Apocalypse solar lighting system.

[@DavinDesborough]

If you find you have survived the apocalypse, grab all the electronics and alcohol you can and make your way to the Isle of Man. Big Clive will have the decorative lights up and be ready to carbonate whatever alcohol you bring! The party will be epic!

[@Kage-Yami]

Next project: how to generate/collect/pressurise CO2 in an apocalypse? :D

[@matikaevur6299]

@@Kage-Yami Fermentation, (uh.. like beer or wine). Next project - what to do with all the beer and/or wine that left over from making CO2. I have some vague idea about using boiler, copper tubing and cold water ... :)

[@jmr]

​@@Kage-Yami I watched a video on that already. The guy used baking soda and acid to make CO2 then pressurized it with a fridge compressor. Finally he sprayed it into a mold to make dry ice.

[@jmr]

​@@matikaevur6299 I have thought about collecting the CO2 from wine making. Never got around to it because it would be a pain to refine it. It isn't exactly pure CO2.

[@SeanBZA]

@@jmr Who cares, the sodastream stuff is not pure either, more than 60% nitrogen in the cylinder, to save on the cost of that expensive CO2 gas.

[@CitizenSmith50]

Presumably a pre-apocalypse project. I'd like to see you do a post-apocalypse version using a nail heated in a fire as a soldering iron !

[@fishyerik]

Soldering irons can be USB-powered, in that case you only need a power bank. There are also gas powered soldering irons. But it's not a bad pre-apocalypse project, something to do when you wait for your new soldering irons to arrive.

[@bornach]

​@@fishyerik And there is also the vape battery soldering iron that Bigclive featured a few years ago

[@MartinE63]

@@fishyerik post apocalypse is likely to be post EMP, almost everything with silicon electronics will be destroyed unless it has been stored in a suitably shielded enclosure.

[@PainterVierax]

​@@MartinE63 artificial EMP is not as bad as thunder strikes so not all silicium or semi conductor components will be equally affected. Though a shielded enclosure is just a metal case like an Altoid box so a lot of devices and instruments might survive, especially if connected to ground.

[@BedsitBob]

@@fishyerik "Soldering irons can be USB-powered" Or butane gas powered. 🙂

[@stewartpalmer2456]

What a beautifully simple, yet elegant example. Thank you Mr. Clive.

[@allantoft9961]

Please make more videos like this one! I love the simple nature of it.

[@randomrud]

I am writing to you from the future. I saw this video before the event and it has been very useful. Even though most electronics are fried, you can sometimes find bits and pieces that work. We were fools to trust the visitors.

[@SeeTheWholeTruth]

YESSSSS!!!!!! I have been waiting... MORE MORE MORE!!! What to get, from where, how to build stuff.. Thank you! Clive I have always said.. you are the guy to have in an Apocalypse Recovery.

[@SirBoden]

You know you found your tribe when you find those that are so good at survival they are concerning themselves with decorative lighting. Bravo 😁

[@bigclivedotcom]

Apocalypses aren't all doom and gloom for technical people. It's like a purge of Karens and Kens.

[@Derek_Garnham]

@@bigclivedotcom what! a world without administrators, how on earth would we cope?

[@richardturton6900]

In the USA they build bomb shelters and stock them with food and an arsenal of weapons, in the UK we make solar powered fairy lights.

[@acmefixer1]

Nah. Here in the US we built bomb shelters during the cold war years up to the collapse of the Soviet union. Then we forgot about them for the past thirty some years. People sold their properties and never told anyone, so now what few of those those bomb shelters that were built are still in a few back yards, completely hidden by overgrown grass. 🤷🤷

[@KeritechElectronics]

UK didn't have Vault-Tec, haha!

[@chinanorthairguns]

@@acmefixer1 Atlas survival shelters in Texas makes some really nice ones.

[@skm9420]

@@acmefixer1 not true my friend. Pay attention.

