My portable light

[JoeTC]

I thought I'd share how I keep my portable lit since it seems to be a popular subject on this sight.

I used to use a 12v, 25 watt bulb connected with gator clips to my deep cycle marine battery but after a couple years of hauling that huge thing and killing one battery in the cold I decided to down size. Here is my new 18 amp/hr agm sealed battery encased in a homemade wood box.

Inside my portable I clamp the light to one of the rails and run the wires to the battery in the sled and if I'm outside I can clamp it right to the box. It weighs about 10 lbs and gives off tons of light in fact I think I may try a 15 watt bulb next time. I have yet to run the battery out so I couldn't tell you how long it will last, a long time is all I can say. The battery cost $60 but you could probably get by with a cheaper one and the rest I had but I can't imagine the light and bulb where too much money.

Just thought I'd share my idea since it has worked so well for me.

Joe

[Augusta]

Not a bad idea......that has me thinking now....

[evinrude19]

hey joe i have that exact same thing exept without the case i just connect the clip right to the pole of my portable it works really good and when i am done fishing i clip it to the front of my sled so i can see where i am going when i am pulling it =]

[Johnsonator]

how big is that battery compared to a standard vexilar battery? I wonder how long a small watt light would run on a standard vexilar battery? I have always run 12v lights in my permenant with a big deep cell battery and have had great success.

[evinrude19]

i use just a deep cycle battery that i use in my boat

[JoeTC]

The battery is 7"x7"x3" so just a little over two vex batteries. A vex battery won't cut it with a 25 watt bulb, but it might make it a little longer with a less powerful bulb.

Joe

[iceman16]

nice light there Joe. hey when ya gonne be back from the flatlands we got to get out and do some ice fishig headin up to mille lacs in the morning. got some new toys i got to test. give me a call.

iceman

[Bobb-o]

here are some pics of my set-up. I took two 3057 bases out of a car's brake lights (one my sister was junking) then ordered two 18 LED bulbs from hsolist (total was like $12 plus $3 shipping) wired it up with speaker wire (5 cents a foot at fleet farm) and some alligator clips and even put a switch on it (which i am thinking of switching to a 3-way switch, cuz 2 of them on at the same time can be too bright at times, so it would be nice to have only one on). I got the little black clips at Ax Man so i dont know where else you can find them (but i need to get one more for my comp fan so when i go to check i will let everyone know if they still have them) and they are screwed in to the bases. they clip perfectly on to both clam and eskimo fishhouse bars.

When i first got it all set up i wanted to see how long it would last so i threw them in a closet with a fully charged vex battery and left it, after checking repeatedly for two days the vex charge indicator never went below full charge!! only thing i wanna do now, besides the three way switch is to get another smaller battery for the lights cuz when i wanna go hole-hopping and someone else is in the house they get annoyed at not having any lights.

I also found some pipe flange fitting thingys to put over the lights to protect them and radiate the light a little. i am gonna epoxy those on when i finally get around to buying epoxy.

Sorry aboot the pics being on a hockey net, but thats all i had available in the house and wanted everyone to get a feel for how they clipped on.

[Tman2]

That looks like a good set-up Bobbo. Why wouldn't you just use the light that belongs in the socket? It seems like it be easy to replace wherever you might be. (Although, it still would be, just not with the same LED.)

I was at Target and saw a BBQ grill light. Runs off of batteries, and has a flexible neck. Not as inventive as some, but I thought it would work.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb194/terrysavoie/0900631b80f32393MTIF.jpg

[aanderud]

Quote:

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That looks like a good set-up Bobbo. Why wouldn't you just use the light that belongs in the socket? It seems like it be easy to replace wherever you might be. (Although, it still would be, just not with the same LED.)

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The lights that originally go into that socket probably aren't as bright, or if they are, they most likely suck more juice off the battery. The LED lights usually give a brighter light for less wattage than incandescant, hence the big move toward them with xmas lights. In xmas lights, the primary concern is heat and cost. In ice fishing, battery life is key!

Nice setup, by the way. As for having batteries that are independent from your vex: I would guess that you could wire up 2 of the 6-volt lantern bulbs in series, giving you the requisite 12 volts and plenty of life. But then again, in the long run that would cost more than just buying another vexilar-style 7 amp hour rechargeable battery. I've seen those for as little as 10 bucks WITH a charger!

[jbird68]

Bobb-om

Do you take the hockey goal on the ice with you? If the fishing gets stalled, you can always play hockey.