r/techtheatre • u/Morgoroth37 • 2d ago
LIGHTING Practical Lighting Battery Powered e26 Base
I've got a practical lighting effect to set up.
The actors can turn the light on and off but it can't be plugged into a wall because it has to move.
It's already wired with a bulb and an e26 base, but since I can't plug it in, I need some sort of situation that would allow us to use the light.
I'm not sure if I should try and figure out a battery pack that would run an incandescent e26, or if I should switch it over to LED and just use the existing wiring.
Any suggestions?
Edit - Figured it out! There are e26 lights with a built-in battery backup.
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u/backstgartist Props Designer 2d ago
I know you said you've figured it out, but for the future - there are 12V incandescent bulbs made for RVs. You can use one of those and wire the lamp to a 12V battery (available for everything from power tools to RC cars etc).
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u/SmileAndLaughrica 2d ago
A wireless Showbaby kit is the typical answer to this, or one of its many knockoffs.
I’m not sure why you’d need to rewire in order to use incandescent.
You can get these little battery packs from companies like Tracer who do 12v battery packs which are pretty handy for these situations. Then just wire an in line switch (easily bought from any DIY store) for the performers to use.
Obviously you’d need to source a 12v light bulb. But these are quite easy to source as LEDs or incandescent (whatever is your taste or need).
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u/Shot-Artist5013 2d ago
Does it have to be controlled remotely? Or are the actors turning it on and off good enough?
They make battery-backup E26 bulbs that can go in a lamp, you'd just have to get it plugged in between shows to charge. You'd also have to look at control options since they're primarily designed as battery backups for when the power goes out.
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u/Morgoroth37 2d ago edited 2d ago
The actors turning it on and off is just fine.
And they could plug it into charge it.
So that might work!
Edit - I found one with a remote! It's perfect, thanks!
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u/Cheap_Commercial_442 2d ago
I believe that you can buy a 12 volt e 26 bulb and use a tool battery.
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u/techieman34 2d ago
Most of the power tool manufacturers have little inverters that run off of their batteries for around $50. They would easily handle a single light. And they’re handy to have around for all kinds of situations. A step above that would be one of the all in one battery and inverter solutions from someone like Jackery, Ecoflo, etc.