USB rechargeable PIR light teardown with schematic

[@Bren0780K]

I've always appreciated for not only your use of printed photos, but the fact that you also trim the paper to size :)

[@G1ZQCArtwork]

Aspergers to a Tee. Most of us Geniuses are on the spectrum.

[@bigclivedotcom]

With a PCB guillotine.

[@amorphuc]

@@bigclivedotcom Multipurpose! 😀

[@elitearbor]

@@bigclivedotcom PCB guillotine? That checks out. "Photos, and Circuit Boards."

[@Palmit_]

it's those little details. great youtuber. greater person.

[@steveoddlers9696]

It's amazing how a little PIR light like this in a dark staircase can improve your life.

[@Derek_Garnham]

...or even save it! The best use of one I came up with was to site it underneath the side of the bed that I got out of. As soon as my feet hit the floor It would illuminate sufficient space to avoid any trips or toe stubbings for middle of the night toilet appointments without blinding me or disturbing anyone else who was in bed at the time.

[@misamsung6191]

I put them in some closets in my house. She who must be obeyed asked why was I doing that. Yet, when the batteries ran out she was quick to tell me that the batteries in the light needed changing. You are correct Steve, it is amazing how a little PIR light can improve a situation.

[@MrShwaggins]

As my light bulbs burn out, I'm considering replacing one bulb per room with one of those bulbs that have the 18650 or similar cell inside them that kicks on when the power is lost. I don't see it as a bad thing. Heck even one of those gravity lights wouldn't be a bad investment. The smallest amount of light is better than zero light.

[@joop2295]

@@Derek_Garnham I use them on 3 sides of my bed, they are permanently connected to a USB charger, so they never run out of power.

[@Derek_Garnham]

@@joop2295 crikey, it sounds like your bed can get busy at times.

[@TheVernatics]

Thanks for these videos. My kids love watching you explain everything. You do such a great job explaining.

[@SeanBZA]

That WTF capacitor position is for a resistor, as they likely had a cost cut version that removes the 1c regulator and runs the little micro and PIR off the filtered battery voltage. Both will work, just PIR sensitivity will change with battery voltage.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

Canadian measuring tapes and rulers also feature both common units. Just makes sense. Use what you like or what your industry standards demand, but it's not hard to decode when somebody else is using unit that you don't intrinsically understand or aren't working in.

[@--_DJ_--]

I am Canadian, I go out of my way to make sure I only buy tapes with imperial on them. Easy to find though, I have next to no use for metric on a tape.

[@apparentlyretrograde]

(self edited to remove my nasty reply, despite my feelings it was right to do)

[@heyitsdrew]

America has the same kind with both types. the thing about metric is its easier to use in some cases. like me who never really needed to use metric until getting a 3d printer. I had to go out and get rulers in MM. if I were using imperial for 3d printing I'm sure I would get lost, especially when dealing with Tenths of a millimeter. I have no idea what that would be in inches. it's just easier to compute when u want to be precise.

[@kuhrd]

Even though I live in the US, I go out of my way to have a few high-quality tape measures around that have both since I use them interchangeably as needed.

[@RK-kn1ud]

Most metric-using countries tend to use SAE more that America uses Metric...when it comes to units of Length specifically. Probably a waste of resources to print both scales in America, but an excellent use of resources elsewhere.

[@mshaftenberg]

I found many of them at Ali for around 1-2€ when you look at the bundle offers. Very useful, especially the ones with 3 color temperatures and aluminium housing. Thank you Clive for the teardown!

[@caletorino]

In South Africa these have become quite important recently due to the power going off frequently. I prefer them to the lead acid alternatives however the quality of solder and choice of mystery chip are concerning and lack of resistors can sometimes make knock offs get super hot even though they are running at a very low voltage.

[@PghFlip]

Hooray? For load shedding?

[@ChadDidNothingWrong]

That's really tragic 😥 I've seen videos in downtown Joburg from the 1960's that I actually mistook for Manhattan....but its nothing like that today. I'm sorry for what people have done to your country.

[@travisash8180]

@@ChadDidNothingWrong They did it to themselves. I've never met a nice South African.

[@bren106]

@BreatheScotland I once worked with a pretend S African, originally from Battersea he spent 20 years over there, adopted the accent and he was a total shit.

[@gordonlawrence1448]

A power bank and a 5V 3W LED light restricted to 2W (makes it way more efficient).

