I love the way you vocalise your thought process lol
@incy552 ай бұрын
again I am amazed at the dexterity of your left hand/fingers. bravo
@LarixusSnydes2 ай бұрын
Third hand? I don't need no third hand...
@francistheodorecatte2 ай бұрын
seeing that sort of handiwork in clive's videos are one of the biggest reasons my soldering skills have improved so much over the last decade.
@alexmarshall43312 ай бұрын
Dyspraxics arise!!!
@thehappylittlefoxakabenji81542 ай бұрын
Ive soldered that way all the time I pretty much had to as I didnt have a proper work bench when I first started soldering at 12 years old
@imark77777772 ай бұрын
I'm in the camp that wants to see all of them changed their match in color. When we moved into the house we are in now it came with outdoor lights down the driveway. Really old incandescent outdoor peg lights. Well one year we picked up some colored binder separator things basically colored cellophane/plastic. And we sliced a little strip off and put it in each light to make them more colorful. They really do look neat that way. No if I could just get the plug to plug in a Wi-Fi controlled outlet we might be able to turn them on more often as the mechanical timer never function since long before we purchased the house. And the RF remote that I have got unplugged because it blocked the outlet.
@technozombiePT2 ай бұрын
I'm always amazed by Clive's dexterity! It's mind blowing seeing holding a pcb, led and solder on one hand!
@InfiniteLoop2 ай бұрын
Had a Big Clive moment at the local dollar tree, saw a box of extension cords, ignored them started to walk away, noticed a single pink one in the box, bought it and brought it home because "you always buy the pink one".
@Bob.Jenkins2 ай бұрын
Ah - Thank you for solving a little mystery for me, Clive. A few days ago I heard a loud 'Pop' and went into the Garden only to discover one of these Lights in pieces. I thought my neighbours son had taken a pot shot at it with his Air Rifle because the entire upper section was absolutely shredded.
@JimithyJamithy2 ай бұрын
I love coming back to check on big Clive and seeing all the new fun burn marks on the bench 😂❤
@merwindor2 ай бұрын
Being not from the UK, Poundland sounds like it should be an adult web site.🤣
@Pyroteknikid2 ай бұрын
Pretty sure it carries that meaning in the UK as well. They love their play-on-words naming schemes.
@Doc_Hawk2 ай бұрын
As a childish American, i will always chuckle at it
@Handyman11992 ай бұрын
I have the same lamp in Germany at a (dutch) store called Action.
@chitlitlah2 ай бұрын
I've mentioned on here before that it sounds a lot like Poundtown.
@jmr2 ай бұрын
I have said I want a T-shirt from Poundland. 😆 Another great shirt is the ones from Beijing that say "I❤BJ".
@henrybecker28423 ай бұрын
With that many pink LEDs, how many Pink Lawn Flamingos do you think you can illuminate?
@brianm63372 ай бұрын
My bet is 250
@u.e.u.e.2 ай бұрын
@@henrybecker2842 Less than 50.
@static_bolt2 ай бұрын
Depends how much you want to light it, I'd use the entire bag on one
@cyby1242 ай бұрын
2 weeks ago??????????????
@u.e.u.e.2 ай бұрын
@@cyby124 It's first for donating members, later for everyone.
@ShanesGettingHandy2 ай бұрын
Clive, you are certainly an expert at everything you do. Thanks for another stellar video!
@u.e.u.e.2 ай бұрын
Now you don't just have a kinky palculator but also sinky polar light - excellent! 😂
@RFC35142 ай бұрын
Sure it's not a linky polar sight?
@u.e.u.e.2 ай бұрын
@@RFC3514 Maybe 🤣
@TYGAMatt2 ай бұрын
Thanks to your vids I have about 20 of these scattered around and not a single white LED among them. Also stole your simple mosfet solar circuit for strings hanging in the trees, and then the Mrs wanted twinkly lights so broke out a few ATtiny85 chips for twinkles and flashing strings. Is exceedingly satisfying
@boudicca71812 ай бұрын
Thanks Clive. Hope your job is going well.
@Frankhe783 ай бұрын
Ah, it is pink! That is a good start!
