DuB-EnG: How to make GOOD DIY Solar Garden LED Lighting that lasts - not plastic tat made in China!

I want to share how I make solar garden lighting for a similar price to the cheap rubbish that UK supermarkets are selling it for. Mine will last longer, look original and stay on during the day to look "oh so pretty"! Repurpose those old outdoor lights and lamps easily!

[@atari-staffroom]

Lovely! Maybe an ldr-potential divider- transistor circuit to switch the LEDs off in the day for the MK2 version might be nice?

[@DubiousEngineering]

I did think about that (the solar panel can be used to switch off the LEDs with a transistor) but to keep it super simple and to have the light on to make it look “oh so pretty” during the day swayed my to just keep it all simple :-). I have made a few of them now and we got to enjoy watching a hedgehog 🦔 walking about one evening... it was magic!! :-)

[@chrisw1462]

@9:15 In America, that tape is called self vulcanizing. Vulcanization is what it's called when rubber cures. The tape is rubber that isn't fully cured. Over time, it finishes curing, bonding to itself, slowly becoming a solid piece of rubber. That's why it's waterproof. Electricians call it simply 'rubber tape'.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Dr Spock would be proud 😅 ... Do a Wikipedia on self amalgamating tape... Is Wikipedia American? Americans also say soddering instead of soldering... And you spell aluminium incorrectly :-). Hugs man!!!

[@chrisw1462]

@@DubiousEngineering ROFL.. not saying its right, just saying what it is! And history shows it was Aluminum first. 😀

[@Archeophis]

@@chrisw1462 According to the published written records, aluminium precedes aluminum by one year (1811 against 1812). However the two spellings of the name for the then newly discovered metal cohexisted for quite some time, before splitting on the two sides of the Atlantic -- IUPAC in 1990 established "aluminium" as the standard spelling, and there is not a single European language that spells it without the second "i" :) Like I say often to my beloved American wife, Americans have many charming traits, but some obdurate pigheadedness in spelling :)

[@chrisw1462]

@@Archeophis Sir Humphry Davy named it Aluminum first in an 1808 publication . British chemists changed it to Aluminium to make it more like the other elements.

[@Archeophis]

@@chrisw1462 No idea where your last reply went, as I got it in email but cannot see it here. However, since I am hard put to let go any chance of nitpicking... The quote from the 1808 publication is: "Had I been so fortunate as..to have procured the metallic substances I was in search of, I should have proposed for them the names of silicium, alumium, zirconium, and glucium." -- H. Davy in Philosophical Transactions (Royal Society) vol. 98 353 Alumium is a fine word as any other, when we are naming new things, but it is neither aluminum nor aluminium. (I am quite pigheaded as well :D )

[@Everythings_Adjustable]

Nice bit of upcycling Mate 👍 👍

[@DubiousEngineering]

Thanks Sparky!!! :-). I ended up making a few of them ... it’s great as we saw a hedgehog 🦔 one evening ... never would have noticed it in the dark!!

[@Everythings_Adjustable]

👍🌝

[@DaveRepairs]

Can't wait for the Car horn cat scarer project

[@DubiousEngineering]

Dave Repairs I need to get my hands on a train horn!!!! Or air raid siren!!!

[@DubiousEngineering]

Dave Repairs damnit Dave ... I’ve gone and done it!!! I just purchased a 300dB horn!!!

[@DaveRepairs]

Dubious Engineering you never cease to amaze me

[@stuartbeer9299]

Did I hear a big Clive impersonation? "Bring in the meter"

[@DubiousEngineering]

Ha ha!!! Thankfully!!! Some one that gets it!!! ... I’ll do Ave next ... he’s from Canada 🇨🇦 “A”

[@DaveRepairs]

just about to write that too

[@DesmondsDonders]

Supreme Dubious Tat. Love it.

[@DubiousEngineering]

If you love Scotland and camping, seeing the sights, and a good old waffle... please subscribe to Desmond’s Donders!! It’s a proper chill moment with some epic drone footage!

[@therushden]

you get some right loonybins round here and it's not just me lol

[@DubiousEngineering]

True though!!! It’s not just me!!! :-)

[@tommym936]

Just what i was looking for .. even the same light fitting!

[@DubiousEngineering]

How mad is that! Mines still working well outside!

[@patscnr]

That looked like a fun build. Cheers

[@DubiousEngineering]

Thanks Pat! - It was indeed a quick, fun project. I have made a few now, all dotted around the garden walls - They actually help a lot in the evening, we watched a hedgehog creep up on us and eat a slug a few days ago! Vicky got the hedgehog bowl and cat food out again!! :-) Hope you have a great week! Howard

[@fromfin90]

one possible way not to worry about water through the cable input to the housing, leave the hole downwards and have the solar panel cables going behind the lamp up to the panel. But all in all, very nice! might have to try to make one myself!

[@DubiousEngineering]

I could seriously save on self amalgamation tape!!! ... but spiders would get in there and make little spider nests... 💀

[@fromfin90]

@@DubiousEngineering absolutely fair reasoning, dont want led tan spiders? well one could use cheaper materials to plug it, or hotglue a fine mesh(fabric or metal) to allow airflow and condensation to run out and still be spider proof

[@georgeh9967]

done similar here in Scotland. but unfortunately in the winter (when you want the light) the sun is almost zero. so have moved to 5v USB circuit around the garden. can power all the lights (using timers), and costs next to nothing. 5v 1amp. thanks or the ideas.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Yup similar problem here... Winter sucks!! :-).