[@carlyonbay45]

I’m not convinced bomb shelters and food hoarding is much of an option - when the outside world is gone - polluted with radiation etc - can you really believe that eating canned food and shitting in a bucket is a ‘life worth living’ ???? ….. I just think a large supply of Valium is a better option - drift away blissfully to oblivion.

[@tonyweavers4292]

An ideal project for those 'street find' batteries.

[@bigclivedotcom]

With suitable charge limiting it would be a good use for them. That could actually be done with the control chips in many of them.

[@zyeborm]

They are more efficient in terms of charge and discharge as well (energy out vs energy in) so in a low light level area it could be extra good. But yes as Clive said at a minimum use cells with protection circuits.

[@Elberto71]

Its a Pity I find more empty packets than the actual devices they once contained

[@zenithtb]

More projects like this, please - teaching my son to solder :D

[@supernova1163]

@@Okurka. why? Is it better?

[@tomp5377]

@Supernova i think early lead-free would dry up in the joints... most repairs would involve a person looking for holes in circuit boards and re-soldering the gaps. Not sure if that still goes on today

[@gertbenade3082]

It's always important to have a small tree with decorative lights during an apocalypse! 💪

[@Quickened1]

It's like a street sign that says, "hey, I'm over here, come take all my food, water, and survival electronics!"

[@gertbenade3082]

@@Quickened1 but that's where you are mistaken: Clive has more electronics hooked up to big battery and uses the little tree to lure others so that he can death-secute them and take THEIR electronics, tools, food and/or Scotch!! 🤣

[@Quickened1]

@@gertbenade3082 yes, there are two ways of looking at it isn't there! And I think Clive is one of the last people you'd want to mess with in the apocalypse, I'm sure he could come up with a thousand ways to electrocute you from a distance!

[@Aco747lyte]

Clive, my daughters and I are real fun times time doing these projects! They bring us such joy, especially these LEDs as festooned they'll stay lit for ages and ages! Thank you very much! Have a great weekend! 🌻

[@acmefixer1]

I'm so overjoyed to see a build-it project from Clive. Just what we need for night lights! I bought a string of several dozen warm white LED blobs along a 25 ft or 7.6m length pair of wires, which came with the plastic case which holds 3 AA cells. It has a USB A connector and so does the string of lights. So this should work great with my 5V, 360 mA solar cell. I'll be using three AA NiMH rechargeable batteries. They should give 1.42V times 3 or 4.26 VDC fully charged, down to 3.6 V discharged. This range of voltage should be adequate for brightly lighting the blue or white LEDs. What I'm wondering is with only two AA rechargeable batteries in series, that's only 2.84V fully charged and 2.4V discharged. How is that low a voltage going to light up blue or white LEDs which need 3V?? They're going to be very dim. Thanks so much, Clive for giving us the inspiration to build a useful project. Please, inspire us with many more like this!

[@bigclivedotcom]

The lights will be dimmer on 2 cells, but the lower current as the voltage falls means they stay lit for an extremely long time.

[@deang5622]

Ebers-Moll says so...

[@lohikarhu734]

the more "modern" white LEDs have lower Vf, so will be ok... you could also use red/yellow LEDs, which have Vf from 1.6 - 2.2(appropriately, without looking at a data sheet) in an apocalypse, you'd probably be happy with light of any color, and red helps to maintain your night vision...

[@kevinm.n.5158]

More of these videos would be great! I want to build little electronics and I love easy projects like this

[@JazZia]

Please do more projects like this one - 3/5/12v doofers built from salvaged stuffs (apologies for the technical jargon). I live in a studenty area, so every year there’s a season where the students migrate, shedding a mind boggling amount of tech and electricals - from novelty tat to consoles, lights and computers - which is followed by the renovations season, where you can find yer more domestic build cast offs and trimmings; eg. the last of an LED strip reel, not enough that it’s worth them keeping, but enough for a small project.

