Originally Posted by vrkelley
Very cool! I need to look for a battery that's about 1/2 the weight.
Wonder if a 12V Camera battery would work.
Might. Or, use NiCd's or NiMH's, but unless you find a bargain on the net (there are some,) you'll pay BIG bucks.
To get 1/2 the weight with sealed lead-acid batteries, you could cut one of these factors in half: watts or amp/hrs (run-time.) For example:
1) Buy a 12V sealed lead-acid battery that has only about an hour's run time, somewhere around 2 amp/hrs, with the 20W light.
2) Use a smaller lead acid battery (about 2 amp/hrs) with a 10W light (instead of 20W) from the hardware store, which will allow a longer run-time.
Check around, ask questions, surf the net. Just remember to compare the price between home-built and those you can buy ready-made.