@gregorythomas3333 ай бұрын
If you get the chance and change out the other colors I would love to see the end result :)
@SirBoden2 ай бұрын
I think my uptight neighbor needs these hidden around his yard. Up trees, in bushes, etc. 😊
@AndrewJens2 ай бұрын
Well, up something.
@phantomkate62 ай бұрын
Genuine lol
@FarleyHillBilly2 ай бұрын
You need a piezo sounder and a battery connected through a timer, on for a few seconds and off for a few minutes. Impossible to find.
@davidfalconer89132 ай бұрын
Should your ( uptight ) neighbour , have a house named [ Whistling Pines ] sneak around his house at night and swap the E and I 😝.... and see how many ( weeks ? ) it takes for him to notice ( tried - n - tested ) DAVE™🛑
@Jimmyfisher1212 ай бұрын
Thank you Clive I will be buying some of those lights and adapt them for my boat just as marker lights for when I am anchored at night.
@ghostkhadaji3 ай бұрын
I just removed a faulty switch like that from a product that was malfunctioning. I soldered wire to the only setting I care to use, and it works great now.
@tin20012 ай бұрын
I've done that a few times with solar lights. The switch is really only there for shipping.
@robp91292 ай бұрын
Thanks Clive; always enjoy your personal customisation vids. Had a nice pint in the Whitehouse in Peel the other week 😉
@Uncle-Duncan-Shack2 ай бұрын
Yes, they are freely available items and highly customizable to suit the required application or taste. Thanks for sharing, hope the work is going well in Scotland. Kind regards, Duncan
@davidbandler2 ай бұрын
Over here in the US the big box retailers (usually Walmart and Home Depot) sell this exact same solar garden light (usually in a metallic finish or using metal parts). Always my go to solar light for projects and parts since they're always so cheap (around $1) and extremely reliable. I don't know who the Chinese manufacturer is, but they always do a good job - a rare find.
@moeburn2 ай бұрын
Do you use the solar panels in them? I thought the low voltage in these ones made them useless for most things, have to go for the much larger ones to get a proper 5v.
@mxslick502 ай бұрын
@@moeburn You can tie solar panels of like construction in series to increase the voltage with no issues. As cheap as they are, they would be excellent for a low current 12v charger design, just use 14 of them.
@davidbandler2 ай бұрын
Sometimes when all you need is a simple solar light, the entire guts of these can be useful to cannibalize for whatever project (your own lights, clocks, or whatever you might need illuminated.) I mean for the price, an entire solar circuit + NiMH battery it's a pretty good deal. Removing the LED, they're a not-too-bad circuit to trickle charge a single AA battery (I've noticed some are using a more obscure half-AA-size LS/CR style battery sometimes). Several of the cells together is more useful if you need a bigger cell; but at a certain point, online electronics suppliers probably end-up being a better part source for cheaper, better solar panels. Edit: Clive's is the newest revision I've seen that's using the 1/4th-size-AA coin-type cells that I'm assuming are a Lithium battery of some type... But they're all designed to trickle-charge and run off of about 1-1.5V.
@TomCee532 ай бұрын
I picked up a couple of these for$1.25 each at $🌳. All they had left was black and yellow, and black is too boring. 😎
@kerzwhile2 ай бұрын
Love it!! I have thousands of these, well maybe like 10.. So doing this with warm white leds! 😊
@mattg4372 ай бұрын
Oddly enough I was doing the same thing with some similar lights from Tesco's "reduced to clear" shelf recently (two quid for a pack of five!) I've fitted red LEDs (fifty for a couple of quid on ebay) and plan to use them for night vision friendly lighting. The Tesco ones had a similar design, minus the switch (they use a slip of plastic jammed between the battery and one contact), but with insulating sleeves on the LED legs which made an excellent height gauge after swapping them to the new ones. They may also have had some form of charge controller, I think there was a tiny chip on the back of the board.
@d0ugk2 ай бұрын
Looks like the same garden lights I got from Walmart 5 or so years ago but just black. But they had a 2/3 AA NIMH cell in them. They still work today
@tncorgi922 ай бұрын
Every once in a while Walmart will have an actual good well-built item. Usually though they sell out and you never see them offered again.
