Moth Sheet - Portable Power recommendations

I use the UV Beast flashlight. It works, but I’m not sure how well compared to more elaborate methods since I haven’t done a simultaneous comparison. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CV24OGK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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welcome to the forum, @kenkneidel!

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That is just an inverter, for converting a low voltage DC source into a higher AC supply. Couple that with a battery and you are talking quite a bit of weight. Here in New Zealand we are 240VAC on our domestic supply, and typically 12VDC for vehicles. I have a 7ah 12V battery that I use a 100W inverter with and I am able to run my 30W homemade skinner trap for about 1-2 hours. The battery weighs about 2.5kg (5lb).

I use a LepiLED with Powerbank…

@martingrimm could you give a sense of how robust the LepiLED is? I’m very interested in a setup that can be easily backpacked (along with camping gear etc.) into very remote locations, and that will last a long time with frequent use. Thanks!

I’ve put together a couple of the rigs from the calnature.org site above. They work well, but the power packs tend to crap out (i.e. stop holding a charge) relatively quickly. Perhaps a different brand would work better. They do bring in the moths though, especially if you are outside the city where it’s really dark. Finding a way to hang the lights can sometimes be a challenge. They seem to work best when hung a certain distance from the sheet.

Do you have a ballpark figure as to how long the batteries last? This sounds like a simple light source, but if it only lasts 10 minutes it’s not much use. I’m assuming it lasts longer than that!!

How long the battery will last depends totally on wattage of lights and amperage of battery/powerbank–which can vary a lot. Here’s how to calculate it (if it’s got a USB plug, the voltage will be 5 V, not 12 as in this example for a car battery)…
https://homebatterybank.com/car-battery-powering-light-bulb-how-long/

Here are two very different power supplies:
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Essential-Portable-High-Capacity/dp/B07SQ5MQ6K/ref=dp_ob_title_wld

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DDHC5MV?creativeASIN=B07DDHC5MV&imprToken=ERVAfPWG7MrzbBolpNDZZA&slotNum=0&tag=powerbankexpert-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

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Thank you everyone for your recommendations! After looking at everyone’s recommended power banks and a couple chats with some other iNat members I think that a fuel powered generator is probably the most affordable and efficient option available to me in Australia.

Thanks again to all the forum members who replied :slightly_smiling_face:

I bought it for mothing in Tanzania - and it’s made for things like this. Had it in luggage, in tents, high humidity. Fell down sometimes. Still works.

Thanks!

I operate a LepiLED maxi (see Dr. Brehm’s website for the low down…); have used it for overseas mothing (e.g. the attached photo taken in Sept 2019, Dalma Wildlife Sanctury, Jharkhand, India, observations on iNat)


and taken the powerpack (x2) on international flights in the hand luggage. The LED unit is encased in a short plexiglass tube and runs hot (just over hand hot, so pack a cloth for handling / packing). I run it in conjunction with the Bioquip mothing sheet (fluoresces under uv light) and loop in the light unit on an S hook into one of the guy ropes for the sheet, so don’t need a tripod or other hanging point for the light.
Doesn’t seem to work well in areas impacted with light pollution (e.g. here in Hong Kong), but is good in more rural settings and great when well away from human habitation. The whole kit (light+powerpack+sheet) weighs less than 4lbs (probably less than 3) and can be operational within a few minutes once at the field site.
The LepiLED maxi operates for about 6 hours (plugging directly into a USB port) on a 26,800mAh powerpack (=99.2Wh) - the max size allowed in hand luggage on international flights
Once my mercury vapour lights are all cooked and buried, LED lights will be the way to go, I suspect. Definitely better than lugging around a large bucket trap, gennie, cable and smoking hot mv bulbs from a logistical perspective, though not a match for the mv setup in areas with light pollution.

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With a group of friends we were looking to set up a light trap to attract moths. A professor of ours and other friends who have already done it suggested using UVB lights, actinic lights, LED or neon, the problem being they all need to be hooked to the car battery or some other power source which we won’t be able to do given the location where we will be. So my question is, can anyone suggest a light source that is effective but doesn’t require a hook up? Thanks in advance to anyone that can help.

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A light up tracing board. We have one that is battery operated and has a light surface 15-18 in.

you may want to check out
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/attracting-moths-with-a-blacklight-bulb-or-torch/8246
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-are-good-homemade-insect-traps/2357

regarding the UVB source, unless you’re relying on fluorescence, i wonder if that might be outside the range of light visible to moths?

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I’ve used the 395nm set up that just runs on an external battery charger, here: https://calnature.org/blog/2017/9/27/diy-moth-light. Super-simple setup, and so far it’s attracted some fun moths as well as other insects. I haven’t yet tried it on a really warm summer night, but looking forward to it!

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These options look great…thanks for sharing! I think this LED UV lights is really the way to go for something ultra-portable. The setups described on the CalNature page here rely on 5volt DC power sources, which does limit you to either finding a 5V LED UV light or making one yourself. Another option is go with 12v rather than 5v. The main advantage to 12v is the greater variety of LED UV products out there running on 12v–designed for auto or even boat markets (UV/blacklight ‘fishing’). Some of these 12v LED UVs specify the nm/wavelength, some don’t. To power these, lots of options available, including smaller 12v wheelchair/scooter batteries in Lithium and Lead Acid versions; 12v chargers are inexpensive and widely available. I’m not sure how the life/number of charge cycles compares between these 12v and the 5v USB power supplies used for the CalNature setups though.

more info on the LepiLED can be found at https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/Nota-lepidopterologica_40_0087-0108.pdf

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We got this light and use little USB chargers my dad gets at business conferences to power it. Each one lasts a couple hours, I think this is the model. We didn’t get the light until late last summer and only got to try it a couple times. It didn’t bring in a ton of insects but I’m not sure if that’s the light or timing.

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