[@Codyjrt]

I’m one step ahead of you Clive. I have several panels keeping deep cell batteries always charged that run turn in LED strips around whenever power goes out. I also have two generators (one petro and one diesel) that power the house.

[@jgurtz]

Always admiring your helping-handless soldering skills, what a cool project!

[@A-Negative]

Would like to see more of these! Would love to see a much more scaled up version for larger string of outdoor lights with a larger panel, 18650’s and the controls for that or rechargeable 12 volt or motorcycle battery.

[@hi-tech-guy-1823]

I Did like lasersaber SOLN1 - Portable Solar Power However i would more Go For Higher voltage Setup's That don't use battery's (MPPT VFD, BPC ) and just outputs 120V ~ 240V AC (3 phase 415V) From 100V ~ 500V Solar DC (Rolling day to day Daytime only setup) Battery's come later on the AC side Tool battery packs with Fast charger 1 ~ 2 hours

[@thomasowens5824]

Clive. I really enjoy all your videos, but I think a series of videos for when the S.H.T.F. would be really interesting.

[@KirstyTube]

I love how easy you make this seem. Thanks to you i have leds lighting up my summer house and decking yano so my visitors dont fall over after drinking my 'soda stream vodka'. I love you Big Clive x

[@Lykaotix]

I know it's simply coincidence but it's spooky that you'd choose such an awesome and simple project! Easy schematic...convenient solar panel w/string lights...😅 I know how my Saturday will be now! Thanks Clive!

[@Mike_5]

Simply brilliantly bright here Clive please do more like this

[@happybeatnik9916]

Thanks for making this video. As someone who wants to dip my toes into solar, this video explains the principles so well. You have a talent for explaining things clearly with a bit of humor, always a pleasure to watch what you are doing. The hunt now begins to find appropriate components.

[@dustymiller1813]

Thanks

[@UserT5959]

I was honestly thinking about a project like this, THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@nigozeroichi2501]

It's apocalyptic visions like this that make me buy old hand irons (lump of copper on a stick) at flea markets ("car boot sales" for across the pond😊) I use them quite often, very portable, work great for heavier gauge wires, soldered my trailer harness on my truck

[@kandyvl]

During blackouts we had to make similar lights here in Ukraine.😄 Because light day is short at winter and not much sun, we didn't use solar panels and rechargable cells. All diode garlands and even single light diodes were sold out fast. Power banks prices rocketed sky up. So you want to buy all components beforehand if you want to be prepared. What people used most back then is simple non-rechargabe alkaline cells(which were still on sale), electric instrument cells, car batteries etc. Simply what they had at hand at moment. Alkaline cell and light diode was simpleist and what were made most to place it all over your home and bathroom more frequently😄

[@wisher21uk]

Excellent easy build thanks Clive, like the idea they’re on all the time

[@ErniePantuso]

Love your videos Clive! I am a cabinetmaker, so the dancing pixies are way over my head, but I do enjoy how you explain various electric projects/teardowns inner workings. I live in Hungary, and since the war is looming over our head it would be great to see more of these videos that would be very useful in the event of ww3. How would BigClive generate electricity to keep his kettle going?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'd use a solid fuel Kelly kettle.

[@zyeborm]

Anything that makes heat uses lots and lots of electricity. (Reverse cycle air conditioning still uses lots of electricity, it just produces lots and lots and lots of heat) Save the electricity for literally anything else. Like some nice lights :-) (Roughly speaking Clive's kettle will use about 6000 times more power than those lights. Could be double that depending on how he's done his lights)

[@hinspect]

I am *Very* impressed at the way you solder, it is an acquired talent. I thought I was the best 😂

[@deang5622]

The trick is being able to hold as many things as you can in two hands: Soldering iron Solder Wire Circuit board And hand in contact with the work top, a couple of fingers holding the circuit board other object to keep it still... Pressure applied to the circuit board to stop the components on the underside falling out when you are soldering them... You don't need tools to hold the board..!

