Poundland solar crackle globe is a winner

[@williamromine5715]

I found this channel only recently. I don't know what he is talking about most of the time because I'm 80, and didn't grow up with transistors, diodes etc. However, I am fascinated with his style of delivery ( "watch your eyes, the light is going on"). I find this channel relaxing and entertaining. I might be learning a little bit too.

[@ferrumignis]

I have an electronics degree amd I still find his videos very enjoyable. Clive has such a relaxing voice and a wicked sense of humour.

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

He does have a nice voice and patter. Relaxing and engaging. A friendliness comes through as well. And always a genuine enjoyment to be sharing with us the viewer.

[@tonysheerness2427]

He is very knowledgable and puts over his knowledge in an easy understandable way and he is realistic not idealistic and know that a lot of people do not have a lot money. He tries to encourage people to enter electronics with the minimum of outlay saying you do not need posh or named equipment just a simple multimeter and soldering iron. He deserves all the viewers he gets and more

[@jkobain]

Hello, William. Welcome aboard, Clive teaches, and entertains, and likes himself what he's doing. That's why most of us are here, I think.

[@MrPablo616]

Never too old to learn a thing or two, welcome aboard

[@puretriggers6533]

I was a student glass blower for a few years! The crackle effect is made by taking a piece that's still blazing hot, but starting to solidify and plunge it into a bucket of water for a few seconds. It's pretty fun! The trick after that is to not heat it up enough to melt the cracks fully back together and its honestly fairly difficult!

[@fiveleafcloverfpv4445]

I thought little Chinese glued them back together 😂

[@Peter_A1466]

Always wondered how it was done. I really like the effect!

[@peterking2794]

Thanks for the info. Something I've wondered for years!

[@ShopFloorMonkey]

"Watch your eyes, the light is coming back!" Far from the first time I have heard you use this phrase and I love your compassion. I meant to comment on it before, so here it is. You are (plainly) a good man Clive =)

[@Lumibear.]

I’ve repurposed those crackle glass globes a number of ways in various mood light projects, they catch the light so beautifully and project organic looking shapes on their surroundings, too.

[@nathanbrown19]

me too! I added a neopixel ring bellow powered by an Arduino. looks great!

[@Jimmyfisher121]

Very Zen.

[@Lumibear.]

@@nathanbrown19 ooh nice! I think my fave simplest one was just a string of pixel LEDs connected to one of those cheap China made light effect boxes, I stuffed it all inside one of these globes and it looked pretty as heck in the hearth at Xmas, especially doing a fire flicker effect. Shop bought mood lights are either too unimaginative (it changes colours!? Woooo…) or too expensive, so why not just make your own using plug n play parts, it’s more fun and when you’re bored just reconfigure it a bit.

[@andymouse]

I designed my own PCB and had them made to fix a load of lights (30+) and left the useless switch off altogether also on my board the 'chip' was mounted flush with the board and it ended up about half the size of the original, I did give them a light misting with WD40 and used hot glue on the battery connections as its easy to remove with isoprop if you need to. Finally I drilled a lot more holes in the base to allow considerably more drainage and whats more important is a good airflow. I have now opened one of mine from last year and it looks the same as it did last summer and opened some of the untouched original ones that have failed and they had all the problems you describe...cheers.

[@hagen-p]

Grease on battery terminals. Sounds like a good tip for my trail camera. Thanks!

[@bigclivedotcom]

If you can fit a small silica gel desiccant pack in there it may help with humidity too.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

My dad always put vaseline on the battery poles in ever car he owned. Easy way to prevent "corrugation" like a friend of mine used to say, no one wants a wavy battery pole😁

[@twaddington]

Try Super Lube Synthetic Grease.

[@whitesapphire5865]

One thing we've used to waterproof electronic and electrical items like these, is good old fashioned "Waxoyl" - The stuff you use to coat the underside of your car. It comes in two forms, a lightweight clear semi fluid that stays as a semi fluid so it's always there to keep the water out while still allowing movement of moving parts, or there's the black version which is a bit more viscous and you can paint (daub) on with a brush. That version dries to leave a thick waxy coating that seals everything up good and tight, but moving parts aren't going to move without cleaning off the sealer. Either way, it works well and on this sort of device and keeps them waterproof while still allowing access to service or repair them. Alternatively, as my nextdoor neighbour has done, just use these things in the conservatory where they can't get wet. Moving on,. I think they have these globes in our local "Yorkshire Trading Centre". I might just pop in for quick look-see!

