need ideas: how to build battery powered outdoor led ambience lights

[blueindian]

so i go to a buch of festivals in the summer and i have this big canopy that i set up to cook under, stay out of the rain, etc. i want to hook up some ambience lighting, kind of like that rope lighting you can get to go under deck railing.

i want to make it out of leds, maybe a string of 20 or 25 of them and make it such that it will run for at least 24 hours of one set of rechargable batteries.

how would one begin such a project? i've never built anything similar.

alternativly, i'd buy it. but so far i've only found sets that run for 10 hours off 2 D batteries. I want more run time without having to change the batteries and, preferably, smaller batteries.

[oblongmelon]

so i go to a buch of festivals in the summer and i have this big canopy that i set up to cook under, stay out of the rain, etc. i want to hook up some ambience lighting, kind of like that rope lighting you can get to go under deck railing.

i want to make it out of leds, maybe a string of 20 or 25 of them and make it such that it will run for at least 24 hours of one set of rechargable batteries.

how would one begin such a project? i've never built anything similar.

alternativly, i'd buy it. but so far i've only found sets that run for 10 hours off 2 D batteries. I want more run time without having to change the batteries and, preferably, smaller batteries.

Hanging Candle Lanterns..which are encased, yet vented to allow airflow and to prevent fires..Depending on the candles you get, they burn for hours and look very swanky. Some of them had colored glass which looked very nice.. I had gotten mine at Home Depot..much more fun than worrying about batteries..

[nickel]

are there solar powered lights as such out there? i have some solar powered patio lights and they work nicely.

[blueindian]

Hanging Candle Lanterns..which are encased, yet vented to allow airflow and to prevent fires..Depending on the candles you get, they burn for hours and look very swanky. Some of them had colored glass which looked very nice.. I had gotten mine at Home Depot..much more fun than worrying about batteries..

i've already got those, they don't do what i need.


are there solar powered lights as such out there? i have some solar powered patio lights and they work nicely.

to big.

[oblongmelon]

so are you looking for "twinkle" type lights?

[Cubsfan]

You can find some bright LED's at www.superbrightleds.com I've ordered from them before and they have some nice products.

Also, for the cord between the LED's, you may want to look at low voltage yard lighting wire.

As for battery life, hopefully we have an electrician or EE on the board that can figure that one out.

[nickel]

well, just a quick search, but they do make solar powered string lights.

http://www.solarilluminations.com/acatalog/Solar_Christmas_Tree_Lights___Party_Light_String.html

[Airencracken]

Or modify an existing system to run off of a car battery. :D

[mcs328]

Something like EL wire?

http://www.vibelights.com/