[@maxmitchev2678]

Going back to an earlier video, I’d love to see a version of this with some of the batteries you yanked from those disposable vapor devices, I don’t have NiMH batteries lying around but I have a ton of those

[@rikardogibola1312]

Anyone care to help? I want to order a small reel of wire for various little jobs but I have no idea what wire size I need. The red / black wires used in this project would be perfect. Any idea on size please?

[@vhfgamer]

I'm sure glad I've held onto those wee solar panels over the years. I have at least three I could use for such a project. One puts out roughly 3-4 volts. Another one puts out 5-6 volts. And the third puts out 10-12 ish volts.

[@MadPlasmatist]

I put several dollar garden lights around the house by the lamps and if the power goes out, they well, they light up =) Neat episode, looking forward to the next!

[@townbell2248]

These are the kind of projects I want to try. Thank you for sharing

[@PetraKann]

Superb left handed soldering skills.

[@marekzalewski8447]

Thank you for this interesting and helpful, to a novice like me, video. It's inspired me to emulate this circuit as soon as I can gather all the components

[@welshtony1]

Very nice project, be good as a "night light" for a child's bedroom. On that note i'm almost tempted to buy the bits to make one for my child.

[@yahya-anw]

Another awesome video from Clive. I'll add to my KZbin apocalypse playlist so I can watch it later.

[@Teknopottu]

Copy the schematics on paper. When the shtf, there very likely may be no KZbin.

[@DrowSkinned]

This one gave me so many ideas! Thank you 😊

[@manuellujan666]

Dollar store solar panels and rechargeable batteries are my jam

[@scottthomas3792]

In the '70s, I built something similar...20 surplus selenium solar cells and diode, to keep a nicad 9 volt battery charged. The battery powered a Western Auto transistor radio. It was mounted on an old cafeteria tray...looked weird, but it kept the battery charged ( took all day).

[@radry100]

There were solar panels in the 70s?

[@scottthomas3792]

@@radry100 selenium solar cells have been around forever....silicon ones since the '50s. Generally, you bought individual cells and assembled your own. Older solar cells were .5 volts at a few milliamperes. You wired them in series to get to the voltage you wanted. Selenium solar cells were very inefficient...and were common surplus in the '70s....silicon had replaced them.

[@mikeb1417]

Brilliant video, I actually end up buying loads of kodak batteries from the poundshop for the numerous string lights around the house, now I'm going to buy some small solar panels instead happy days.

[@nightmareinaction629]

I got into messing with solar lights recently found some neat ones. Modifying them to last longer because they don't get full sun all day so added more solar to it and slightly bigger battery from 800mah to 1200mah

[@deang5622]

They always put pitifully small PV cells on to them. I got some really nice flickering lights which have a small panel on top but also have a USB charger input so just purchased a much bigger panel

[@TheBurnsStuff]

I really like your project videos. They are probably my favorite. I enjoy the reverse engineering videos for learning about this stuff. I can't believe how much I have learned from watching your videos. I can identify parts just by looking at them now. It really is a good feeling.

[@Space_Debris]

*_Simply_** Brilliant*

[@thefirstcalled]

Thank you so very kindly! This is exactly the project I've been looking for, for my Grandchildren! Perfectly safe, and fun! Those magical electronical pixies!!!

[@Derek_Garnham]

I've had to recycle/scavenge solder from circuit boards before now for running repairs, I did a good enough job for a temporary fix. This video did make me wonder how one could make solder and flux from scratch or at least recover it from the smouldering ruins of civilisation.

[@Electronzap]

I had lot of fun making mini solar power systems using LEDs in series and parallel as make shift mini solar panels and capacitors as rechargeable batteries. It only provides enough power to make an LED flash briefly or let you watch the multimeter discharge the capacitor faster than the LEDs can charge it while you are measuring the voltage. But, it demonstrated the basic principles of gathering, storing, and using solar power without having to make any extra investment beyond a basic electronics component kit.

