Linverter- Run four superbright white LED from one or two 1.5v batteries

What are the benefits of LEDs over ordinary lights?

Superbright white LEDs are much more efficient than traditional light bulbs. A superbright LED is around 6 to 8x more efficient than the traditional lantern or torch bulb. For the same battery life, they can shine 6 times brighter, or for the same brightness, give 6 times longer battery life. Because Linverter can operate down to 0.8 volts, it can squeeze the last bit of energy from the battery so will actually give usable light even longer.

They produce a crisp daylight colour through Linverter even when the cells are nearly dead. LED last around 100,000 hours compared to a lantern bulb's 5-50 hours. (If run at nominal voltage, lantern bulbs will last 1,000-5,000 hours but they are normally over-run offsetting life against slightly higher efficiency). Halogen bulbs tend to be better in terms of efficiency and life compared to ordinary bulbs but generally require at least 20 watts to operate- requiring large cells and giving short life.

LED are much more robust than bulbs. If a bulb is jarred whilst on, the filament is likely to break. LED have no filament and run cool. They are completely solid and are very resistant to mechanical shock or vibration, whether on or off.

Can anyone use a Linverter?

If you have some electronics soldering experience and a soldering iron, or know someone who has, then you can use Linverter. Linverters come as a complete set of components, including 4 superbright white LED and assembly instructions.

How long does linverter last?

Linverter is very reliable. It uses components not known for wearing out. The LED are likely to burn out before the Linverter circuit will. The LED have a rated lifetime in the region of 100,000 hours. No-one knows for sure as they haven't even existed that long!

How long will it last with my batteries?

This depends on the capacity of your batteries and what voltage you are running Linverter at. Linverter will operate over the voltage range 0.8v to 3.1v. The LED will operate at the rated power when Linverter is run from two rechargeable NiCad or NiMH cells. When operating 4 LED, Linverter uses:

A good quality NiMH AA size rechargeable can store 2000mAh. The table above provides some idea of life from such a battery.2xNiMH cells provide around 2.7 volts.

How bright are the LEDs when run on Linverter?

The 4 LEDs supplied with Linverter each emit 10000mcd of white light at 20mA. Linverters are optimised for 2 rechargeable batteries and will provide 40000mcd of light from all 4 LEDs combined. If run from two Alkaline cells, they will emit 60,000mcd. If run from a single 1.5volt battery, the 4 LEDs will give light equivalent to a modest torch, and only consume 30mA. A single good quality Alkaline AA cell can power linverter for around 90 hours and the LED will be run gently so should last a lifetime! Upcoming LED designs with 12000mcd and 16000mcd promise even better performance with the same linverter circuit.

What type of LEDs can I use with Linverter?

Linverter comes as standard with 4 10,000mcd superbright white LEDs. It is compatible with all LEDs with a forward voltage between 3.15 and 4.5v. Such LEDs typically use an ultraviolet (UV) or deep blue diode and use phosphor to convert the short wavelengths to full spectrum visible light. Linverter has not been tested with the Luxor superflux or lumileds. However, I expect they will have a similar forward voltage and internal resistance to the 4 LEDs supplied with the kit and a forward current in the region of 80ma. Please try the kit with such LEDs and let me know your results! The Linverter kits are optionally available without LEDs. The linverter will not operate traditional red, green or yellow LEDs (types with Vf around 1.8v - 2.1v.) although it may operate these traditional LEDs in series combinations of two in series plus four in paralell, making clusters of 8. A separate constant current or current limiting IC is unnecessary with Linverter. Within the prescribed voltage range, the output current is regulated within acceptable bounds for the LEDs. The average output current is not fixed but varies with voltage. This provides some warning of failing batteries and gives some flexibility- 2 cells=very bright + shorter battery life, 1 cell=not so bright, very long battery life..

Are ready made kits available?

I may make a pre-assembled version available if there is enough interest in the kit version. I already have an even more compact design on the drawing board suitable for mass production.

Lamp Conversions

I am proud of the converted light-up spectacles. This shows how effective modifications of existing lanterns can be! The dark picture was taken actually in a bright room (lit by 2x65 watt flourescent tubes). You can see by the computer monitor how the camera has adjusted for the brightness of the Linverter-powered Headlight. The right (as you are looking at them) side is the traditional incandescent lamp. The left side has been converted to linverter. This is run from two AAA rechargeable batteries. The shadows and degree of sparkling in the lens gives an idea of how much brighter the Linverter powered side is.. and the battery lasts nearly twice as long! All modifications were made within the light cluster. No external modifications were necessary. The space in the light cluster is very tight, and the Linverter circuit fits INSIDE the cluster with no further modification of the linverter circuit.

Images of Linverter

This image shows Linverter running 4 Superbright LEDs from one 1.5v battery. This picture was taken with camera flash.

Purchasing Linverter

Linverter kits contain all the components, except wire, to make a complete lighting solution. The kit includes a PCB both for the LEDs and for the circuit, all components including 4 Superbright white LEDs and illustrated instructions how to assemble Linverter. Click on a link below
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