outdoors solar powered night lights

[alma]

Several months ago, i purchased a set of outide solar powered night lights.

Apparently, when the sun shines on them during the day, they are designed to charge two little batteries that are discharged during the night to give light.

Well, for some reason, i took one apart to see what made it tick, and found that i could run a radio on the four units that were collecting the light and charging the batteriy.

I diconnected the charger part and used only the four units directly in the sun, and voila, my radio that required three 1 and a half volt batteries worked great.

Now, i disconnected another and it, too, ran a radio without the charger unit attached at all, only direct sunlight.

The other two, i am using to charge one and a half volt batteries, 4 each day, two in each unit just for fun for a few days.

--and so, i have two permanent solar units to use for radio in the event of an emergency, and two for charging batteries to use also.

One of my radios also has a light in it and the solar units, both direct sunlight or solar charged batteries play the radio and act like a flashlight.

Boy, is it fun.

I'm gonna try to connect them in such a way as to get more power from them if i connect them in series, or maybe parralell. I amjust learning about that.

If these two can give me more power, then i will take one of the other two apart, and leave only one for charging.

Any info will be appreciated.
I'd sure like to make solar cells, but don't have the right info yet.

I was working on this several months ago and lost the two unit's i'd been working on then, and forgot what i was trying to do then. love, alma

[12vman]

Hi Alma..

I think it's cool that you're experimenting! Nothin' ventured.. Nothin' gained.. ;)

If you were to disconnect the L.E.D. in those lights, You could keep them full of batteries and just let let them lay in the sunlight. The batteries would always be at full charge and you could use them as you needed to. Those little panels would never overcharge the batteries, It would just keep then topped off real good..

Quote..
I'm gonna try to connect them in such a way as to get more power from them if i connect them in series, or maybe parralell. I amjust learning about that.

Panels are like batteries. If you connect them in series, The voltage will increase but the current (amps) possibilities will remain the same as one. By connecting them in parallel, The current will increase by around 2x but the voltage possibilities will remain as one..

Being that those panels were designed to charge 2 batteries, Connecting them in parallel means that you could charge 2 batteries in half of the time, Twice as fast as normal. Connecting the panels in series means that you could charge 4 batteries, in series at one time, BUT it would still take all day..

Learning from the lights that I've messed with, The batteries are usually in series. The panel is designed to charge the batteries at around 2.4 volts. (1.2 volts per cell) The maximum voltage of the little panel will probably go to around 3 volts or so (under load) to get the batteries to full charge. The current (amps) is probably in the milliamp range so there's no worries of fire or the batteries exploding..

The batteries usually have a milliamp hour rate (mAh) posted on them somewhere. Most of the ones in those lights are around 600 mAh.(.600 of an amp) We'll figure the panel is designed to fully charge the batteries in.. We'll say.. 6 hours of full sunlight. If this is the case, The panel would put out around 100 milliamps of current. (.100 of an amp) In 6 hours the panel would provide the 600 milliamps to fully charge the batteries @ around 3 volts.(under load) The voltage always needs to go a little higher than the designed battery voltage to achieve full charge. (This is true with any battery)

Keep pickin' away, Alma! I'll help ya if I can..
~Don

[alma]

I don't exactly know what i am talking about, but here goes.
I'll try to tell you and ask for questions in my own language as much as i can.
Not quite sure of this parrell stuff and series, but am working on it.
I have mounted 4 of the panels, one from each solar light that contains 4 cells, and charges 2 1.5 volt batteries.
When i put the panels directly in the sun without batteries, etc., i can run a radio and light.
When i use two of the units, i can bring in more power and play a 6 volt radio, and am hoping for 9 volts today without batteries, only the 4 cell units.
Now, if i run the 4 in series, i think you mean i can get more voltage for larger things, like a 6 volt t.v. that i have.
If I run it parrell, it will bring in more voltage in shorter time. Right?
Now, if i connect all of the 4 units i have mounted on the board, without any battery, can i charge a 6 volt battery if I connect it directly to it.
Also, each unit, before i disassembled 3 of them, had a little unit with the batteries that were to be charged, but i took three out.
Can i now keep the one in the 4th unit, but string a line from the positive and negative end to a 6 volt instead of the small voltage that came with the set?
I bought another 4 outside lights today.
If i mount them, what is the best thing i can do with this new four-set one before i play around with them.
Sue is worried that i may electrocute myself, ha!
--but i might blow out a radio or two in the process.
I have a 12 volt t.v.. too, and want to run it if i can.
I know this all sounds goofey, but it is fun, and i have lots of time on my hands to get into all kinds of trouble.
I spend a lot of time embroidering on velvet, crazy quilt patterns, and make little quilts for doll beds like old ladies should, and have written a lot of boolklettes that i am going through to discuard duplicates, of which there are many, and consolidating things, and salvaging all the family stuff in one booklette alone, instead of all mixed up with the others, and tidbits of rare and interesting history stuff, and making another book on my exploits in the 60s with the democatic convention in chicago in 1968, the civil right movement in d.c. with martin luther king, the march on the pentagon in 67, and visits to congressional offices etc. etc., and going to jail for 2 weeks with dr. king's group, and anti war stuff. --you name it.
This is quite a lot of work, but i already have 50 pages from earlier times from letters i wrote to my sister at the time, but now many pages more in a separate booklette.
It's nice daring to put your foot in your mouth when you are younger, while you are taking on the system, so you have a wealth of stuff to write about when you can hardly walk without support in your old age. I'll be 85 in a couple of months.
Dont have access to computer much these days, please excuse the rant. *love, alma
Gotta get back to my solar stuff while the sun is still out.
love, alma

[alma]

iT'S BEEN MUCH TO HOT HERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SO MY SOLAR EXPERIMENTS HAVE TAKEN A BACK SEAT TO OTHER THINGS SUE AND I ARE DOING.
oops, didn't know the cap key was on. not enough time on computer todo much about it now.
Must ask you about another thing i am doing as soon as i can get it all together.
I have a little hot plate that holds one cup, and it goes into the car cigarette lighter place.
I guess that must heat a cup of water from the 12 volts there.
--and so i am going to try to connect 4 of my units that have the power of two 1.5 volts each, or three in each unit.
If i connect these to the 12 volt hot plate unit, maybe i can heat some water directly from the sun with these units.
I'll try series and then parrall.
I can't get a shock with this can i. Sue is worried that i might hurt myself.
what dya say?
I haven't used my new set o 4 yet at all. love, alma

[JAK]

Your cup would heat up faster by itself sitting in the sun, but if you put a car battery in there it would work, and the cells would trickle charge the car battery. Instead of a car battery 2 x 6 volt batteries in series might work.

Anyhow, sounds like a fun project. You've got the voltage and current pretty much figured out, so I would start thinking about power and energy.

1 cup of water weighs about 1/2 pound, so it would take 50 BTU to heat it from 50F to 150F. 50 BTU is about 15 watt-hours, or 1.25 amps of 12 volts for 1 hour. Of course at that rate its going to start losing some of that heat before it gets there. But with a decent car battery you could do the job at 15 amps in abour 5 minutes or so.