need I say more? So - where can I buy it?

The amount of time, work, and parts that went into this re-engineered lantern set up is nearly un-measurable at this point. though to build a second one would take a lot less time, (though still quite a bit of work and parts) as this first project has already used up the trial-&-error to design and get it to "work" as well it does.

[DBSAR]

rangler wrote: What you have done amazes me. Impressed with your skill set and your ability to design and produce something that is your own idea. Which reminds me of a question. What gave you the original concept? Is it totally your thought up device or did you see something that was somewhat similar and decided to take it to the next level. Please do not take that last comment as any kind of a cheap shot as it was not intended to be.

its difficult to explain really. Being a machinist/fabricator by trade, ( and some what of an inventor as a hobby) i just started on this "simple" lantern build one day and it ended up being modified, enhanced, and altered into something with more & more uses and abilities added to make it more useful. Being able to burn and run on almost any flammable liquid that's invented by mankind & poured into it is one thing to refine & prefect, then to add parts to make use of the heat & light it produces to benefit other needs is another i enjoyed adding. (charging phones, batteries, cooking meals, running on zero fuel, using sunlight to power, the list goes on.

[peterthevet]

Beautiful job!! Excellent design/construction skills. Threads like this inspire all of us and give us heaps of ideas that we may utilise in the future. Well done again.

[HappyKamper]

Wow! That is absolutely amazing! Hopefully you will be able to sell them (a limited quantity) at some point.
Question: Will the solar panel eventually disintegrate, being exposed to that much heat and light?

[DBSAR]

HappyKamper wrote: Wow! That is absolutely amazing! Hopefully you will be able to sell them (a limited quantity) at some point.
Question: Will the solar panel eventually disintegrate, being exposed to that much heat and light?

After doing some run testing for over an hour the solar panel don't get as hot as it does when its exposed to the hot sun on a bright summer day, so it should be fine.

[DBSAR]

- More updates coming soon, with this lantern cooking a pot of chili at the same time, while lighting the evening and charging a cellphone all at the same time using regular gasoline.

[DBSAR]

Some updates on this never-ending custom build.
Its been used now a few times camping and put through some interesting tests, and many alterations, adjustments, & refinements to prefect its operation & abilities.
Below is the current list of fuels the "lantern" section can use & burn, (from cleanest/easiest to light, to the dirtiest/hardest to light (requiring longer preheats for the thicker fuels):

- Propane
- Camp Fuel (Naphtha)
- Gasoline (regular or mixed)
- Alcohol (Ethanol, Methanol, Methyl Hydrate)
- Varasol (clear Paint Thinner)
- Kerosene
- Diesel Fuel

I have tested clean Vegetable oil, but the Generator is having a hard time of atomizing it at below15 PSI in the fount, (due to the fine tip needle orifice size) though it does burn when mixed 50% with Kero. (its a bit erratic, smoky and smelly, but does burn at that ratio. The only way it can be run on this heavy viscosity fuel mix is that the lantern needs to be preheated for at least 3 -4 on Propane (to preheat the Generator and burner head to full operating temperature before its switched over the the vegetable/Kero mix. (*I have done a video of the lantern preheating with Propane, then switching over to this mixed fuel. (will upload that as soon as i can re-size the video.)

- Below photo, is the unit using the sunlight to charge the built-in LED module) or can charge your phone in the same manner)



- Below is a photo of the Apocalypse Lantern running on liquid-fuel and performing three tasks at the same time. Producing Light, boiling a kettle of water for tea, (boils a quart/Liter of water in 15 minutes or less)and Charging my Cell Phone at the same time. (i turned the lantern down to half brightness so the photo would not be over-exposed)



Below, is boiling water again while charging the built-in LED light module. (Camera settings set with a high shutter speed to under expose the photo due to the brightness of the lantern and LED module.)




Some planned additions to this build to be done over the next while is to add a built-in Piezo Igniter, (so it will not need matches or external flame source) Also add a Butane burning attachment ability. Along with more solar panel capacity, and possibly the Thermo Electric generator.

[DBSAR]

EDIT: - I hope this re-engineered GPA is not causing seizures or freaking out anyone on CCF.

[Fuzzy]

DBSAR- You have done a wonderful job on that lantern and made it look nice to boot! Amazing the still clean lines and greatly increased functionality. Good work!

[wpnaes]

Agree, impressive work. Visionary talents too.

[Christopher_OR]

How did I miss this earlier? Amazing work!

[It Burns]

You. Are. Awesome.

Thank you for sharing.

[DBSAR]

Christopher_OR wrote: How did I miss this earlier? Amazing work!

Thanks for the comments. I am still working on this to improve it a little at a time.

[BostonTerrierMan]

my goodness this is impressive, i cant believe the talent on this site

you are in Ontario; have we met before?

[DBSAR]

BostonTerrierMan wrote: my goodness this is impressive, i cant believe the talent on this site

you are in Ontario; have we met before?

Yep i'm in Ontario.

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18406ej wrote: DSBAR, Kim Jong Un it would of course be Belgium heading up the list but, well- you know...

I disagree completely with most all of your theories and thoughts. The point of the name of the light is that it have many capabilities in an off-grid survival situation, not to survive a nuclear blast, asteroid, or some imaginary force, your views is just a derailing of my topic and irrelevant. In fact, everything you said is irrelevant to me. As for the so-called "EMP" all the electronics are stored inside the all metal base, making it a "Faraday cage" to protect them. Solar panels have no "electronics" that can be damaged by electro-magnetic energy. As for the charging circuit it to is surrounded by all metal. Any EMP strong enough to damage an Inert solid-state LED, will kill all living things on earth.

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EMonk wrote: I think its cool. You should keep building them, sell them here or etsy. I'd take one. Have you considered replacing the glass globe with fine mesh?

This is the only one that has been built. Sadly the time & work to build it, and cost of limited availability parts would make not feasible for it to try to produce something like this, its more of a unique one-off lantern.