[@BogdanPatlun]

Ukranian viewer here, sr. EE, survived blackouts with my team with almost no effect to our regular workloads. AMA

[@dragonrider4253]

This is why I adore simple technology. That little project would probably keep going for MANY years. The LEDs being run at such low current would ensure a long and prosperous life of spewing photons. The only thing I see is the batteries would need to be replaced every once in a while.

[@SeanBZA]

Easy fix is to grab old car batteries and make a 2 cell battery out of them, so you can run the lights for decades, simply keeping the paste wet.

[@Teknopottu]

​@@SeanBZAAn interesting idea. Small charging amp would not work on lead acid, though. Needs more to tickle the chemistry. Lots of small panels or pieces of broken, bigger panels could work if buck converters are not around.

[@SeanBZA]

@@Teknopottu You can downsize the cells you make to match the capacity of the cells, as in most cases you would be remaking the plates entirely on old well dead batteries, so simple flat lead plates, with the lead oxide pasted on, and in the separator pouch, will work. Not going to be a 55Ah battery, more like 15Ah, but will last a long time.

[@Teknopottu]

@@SeanBZA True. My input was about how to charge them.

[@deang5622]

Solar panels will degrade eventually too. But that is likely to be a lot longer than the battery replacement time.

[@beanapprentice1687]

A small hand-crank generator would also be quite handy for the apocalypse. It could be as simple as a DC gearmotor from a scavenged child's toy connected to one of those 12v to 5v USB car adapters. A diode could be added to prevent the dc motor from destroying the device if it is cranked the wrong way.

[@jmr]

Electronic crafts with Big Clive! Cool video!

[@displayname8580]

I've loved all your content since ashens shoveled me over here almost a decade ago, but I love these simple how to building videos

[@1o1s1s1i1e]

Excellent! Just what I've been looking for Clive, and I have all the scrap parts ready so will make this later today. Thank you!!!

[@karllangeveld6449]

I’d better buy a butane gas powered soldering iron, in case apocalyps strikes.😂

[@richardwernst]

Nah, just do as in the old days, build a fire and keep your "irons in the fire"... :)

[@baneverything5580]

I use little alligator clips that come attached to both ends of two foot wires.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

You'd be far better off with a 12V soldering iron. Where are you going to buy butane ??

[@sometimesleela5947]

And a metal paint/ammo can to keep the semiconductors you'll be needing in so they survive, should the apocalypse mode be emp-generating.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

@BreatheScotland That's not so great for soldering components. Better for gutters & lead light windows....

[@vk3hau]

You know its gonna be a good video from Clive Mitchell when the words Apocalypse is in the title.

[@mallow173]

Great IDEA!! And you're absolutely right!!

[@treelineresearch3387]

I found a little solar light while cleaning up today that I built a while back, I think inspired by one of your designs. 1 diode, 1 resistor, 1 2N3904, and a self-protected Li-Ion (aftermarket Gameboy battery I found in a clearance bin) strapped to the back of a 12 cell solar panel. Still charged up and worked fine despite being under furniture and covered with dust and dog hair for a couple years!

[@jjab99]

Great video Clive. I love the build it videos more than any other kind. They always bring me inspiration and encourage me to get off my ass and do something!! Many thanks and please have more build it videos?? Joe

[@seanrh4294]

You could replace the battery with about 15-20 1 Farad Capacitors with 4,7 Volt each. Connect them in parallel so that it won't affect the overall performance much if one fails or 2 at some point after a few years. I built something similar but powered with a hand-cranked generator. It takes about 2-3 minutes to charge the capacitors with the hand generator and isn't very exhausting. Can be charged with any other electricity source like a solar panel too. I did a video about this on my channel. You have to be careful with capacitors however because they can discharge energy very rapidly. Don't touch your tong with it for a test ... ;)

[@loteknomad5032]

Yes! Love this sort of project. Please do more of these :) what sorts of things would you look for and scavenge regularly? What sorts of devices could be easily improvised?

