Powers out. The suns going down. Temperatures are dropping. The zombies are…..OK, I’m getting carried away. Lighting when the powers out is not a very popular topic. Beyond flashlights, candles and oil lamps are mentioned frequently. A more modern alternative to candles and oil lamps are LED USB lights. These are small LED lights that plug into any USB port. As soon as I saw them I thought of seeing how they will work on a portable power bank.
I have numerous portable power banks. They really come in handy when regular charging methods are not available.
After receiving three of the LED USB lights from GearBest.com I did a little testing. At about $3.00 each these are easy on the wallet.
Above: LED USB Light with 3000mAh portable power bank
Above: Here’s a pic during the day to better see the setup.
Above: Back patio with a small amount of light coming from the kitchen.
Below: LED USB light turned on. Picture doesn’t do it justice as to how much it lights up the area.
Above: View from the backside after I turned it around. That fence line and those propane tanks are about 30 feet away.
Based on my calculations a 10,000mAh power bank – such as this one – will run the USB light for over 40 hours. This is significant. Sips power.
These can be used to walk around with or position in a house to light up an entire room or area. In fact, a good part of a campsite could be illuminated enough to walk around and check for the occasional bigfoot or zombie.
LED USB lights – $3 each. Not bad. Think I will order a few more.
Late post, but I’m in for a few. I will get more portable power supply’s later.
Mr. JR,
How long would each light light plugged into a laptop? I imagine longer than 40 hours.
I assume the laptop has to be on in order for the USB to work. If that’s the case and the power is out the laptop battery will not last more than 4-8 hours. If the light can be run with the laptop off via USB at least 40 hours if not more. You could try it.
depending on the cells in the laptop battery I agree..
The backup battery pack I have has the advantage of being small.. more portable.. and energy dense.. so it’ll charge other devices as well. I have some $12-20 solar lights.. LED and small panels.. and light combos for out buildings.. that work inside as well. battery in light with LED, as well as some small LD light globes that run USB as well with a hook that hangs on Para cord or whatever.
I have an Anker light bar that works well as well..
I have a few panels that are reserve that attach to a standard 12v battery and come with led lights.. and a small inverter .. All together a few hundred dollars.
Working on more ..
I carry the small stuff in my bag, with extras in totes..
GG58
That pix with the portable power bank, it looks like an electronic toothbrush. Make your teeth brighter, lol. BTW, have you ever looked at or know about Wiggys.com ‘amazing perpetual light’? Non electrical, light rechargeable light source? Just a thought to throw in there.