[@adzib1823]

I think it may have been a Poundland solar light that introduced me to this crackle glass effect in the first place and, I must say, it makes for a very good effect when mixing colours of LEDs. For anyone in the UK, the DIY chain The Range do (or certainly used to) a beautiful glass tealight holder of a very similar shape to the one in the video for either 50p or £1 per unit, I can't remember which... Worth having a hunt for if you ever find yourself in one.

[@thedarkknight1971]

TOP TIP!! My Ex (Now a good friend) absolutely loves her garden, and, with it, her solar garden lights (so much so I joke that peeps on the ISS could see the multicoloured lights from her garden lol). Anyway, We have learned that, to help 'Weatherproof' these lights (the ones with the solar panel exposed and on top of the light), using clear nail varnish around the edges of the solar panel (where the solar panel fits into the cutout in the plastic housing) helps keep rain/moisture out of the light so the light lasts a lot longer, thus no rust on the circuit boards too. So, just 10 minutes applying a layer or two on a new pack of lights, helps them lasting from just one summer, to 2 summers (she has 3 year old lights this way too) - even cheap B&M/Wilko/Lidl/Aldi solar garden lights. As I'm her 'Tech guru' - we're in our 50s - me 51 today, I also usually upgrade the rechargable batteries with pre-charged higher MAh batts (if they are AA or AAAs) as it helps with longevity of the batteries and, with the usually fitted 150 or 300 MAh, they don't last long. So, yeah, I 'Pimp her lights' lol 👍😏 😎🇬🇧

[@tbonebrown94]

Happy birthday 🎂

[@thedarkknight1971]

@@tbonebrown94 Haha thank you, thought I'd cheekily add that, yup, creeping yet another year towards retirement lol 😏

[@Jimmyfisher121]

Belated Happy Birthday young man may all your problems be little ones.

[@thedarkknight1971]

@@Jimmyfisher121 Thank you, and the same to you! 👍

[@ultratorrent]

Now I want to test out vaseline as a dielectric grease INSIDE of the surface mount switches like those. Could be interesting!

[@keithjurena9319]

Silicone grease is my go to water proofing. Most integrated circuits are fine swimming in mineral oil.

[@MrDuncl]

Didn't some early supercomputers like Cray use mineral oil for cooling.

[@darkstar1360]

@@MrDuncl some people still like to build there PCs in mineral oil.

[@AluVixapede]

The perfect orb, for wizards to ponder!

[@jasonkuehl639]

Very interesting! I never have pulled up the datasheet for a solar light chip, and didn't put 2 and 2 together that the value of inductor would have a direct impact on the output current. With a bit of soldering, one could put 2 different inductors, switch selectable for different seasons. Looks much nicer with the blue leds too! 😀

[@bigclivedotcom]

Some lights do have two inductors and a switch for summer and winter modes.

[@jasonkuehl639]

@@bigclivedotcom I've never seen that, here I thought I was being original! 😆 I need to find some with the switchable inductor, I'm doing good to get 2 or 3 hours of light from my solar path markers in the winter, but they'll easily run from just before it gets completely dark to just short of dawn in the summer. 🙂

[@swift675]

Thanks for this video Clive, The best stuff I've found for waterproofing these types of lights is called "Corrosion-X" ...Brilliant stuff and kept my solar lights alive for years with little to no rust from Rain and humidity. A little bit goes a long way - I generously apply it with a old toothbrush on Everything metal including the Screws, Switches, PCB and Components, Terminals, Solder Joints and LEDS. The panels seem to be a weak area on some lights like this for sure, So next time I come across a panel like this I will take your advice and clear waterproof glue/silicone or lacquer around the edges of the panels to ensure a longer life!. - Thanks for the great tips, Keep on Keeping on Clive!