[@mystery_pond]

We have several strings of solar lights indoors, with the little panels stuck onto the windows with blu-tack. They work alright, but the panels are realistically undersized so they tend to run out fast unless it's the middle of summer. I recently picked up some larger ~2ft square 30W caravan/canal boat type panels, and I'm planning on making one larger battery pack using LiFePo4, with several plugs like the ones you add to your strings to be able to have maybe 6 or 7 off one longer lasting pack.

[@McTroyd]

Something you showed but didn't really mention: If at all possible, especially in a post-apocalypse scenario, use connectors. It prevents having to completely rebuild the light every time something fails, and makes simpler-to-troubleshoot modules for people that might be less savvy. (This is post-apocalypse, so you're trading these with other survivors for supplies, right?) It does add considerations for accidental disconnects and waterproofing, but I still think the difference is worth it. 👍

[@kimvibk9242]

Excellent project! I am considering making something like this for my garden shed so I always have illumination in there. And I will be kind and not point out that in a post-apocalyptic world without electricity most people would struggle to get a soldering iron going...😉

[@josefkeitell6946]

I actually just recently did this. I used 4 panels scavenged out of solar lights tied together with the day ight controller and a small lithium cell out of a discarded "street source." Works great, plenty of light and absolutely free.

[@brucewayne-cave]

Please do a video of what 'Clive' would want in his Faraday Cage - EMP 911 components kit. Please do more of these Apocalypse videos. Love it !

[@deang5622]

I can answer that question for you: definitely something bright pink and vibrating. Something weird and Japanese...🤪

[@jacobtrapp3772]

I make this kind of stuff all the time, so neat to see other ideas!

[@ACupOfDuck]

I pressed The like button extra hard on this video! Please make more like this!

[@christianlett]

I'd definitely recommend the switched version - you never know when you need to quickly turn off the lights when the zombies/cannibals/aliens come knocking! Anyway I'm off to find a bunch of solar panels to use with my scavenged lithium vape cells.

[@ReviewingModsOfGames]

I love the idea of making simple things out of scavenged "trash." Even in a pre-apocolyptic environment, it could be considered recycling.

[@gertjanvandermeij4265]

So ..... *Just 150 of those, and we can POWER our whole HOUSE ?* 🙏 CAN'T WAIT for the APOCALYPSE !!! Thank you Clive, you are an lifesaver ! 🤝👌👍 Who needs an electric company now ??? 🤣

[@methanial73]

Philips makes these really cool battery back up LED lights. It's just a standard LED with a lithium battery inside. The bulb has a switch on it to turn on the light or will automatically turn on in the event of power failure.

[@kobrapromotions]

DIY Big clive project! This is great!

[@ryanfitzgerald8769]

Love your videos! Thanks for making them, constantly learning. I have an interesting (and somewhat scary) situation that maybe you can help me understand how it happened. I had a cheap dc speed controller that I installed in my kid’s power wheels. I had built an arduino to talk to a Bosch e-bike battery to power the 36v, 500watt motor. I was out with my son today, and the battery system was having an issue and shutting down. So I disconnected the Bosch battery, and connected the previous 36v lead acid battery. The Bosch battery was disconnected first, but the wiring included a 30amp buck converter (as an auxiliary output to 12vdc). After hooking up the lead-acid, the speed controller shorted the battery to the motor output, ignoring the input from the variable resistor foot pedal. The result was that it the ride-on toy went very fast, and my son ended up crashing into a rock at about 15km/hour. He is fine, and little shaken, but ok. But I am baffled as to how this could happen. Any thoughts? Controller was uniquegoods Upgraded 10-50V 12V 24V 36V 48V 40A PWM DC Motor Speed Controller CW CCW Reversible Adjustable Knob Switch Plus Control Driver a.co/d/fmeV0nE (motor and drive train came from a kids electric quad bike, not the stock power wheels motors or gears). Thanks.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It maybe crashed electronically or the output transistor may have failed short circuit (very common). It is useful to build in a safety cutoff feature that can be triggered quickly.

