Portable, motion-detecting LED lights are an efficient way to light rooms at night for a few minutes. This portable light from Maxxima, turns on when you enter a room in the dark (similar to motion-detecting outdoor lights), then turns off after 30 seconds of non-motion.
It runs on four AA batteries (we suggest using NIMH rechargeables), and should last about two years before the batteries need to be replaced.
It has a light sensor to make sure it doesn’t turn on during the day. These are useful in a on-suite bathroom or other places you venture in the house at night. It glows with a soft bluish light — enough illumination to complete a task. They can also be used as a reading lights, or during a power failure. These are priced around $15.
Available from: Amazon
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Maybe I’m way off on this, but it’s my understanding that a NiMH battery’s charge has a shelf life on the order of a few months, whereas alkalines can sit stably for years and years.
In other news, I’m looking into recharging regular alkaline batteries for my low-draw or infrequently used devices (remote controls, flashlights). Here’s one posted on Kevin Kelly’s CoolTools:
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000709.php
I’ve used rechargeable alkalines, and
my experience is that they do leak fairly fast if you recharge them a few times
(the recharging process eats away a bit of the casing each time) — and that’s with a slow pulse charger like KK describes. It does work, but take them OUT each time you’re done using the device. Not for standby applications.
Eneloop and similar long-lasting NiMH should work better than standard ones in this kind of application.
Don’t leave them IN anything