[@MegaSynner]

With a convenient spike for the all important gardendefence

[@McTroyd]

I've watched all of your videos on these solar lights, I think. About five years ago, it inspired me to visit a dollar store and pick up a couple. They're still in service, having replaced the batteries and done some cleaning. I see one of them is out right now, but it should be easy enough to bring it back. (It has a corroded battery terminal.) 👍️ PS Just saw you broke through 900k subscribers! Congrats!! Hopefully you have your gold plaque by the end of the year.

[@MrNavyman53]

Not that I support DOW/Corning, but they have a really good product here. RTV 3145 is a Room temperature vulcanization rubber product that cures like tire rubber. It's categorized as an RTV sealant/adhesive and I love it. Its a glue and a sealant. It's worth looking into for someone like you. One tube will last you a lifetime if you want to make things indefinitely waterproof.

[@stonedsavage7814]

I love near their factory 🏭 not very beautiful 😂

[@EverBeyondRadio]

Sounds great but at over £60 a tube, it's a bit out of my price range.

[@mattmoreira210]

​​​@@stonedsavage7814 I'm sorry, but that typo is just hilarious. I can't stop laughing at your comment's new meaning. lmao

[@MrDuncl]

I had to laugh at the "one tube will last you a lifetime" I got through three tubes in a weekend after we vibration tested a battery charger of a type we were about to deliver over one hundred of and at the end of the test it sounded like a Maraca as all the inductors had come of the board. Having proved that RTV3145 would keep the inductors attached to the board I spent all weekend undo the chargers and applying RTV around each inductor to secure it.

[@-Tris-]

If there is enough space, then replacing the NiMH cell with a 2,7V ~500F supercap is a great improvement. I have one running for years now. Voltage on the cap goes up to 2,62V. No Problem so far. No dead batteries, and even on the darkest winter day the light stay on much longer.👌

[@primech-128bit]

I had problems with these capacitors because the voltage got too high and killed the capacitor in a sunny day. Also these are quite large._

[@-Tris-]

@@primech-128bit I don't know what you want to say. Capacitors aren't bad because you killed one by not protecting it from overvoltage. In my case the protection is just a white "1W" led. The led's forward voltage and the solar panels current is perfect for 2,62V max on a sunny day. And there is a transistor which only connects the led to the capacitor when it gets charged.

[@jamesduncan6729]

"Humidity is a terrible thing" You got that right 😆

[@MZaphodB]

The longer I watch this channel, the more I love it

[@wisher21uk]

Excellent advice thanks Clive looks very good in blue

[@travisash8180]

Did you try the Fray Bentos pie ?

[@user-gd4gs6bn9o]

666 views, 660 likes, and almost 60 comments. Clive, I'm happy to say you've got yourself quite a positive community built up here

[@SpydersByte]

love the blue version! Putting blue leds onto or into something is always a good thing :D

[@Northern5tar]

Wouldn't have to worry about water damage here. It would be nicked within days. But they are nice to tinker with.

[@patomahony9747]

As I posted earlier I modded around a dozen of the plastic lamps some years ago toClives recipe with a5 or 6 led tree instead of the single led. To date other than 2 disappearing all are still working. Modding them this way you will easily recognise your work if they get nicked ool

[@alphanaut14]

I had a bunch of crackle globes a bit smaller hanging in my tree. As soon as the temperature dropped, they started breaking to bits along the crackle lines. Thermal fracture showing that the crackle pattern is really cracks in the glass.

[@pierreuntel1970]

I'm wondering how these are made... they heat it up then put it in water and hope it doesn't break or something? Or did they used something really hard to scratch it?

[@andycrask3531]

Coat them with clear resin inside maybe that will prevent the breaking?

[@HiddenWindshield]

@@pierreuntel1970 Yep, they heat it then dunk it in water.

[@MrKillswitch88]

None of mine have broken thus far after two years though they are not the tiny ones but not as large as the one in the video. Anyway where I live in the world it gets to be hotter than hell for three to four months of the year while the winters are kinda ok most of the time.

[@CL-vz6ch]

who'd have thought...

[@handsolo1209]

I got one of these a few weeks ago. It looks very nice, even during the day, but I must admit that the battery life is not too great. Mine seems to only last 4 hours or so.

[@thingys-rd7id]

When the international space station passes over the Isle of Man the astronauts know where Big Clive lives because of the spectacular light show from his house.

