DIY Solar Garden Light Hack - Solar Battery Charger

Make a solar battery charger using some dollar store path lights. Using 4 cheap dollar store garden lights you can make a very good solar AA or AAA battery charger for one or two batteries.
This is a simple solar garden light hack which gives you a decent solar charger worth about $20 if you were to buy it retail.
www.thedoityourselfworld.com/a...

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

*Read the full article with details here:* www.thedoityourselfworld.com/articles/article.php?id=11504

[@trevorcarreon]

The Do It Yourself World maybe it was taken down but the website doesn’t work! I just needed a better view of the diode. I think I can grab the one from the chip but i want to make sure what I think is a diode actually is a diode.

[@trevorcarreon]

But this is really cool.

[@davidhadden4578]

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[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Wow, lots of questions. I wanted to go off the grid to show people they can do it and to see how it would feel if society broke down and I was on my own. I started in May 2012. It was a scary move at first, but its so awesome to have done it. I am single, this is my only place, and I rent the land I am. I have a day job, which pays the bills and keeps the car on the road. But ads from my website help too. I highly recommend everyone trying to become somewhat independent for the peace it gives

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, I will be making some upgrades for this soon. Keep watching. The batteries get warm when they are finished charging. Most charge controllers sense the temperature. This is such a low current tho that I do not think they would explode, but I would not leave them on for days after the are full

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes. Its so cool when things come together.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks for the compliment. You can modify this in many ways. I will be adding to it later when I get time.

[@colin8532]

I've been watching your videos for a few days now. I decided to go to the beginning and start watching them from the start. I really like this project, I've been thinking of doing something similar myself for a while. Glad to see you're back from Australia, I'm looking forward to the projects you mentioned you have in store for this year. All my best, Colin

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thank you. I cant wait to get back home and working on the projects again. Snowed in deeply right now.

[@Asadullah21]

The Do It Yourself World cool project.

[@WhiteMustang88]

Thank you for being thorough. When other videos just sort of show & tell the project after it's finished, you actually show HOW TO DO IT! Very nice work!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thank you for the feedback. Happy to help.

[@gregoryfaith4303]

I've got several of these solar lights under several inches of snow that I bought as Christmas decorations. Now I know what to do with them when they are uncovered after this spring. Thanks!! Ex Navy electronics technician looking for a new electronics re purposing project!!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thank you. Watch for the updates in the next couple weeks. I will add a voltage switch, maybe more solar cells and a USB connector to charge my cell phone. I am also looking into control circuitry to prevent over charging of the batteries if I forget to watch them.

[@jessedeleon4200]

i want to build a cellphone charger with this method, how did yours turn out?

[@billyjoegilmour5222]

@@jessedeleon4200 it's the voltage is good but the ampere is bit too low it take about 1 full day in the sun to get 3% very hour so it takes about 93hours in the sun so about 4days

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

That is cool. When I lived in Brooklyn, NY I used a 12 volt alarm system battery to power a battery operated 12 volt fluorescent lamp in the bathroom. The ones found in most hardware stores sold as closet lights. I had a shower room and a separate bathroom. Had a lamp in each. Saved some money on lighting that way.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks for the comments. Yes, the diode is a necessary evil. You could use a schottky diode for lower voltage drop. But in the long run, it shouldnt matter too much with these smaller batteries.

[@Jon6429]

For a small array like this one you could use a 1N4148. Larger ones where you have solar cells in series & parrallel to give the voltages and current needed to charge say a car battery you'll need something like a 1N4001. For kit with internal batteries like smartphones or 2way radios a proper fixed voltage regulator like a 7805 (5v/USB) or 7812 (12v) will be required instead of a diode and there is a 7818 so you could charge a laptop directly by solar.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks for sharing your story. Happy to hear.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Its AWESOME. It gives a sense of freedom, accomplishment and peace. And I never loose power.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Various dollar stores have them at different times. I go back once a week to each chain to see what I can hack for me newest projects. Keep checking, eventually you will hit the jackpot

[@whippetz000]

Hello Troy, I wanted to thank you for all the knowledge it have gained from your videos. You are tenacious and never give up. The best way to learn is by trial and error. You are courageous to let us share your journey.