@joshmyer92 ай бұрын
How Corporate Pride is it that they're colorful on the outside but have the absolute least humane (cold white) LEDs inside?
@rexsceleratorum16322 ай бұрын
Cold white is the absolute most popular lighting here in India, we don't feel particularly cozy when the light is warm
@nickk65182 ай бұрын
It's just a reflection of what gay men are like 😏🤭😁
@merlynsfire12752 ай бұрын
I used to fire perform and know a few jugglers etc who use pink kit, stays visible and gets stolen less :D Great stuff as always, always good when you drop a new video
@tin20012 ай бұрын
We got asked to supply a laptop to a local swimming club. Asus had a bright pink one at the time. We said the same about no one wanting to steal it, and if someone did, it would be obvious who had it 😂
@wisher21uk2 ай бұрын
Great hack Clive thanks 😊
@phonotical3 ай бұрын
Pah, you didn't even add pink heat wrap on the battery! 🤣
@curtishoffmann69562 ай бұрын
"That's boring. It's ok. We can fix that. We can fix your dog. If it's a poodle, we'll spay it pink."
@vhfgamer2 ай бұрын
We have those exact lights in the USA, except the ones I've seen have a AAA cell in them.
@alexstone6912 ай бұрын
Have a same one, switch started causing problems from moisture in few weeks, but considering the price i expected it, just cleaned corrosion and smeared nail polish everywhere
@alnicospeaker2 ай бұрын
I found the exact same design in the trash. replaced the LED with a turquoise one and the cell with a used leftover AA NiMH battery - it fits inside no problem. If you change (lowering it iIrc) the value of the inductor you can make the LED glow brighter.
@tenminutetokyo26432 ай бұрын
I’ve got a few of these in my yard, but they’re black. They work great as long as you have lots of sun.
@jakethreesixty2 ай бұрын
I have these same ones, but in chrome, I put glow in the dark rocks on the inside, looks pretty good 😆
@mechanoid57392 ай бұрын
These are great when we go camping and we use them to mark the guy rope pegs. Useful after a couple of bevvies! ;)
@phils46342 ай бұрын
How did I miss this?? YT algorithm playing up again I suspect. Looks excellent!! Can't say I'm a fan of desoldering braid - I get better results with an old solder sucker (just changed a dead green neon using my 20-year-old el cheapo one - easier to get into tight places!)
@spokehedz2 ай бұрын
OOOooooo if I find those at the US version of Poundland, I am absolutely going to color match the LED in those!
@KeritechElectronics3 ай бұрын
Pinker than Kink Palculator itself!
@dean52632 ай бұрын
Very nice job! I suspect that you were showing off the dexterity that only comes from experience and a few burned fingers throughout the years.
@dcallan8123 ай бұрын
The LEDs ought to be the colour of the plastic. If you go for the rainbow look go all out. 🏳🌈Interesting video 2x👍
@nyetloki2 ай бұрын
They can have rainbow internally controlled leds in them. They'd have a buffer cap/diode IIRC to make it work with an IC LED, just 2 extra parts on the same 4pin driver IC, Clive has done a video on them before.
@HowardLeVert2 ай бұрын
I bought some pink LEDs several years ago for my HT/LT battery eliminator for my vintage radios. They are certainly very bright and eye-catching!! Maybe I should have put them in my HP high voltage variable PSUs to illuminate their meters (there was no other indication of the power being on other than the position of the switch) rather than boring white...
@Slikx6662 ай бұрын
I bought some of those lights a few years ago to make a solar panel. Not the best value for money, but I did learn something. 🤣
@jeffdayman81832 ай бұрын
Takes me back to the famous Pink Flamingo Room radio show from Toronto Canada's Q107. Would have been fab decor for the booth! Cheers!