[@ryanfitzgerald8769]

Yes, after that the rebuild will have a big red stop button on the dash! Is it possible for a buck converter to amplify the line voltage? From the smell and burn marks and bubbling of the large power trace, I would think the voltage may have been doubled from 36 to 72.

[@youwilldisobey]

Nice to see you have a more simplistic Survival Aid vids, you know Mr Cliveypoo you should do some more of these Vids, practicallity in the face of adverse situations is of particular necessity in these most uncertain of Ages. My thanks- Bubby".

[@casinivan]

A couple of years ago I built a solar light circuit with 2 supercaps and a joule thief powering 2 1W leds in series. The solar panel was salvaged from an old horrible nicd solar light. I used a npn transistor and the same solar panel for light detector. Super simple circuit, lasting to this day!

[@lutzj74]

Very nice project! What about using a P channel mosfet? Gate is connected to + of the solar cell, Source to + of the battery and Drain powers the LEDs. They should only light up when it's dark.

[@MsLancer99]

I work as a volunteer on a steam preservation railway and we do what you just did. IE Some cars have incandescent lamps and some have fluorescent lighting. Problem one is we have to use the same lamp holder or with tube lighting the same lamp shade and two it all runs on 70 volt DC? SO we do what you just did. To day buses use 24 volt LED lighting and that where we started from

[@fazergazer]

Also a useful ghost-repeller at night!

[@OrbitalSP2]

For the apocalypse I've made a solar dish using an old directv parabolic dish and aluminium tape. I can boil water with the thing using about half a square meter of solar area

[@OrbitalSP2]

@BreatheScotland some people managed to do it in the UK. Idk if they were in England tho. Maybe they were lucky with the 15 days of sun lol. Search for the video "Baking sourdough bread in a solar cooker - UK". There is a also a dude that cooked a whole chicken in a box solar oven in the UK.

[@fromfin90]

i have an old powerbank case with solar panels, they open like a book, it also has adjustable output voltage, should get it into operation as i removed its battery as it was bad. This is a fun adn simple project, i like it

[@UpLateGeek]

I would definitely need a switch on the lights, for some reason any light in my room when I'm trying to sleep bothers me. I had to put something to cover the LEDs on some of my electronic devices that stay on. They were so bright they were literally lighting up the wall on the other side of the room, like 5m away!

[@Simon-qn5wm]

Great littler project, with the current dismal spring weather in the UK I might as well put a 1Mohm resistor in mine. 😁

[@bigclivedotcom]

Even in UK weather the output just regulates down to match the light received.

[@andybobandy641]

Clive, what are your thoughts on how long of a wire you can have between the solar panel and the battery pack and the string of lights before it starts eating away at the power? Can you, say, have the solar panel in a window 10 ft away from the string of lights? 20ft? 30ft? At what point does the wire length become a problem?

[@zyeborm]

It'll depend on how bright your lights are and how thick the cable is. If you're using say an extension lead I can't imagine 30 meters being a huge issue, you may need to adjust the value of your resistor. If you use really thin wire then it may start to matter earlier. But even then it's just going to reduce the effectiveness it won't stop it from working at all until you get silly.

[@littlebacchus216]

I love little projects like this as my level of electronics didn't get much past playing with veroboard.

[@richardsandwell2285]

Being almost totally off-grid and enduring the month of famine which is predominantly December but it can be tricky in early Jan and late Nov depending on conditions, its an improving situations has I fit more panels and new systems. But I have come to respect energy more and use battery power wisely at these times. But living in a house you often have to turn lights on in lots of different rooms just to nip downstairs for something in the night, this is crazy when the light from a single 5mm white LED is more than enough to light a room just to allow you to get safely to where you want to be and back again. Small systems like this interest me has a back up system to supplement what I already have.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I have USB rechargeable PIR lights to light paths that are walked at night or during power failure.

[@rlemoyne007]

I guess it could be used as a night light indoors. I would add current limiting for the diode to last 12 hours.

