What is it?

LiTTLe Thief is a Joule Thief Night Light operating on a rechargeable 14500/AA Lithium battery

Why did you make it?

Normally a joule thief operates on standard 1.5V primary cells (alkaline etc). By using a Lithium battery, it is possible to drive more LED in series or higher voltage LED, LED strips, etc. delivering more total power! Plus, this is rechargeable and very easy to use while allowing for some DIY mods too!

What makes it special?

• LiTTLe Thief Night Light runs on a single 14500/AA sized Lithium Battery. There is a Li-Ion and a LiFePO4 version
• It will charge from any 5V microUSB source (computer port, wall adapter, 5V output solar panels etc).
• The battery is protected against over voltage/current/discharge.
• LiFePO4 batteries are typically more safe than normal li-ion/li-po cells but Li-Ion cells are relatively cheaper and store more power at the same volume
• It has very low consumption measured at 7mA max, running 10hrs every night, a 700mAh cell will keep it running for 10 days straight on a single charge (LiFePO4 version). For Li-Ion version consumption is a bit higher but LED are generally brighter.
• It is also possible to use external LED shall you want to test brighter ones, different colors, more LED, LED strips etc. A switch selects the onboard or external LED and there is room for two through hole LED on the PCB for DIY, experimentation or to solder extension wiring.

LiTTLe Thief is available as a fully assembled PCB with 14500/AA holder on the bottom side.

There are 3 versions Li-Ion without battery LiFePO4 without battery & LiFePO4 with battery (Soshine 700mAh)

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT USE PRIMARY (ALKALINE OR LITHIUM) AA NOT RECHARGEABLE BATTERY WITH LITTLE THIEF ALSO MAKE SURE YOU ONLY USE LITTLE THIEF LI-ION WITH LI-ION BATTERY AND LITTLE THIEF LIFEPO4 WITH LIFEPO4 BATTERY. FINALLY, IF USING EXTERNAL LED THEIR FORWARD VOLTAGE MUST BE MORE THAN 4.5-5V FOR THE LIGHT SWITCH TO FUNCTION Dimensions aprox 70mm x17mm x20mm