[@johnarizona3820]

Well done bro! Theres much can be done with these cheap lights. My mom lives in upstate ny and has a very dark stairway so i took one apart, extended the led connector and installed the light above her stairs while placing the solar panel in a fixed spot outside on the roof. Now she always has enough light to see the lights switch at night. I want to build this charger so thanks for the demo. God bless!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Sometimes Westinghouse brand has the AA or AAA. A lot of these are now coming out with the 2/3 AA. But you can use the solar cells from the dollar store path lights and get a battery socket at Radio Shack.

[@Darryl603]

It seems that it made more sense to face the wires from the solar cells toward the batteries, so the wires would reach. Is there any danger of over charging (or battery damage) if you leave the batteries in the charger too long? Thanks for the great ideas!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, and I will be doing update experiments soon. Keep watching for them. I will be setting up multiple voltages and a USB adapter, plus control electronics.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks, yes they do work well.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I had to learn on my own by reading and taking things apart. Either way, it is good to know how things work. I have a lot of plans for these little lights in the near future. So many ideas, so little time...

[@blowingchannel4424]

There's power were you are? Why you are using an inverter?

[@Totogita]

This video is responsible for the solar setup I have now. I saw it in 2012 and that peeked my interest

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

That is cool :)

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks. You can actually use a USB cable to charge a normal cell phone. All you need to do is set up the solar cells to put out 5 volts. You can have various voltages from the same solar cells depending on how you hook them up.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, you are correct. I wanted to quickly get the video done and show it working before it got dark out.

[@widebandrecords902]

great idea.. I still say momentum / motor / magnet energy is still the number one immutable source if you got the leg power each day..

[@bobr4987]

I saw a video once where someone took the gearing off several old 10 speed bikes and used slowly dropping weights on pulleys. As the weight drops slowly the wheel with copper coil spins fast against magnet stator. That might save the legs if you could make it work.

[@milkyway808]

this is great brilliant idea,sir.so we just connect it multiple? wow! that means making more power and faster charge

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Nice, I need to get more. I use them for a lot of projects. More ideas on the way soon.

[@bbikermama]

Wow! Impressive!! Thanks for sharing bruja information! You’re my new favorite channel!!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks for the feedback. I later moved my stuff to The Do It Yourself World Electronics so check that out too. Thanks.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I have rechargeables that I had for about 7 years now and still going strong. A few have failed along the way, but most are good. Get the good quality stuff and they last.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yeah, its cool soldering off the grid. Actually everything is cool. I cut my own hair with a electric clippers and use an electric razor on my face every day. My panels are about 250 - 300 watts total. Nothing huge, but it does the job. I am comfortable. No fridge yet tho. My aunt was proudly showing me how she is using solar path lights for emergency night lighting in the house. They are very versatile.

[@christo930]

You might want to attach a couple of mirrors that will bounce more light onto the solar cells. It shouldn't heat them up very much while getting more watts per solar cell. This would really only work when the sun is rising or setting and in the winter, but you can get some really cheap mirrors.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Sounds like fun. I love electronics and making stuff work.

[@MrIgottadrive]

To keep your solar cells working like new and charging paint them with clear nail polish they last longer great battery charger.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I just watched a Discovery Channel documentary on a post apoc world. Was well done. Everyone will be a DIY-er very soon. I am trying to get the skills needed now so that I can survive later.

[@tabaccopuro]

What type of diode? Wouldn't it work better if you keep the "circuit board" in the mod, so overcharging would he prevented?

[@spanishflew]

good video. thanks.but what would happen if they were wired in series? also whats the shortest time its taken to charge your batteries?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, it is. As long as the battery has enough capacity to keep it running, no problem.

[@lauralagovista]

This is very informative. I want to begin a small solar project and you have taught me a lot. Thank you!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Happy to hear :)

[@bloggervista]

great people like you should post more tutorial that will surely benefit the mankind ..

[@anodizedblue4180]

Nice video tutorial on how-to. There is a voltage drop off with the diode attached but the diode is indeed necessary so the battery wont be discharged when there is no light. PRETTY COOL I SHOULD SAY.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

These are usually a single transistor based boost converter. They step up the voltage from 1.2 volts to about 3.2 volts to run a white LED. You could use them for anything that runs in that voltage range and current. At some point tho, you will find its highest current limit and fry one. Keep track of what burns it out so you know your limits. They will charge anything within their voltage range as well. The 2.3 volt cells should happily accept the voltage, yes.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Those lights are strong anyway. And pretty efficient. I use them a lot myself.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

In between the panels and the batteries either on the positive or negative side. Just make sure you get the polarity of the diode right.