[@thingys-rd7id]

Ive just seen the comment left by thedarkknight1971

[@fiveleafcloverfpv4445]

Always doing the same. Cheap solar lights are nice but they need some work. Using liquid rubber for the board and silicon kit for the solarpanel. Also sometimes reducing some current with an extra resistor. And aluminum tape to get some light reflection to improve it.

[@jnellie1970]

Vaseline and/or oil to protect the terminal’s? How cool is that.

[@57Murphy]

Clive another excellent video. You have the most beautiful speaking voice on YT and you make the world a better place just with your words. So a comment... at around 6:30 you have the blocking diode backwards such that it would prevent charging. (An LDO I'm sure.) I have one similar from a few years back where a single warm LED lit a yellow globe. This is in a bird bath, obviously not a pound store purchase! (Big Lots!) Last year the electronics rusted out and failed. I rebuilt the guts as I have a nice collection of PCBs with that 4 pin charger ready to swap in. This year it was so bad I rebuilt the entire thing as I have a 3D printer and made a new base for it, even the tabs to screw it on. That rusted out after a month or so, so printer and built another. This time I water proofed it using clear nail polish (pound store!) about the solar cell and the edges of the two pieces.

[@StoneE4]

Clive, I'd like to make a request... Could you do a video on piecing together a solar charger for a lithium power brick?... What components would be needed, what size/kind of solar cells would be required, etc. _(Or if you've already done a video on this topic could provide a link?)_

[@Z-Ack]

Look through his videos, he’s done many on various builds.. but it depends on what kind of power your wanting to get out of it. To charge a phone would be simplistic but charging a bank of cells say for a home is more or less the same thing but bigger components to handle the current..

[@paulbeard3238]

I use a 6 volt solar and tp4056 and battery holder works verry well 👍 it's similar to his last one's about charging ecig batteries hope this helps 👍

[@Z-Ack]

But all it involves is a charge controller, a diode or backfeed suppression, panels rated to the controller, and batteries with battery management/ protection.. it all can be bought individually to make it modular or as a unit if just trying to charge a pack for a drone or rc car or tool battery

[@patomahony9747]

Been thinking about this and with the availability of “free” lithium ion 3.7v cells , wondered if it’s possible to charge them using the existing solar panels in these Poundland lamps. I have modded the plastic Poundland globes using the “ Kodak “ AA rechargables from same source. Added clives patented Christmas tree of 5 or 6 leds. Working great other than the 2 that “ disappeared “

[@bradbeck2601]

I usually just put them in a box and forget about them for years until I rediscover them while clearing things out for more things I won't use.

[@LtKernelPanic]

Sadly no Poundland here in the US but I found some on eBay that are tempting.

[@ferrumignis]

Aren't stores like Dollar Tree broadly equivalent?

[@StoneE4]

@@ferrumignis Sure... But broadly equivalent doesn't always get you the same, or even similar, products.

[@Reman1975]

Did you just drop that you live on the IOM there Clive? Work sent me there once, and I spent 3 days installing new IT kit and cat5 wiring in a place near Douglas. On the second evening I decided to take the opportunity to explore a bit, and took my works van for a wander around the coast. After about 2 hours of exploring I'd gone about 3/4 of the way around the coast, then my work phone unexpectedly rang (At about 8pm ?!?!?). I answered, and my p*ss taking bosses voice said "Are the locals chasing you? You do realise you're on an Island don't you? If you need to escape you have to find a boat."...... "Erm, what?". It seems that the vehicle tracking system was already going crazy because my company van was off of the mainland, but once it started moving again after hours the system started constantly bombarding my boss with emails to tell him the van had probably been stolen....... Oops. :D There's some absolutely stunning countryside over there (Some of it very reminiscing of Wales, and some that could have been in Cornwall). I hope to go back for a proper holiday one day...... possibly when it's not constantly raining.......... but then again, I'm already in my late 40's, so I might not live long enough to see this fabled "Sunny day in the Isle of Man" that the soothsayers made predictions of back at the dawn of time. :D

[@Nugglashine]

Clive is so good at shooting low light video. he will probably say that the camera does all the work, but it is talent for sure.