[@haijitu]

Nice.... good to do.on retired life

[@DubiousEngineering]

Absolutely!!! 😀

[@RCDUDEFPV]

I like it

[@DubiousEngineering]

They still work a few years on!

[@rickymeadows5176]

Nice ! Should have wired in a mini dusk to dawn photocell.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Cool idea! Would definitely save the battery and stop people from asking... "Why's the light still on" during the day!! -)

[@generalawareness101]

Driving those barely at all for sure. A 1W LED can be driven at 300ma each but 150-250ma is the peak to lightness ratio. So, 20ma each? Get a starboard for them, or purchase some and drive them a bit harder for even more goodness. Is it because the panel used has a hard time keeping the 18650 fully charged if driven harder? Even at full rated current the 1W doesn't even need a starboard or heatsink. I prefer the 3w version at drive them like a 1w or 2w. They last forever but keeping the 18650 charged (for a single cell) in the winter can be a bit of a pain. In the UK I suspect it would be a no go. I live at 35.1 degrees latitude.

[@DubiousEngineering]

What an epic bit of advice!! Totally understand your points here!! Problem is I’d need bigger panels and more batteries to keep things running in winter- as you suggested!!!

[@adrianvillegas2925]

Hello, what is the resistance measurement you used?

[@DubiousEngineering]

R = V / l

[@doughy67]

Should of 3d printed a mount for solar panel

[@DubiousEngineering]

Damnit!!!! Yes!!!! ... but PLA doesn’t do well outside ... that would mean I’d have to print ABS!!! I’d love to learn that!!!

[@doughy67]

@@DubiousEngineering or just use petg thats good for outside

[@DubiousEngineering]

Oooh good idea!!! I need to check out the PTEG

[@leefurniss]

Gone have the days of double sided sticky tape & used toilet roll tubes😂

[@DubiousEngineering]

This ain't blue blimmin Peter me old fruit !!! ;-) 😉 😘

[@hairydvdz]

How much was the cell and power mgmt module? Good content as always

[@DubiousEngineering]

Cell was free ... repurposed from a laptop battery ... power management pcb is about £1

[@BenMillen]

Don't suppose you have a link for the LEDs

[@DubiousEngineering]

Ben I’m so sorry... I got them from eBay in a batch of 20... 3.2v high brightness LEDs ... try that search and see if it works

[@BenMillen]

@@DubiousEngineering that's perfect, gonna try and use your concept to make a series of 4 run from panel on shed :)

[@DubiousEngineering]

Ben Millen fantastic idea!!! Post a picture on Dubious Engineering on Facebook if you get chance!! I’m keen to see how it all looks!!! Best!! Howard

[@DubiousEngineering]

Post a picture on Facebook Dubious Engineering if you get chance... keen to see what you come up with!! :-)

[@patrickstarnes2355]

would that work in a swimming pool? Hows that brew coming on ? Still bubbling ?

[@DubiousEngineering]

I’m four brews in now!! ... the most recent one I’m working on a video... hard apple cider 🎉💥🍎🍷

[@patrickstarnes2355]

@@DubiousEngineering seach How to make Apple Jack, bearded and bald

[@DubiousEngineering]

Hahah... will do :-)

[@mehmetyuksel9465]

are you use resistors

[@DubiousEngineering]

Yes

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

I think you don't need a battery manager in this kind of application.

[@DubiousEngineering]

I find that you need to make sure the battery stays above 2 volts and below 4.2 volts otherwise those lithium cells die quickly!! ... maybe some zenners would help reduce the risk of over changing!! Thanks for enjoying the crazy videos Alex!! :-)

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

@@DubiousEngineering the LED you have connected has a "avalanche reaction". When the battery voltage decrease until 2.7V , the LED switch off and pull no current any more, with no risk of discharging deeply the battery cell. Also, the solar pannel never exceed a current enought to damage battery, even if it rise 4,7V, witch is a voltage you can reach without damaging the battery. Of course, to make it perfectly a battery manager is nice. From my point of view, I didn't use this kind of protection with that application (I sometimes build my own rechargeable lamp). But I keep the battery manager for touchy application to protect battery in case of overcurrent, more than from a deep discharge. Yes crazy channel and nice :)

[@DubiousEngineering]

I have ordered some 4.3v zenners and I will try a test with a lab power supply and a current meter! ... this sounds like an epic experiment!! Thank you 🙏 ... I can see we will have many recharging lights soon!! :-)

[@AIexanderHartdegen]

@@DubiousEngineering you are intending to protect the battery cell against overvoltage? if yes, you can use 5 or 6 silicon diodes in serial connected anode to positive and cathode to negative of the cell. It will be a high power cheap zener diode for few cents, and tweaked for your taste.

[@DubiousEngineering]

I did just that with two diodes to peg this zn414 am radio chip at 1.2 Volts!!! Now why didn’t I think of just using more diodes?!? ... thank you again Alex!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZmXhX-ArLeSarM

[@glennminnis2201]

Why do I hear the trailer park boys theme song in the back ground

[@DubiousEngineering]

I re-wrote it on my keyboard... :-). glad you recognise it!

[@jimmartin8853]

You really should learn something about electronics before you post. Perhaps Dave Jones, Big Clive, or Rich from Learn Electrinic Repair.

[@DubiousEngineering]

Oh Jim! What would you have done differently? I'm keen to know and happy to oblige! Howard