[Monolith]

Seem to remember there was some evening action on http.bloc from a few years back (by car headlights if I remember?).

[lagerstarfish]

I have acquired one of these bad boys from Castle Market in Sheff for a tenner.



No charger and no lead from battery to lamp, but easy to make replacements/substitutes. Hope it works.
I like both gadgets and bargins 

I'll let you know how I get on...

[Monolith]

That looks a winner and potential bargain as you say. Would be keen for one if feedback is positive.

[lagerstarfish]

Machine Mart sell them for £35 (new and with all leads), which would still be good value if it does the job. Allegedly up to 5 hrs of light from a 20w fluorescent tube type bulb (similar to energy savers). I suspect that it won't charge up very quickly. Pretty hefty affair - the front of the lamp is about 9 inches in diameter and feels like it weighs 3 or 4 kilos (nice metric/imperial mix from my brain there).

Phoned Machine Mart to ask for details/specs. They also reccommended this



for £28 which has two 24inch, 18w tubes and provides 90 mins of light with both tubes or 3 hours with one on a full charge. Looks like it might fit into a crash pad better than my new toy - shadows might be less harsh too?

MM have got back to me about charging my beast. 16 hours to full charge and no electronic shut off when it is charged - but ok to leave charging for up to 48 hours. Not great, but ok I guess.

[Bubba]

Some more here

[r-man]

Been experimenting with lighting systems over the years. Basically, avoid cheap battery powered things. I've got one like Lagerstarfish's yellow monster and while it gives a decent amount of light, it doesn't last very long. And it takes ages to charge again. I've also tried several other battery powered things and they either don't last long enough (90min is not great, by the time you've warmed up you've only got an hour to play - it'll probably die just as you think you are going to do your problem) or are not bright enough (eg. the battery lantern type things).

Polish Dave has a couple of those tube things, which last a while, but they still are not as bright as a lantern. I got a lantern not so long ago, and it's great. Twin mantle, ignition switch. Don't know how long the canister lasts but I've had several sessions with it so far, each a few hours long and it's still going. Also the ignition switch means you can easily turn it off between goes if you are resting between attempts. It's much brighter than the tube things and cheap battery things too - lights up a whole boulder, no problem. Still wise to use headtorches and other lights so you don't get too many shadows though. Portablility isn't a big issue - I just carry it by the handle, usually I use it instead of a headtorch. But I have stuffed it inside my mat before, with all my other stuff.

There is one other steup which eclipses the lantern for brightness. A bicycle light attached to a seperate battery (cyclists will know what I mean). It's super bright - and more portable than anything else. The batteries last for a whole session, then can be recharged. Apparently the batteries cost lots (you know, the ones shaped like a small thermos), but you could probably pick up something a bit bulkier and cheaper at maplins - it would still be easy enough to carry.

Good photo taken by a friend of mine from last week's session:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=81223

[Norton Sharley]

i'm gonna try out my bike lights...

720 lumens!!! - not far off most car headlights!!

was just gonna gaffer tape onto a tripod... my lights are LED (www.exposurelights.com) so dont get hot.. HIDs will get too hot as they're designed to burn on a moving bike. The really powerful bike lights are too expensive for the odd bouldering jaunt.. but if you've get em i reckon they'll be great!

960 lumens for the new Hope 4 LED's !

Soon as they actually land in a shop I'll be having some I reckon

[lagerstarfish]

Took the Yellow Monster out last night.
Managed to capture a few easy problems with my rather basic camera on its normal auto setting


Really enjoyed being able to stay out longer 

[Monolith]

Nice one on getting out. The piece of music that accompanied that footage is probably the most bizarre piece of music I think I've ever heard. Sounded like Jean Michel Jarre had a jam with Mouse on Mars  on acid in a time machine. Was this the case and if  not who was the artist lager?

[Zods Beard]

Anyone know what these are like, thinking of buying one.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/lumostar-m270-piezo-3227289/

[lagerstarfish]

The piece of music that accompanied that footage is probably the most bizarre piece of music I think I've ever heard. Sounded like Jean Michel Jarre had a jam with Mouse on Mars  on acid in a time machine. Was this the case and if  not who was the artist lager?

Jean Michel Jarre had a jam with Mouse on Mars  on acid in a time machine and emailed it to me.

Actually, its computer generated using Sony Cinescore with minimal input from me - so totally royalty free - feel free to rip it to CD. Can do you a whole album if you like. I am the new John Cage 
My other composition tool is to use the music gen function on MS Photostory (free). It rocks/sucks/blows etc.

The Yellow Monster had about 4-5 hours of charging from flat and gave me 70 mins climbing before I had to go to parents evening at Lager Jr's school. I then left it on at home and got another hour and a half out of it. I guess that with the full 16 hours charge it really could give 5 hours of use. Good enough light for me to climb by. I have a fear of being in charge of lamps run by real fire in a national park, so will stick to this beast. Didn't feel the need to wear a head torch, but can see that in many circumstances it would help. I used to use gas and paraffin mantel lamps to go fishing and remember them as being brighter than this thing. I actually missed the freindly hiss of a gas/paraffin lamp, but the silence+light+outdoors did make for a nice surreal experience on my own.

