Hello, all! I am looking for some cordless floodlights to be mounted to a massive beam about 12 feet in the air, to illuminate a lecturer in an improvised classroom (in a bar, actually). What I need should be:
cordless (as I said);
relatively wide-beam. No spotlights, because the person is too close to the lights for a spotlight to be useful;
Ideally, broad-SOURCED. What I mean is that the light shouldn’t appear to come from a point source, with the attendant sharp-edged, dark shadows. Multiple light sources would be best (but I LED string lights would not be strong enough, nor directional enough.)
Warm white, not insanity-producing blue-white.
So in other words, the light needs to be directional but not extremely focused, flattering, and battery-powered.
The closest I can come up with is three or four LED floodlights on swivel mounts (like clamp lamps) mounted on a plank about four feet long. That is wide enough to produce friendly light, but small enough to be removable. I could sling a strap or something over the beam to hold it up. The problem is that the cheap LED floodlights don’t use batteries.
Maybe that Ryobi system with the discrete lighting heads? It would need yellow or red filters to warm up the light, I think.
Any thoughts? I am willing to do quite a bit of building/modifying/finagling to make something work.
Thanks!
Biggest issue I think will be your blueish light issue - since any other LED product I would propose might be too blue for you.
However that said one of the first things I thought of - based on your light pattern description - was the dewalt DCL61. It’s cordless or corded - so you have an option - it puts out a wide pattern of light that is fairly white neutral - and would have a few mounting options since it’s frame is sturdy. Might be spendier than you probably wanted but maybe you could get away with just 1 or 2 of them.
Otherwise I would look for some LED based stage lights - actual stage lights with the right frames and product for your task - and I’d look at wiring up some flavor of a power line battery system on them. I think you can even get some that are 12V DC - so that might make your lifer easier - and finally I think there are some outdoor house lighting that might work for you - and again you’d wire up your own battery system. IE say you have 3 lights that are 12V DC need with say 2 amps draw - if you had 2 18V nominal batteries of the 4AH variety - you could wire them in series - to have 36 V - against your 3 lights that are 12V so as to equal the 36 volt . Then on 4AH - with a 2amp draw - they would last at or near 2 hours. Yes very broad brush.
Talking about this? I own one… The lights are closer to warm / yellow. High setting is pretty bright for what it is. The lights are on one continuous string, about 10’ between each light. There are not 3 individual strings as some stock pictures suggest.
Supposedly the Ryobi lights I mention are warm yellow-white, but I haven’t seen them live. If color is an unavoidable issue, I might use some gels or something to warm up the lights.
The Dewalt you mention looks good, but the light level is not adjustable. And yes, spendy but maybe two would be enough, as you say.
I don’t know diddly about stage lights. I assumed they would be too spotlight-y, because the lights will be unusually close to the lecturer. My own battery system? Doable, but I’d like the battery to be removable, so I could charge it easily. That means some kind of housing and connection system. I suppose I could find an old crapped out Ryobi tool, and scavenge just the part that connects to the battery.
I will point you towards LED lights for filming video. These are becoming much more affordable and have the flood like pattern you are looking for and excellent colour fidelity. Choose daylight balanced (4600-5000 Kelvin) or warm white (3000 K) as you prefer. Some are adjustable colour temperature.
You can find battery powered and/or mains adapter versions.
For brands - look at Godox and Aputure for something quality but affordable. Alternatively you may be able to rent some high end units as these are now widely used for studio / location video work.
You should find these better suited to the job than LED lights sold for the construction or camping markets.
Thank you, Alick! That makes a lot of sense. I don’t know anything about video lights, but I do know a tiny bit about work lights, so that is why I went there.