@penguin44ca2 ай бұрын
F you make me old man. That room was so nauseating. I still don't think my eyes have recovered
@KJ6EAD2 ай бұрын
I have a bunch of flexible USB powered book lights in many colors that all light up white. I'm going to convert them to illuminate in the color of their exteriors, similar to what you're doing with the solar lights. A problem I encounter is getting LEDs that emit purple at a useful intensity. The ones I find for sale that claim to be purple are mostly 400nm UVA at least in 3mm & 5mm through hole parts. For through hole I have some dual color red/blue that I can use but I have to adjust the mix to get a decent purple so extra holes and components are required on the PCB to make them work meaning I can't easily hack an existing PCB. The size needed for these particular lights is 2835 smd so maybe I'll get lucky and find a decent purple.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
You do get phosphor purple LEDs with a blue emitter and dusting of red phosphor. They are visually brighter than the near-UV ones.
@gertbenade30822 ай бұрын
Some years ago I developed neutron detectors that functioned as cosmic ray monitors. Naturally I added a variety of different coloured LEDs on the front panel to indicate the various sub-system's level of happines. Turns out that "would you like some LEDs for your LEDs" was a regular remark... Until a professor of physics had to diagnose the electronics on a remote site and thanks to the LEDs quickly pin-pointed a bad flash-drive which he could easily replace. No jokes ever again.. Great job Clive! Would you like some LEDs for your LEDs? 🤣
@randyab9go1882 ай бұрын
I know the water gets into the LED light but you can use clear fingernail polish as a very cheap conformal coating. It works quite a while and you can probably pick up a bottle at poundland for a pound. I've known about this trick for years and it actually makes a good conformal coating. If you buy the real conformal coding over here in the States it's $20 for a small bottle I believe it's 2 oz. Give me the dollar fingernail polish.
@100-pc-notbot2 ай бұрын
I am always amazed that you can hold and solder things without burning your fingers...me? I'd burn everything even vaguely close to the soldering iron
@kti56822 ай бұрын
It helps if you start early in life so the learning experience from burnt fingers can yield maximum results.
@MrKfadrat2 ай бұрын
This made me wonder and curious - do you vary the temp on your soldering iron, or just blast full force? Everything melts really fast for you so it looks like 400c?
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
350C.
@surfinmuso372 ай бұрын
Solar lights in Scotland is some nice optimism
@GWorxOz2 ай бұрын
Always good.👍 👍 👍 👍
@kyoudaiken2 ай бұрын
I love pink LEDs. Might need to make a nice 5V string.
@snakezdewiggle60842 ай бұрын
But its oh so Pink.! Clive solders like a BOSS.😆
@robertburrows66122 ай бұрын
I normally change those LEDs for a Blue LED. As I find blue light is more relaxing at night on the decking while drinking a cold pint of Guinness
@PeterShipley12 ай бұрын
I used to install Blue LEDs in the store lamps in front of my house. they end up getting stolen every year to year and a half. I eventually stopped replacing them because the quality of soul lamps dropped, on the all started using single battery with lower voltage LEDs
@JoyClinton-i8g2 ай бұрын
What is the part number of the four pin controller IC? Is there a light sensor? Or is the on/off function done off the solar cell?
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
Usually a variant of the YX8018 which can sense dusk using the same solar panel.
@ralphj40122 ай бұрын
Remember to compensate for super-duper sunshine, especially for Australian tournament viewers.
@iamfreeareyou6812 ай бұрын
In another video, you made a solar charger for Ni-Cd cells, and when I mentioned protection circuitry for the cells to not over charge them, you replied that Ni-Cd cells can be put on constant voltage without any problems. In this video, you're saying that Ni-Cd cells can explode from being overcharged. If the smaller cells can explode, then certainly the bigger cells could also explode.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
If the current is high they can pressurise. With a controlled trickle charge they can control that pressure and convert liberated gasses back into electrolyte.
@slapnut8922 ай бұрын
The one thing I really don't like about portable solar lights is just how inadequate the solar panels are for most of them. I am yet to find one that lasts all night.
@nooneyouknow93992 ай бұрын
Get a PACE desolderind station. You’ll love it.
@jaimeortega49402 ай бұрын
Good job!
@cyberhornthedragon2 ай бұрын
im pleasantly surprised they are actually made in the color plastic not just painted clive changing the inductor would bring up the intensity of the led not that the cells in them last forever.
