Booklight Number 5 or 6 or so

[drgnbear]

I wish it was built with better quality, but I have to say this is the single best booklight of the 10 or so I have tried. WELL WORTH $19.99. I think for me the quality and tone of the light make it the best. It's a bit heavy, and the batteries don't last as long, and the quality issue that's been mentioned over and over, but I read alot at night and this has made it much more enjoyable.

[NatCh]

The flimsiness is the same for the MightBright CCFL light, I'm wondering if the lightness of the construction/materials might be a specific attempt to compensate for the batteries....

[Bitgod]

I picked one up a few weeks ago, agree about the switch, I thought I broke it for a moment when I was sliding it, it went a little askew, but I was able to reset it back to normal.

[da_jane]

I finally found a booklight that I like. I bought it at Barnes and Noble this past weekend. I'll take some photos tonight but the neat thing is that this booklight has a clock! (which the Reader is sorely missing); a timer for the light; and an alarm. The head pulls out and swivels down and I had no problem reading or having any type of glare. It is still a bit bright for the DH but he said he could live with it.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780641615849&itm=8 ]Link

[igorsk]

You can have a clock on Reader now

[da_jane]

I know but I skeered.

[astra]

Originally Posted by da_jane

I know but I skeered.

Does it mean scared?

[JSWolf]

I've done the clock mod and it works perfectly. That is until Sony comes out with the next firmware that will invalidate it.

[diabloNL]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I've done the clock mod and it works perfectly. That is until Sony comes out with the next firmware that will invalidate it.

Depends what Sony has to offer in their new firmware. If it is not interesting to me I will keep the current one.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by diabloNL

Depends what Sony has to offer in their new firmware. If it is not interesting to me I will keep the current one.

if Sony wants to keep a good share of the market, the best thing they could do is add in support for other ebook formats. The best format they could add in would be support for DRM & non-DRM PDB Mobipocket. That would be a good way to get the people using a PDA to move to the Reader. I would love LIT format as well, but to be real, PDB is more important for the life of the Reader. Also it would make the Reader more attractive to people considering the iRex because of the cheaper price.

[NatCh]

An excellent point, JSWolf, and it would be really nice to have multiple format support, at least until a true 'standard' format emerges. Part of the reason they don't have more formats may be licensing. I expect that they could get the .LIT easily enough, assuming MacroHard's licensing fees were workable, but Mobipocket might be a problem since it's owned by Amazon, which we know is bringing out its own e-ink reading device (at some point), and I recall there were some hints of friction between them when the Reader first released (Amazon listed it for about 20 minutes and then it was gone -- still is, though they seem to have some accessories, which is interesting). Yes, they just worked a deal with iRex, but iRex didn't have a competing format like Sony does. Who knows what, if any, difference that might make?

There are other formats, of course, but there has to be some limit to how many they could cram support for into on-board memory, and how do they decide which to support and which not to? How many should they support? It's the same e-babel, on the micro-scale, and I think I'd rather see more of a push for a 'standard' format than that kind of perpetuation of the format tangle that we have now.

Of course all that's my own opinion, and I don't expect anyone else to share it, necessarily.

[JSWolf]

I know ebook formats are a mess right now. But, if the Reader were to support PDB or LIT then people would be able to purchase book on other sites besides Connect. Yes I know I can purchase LIT and convert and it'll be all good. But, the average person won't know they can do that. So if we get one more forat onboard then we'd be in better shape for sales.

[JoeMai]

Thought you would be interested in seeing the booklight I’ve built for my Sony Reader. It is the result of about a dozen attempts and I now am using it regularly to read in bed. Along the way I tried several commercial booklights; all of which came with baggage that presented problems. This light overcomes a few of them.+

1. It uses 3 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) each operating at its rated current (i.e. 20 milliampers). This current is adjustable (still testing to find the best operating parameters). While 2 LEDs can provide adequate light I added a third for experimental margin. The LEDs are recessed in a housing at the top of arm positioned above the Reader. They are recessed in order to eliminate reflections of the LEDs on the reading surface. The shape of the box helps focus the light on the reading surface.
2. It uses 4 Nickel Metal-Hydride batteries of the AAA size. While it is possible to use much smaller batteries, even button sizes, I chose these in order to have a reservoir of power. The reason will become apparent as you read on. I chose rechargeable type batteries for long term economy.
3. In order to charge the batteries, I am using solar cells. Since solar power is not at its best every day here in New England the extra capacity of the batteries carry me over during the cloudy days when my solar charger is not able to generate enough power. One of the tests that I am presently conducting is to see how many days the solar-charged batteries will hold out. Most recently the batteries were still going strong after 15 days during which I used the Reader in bed for 1 to 2 hours every night. Unfortunately I had to interrupt that test so a new test is in progress..
4. In addition to the solar charging facility, my booklight incorporates a 30-minute timeout. That is, I turn the light on when I begin reading and it automatically goes out after 30 minutes. The reason for this is that often I will fall asleep before turning the light off and the timeout avoids depleting the batteries unnecessarily. The timeout period is also under test to determine its most convenient length. I find that having to turn the light back on every 30-minutes acceptable because it involves simply depressing a momentary button on the side of the assembly.
5. The light assembly is removeable during the day. It also incorporates a plug-in receptable that permits connecting to the solar charger. This way I can take the Reader with me during the day while the sun is charging its batteries.

My experiments continue. At the moment I’m working on a circuit for charging the cheaper alkaline batteries; a solar charger that doesn’t have to be repositioned during the day; a more compact and elegant assembly and etc.

One of the attached photographs shows the light attached to the Reader (it slides into the turned down flap of the Reader’s leather case). The second photograph shows the light assembly alone and the solar charger. The plug at the end of the charger cord inserts into a receptacle on the light assembly.

Joe Maina

[NatCh]

Nice homebrew there, JoeMai, with an impressive set of features so far. If you'll satisfy my curiosity: what material are you using for the structural parts (the attachment & arm assemblies)?

[JoeMai]

NatCh;

The structural materials used in my booklight came off my scrap pile. The batteries and circuitry are mounted on the back of a thin sheet of plastic. The LED's housing was made, by hand, from a cardboard file folder. The arm that holds the housing was made from a piece of tin salvaged from a coffee can.

Joe Maina