[@howiebguy]

If I remember correctly from my electronics classes, when you wire in parallel, the voltage is the same and the current in stacked, when you wire in series, the current is the same and the voltage is stacked or added together.

[@sssshhhh101]

I really like that. Nice looking and very functionally creative. I've built things like that in my head many times over the years but I never actually put one together. I would have been very pleased with myself if I had ever built one and it looked as nice as yours! You've combined form and function, and did it all on the cheap/repurposed items side. What's not to like :) Thanks very much for the video. Peace and health to you and those you love

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I am sorry, but I am not sure what you are asking. What do you want to do with the strip lights. What about the solar panel with the male connector?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, you would need 8 or even better, 10 of the cells. With 10 you can get charging with a bit of overcast as well. Your cell phone and some other devices have a built in charge limiter in the device. Otherwise, the circuitry gets a bit complicated with the need for a voltage monitor on the output of the solar panels which can shut off the output to the device when the voltage reaches a certain level.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Series increases voltage. Parallel increase current. The solar cells are each meant to charge a 900 mAh battery in a full day. So you can charge two of them in this setup in half the time. Or a pair of 1800 mAh batteries in a whole day.

[@ShanLiuGBM]

Very cool. Can you tell me if the same diodode would work for 14.8v to 16.8v charger?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

It exists and its called a MPPT controller. Multi power point tracking solar charge controller. It used both a buck (reducing) and boost converter to get the best charging curve out of your solar panels. In full sun they put out about 18 volts and in low sun maybe 9 to 10 or so. The MPPT controller matches the battery voltage to the solar panel voltage, increasing the charge over all sunlight levels.

[@Mikeecoman]

Brill ! -great simple charger, they're the best type- good one matey, keep experimenting. well done !

[@thejwchannel3137]

Great vid mate. Will give this a go. Thank you,big hi from Australia!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks. I still have it. I hope to one day get an automated charging circuit on one of these for fun and demonstration.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

blush. Thanks for the compliment.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, if it has one. Most do not but only have a little transistor or small circuit in them. But if you have a diode in there, yes it will work fine.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, that is a relatively untouched area. They are very fine boost converters, but noone really knows what to do with them. I sadly have no 3 volt devices, so I cannot use them. But they may be good for running some LED flashlights. You could even theoretically string a bunch of the circuits up to run higher powered LED bulbs, such as a 1 W LED. Now that would be an accomplishment.

[@xanataph]

Yeah I did think about making a vid ov it after seeing yours. I might reinstall it in one ov the outside sheds at our new place so I can do that. For the lighting in my "Solar Room" I used one ov those cheap 12V/8W fluoro inspection lights in the tube. Just attached it to the ceiling with cable ties. I decided on going with this rather than LEDs because the roof ov this shed is really low and I wanted the lighting to cover a wide angle.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, sort of. They put out very little current. It would be a trickle charger to maintain its charge, rather than top off a battery. It may prevent a battery from discharging over time. I have been thinking about putting one together. You need 18 volts on the solar panel, no load. String them up in series to make 18 V. Then put groups in parallel to get more current.

[@jasonparrish8488]

Hello friend. I had that very same idea. But at the time I didn't know that I needed a diode. I didn't even have a dial to begin with so that nothing went right. You were very informative I enjoyed your video very much. I hope you have a good day.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Happy to hear it helped.

[@branchcensus5083]

@@TheDoItYourselfWorld you replied after 10 years Respect+

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

@@branchcensus5083 Still going strong. Thanks.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

You should make some videos of this stuff. It sounds great.

[@ScottDamery]

So how long did it take to get those batteries fully charged? We need stats...

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, just make sure you get the right voltage out and you have a solar USB charger. I plan to make one soon.

[@rhooie]

I have some left over 3x6 cells. I was thinking of wiring in series to 1.5 or 2 volt to charge batteries. Since it would have a bit more amps, would this be to much to charge a pair of AA or AAA bateries? I was thinking of using some battery holders from Radio Shack and wiring in both sizes so I could charge whatever was needed.