According to the manufacturer (Clarke) the lamp is supposed to come with a 4m lead so that the lamp can be moved away from the battery. I don't have this due to my buying it 2nd hand, but can see that this would be handy if one were to use a pole/tripod to put the lamp at a good hight off the ground. The lamp stays cool during use. It took a while (15 secs) for the fl tube to light when I got it home - probably because it had got cold in the boot of my car - I know these bulbs don't like the cold so that may cause it to not light at all if it gets really cold. I'll do more tests.

[lagerstarfish]

I forgot to say that the Yellow Monster spreads its beam over what I guess to be about 150⁰. Nice wide coverage compared to spot or search lamps. What with the inverse square law and all that, putting the light closer to the rock and still getting coverage must be a good thing, non?

[lagerstarfish]

Edit
Non. putting a wide spreading lamp closer to the rock will result in an area of light which is intense at the centre and becomes weaker towards the edges (as per laws of fisiks etc). A more focussed beam would mean that the lamp was further away for the same coverage, but the circle of light hitting the rock was of a more consistant intensity. Probably

[Jaspersharpe]

Edit
Non. putting a wide spreading lamp closer to the rock will result in an area of light which is intense at the centre and becomes weaker towards the edges (as per laws of fisiks etc). A more focussed beam would mean that the lamp was further away for the same coverage, but the circle of light hitting the rock was of a more consistant intensity. Probably

You love all this science stuff don't you?  *things going straight over my head smiley*

I can concur that the knocked off second hand Yellow Beast is most effective and a proper bargain.

[Kingy]

I investigated buying a camping lantern for use at the crag and was mighty confused by all the light output systems being used. Apparently the term 'lumens' refers to the output of luminous flux produced by a given lamp. The term 'lux' refers to the illuminance produced over a given area - this will vary according to how big an area the lamp is used to illuminate. However, I can't quite see where watts comes in. I googled this information page which may be of interest http://www.brillianz.co.uk/data/documents/Lumen.pdf

[Monolith]

The piece of music that accompanied that footage is probably the most bizarre piece of music I think I've ever heard. Sounded like Jean Michel Jarre had a jam with Mouse on Mars  on acid in a time machine. Was this the case and if  not who was the artist lager?

Jean Michel Jarre had a jam with Mouse on Mars  on acid in a time machine and emailed it to me.

Actually, its computer generated using Sony Cinescore with minimal input from me - so totally royalty free - feel free to rip it to CD. Can do you a whole album if you like. I am the new John Cage 

So that's what it'll sound like when Computer's supercede humans! Wow.

Had a lovely session last night. I'd show you footage only it's of failure and more failure. I really dig that shot of Squamish by night from earlier on in the thread, not sure why but it psyches me up big time to go there.

[meatball]

Had a lamp lighting session at frodsham ( mostly on hoopla ) with the mad dog donnoly on tuesday. Totaly sold by this concept now!!! Conditions where great. The future is upon us!!!

[BenF]

with the mad dog donnelly on tuesday.

That'll be because Matt turns up so bloody late that lamps are necessary just to get some climbing in.  Remember that time you and him arrived at the Pass just after four pm last year?  Met us as we were walking back to the cars to drive back to Liverpool. 

[meatball]

HAHA!!! your half rite on that one mate!
Still nearly did retro party that day after a skin full of booze ( which you know i rarely divulge in )
When are you goin to join in the festivities???

[BenF]

When I have two working shoulders. 

[Jaspersharpe]

after a skin full of booze ( which you know i rarely divulge in )

To divulge in booze! I like it. The perfect description for this perhaps...........

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8576.0.html

 

[meatball]

good shout Jasper!!! although turning up at the crag still pissed after a two hour drive kinda feels like

[lagerstarfish]

To divulge in booze = in vino veritas ?

More to the point, Meatball, what is the secret to being able to not divulge whilst in booze? Can you tell Houdini, ta.   

[Houdini]

I've no idea what you want from me.  All I know is that a bottle of frog red and spic rioja will evolve into a 3 hour sesh at the pool tomorrow.  It would appear that I'm impervious to all drugs.  I can take 1.5L 13% red and run a half marathon the morn.  What do you want from me?   An admission of addictive personality.   N' shit!

 

[lagerstarfish]

I want you to be my audience when some do-gooder comes up to me and asks why I am wandering around the Peak District with a BIG YELLOW LAMP; causing me to launch into a Zarathustra style rant about looking for God and not finding him. After this has happened, I will wait around for Godot and his enormous crashpad.
This bug dust produces a very Literal high...

Sorry Houdi, shouldn't have implied that I want you to refrain from intoxicating divulgance; not the case at all - you write far, far more sense than most of the intoxicates I listen to - please carry on (and not just when intoxicated),