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

This could be a really interesting off-grid "hack" project adding in a larger battery, and potentially a 5V solar cell to power it up in an off-grid situation.

[@BedsitBob]

Also good for extended power cuts. Plug it into a car jump starter pack, and it'd run for ages.

[@peterlee5535]

I use one of these connected to a little solar panel to illuminate my outside toilet! I'd like to figure out a way to add a standard on/off switch to them tho as the pir isn't great if I'm in there for an extended ablution!

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

@@peterlee5535 I doubt it uses a resistor/capacitor timer inside or you could tweak the value of that to adjust the on time.

[@peterlee5535]

@@MakeItWithCalvin I think I've formulated a new plan :) I've a 20v Li-ion battery and a 5m reel of LED strips. If I open the battery and rearrange the cells to be in parallel rather than series I should get just enough volts to power the LEDs and still be rechargeable thru my little solar panel. That's the plan anyway :)

[@Chrono294]

Thanks for making this channel, I’m new to electronics and I find your tear downs fascinating, it’s become my favourite hobby !

[@plunder1956]

We have been using similar units to provide sensor based illumination inside cupboards and wardrobes for at least a year now. Some of the early (and more expensive) units ware of very nice quality. At least one of them was never set up and is now a mobile light ready for any power cuts.

[@amorphuc]

Thanks Big Clive. I was thinking what a bummer it was that they could go unstable but then also being an indication that a charge was needed is convenient. With greater capacity that might be a benefit in less frequent charges though getting the cells down to 3.v would be cool. I've seen similar lights really plugged recently on Ali.

[@amorphuc]

@@Senshikaji Yea. Shipping from China so I'll be able to "Play along at home" in a few weeks? LOL

[@AmbiAnts589]

I love these things. Since I discovered them I have filled my house with them. They're in the drawers, in the cupboards, in the attic, in the garage and even in the fridge!

[@brucepickess8097]

Cool lights for the fridge great. However you might find their capacity reduce somewhat due to operating at low temperature.

[@AmbiAnts589]

​@@brucepickess8097 I've been well impressed with the ones I have, even the one in the fridge I only have to charge maybe once a month.

[@jonscot8393]

bought 4 of these last month but with fewer, brighter LEDs, last about 1 month between charges, impressed so far but this vid is just what I needed.

[@RIXRADvidz]

I always come away from these light teardowns a little bit brighter.

[@tech-rich]

Bought two of these a few days ago, seem to be working well so far. I have just checked the ebay listing and they have already gone up by £1.10 each due to the bigclive surge effect!

[@jawjuk]

"It's how we roll; we just interchangeably use which comes the closest." This is the BEST summary of our mixed-up measurements.

[@dribblegoo6808]

I use one of the small ones in the drawer in my bedside cabinet. It obviously lights the draw when opened, but also provides just enough light to navigate the bedroom for the nocturnal trips to the bathroom without disturbing the missus.

[@markyboy7618]

I've had two of these for about a month Had no idea you could dim them and save battery time. Brilliant. Thanks a bunch! And yes they are very good value.

[@gabrielv.4358]

So interesting. The tech that exists and I didn't even knew existed, pretty neat lamp.

[@marcberm]

Thumbnail text had me thinking of something different, like standby lighting. I recently installed a bunch of new outlet and switch cover guide lights (US/North America, original real-deal brand, not the knockoffs). It seems like a no brainer that they should add a product line/range with lithium pouch cells that can keep them working uninterrupted in the event of a power outage.

[@Slava_VS]

A year ago I bought similar lamps (11cm version), the markings on the board are exactly the same. I tested two copies, the batteries showed a capacity per discharge of about 70 mAh, discharged to 2.9 volts (it is at this voltage that the circuit goes into protection), peeled the batteries off the board, the capacity was written as 130 mAh, although at the time of purchase it was promised 300 mAh (Aliexpress:). The charge current is really is 300mA, this is a lot for such a small battery, it degrades quickly, after a while I added a battery from a second lamp and lowered the charge current to 100mA. In standby mode I measured 18uA, which is very close to your measurements. The lamps are good, I liked the design of the housing and the circuits are not bad at all. It’s a pity there’s not enough space for the battery; I haven’t been able to find a suitable one yet.