[@jameslizardo]

Great job man! Thx for the awesome video! Its awesome seeing someone take on a project with a leatherman instead of using individual hand tools. Thx for teaching me something useful today!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

ALWAYS by my side. Love it.

[@utubestalker.dotcom]

LOL have no idea who you are replying to when you comment on your videos like this.. kinda like you are just talking to yourself. LOL. please use the reply button on your viewer's comment. this was 7 years ago.. hoping you don't do this today :)

[@techcheck5019]

Each little panel usually produces around 20mA at best, so you are looking at 80mA (but I would say around 70mA on average). So if you have a single 1000mAh AA battery then it will take 14+ hours to charge. But it is interesting trying to re purpose these small panels, it's a fun thing to do. It could be handy for charging those 300mAh AA batteries in timely fashion.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Works for all batteries but yes, best results for smaller ones.

[@erfquake1]

How does the circuitry handle these hacks? I'm looking into a 100mm x 100mm panel to charge 2 or 3 AAA batts so the light will hopefully stay on all night. As it is , my Home Depot 14w light sputters out by 7:30pm. But I wonder what the limiting factor here might be: draw (unlikely), supply, storage, or circuitry.

[@parksintaparksinta1994]

Greetings from Madrid, Spain, nice video!.

[@dannyrusso8279]

Funny, stumbled on this after making my own similar project. I joined 6 lengths of Harbor Freight solar rope lights, and make a 6 piece solar panel with the cells taken from each rope light, that now charges six 1900mah AA Eneloop cells in parallel. The original cells were as yours, 600mah, but were AA, not AAA. The low charge rate coming out of these solar cells should help the batteries last a very long time.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes you can. Anything that can sense the strength of the sun's intensity will work. Just set up a circuit that is triggered at a certain voltage level. More sunlight equals higher voltage output from the cells. Less light equals a lower voltage. Hook one up to a volt meter and play around with it. Hold it in different angles to the sun. Try it at dusk and dawn. It will work.

[@prepper567]

really like the idea got about 20 of those light siting around the house gonna make its on a larger scale

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Sorry, for the delay in my answer. Was in Canada. Any sort of blocking diode will work. Radio shack or ebay. 1n4007 or 1n4001 are good.

[@freespeachrulez]

Any idea how many watts or output these are. Not sure myself but I was thinking sometimes you can get these for 1.00 and I was thinking on putting 50 of them in a array and wiring them up like those regular panels. Building a frame around them.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Well, I want to do it asap, but the stuff takes some time coming from China. It will be a couple weeks, but keep watching. Very soon. I have everything in place, waiting for the USB sockets. Of course, you could also remove sockets from an old, broken device that has a USB port on it. I am looking around for something I can scrap out. Watch for the video.

[@gkruntz]

Thanks for the idea. Now I have a few more projects to work with. :)

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

These put out about 3.5 to 4 volts with no load. They drop down to about 1.5 to 1.7 volts per panel with a load, which is the right voltage for charging AA and AAA batteries.

[@rhooie]

I thought it might be to powerful. I will find some solar garden lights and do this project. BTW, glad you came out ok in the storm. Was thinking of you in up state NY when I saw the news. Many hundreds of years ago, I lived in Buffalo and tromped around western NY.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

It can if you leave it too many days in the sun. I am working on a charge controller but it adds a lot to the cost of the charger.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, but the commercial chargers do measure the temperature. As the batteries charge up, they get warm. I will be making the circuits later and showing how.

[@experienceenergysavi]

awesome!! I want to try this but I want to charge AA batteries... thanks for sharing this video...

[@stevehuber6499]

Do you have to babysit the charger, or will it stop charging by itself once it reaches capacity?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes if you leave them on too long. Just figure about 25 ma per solar cell and how many ma your battery needs to charge. A few hours give or take will not harm a thing due to the lower current

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

No problem. Please let me know how it goes.