[@KBlackW]

I used to like these sorts of projects - I still do - but they always get me thinking. That I can rig a generator to run on woodgas or make little solar powered things is fine and dandy, but every useful thing I can do relies on salvaged parts that will degrade. I don't know how to make a transistor. And the person who does, presuming they survived, probably lacks to the raw material. And the person who can process silicon to make the transistor probably can't extract it. And the person who can, probably can't transport it... human technology relies so much on society, on all of us working together and sharing our labour and knowledge, the only really useful tool we can hope for in an apocalypse is the company of others, teaching and helping each other to survive and build and grow.

[@Aps5153]

Thank you Clive it’s nice to see a project that I can do I have no 3d printer so a lot of the projects recently I can’t do. I have one question can I use a usb cable instead of the the solar panel.

[@bigclivedotcom]

You would need a diode and resistor for USB charging

[@Aps5153]

What resistor would u recommend I was thinking 100ohm.

[@Ed19601]

For some reason i always find lots of LED stringlights in the recycle bin at my local shopping centre and after christmas that includes .eter and metres of led xmas lights in working order

[@richardwernst]

Excellent, great project, thanks. Any idea if putting one of these cheap solar panels or refurbisted outdoor solar light panels behind ordinary glass will lessen the power generated much? I think most of the cells are geared towards visible light but can utilize some infrared and UV. Thanks!

[@bigclivedotcom]

It shouldn't impact output, but will give good protection.

[@DoctorX17]

Definitely the hardest part would be soldering if you only have a big desktop iron that uses many many watts. If you've got a gas soldering iron or a USB one and a way to charge a Lithium battery it makes it way easier. I actually have little USB 8W irons that I keep in convenient places just in case... as well as LiPo cells and some small solar panels so I have a starting point to produce more power. Plus my area has a LOT of homes with solar systems, so I could get started quick on big lighting. But this would definitely be something I'd do for fun!

[@keinohrhasi79]

Dude, i love you! I´m thinking about such a project for years! and you just did it!! you gave me a lot advice :) but here is a hint you might like: "golcap-super-battery" (one per LED - paralell connected) - i have seen a video where a guy took out the battery of a "LED-Solar-Gardenlamp" and replaced it with a "goldcap" and he told us the LED would last for about 8h.. I think you got the idear :D but your projekt is about spare parts, thats also pretty!

[@PenryMMJ]

I do watch a couple of "prepping" channels, but I've always thought the best way to deal with an apocalypse is not to have one. Even without an apocalypse this is a good project for re-purposing some of the technical "junk" that tends to accumulate in my house.

[@martenthornberg275]

Don't think technically minded people would do any better post-apocalyptically either. While we are making decorative lighting for our shacks, the more religiously minded people will be busy trying to get us burned for being witches.

[@keithking1985]

Thanks Clive 👍🇮🇪🙏

[@SpikeXtreme]

Considering we just got the emergency broadcast test today (sunday) this video is very fitting or worrying depending on your state of paranoia.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I didn't get it. Apparently the network I'm on had a technical glitch.

[@hughbrackett343]

Dollartree/Poundland solar light. Snip one lead of the LED and add a switch. What I do so far when the power goes out is go outside and gather some of the solar lights as the sun sets. Then I pull the batteries out of all but the ones I want on. We just got some more expensive solar lights that have an on-off switch. I haven't determined yet if they charge in the off position.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Most don't charge in the off position, but a diode between the solar panel + and the battery + will fix that.

[@kimsleep4111]

Just a wee bit dim, would it be interesting to use a garden lite solar charge controller, and play with the on board inductor to lite the additional leds?

[@stevesretroloft]

Nice, I didn't realise those little solar panels output a decent amount (for their size) - I'll have to have a play with the collection of dead garden lights!

[@fenceup07944931177]

You would always know who was a big Clive viewer, in an apocalypse. We would all be looting Poundland.😂