[@keithking1985]

Just as I'm make a few of these right now. Great timing Clive 👍🇮🇪💚🙏🏼

[@1o1s1s1i1e]

Thank you Clive! I have been saving batteries from those "devices" I find tossed out so they will come in handy.

[@Zools_tube]

These are great to stick under the car's parcel shelf, illuminates the car boot really well. Most cars have a useless boot light hidden to one side. Remove the Light Dependent Resistor so it works in all light conditions :)

[@s1ugh34d]

A family member has these all over the stairs and home to allow visibility for their partner who has dementia. They use the AAA style because with rechargeable AAA's you can have light immediately vs waiting for the charge to build back up. I've been working on a mains version with a pico pi and a UPS to save them some time. Thanks for the schematic breakdown

[@trueriver1950]

Perhaps the best of both worlds would be to use two sets of rechargeable AAA cells. OK they aren't quite as nice as Li but you can keep the spare set on continuous trickle charge and swap them over as soon as the in service set runs out. (Clive has explained on other videos why this works for NiMH but not for Li cells -- he even has a circuit to build your own trickle charger)

[@bigclivedotcom]

We assisted my mum (who had Alzheimers) with decorative lights that were on 24/7. I made a video called A proper Alzheimer's video. They may find it useful. It covers the things we wished we had known at the time.

[@Z00L..ChUpAcUpS]

God need a video from you my brother tried taking his life last week and you're videos help to take my mind off life for abit 🥺 but I hope you are well 😊❤️

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's horribly common. I hope he gets through the situation which pushed him to edge. I've been on the brink myself when I was younger.

[@trueriver1950]

@@bigclivedotcom thank you for being willing to share that

[@Z00L..ChUpAcUpS]

@@bigclivedotcom thank you Clive I just needed to get it out and iv been on your stream and feel a lot better after so thank you 🙂 I no I don't no you but some time it I feel with you it's like talking to an old friend so thanks for listening hope you're safe and well 🙂👍

[@Cammi_Rosalie]

I may look into these. About a year ago, I bought six PIR lights for power outages. Mine are round or a "Puck" shape with 5 LEDs each. Just a manual "Auto/Off/On" switch on the side. There were two versions "Cool White" (which I'm not fond of) and "Warm white" light. I ordered the Warm white ones. I get them charged up and while they do function fine. Same kind of rd LED indicator as well. However my gripe about them is that the supposedly "Warm" white LEDS are more of a "Tepid" white. More cool than warm actually, but not entirely that harsh blueish-gray fluorescent type of light. One remains on my back porch at all times so I don't have to leave the light on when leaving the house in the wee hours of the morning, nor do I have to leave it on when I expect to come home long after dark. Although I probably should bring that one in since it's starting to get below freezing at night. From what I understand, Lithium batteries and cold temperatures are not good pals. The other 5 are kept inside in their designated places throughout the house, but turned off until there is a power outage. I think mine were like 5 USD for three of them and I ordered two sets. Handy little buggers though! For a while I was keeping one on Auto in the bathroom to avoid having to blast the retinas out the back of my skull when nature calls at night. (Inevitably always an hour or so AFTER I get to sleep, or an hour before my alarm.) But the metal plate keeps falling off the ceiling and the magnet itself keeps falling off the light. All of them. Now they are all either sitting on a ledge or hung using a small nail in the keyhole slot on the back.

[@Cammi_Rosalie]

By the way, Clive, you have another scammer impersonating you with a "whats app" link. And thanks for the ❤.

[@84parsons]

Brilliant thanks Clive. Handy to know about the dimming feature. I have a similar one and it works on that.

[@KevinDC5]

got this one a while back,from homedepot here in the states. Had usbC and quite a strange circuit architecture but the light pins were too small to hack for me watching further in the vid, this one is completly different than mine.

[@locouk]

I had to order me a big one! I think this is going to be very useful on these dark nights and extortionate energy bills.

[@MattJBaugh]

Got a few of the older style ones that I found from your videos years ago, nice that they've been developed into bigger lights! The ones I've got are small but great for throwing a bit of light in the dark spots in my hallways and cupboards, saves having mains lights on!

[@craignehring]

I have a few of these but not exactly like these. I like them for places that are always darkish Nice review Master Clive

[@FamilyManMoving]

These lights do tend to flicker on/off when the charge is low. My wife bought a wall mount one for our bedroom and the darn thing would just go on/off all the time when it was low enough charge. This explains why. Thanks.