[@jkobain]

I myself prefer using neutral solid soldering grease: it sticks well to components and fills cavities, it doesn't stop me from soldering the board again for some reason, and I use it anyway in circuit assembly. Although, it can melt in the sun or when components overheat.

[@zappedsparky]

I have a couple of flame effect "sticks" (for lack of a better term) in mt garden and on one used epoxy to seal the solar panel from water ingress. The sealed one lasted three months, the one I left untouched is still going.

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

Love that light "Bubble" look neat

[@twocvbloke]

I need to get more copper LED strings to make into custom lights, they make some nice projects happen... :D

[@Purple431]

I really liked the 2016 poundland solar light sale. Sunshite

[@acmefixer1]

I think I would use candle wax or paraffin instead of Vaseline. Candle wax may melt in hot weather, but I think Vaseline would also melt or get runny. I started making "coil dope" by putting *white* packing particles (styrofoam) in acetone. They dissolve and enough of them makes a thick styrene 'glue' that can be used to coat coils and electronics. Cheap and easy to do.

[@demef758]

One concern about anything made of plastic that is intended to outdoor use is UV susceptibility. How will that semi-clear globe look after a year's exposure to the sun?

[@mrbyamile6973]

I agree, just about every solar light I have has had the plastic lenses go yellow or opaque within about a year. Colorado sun is relentless at 6400 feet (1950 meters) elevation.

[@jamesduncan6729]

It's a glass globe apparently

[@tin2001]

I got some cheap solar lights for my girlfriend's driveway a bit over 12 months ago... They started cracking and going yellow after about 6 months. All broken now. But they did the job.... It stopped everyone driving onto the lawn. Even without them now, no one does it.

[@coloradostrong]

@@mrbyamile6973 You rang?

[@getyerspn]

On solar lights as soon as I buy them before they get used I always bypass the power switch as you said ..then use DCA conformal coating on the PCB and solar panel then solder the wires directly to the battery then use the conformal coating on the battery especially the ends ...I've not had one fail for years ..the weakest link is then the LEDs which still corrode (yes even the copper wire resin coated ones) if it's a small number of LEDs like this lamp I'd coat each led as well ...if not just keep spare LEDs

[@simonhopkins3867]

Forget about the solar. I see a cracking crackle computer :-)

[@fredfred2363]

Of course. What a cracking idea! 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@justpassnthru]

sunshine+sunlight=sunshite BRILLIANT! :D

[@grahamerobinson6756]

Since I found this channel a few months ago I have really enjoyed your videos and learnt a thing or two aswell 😀. Any chance on making a video showing how to use a multimeter correctly and what does what on them? I have watched a few tutorials on multimeters but most are not very informative. The way you explain things would be much better.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I made a video about cheap multimeters a while ago that shows how they are used.

[@chriswilson1853]

We have a pair of curtain pole finials that look exactly like this, just smaller. I also have a cylindrical light shade that is made of this glass which makes a pretty pattern on my ceiling but only with one particular LED bulb I have, which has a unique design I have not seen before.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The LED lamps with sharp point sources look best.

[@chriswilson1853]

@@bigclivedotcom The ones I have look like a bog standard LED filament bulb, except that each filament is bonded to what looks like a metal backing which is fairly chunky. I guess these act as heatsinks as well as conductors, and seem to affect the light output such that it can only exit the bulb "outwards." I got them from Costco a few years ago and haven't seen the same design since. They also dim really nicely. I had a failed one that I wanted to send to you, but I can't find it now.

[@abcdefgh1279]

I had a simple green apple fruit shaped solar light, that wouldn't turn on. Turned out the cell was dead because of the shipping and storing times. I have drawn the schematic of it, and it was basically the same as yours. I remember that I had the same impressions about the circuit: charging AND lighting, or nothing. The simplest way to correct this is to use the third connection on the switch as the output to LEDs, and make sure the middle one connects to the chip. I am not able to find this drawing now, because it's been a few years ago.

[@lostjohnny9000]

Crackle globe glass is indestructible. I dropped one on Poundland's floor and it left a crater.

[@chrishartley1210]

"I shouldn't use the word bomb, it sounds so destructive" said Clive, reaching for the vice of knowledge.

