Introduction: LED Lights for Fluorescent Light Lantern.
Get a new life of the old fluorescents lights Coleman lantern.
Step 1: One Step for All Information.
Here I installed LED lights to an old fluorescent light Coleman lantern. After I installed a new 6V battery in this lantern, I realized the lights from the fluorescent were very dim. I bought 4 x 6V led lights and place them in a plastic template cut from a box lid. Sorry that I decided to post this great idea after I made it. Thus I cannot take a template. But you can easily place a paper after you open the top of the bottom bub 2 holes. Then with a pencil you can mark those 2 holes and the diameter of the bottom area. Cut and then make 4 equidistant holes for each of the 4 LEDs.
You need some small wire to solder at the bottom contact of the LEDs. I took wires from an older LAN cable, since I have lots of extras LAN cables. I bought at ebay (links bellow) the lights for under 2 dollars each, and the switch for 1 dollar (2 pack).
Than is just to splice the cables and solder them at the positive bottom and negative side. I filed a little on the side where I would solder to make it easier. Then use some electrical tape to make sure none of the exposed wires soldered touch each other.The soldered wires will be enough to hold the lights in place, you can ply them outwards a little.
You will need a small whole to thread the wire downwards and a hole sideways opposed of the main switch for the green push on/off switch you bought.
Solder the positive wire into the switch's bottom, and another to go to battery, thread the cable through the nut to close the switch in place after. I bought 2 sets of these cheap switches, one already I damaged as my soldering iron was a large one.
Solder into the direct negative wire and the positive from the switch to the leads that go into the battery. Make sure the leads are out of the battery of course. And here you have now LEDs for your lantern. And they are very bright and use little energy. I did place some aluminum foil in the top plastic inside, making sure not to touch the lamp and the middle pole that brings 36 V converted up to the fluorescent lights. Secure with some scotch tape. This foil will help to reflect some of the light downwards.
