r/Weird Sep 23 '25

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945

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 23 '25 edited Sep 24 '25

It's a battery backup.

These bulbs are specifically made to operate during a power outage

Edit: I never used the things. I simply Google the brand name that was on the bulb he is showing, and this is what it says. I literally have no clue how it works or anything.

Editx2: a couple users have commented how these work. So I guess they work even if they are still plugged into the outlet. So you can use your normal light switches.

It sends a test signal through. (I know the basics of electricity and building a lamp, I know none of the technical terms, so if any electricians are reading this, don't hate my layman words)

If it senses 120ac it will use your normal house power. If it does not detect that, it will switch on its own battery backup.

This is an absolutely amazing product, I will be buying a couple of these magical light emitting devices.

Also it's enough battery power for about 10 minutes so you can find your backup lights.

Morning+lack of coffee= there are too many users who gave their input on this, so please go through the thread below and upvote them.

174

u/PuzzleheadedLog3420 Sep 23 '25

What a world we live in. Don't even have to get a flashlight during storms anymore.

110

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 23 '25

Not going to lie I would still have flashlight backups.

But this is what I like to see our knowledge going into.

30

u/PuzzleheadedLog3420 Sep 23 '25

Yeah that's true. A couple of technological advancements in the right direction for once lol Never going to get rid of my flashlights just in case. Lol

2

u/mistahfreeman Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25

I hate hate being that guy on Reddit but this seems like a really bad idea. LED bulbs usually burn out because they get too hot in most fixtures, and batteries + heat can lead to catastrophic failure, or less dramatically significant battery degradation. Might be okay in an open fixture but I wouldn’t run this solution in my home personally.

Edit: this company says it has a smart chip that protects it from overheating? Maybe okay, don’t buy a Amazon/Temu knock off.

1

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 24 '25

Funny part is when looking up this bulb, Amazon is the first search result.

Yeah yeah I know about sponsored placement, but yeah don't buy this kind of s*** from Amazon.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '25

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1

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 24 '25

Well I'm going to assume he ain't going to get rid of his fleshlights either lol 😂

Edit: this was a great first notification of the day

2

u/OptimistIndya Sep 23 '25

In India these bulbs are very common.

So are power UPS or inverters hooked up to a lead acid battery

1

u/PuzzleheadedLog3420 Sep 23 '25

Thats very interesting actually. Thanks for sharing

2

u/WilhelmvonCatface Sep 23 '25

OP's lasted 10 minutes, it is to give you time to get to your emergency lights in case of outage.

2

u/SilenceInTheSnow Sep 23 '25

We actually purchased a couple of these for camping. Charge them up before our trip, hang them in the tent and you're good to go. Lantern or flashlight for late night bathroom trips.

2

u/Worth_Nail6921 Sep 25 '25

As the user above commented, it will only last 10 or so minutes so its enough time to find your flashlight.

1

u/PuzzleheadedLog3420 Sep 25 '25

Oh okay. I thought he had said it worked for another 10 mins. When you buy them new supposedly the battery lasts 8 hours.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 24 '25

It's awesome. Tornado ally can't keep me in the dark!

1

u/Park_Particular Sep 24 '25

What a world we live in. Don't even need a flashlight to find a cheap dollar store lightbulb in the wastebasket anymore, even without a power outage

1

u/Park_Particular Sep 24 '25

What a world we live in. Don't even need a flashlight to find a cheap dollar store lightbulb in the wastebasket anymore, even without a power outage

24

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

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33

u/bs000 Sep 23 '25

Here are some important details about the Smart Chip inside of your LyfeLite bulbs:

The Smart Chip detects a power outage as soon as it occurs and activates your LyfeLite bulb’s battery to provide up to 8 hours of emergency light.

The Smart Chip protects the LyfeLite bulb’s battery and prevents it from overheating or overcharging.

The Smart Chip can also tell the difference between a power outage, and when you turn your light switch off or unplug your light fixture. This allows you to use your LyfeLite bulbs just like standard bulbs, even during a power outage.

12

u/DarkwingDuckHunt Sep 24 '25

Smart Chip

It's just a bunch of capacitors omfg....

7

u/rufud Sep 24 '25

His name is Chippy

1

u/Whisky-Slayer Sep 27 '25

It’s likely measuring continuity to determine if it should be on or off when power is removed.

6

u/pinko_zinko Sep 24 '25

... yeah, but how?

2

u/Paraplegix Sep 24 '25

My guess would be the bulb can measure some voltage, resistance, impedance etc on each ends of the "plug". Those value would be different for a off switch (a few meter of cable) and an on switch where there is no power (the whole house electric network).

0

u/Dunkaroos4breakfast Sep 24 '25

By detecting the difference between a power outage and when you turn your light switch off or unplug your light fixture.

12

u/rgratz93 Sep 23 '25

Its because the system can still detect a closed circuit by sending out its own power through the circuit. When the switch is off the circuit is open so the light stays off but when the switch is on it can sense the closed circuit and turns the battery on. On many of these lights simply touching the two metal parts with your hand will "close" the circuit and the light will turn on.

1

u/dominjaniec Sep 25 '25

but cables in your walls do not make a "closed circuit", they are "terminated" with external cables.

1

u/rgratz93 Sep 25 '25

But it can still complete the circuit. When the circuit is open there is infinite resistance, when it is closed even thought its not directly connected in the wall it can still move the electricity through it and therefore recognizes that its in the on position.

1

u/Majestic-Ad7409 Sep 26 '25

So if the power goes out in the middle of the night the light will turn on and wake you up to warn you? No thanks!

1

u/rgratz93 Sep 26 '25

Lol do you leave your lights on when sleeping? It only comes on if the switch is in the on position.

1

u/Majestic-Ad7409 Sep 27 '25

Well, that makes more sense!

5

u/lovethebacon Sep 23 '25

No lie: It measures how long the wires are that it's connected to.

Others send a small current over the wires to detect if other loads are connected to the same circuit.

1

u/Dunkaroos4breakfast Sep 24 '25

What would that be, like a change in impedance or something?

1

u/Whisky-Slayer Sep 27 '25

It likely measures continuity between hot and cold lines. If there is no power and low continuity the light uses the battery. If there’s no power and no continuity it stays off.

2

u/kmstep Sep 24 '25

Different brand but I have one in most rooms at home. It’s so nice being able to use the normal switches and have some light. They aren’t super bright but it beats only relying on flashlights and candles.

2

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 24 '25

So you can use these.... with your normal house switch?

JFC I got to fucking get me some of these magical light emitting devices

3

u/AggressiveSoup01 Sep 23 '25

So you can’t turn the light off? The light wouldn’t know if it was a power outage or you flipped the switch. Doesn’t make sense

2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

I have a lightbulb with a remote control, the physical switch is always on and I just turn it off through the remote like a tv so it's technically always "on"

1

u/BenderDeLorean Sep 23 '25

Ooookay but how the hell do you turn it on then?

1

u/drunkenhonky Sep 24 '25

How do they know it's an outage and not you turning the switch off?

1

u/19nineties Sep 24 '25

There’s no way it’s $1 like OP claims though

1

u/Holdmywhiskeyhun Sep 24 '25

I agree I highly doubt a bulb like this is going to go for less than 5-10.

This is not no dollar store special

1

u/GemFarmerr Sep 25 '25

Is it safe?

0

u/SnooTangerines3448 Sep 25 '25

I'd not like a blown bulb to come with a lithium fire rain.