[@PhilieBlunt666]

Oh, like the dielectric(I think) grease you put in ya cables when ya replace your spark plugs/wires huh?

[@ryanomalley430]

Moisture is definitely a problem for these lights. The high humidity and heat inside the globes of my solar lights Ruined the enamel insulation and shorted out the magnet wire with the leds. I ended up replacing the copper led string with a few blue Cree signage leds. They’re suprisingly cheap and the data sheet says that they’re moisture and temperature resistant.

[@talksr]

I really like your solar light videos… how to get something half decent for peanuts, usually a £1 and then how to beef it up and make it even better or make it last far longer. Thanks to you Clive, I have purchased a number of £1 or similar solar lights for my garden and they have been going strong for three years thanks to one of your videos showing how you can add clear silicon sealant to the solar panel to stop water ingress. These lights have been going for so long that sadly, the rechargeable AA batteries are starting to fail. Can you recommend where best I might be able to get suitable replacement batteries? They are just like the one in this video. Thanks in advance and keep up the great work👍🏻

[@andrewfidel2220]

Hack idea, grab a cheap LED disco projector and glue the crackle globe to it, could make for some very interesting effects.

[@tncorgi92]

I like the idea of incorporating a photocell to improve battery life. By the way have you seen the LED light bulbs with a switch to select warm or cold white? They must be using two runs of different LEDs, I can't see how it would work otherwise.

[@jemt1631]

Picked up a cheap "light therapy" device that puts out warm, cool or cold white. It had a row of warm and cold white leds. For cool white it turned on both rows. It's probably the same for led bulbs.

[@MrDuncl]

Technology connections just did a video about those. LEDs tend to be "binned" into different colour temperatures when they are made but bigger shifts can be made by changing the mix of the phosphor.

[@davidgrey943]

What about using an empty flux syringe and filling it with petroleum grease and using that to inject the grease around the edge of the small solar panel and into any part that needs waterproofing. The thought just came to me while watching your tear down of the solar light system. It was one of those aha moments.

[@gregorythomas333]

Very neat...and the blue is definitely better!

[@PushyPawn]

Lube works wonders for so many applications, and is essential for some others. 😏

[@MrKillswitch88]

These are a favorite though the versions sold in the states are smaller they are brighter usually just being a single led, anyway they last a good bit longer than other cheap lights aside from needing a new battery after a few weeks.

[@edmelungeon2239]

Could you add a larger rechargeable battery to one of these? Like soldering on a 9 v battery lead & making a new cap for the bottom for more space? Could be a good hack to add alot more lights & longer life....

[@leonclose7823]

Just a vote for lanolin grease as a waterproofing agent. It's non-toxic, sticky, dielectric, water-repellent, doesn't harm plastic or rubber and is good for your hands. It does smell a bit sheepy, which could be a plus or minus, depending on your preference.

[@tbelding]

You could use bear grease the same way, or nose oil. They all have the same problem - they rot. That means they require regular reapplication. it's like linseed oil - you really have to re-oil yearly.

[@leonclose7823]

Hasn't happened to me yet and I've been using lanolin for a good few years. The lanolin I have seems pretty stable.

[@pepe6666]

that little ball looks amazing and magical. in a way you could say it really is a magic ball that captures sun shyte

[@barrybrevik9178]

I wonder if one could "conformal coat" (that is what we call it in the US) every place where you wish to deny the entry of water? Perhaps one could buy a jar of the right material, and dump it into the canister of a weed sprayer; I am referring to the kind of weed sprayer where the output assembly screws on to the top of the tank, then the user manually pumps up pressure. The downside is that the sprayer wand would have to be cleaned immediately after each use by pumping some MEK, or other harmless solvent (heh heh) through it, else it would become permanently stopped up. Most of my career has been spent in electronic subcontractor factories where we design and build circuit cards for aerospace customers. The conformal coating machines are as simple as some guy with a spray gun powered by shop air, up to fully automated robots that have optical sensors, and are programmed to spray specific parts of a board with a specific thickness of resin. I was always an I.T. manager, which did involve bringing computers and networking into the shop, so I learned a lot about almost every kind of shop operation.

[@erikdenhouter]

A balanced sight of a crackled globe...