@richardwernst3 ай бұрын
Wondered why there was some insulation on one of the LED legs? Also wondered how the light might look/display if the LED was bent over, vs. straight. Since done a while back, not important, obviously.... :)
@j.f.christ84212 ай бұрын
On LEDs with longer leads the insulation makes sense, but you'd think as these are pretty short it's not worth the effort. Rather surprising they bothered giving their usual penny pinching.
@abitofabitofabit44042 ай бұрын
Could be a spacer or installation aid (3:13)? I used to cut up the red double barreled coffee stirrers with a hobby knife to conveniently, consistently set LED height for a short production run.
@nyetloki2 ай бұрын
It so it doesnt short out when they assemble it. Probably also so that the height is consistent, but sticking it through the hole it can twist and short.
@Grid562 ай бұрын
It was quite close to the battery.
@psirvent82 ай бұрын
In remember the early 2000s ones that had a amber LED for some reason instead of a white one. Might be because of the cost (Like with the keychains that all had red LEDs at the time) I thought, however my dad and I got the idea of swapping the LED and getting a 5mm white one from a store like Radio Shack but in France didn't cost very much. (I don't remember the price, it's been a while).
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
There were no white LEDs at that time.
@pseudotasuki2 ай бұрын
If there was anyone with a big bag of pink LEDs, it would be you.
@rimmersbryggeri2 ай бұрын
You could also 3d print a pink "lense" for maximum pinkness.
@johnm20122 ай бұрын
I know all electronic components are to some degree ESD sensitive but are LEDs worth worrying about? I stick the legs of MOS devices in conductive foam but I just tip LEDs into plastic bins.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
I keep my gallium nitride LEDs in anti-static packaging.
@AllLoudNation3652 ай бұрын
I would love to see the purple solar light.
@stewartpalmer24562 ай бұрын
Big Clive, as is the case again, you bring the very best. I was wondering, if that populated PCB can be sourced in bulk? I don't need their plastic housing. I have sources for similar chips but am looking for a real cheap source.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
It's probably cheaper to buy the whole light.
@stewartpalmer24562 ай бұрын
There in is the problem. lol
@kyoudaiken2 ай бұрын
Make the lamps a rainbow! I really wanna see it. Also in the garden operating!
@frogz2 ай бұрын
wow, the quality that managed to sneak in to the product after hyper optimization has me surprised they dont have fake solar panels and primary button cells in these yet
@nyetloki2 ай бұрын
Because they would die in a few days and the retailer would get yelled at by customers. Also, sued under consumer protection laws, with a fake solar panel. Probably cost more for a fake one too.
@j.f.christ84212 ай бұрын
@@nyetloki Reminds me of those "shake light" rechargeable flashlight thingies from a few years back (plastic tube with a coli & magnet inside) which were soon followed by a rash of fakes containing CR2032 batteries. Huh, still for sale.
@DudeManDude-ot5fv2 ай бұрын
I've bought those kinds of lights from the dollar store here in America and they usually don't work right. Like at best they charge the battery just enough for it to light up dimly. Could you try to find one off these and see if you could fix it? It looks a lot like there over you just opened.
@BEEZUS452 ай бұрын
This dudes making terraria torches
@zippy51312 ай бұрын
Shame as the Pound shop near me disapeared overnight. Where will I get my batteries from now?
@smalcolmbrown2 ай бұрын
Thanks :)
@g7eit2 ай бұрын
Great a sink polar light
@britishtechguru2 ай бұрын
I'd like to see you modify an innocent little thing like that to do something totally outrageous. Walk past the lamp and then a few seconds later it starts flashing like a disco or playing music. When I was in college and the 286 PCs had only the tiny speaker inside that one could barely hear, we loaded every one of the 30 PCs with software to play the same tune. Then 15 of us stood ready to hit enter on all 30 PC when the signal was given. The music played quite loudly then.
@all4espi2 ай бұрын
TIL: Someone invented pink LEDs for some reason.
@user-mo5hz9kp6y2 ай бұрын
I'd love a video about the wind powered lights. Once he's explained to people how they work they can build and experiment with their own. Would a vertical windmill with solar panel blades be any use? Or a normal one that points towards the sun and adjusts the pitch of its blades depending on the angle of the wind?
@BRMBug2 ай бұрын
Where have you found decent rechargeable button-cells for those? I have one dead one & one exploded one I want to restore.