[@jamestower968]

Thanks for the video! A few quick questions, Did you use the diode from the original $1 Path lights? Wouldn't be best to use two of the diodes going from the + wire of the solar cells to the + side of the battery chargers? Also, why not take the solar cells completely out of the plastic holder? That way you can put them flat on the wood and drill small holes underneath each cell to connect them in parallel. Which would allow you to use less wire, which may increase the Amps. probably not enough to notice unless you are using many more of those cells which many people have commented about doing.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

+James Tower Use only one diode due to the voltage drop across the diode. You would lose too much with another diode. Yes you can remove the solar cells but it is tough work. But it would look nicer for sure.

[@mminc81]

Cool! What kind of diode did ou use and what sort of 'rule of thumb' do you go by when selecting diodes ?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

That depends on what type of batteries they are. Can you open the lights and get to the batteries? If yes, then try to charge them with a conventional charger. You can also test the circuit using an outside power source. If you need more details, please come to thediyworld (dot) com forum and I would be happy to help. You can post photos there as well.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Thanks for the comments. The meter is a cheap no name $5 thing. You can sometimes find them on ebay. Think mine were on sale because I cannot find any meters below $10 now.

[@rustyn808]

If i wanted to hook this up to a bigger battery to charge my fone. I seen videos from solar panel to charge controller to battery where would i put the diode? Or do i need to put one?

[@billybillmills]

I have wanted to do this for some time but I didnt think that for a dollar the solar cell would even work. I will try this myself!! Thanks

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Ok, I will be happy to help. See you there.

[@STRATOVARIUSPB]

is it possible to keep the battery charging and also use the battery to power a microcontroller? im trying to power a microcontroller but have it work at night as well using the battery.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Happy to help.

[@BrianCaouette]

Wired in series you are increasing voltage. Wired in parallel to increase amps. Depending on your needs and the solar cells being used you may need a combination of the two to get decent charge!

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Yes, actually the unmodified dollar store path light will charge batteries just about double the capacity of the puny ones they ship the lights with in a day with no problem. Some people add larger batteries to make them last longer each night.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I have a general idea of the solar cells capacities because of the original batteries that came with them. Mine, for example, were 120 mAH batteries. That gives me about 120 mAH per day of charge per cell. 5 cells gives me about 600 mAH per day of charge. You can also just measure them from time to time. A rechargeable nicad is about 1.2 volts charged. When I get the to about 1.3 then I pull them off the charger.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

They are designed to use 1.2 volts in and put about 3.2 volts out. Probably not much current output, but it would be interesting to find out what their limits are. I have a bunch of them laying around after hacking these solar lamps.

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

I am going to make one of those flickering solar lights, just to see how it goes. I already have the parts for it from the dollar store. I will post a video, and on the forum, if it works.

[@maryjosmileycmtpt3841]

I just fixed a bunch of lights that I use at camp. Several of them work, but the rechargeable AAA batteries are more expensive than a new light. So, the things are basically dead. BUT THIS is a great thing to do with them! All the parts work, but with the batteries costing more than $1 each, it seems better to just buy new lights and use the old lights to charge other batteries. AWESOME! The design would have to be different here due to the fact that it rains whenever it feels like here! If you have old lights and the solar panel is foggy, use 1000 and 2000 sand paper and toothpaste or head light defogger kit to make them work again! Cleaning the contacts and such, I just resurrected 10 lights last night. And have the parts to do this! Thanks

[@Hicaliber1]

Never thought about cleaning old solar lights! Learned something while learning something else! Thanks!

[@lurkerrekrul]

I was thinking of trying this exact thing because in this area we have bulk trash pickup twice a year where people get rid of all sorts of stuff, including tons of solar lights. Many of them have really cloudy solar panels, but occasionally I find some that still look good. Unfortunately, I have basically zero knowledge of electronics. I wouldn't have known to add a diode. I just know that the solar panels usually charge the batteries in them, so logically I figured you should be able to make them charge batteries without the LED. Would there be any advantage (or risk) to using more than four panels? And would this work, albeit more slowly, with normal room lighting? So you could put it off to the side and just check it occasionally?

[@TheDoItYourselfWorld]

Please do share your experience if you have seen these go bad. In my studies and experiments, I have made many solar panels out of smaller solar cells. Solar cells are strung up to make larger voltage solar panels. Then you can string up your solar panels to make higher output or current. Yes, there should be diodes on each one, with larger panels. These little solar cells do not put out much voltage or current though. I have multiple cells in order to overcome the voltage drop and still work