[@dj_paultuk7052]

Got one of these exact same globes on our garden table and its stopped working. Guess i need to take it apart and check for some green gunge.

[@PhalosSouthpawsBastelstube]

I am going to call it Sunshite from now on xD

[@williamhendrick903]

With the blue LEDs, it is quite a ponderable orb

[@thereare4lights137]

Add a second inductor of higher value, run them both through a weatherproof switch, and have "summer" and "winter" modes.

[@TATICMOOR]

A nice lamp to MOD and I like the crackled pattern from it.

[@hattix6713]

A tiny little solar like this probably won't overcharge a NiMH enough to damage it. NiMHs tolerate overcharging extremely well at a trickle current as the reaction reverses itself.

[@Lazy_Tim]

I wish we had such stores in Australia.

[@jnellie1970]

You should…Amazon?

[@crapstirrer]

Dollar Tree, Top Dollar, Big W Target, K-Mart, Reject Shop. Maybe even Bunnings can have these cheapo garden lights.

[@Lazy_Tim]

@@crapstirrer I have a BigW and a Bunnings in my area. They do not stock all the usb goodies.

[@davidcarlton2513]

I watch every video but I'm a noob..... I remember making a battery powered light in school... I'm 46 so it's a long time ago lol..... I want to learn how to do it again and to get a better understanding of everything so any tips would be very helpful

[@bigclivedotcom]

Hi David, the best thing to do is jump right in and start building some cheap eBay kits or hacking stuff like this.

[@BrettCooper4702]

I have a few of these that have stopped working. What would be the test process to identify where the problem is? IE how to test the inductor, the solar, the magic chip and the leds to see if they are discharging the battery. Great detail circute detail, thanks.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Look for corrosion around the solar panel, PCB and battery terminals. The batteries do need replaced every few years if they are in a holder.

[@ZacabebOTG]

With outside temperatures having been around 30°C for the last week and me not having any AC at home, I welcome the word 'sunshite' with open arms.

[@gregnash7918]

Hi clive . How about a charge circuit that charges in light then shines at night that would be cool 😎

[@jayherde0]

Clive .. Will it charge all the time if you ... 1.) Cut the tracks to isolate the switch and short/bridge the B+ to the Inductor. 2.) Disconnect the 4th leg of the chip from it's pad and connect the switch to that pad and the 4th leg? (or just cut the track from the chip to the LED and connect the switch) .. I've been looking for this to come to me for a long time. You make such good pictures of those little boards!

[@PaulGrayUK]

Would spraying it with Scotchguard also work to curtail water ingress and regress into rust?

[@Kalamain]

I wonder if you could put an external solar panel and REALLY upgrade the LEDs? Maybe put a few on in series?

[@lucasi8455]

I would immediately switch to a Lipo4 battery (+ circuitry to protect charging/discharging and a voltage regulator, of course)

[@rpavlik1]

Eh, this is actually a pretty solid application of nimh cells. No need for the higher power density and hazard

[@patomahony9747]

@@rpavlik1 agrees but with advent of disposable Vapes plenty of free 3.7 volt cells about. Think I have around 100 of them so far.

[@rpavlik1]

@@patomahony9747 sure, that's good, but I read the op as referring to the very safe very durable 3.2V LiFePO4 cells, which are definitely not free or being used as disposable 😁

[@patomahony9747]

@@rpavlik1 agrees but lipo out in a flower bed. Can’t see them doing any harm if they pop. Yes indoors in a conservatory is a different matter. Don’t have the theory ability but going to experiment with what I have to hand. Will either work or not lol.

[@Aps5153]

Did a battery upgrade on a solar light today 200mah to 2400mah maybe over kill

[@Ranger_Kevin]

Yeah, upgrading the batteries a bit definetely helps, even if they do not get the most light. I found some cheap 550 mAh AAAs on ebay, and replaced the old 200(?)mAh ones in my solar lights. Works way better now. It means if the sun is actually shining they can store a lot more of that. Not sure if 2400 mAh would really be necessary thoug...

[@Aps5153]

@@Ranger_Kevin I didn’t have any smaller battery’s so I used they

[@richardturton6900]

I'm surprised you could find 2400 mAh capacity in AAA batteries, I haven't seen any bigger than 1000mAh.