@honich-eriker2 ай бұрын
Back in the days, I soldered end-of-life AAA-sized Eneloops in these lamps.
@j.f.christ84212 ай бұрын
Sadly the cells are more expensive than the solar light. If you can get a good price on rechargeable NiMH 9v batteries they have 6 x 300mAh-ish cells inside them. Swap out the inductor for a bit more brightness now you've something better than the 40mAh original cell. (Keep the case, stick in a 600mAh LiPo along with one of those USB charge/boost boards and make yourself a real 9v rechargeable battery (that will cut out with no warning adding to the excitement on your life).
@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT2 ай бұрын
Wonder what LED you would use in a black solar light 🙂
@FarleyHillBilly2 ай бұрын
A DED, a dark emitting diode. LEDs absorb darkness, but eventually they fill up with it and become DEDs .
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
Ultraviolet.
@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT2 ай бұрын
@@FarleyHillBilly Good theory 🙂
@sinformant2 ай бұрын
🤦♂️ man i feel dumb....never occured to me to use flux on solder wick to make it work better. I guess thats why we have you to give us advice.
@nyetloki2 ай бұрын
Surprise, desoldering braid is literally just Fine Copper Wire, And Flux. If its not working at first is because you burned off the flux but didnt give it enough heat for the braid size and/or the trace you are trying to clean. A dedicated, wide tip desoldering soldering iron is ideal.
@samuelfellows69232 ай бұрын
And a soldering iron with adjustable temperature, I found with the “fixed” temperature iron in my rudimentary soldering kit that desoldering brad doesn’t work as intended [not hot enough?]
@TomsBackyardWorkshop2 ай бұрын
I just want a solar light that lasts until morning and keeps doing it for years rather than a couple of months. Is that too much to ask?
@kimchristensen21752 ай бұрын
These look small enough that you could put an inverted glass jar over it to waterproof it. Water damage seems to be the main failure point for me since these are not very well sealed. Even if you spray some conformal on the innards, because of the way the solar panel is mounted, the water will get under it eventually and ruin that as well.
@markmarkofkane81672 ай бұрын
Looks like you're in the pink. Interesting.
@jmr2 ай бұрын
Last solar light I bought had the LED folded over. That's not how they used to come here and I had not realized it was on purpose.
@thepagan54322 ай бұрын
I have to admit I've scorched my fingers more using de-desoldering braid than actual soldering. If you wanted to add more LEDs how much would you need to alter the standard board ?
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
You can add LEDs in parallel or a few in series. I've got a video about series LEDs on these coming soon.
@kanrakucheese2 ай бұрын
Could one of those reclaimed lithium cells be swapped in?
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
Sadly no. The voltage is very different.
@strongandco2 ай бұрын
Next project. Turn a pink poundland garden light into a Powerful Pink Runway light
@SpenceReam2 ай бұрын
“Pound Land” 😂💀
@twocvbloke2 ай бұрын
Pink to make the boys wink... ;)
@TRR5522 ай бұрын
❤❤❤ nice video 💯
@qwertykeyboard59012 ай бұрын
Wait, they make pink leds?
@ke_ag2 ай бұрын
Happy pride
@cgoad2 ай бұрын
Hi Clive. I hope the opening weekend of the Tattoo went well and that you are enjoying Edinburgh. Still......no 'Classic Clive' schematic? Tsk, tsk!😅
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
It's all going well so far.
@jussikuusela73452 ай бұрын
Will the "process blue" one be given a near-UV LED?
@elongated_muskrat_is_my_name2 ай бұрын
Neat. I know some people who could do with port/starboard lights
@nickmay97972 ай бұрын
Clive could you make one of those modern led grow lights with a load of them and a sheet of aluminium ?.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
Growlights need to be fairly high power.
@SusanAmberBruce2 ай бұрын
Well that's nice 🎉❤
@ericduckman31352 ай бұрын
Such a tiny battery. How long does it last? These lights seem to be screaming out for a larger battery upgrade.
@bigclivedotcom2 ай бұрын
They're sized for UK weather. Very low sunlight.
@TheAngelChaz2 ай бұрын
We used to legit sell hundreds of these things lol