[@benbaselet2026]

I stuck a 3Ah+ mobile phone battery into one because it happened to fit. Nice for those long dark winter nights.

[@Nono-hk3is]

@@benbaselet2026 did you put a lithium ion battery in to replace a nickel metal hydride battery? Did you change over to an appropriate charging circuit?

[@markscheutzow3446]

In warmer, OK, hotter climates, silicone dielectric grease won't melt, especially considering the greenhouse effect of the globe.

[@dhpbear2]

I saw this still on your thumbnail at appeared to (me, to) be a GAMING PAD for a game named "CRACKLE GLOBE" ! :)

[@mothman7430]

“poundland” aight boys, let’s get him set up with ashens for a collab.

[@kevinwhite9919]

I think I'd flip the bottom and then mount it in a tree so that the globe was sort of a garth ceiling light. lots of sealing and a side mount would be needed...

[@RiderBlitz1.0]

Without looking at the title i thought nice picture, maybe some kind of movie, maybe I'll watch later, but damn isn't this orb beautiful?

[@gryzman]

That chip, I find it isn’t quite good. Like you say, everything starts to rust over 2-3 years. I coated mine many times over but water still gets in. Short of potting it, I don’t know what the solution could be. Also, I always replace the cell with 1100+mAh one, cos this one isn’t enough in winter - when sun comes out once a week. Another question, are there any “proper” western chips that could do this job better ?

[@BobMuir100]

ACE Clive, I am going to buy one and do some mods. Thanks matey. Kindest Bob England

[@lightcapmath2777]

Nice, clear and simple. Ever design for thought of your own..."improvements" for market?? cheers. DVD:)

[@maxusboostus]

The problem with using vaseline is that when the sun heats the plastic up it just goes into a liquid and runs out. Not tried grease it may be better.

[@tonysheerness2427]

Is the soil in China softer than in the UK? I can never get those plastic spikes to go into the ground.

[@alexisentonfire]

always get confused with seeing inductors in that resistor like package, If theres a way to tell at a glance its an inductor and not a resister let me know

[@Miata822]

Oh my. New project incoming. I'm off to Ebay...

[@ziongite]

Yeah, moisture is a big killer, and it's especially bad if you live in the British isles, which is apparently rainy and moist very often.

[@gedtoon6451]

When does a very coarse thread become a bayonet cap?

[@jsalsman]

I can't get the same model solar path lights I put on my porch and driveway paths anymore, and I'm losing about two per year to humidity or something.

[@infernaldaedra]

I suppose a plus size to adding more LEDs is the more heat in the globe the less condensation will happen because of the heat.

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

My pocket radio actually runs for about half a day off of those pathetic 100mAh batteries. I was mighty impressed. The metal one's I bought actually sut on my window seal.

[@SB-nr1dz]

I'd be worried about it starting a fire in the bright sunshine, magnifying glass style

[@DanielsPolitics1]

I don’t think a hollow globe would be much of a lens. However Clive is a proper lighting guy, so if he sees this he can give you a much more certain answer.

[@Smaxx]

Nah, that shouldn't be a concern. Remember how a lens is typically concave or convex to bend the light in a certain direction. Here you've got a straight (and hollow!) globe, so light will pass through straight. A bit is broken at the crackles, but it won't have any single focus point anywhere.

[@kevgermany]

Grease.. Silicone also? What about conformal coating? Nice info, thanks.

[@argylekennethdobbinsiii1565]

Can a board like this be used for 18650 cells with proper resistor replacement? What would it take to mod something like this to a 18650? (Or would it be worth it) Would it require a Complete board replacement with something of the TP4056 nature with possibly the DW01? And speaking of the TP4056 boards (You talked about in one of this weeks past vids. ("Don't do this!" There's a much safer way) video. Can those be used in this type LED Solar Light bypassing the USB charge port and use the + & - terminals on them to trickle charge solar? As someone who repairs PC's and Laptops. I have oodles of 18650 and similar cells from old Laptop batteries. Many times only one cell is dead in a battery pack that can have up to 6 x 18650's in it. If one battery in the pack dies. It shuts off the battery in the BIOS and thus renders it pretty useless unless your are a hobbyist.