[@markmurphy3578]

I have just bought a set of 3 of these for under my stairs. They arrived yesterday. I was a little surprised to see them here today. But it looks like I’ve made a reasonable purchase, quantity wise at least. I like the idea of upping the power capacity, but if that means that I only need to charge them once a year, I might end up losing those poxy little leads! 😂

[@RK-kn1ud]

I wish we would see more LiFePO4 in stuff like this.

[@nikolayordanov9760]

Aren't iron phosphate batteries lower capacity higher peak amperage? Why would that benefit this situation?

[@RK-kn1ud]

@@nikolayordanov9760 LiFePO4 maintains its capacity for decades longer than normal Lipo batteries. It also survives charge cycles better, and hovers around it's nominal voltage for a greater period of time. I'm not sure about peak amperage...I always assumed that standard lipos were better. However, I do know that I can charge a LiFeP04 battery faster than a Lipo.

[@teslatrooper]

I haven't been able to find LiFePO4 in small pouch cells, only round cells. Though with these there might be room to fit your own 14500 (AA size) cells in there.

[@RK-kn1ud]

@@nikolayordanov9760 I see Clive had actually done a video somewhat explaining LiFePO4. YT just recommended it to me. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2TRY6OtarJso5Y

[@casemodder89]

the LiFe last wayyy to long for the average crap that needs to die frequently to be bought again. so they use lipo cells that can handle 500 full cycles instead of 2000/3000+ full cycles. the economy needs to sell stuff. so the stuff cant last for ages ! but some solar light actually use LiFePo4 cells in AAA or even AA formfactor. And yes... they last a loooong time. many crap out on the electronics being moist/corroded. but nailvarnish clear helps with that ! less landfill produced. 💪👌

[@MajorHavoc214]

I have a similar light in a hockey puck style from my local Walmart. What I like about it is that it is rechargeable and also takes three AAA batteries.

[@sublimationman]

I have one of those lights that is 16" long with 3 rows of LED's, it's above my door and I ran a cable out the window and hooked to a small 5v solar panel. It lights up my room when I come in from outside. The small solar panel keeps it charged enough to work for around 6 months then I take it down an manually charge it. I comes on also when I move around the room at night so it does get a lot of use. First one I had lasted around 5 years, I am 1 year into the second one now.

[@meetv7700]

One of the cleanest design.

[@todkapuz]

I picked up a bunch of the smaller ones you showed..... years? ago? i can't remember... same general concept PIR light with metal-magnet attachment... I love them... for me they typically last a week or two, but the cat is constantly turning them on and off all night... nice to see these have some fading capability... that is one thing I haven't yet bothered fixing in the ones i have... would like a capacitor across the leds just to soften the on-off (in a very dark room it can be starling when the cat sets one off) and change the resisitor. But yeah.. now you have me wanting the larger one.

[@daveseddon5227]

Re measuring tape - I have a Stanley FATMAX tape which is metric only and on the back of the case it directs you to add "2 3/4 inches" with no mention of mm or cm! These lights are very handy and I have various types around the house. They will come into their own when I have completed my solar power charging station and energy costs continue to rise in the UK (+ the rest of the world).

[@NiyaKouya]

Last year Aldi sold similar lights around here in different versions. We got a large one with PIR and a set of 3 small ones with IR proximity sensors (that are meant to go inside a cabinet/drawer). All of them have a 3-position slide switch for off/on/sensor, the large one has a 1.5Ah cell and the small ones 330mAh. We use all of them by completely ignoring/not using the sensor and just turning them on on demand xD And at least the small ones wouldn't be very practical in sensor mode anyway since I found out by accident that they drain their cell in 2-3 weeks that way. The large one was originally meant to be used as a night light but was way too bright for that, so now it's in our bathroom as an on-demand light source when you don't want to turn on the ultra-bright ceiling light. One of the small ones is mounted in a cupboard that's in a rather dark corner, and the other 2 small ones are tacked to metallic objects in my room (they all have integrated magnets and come with sticky metal plates) and serve as handy "flash lights" ^^

[@adriansdigitalbasement]

I was hoping these could be left charging all the time, and then they would only turn on or go into PIR mode when the USB power was removed. (As in when there was a power cut)

[@bigclivedotcom]

People like us can do that.

[@tonysheerness2427]

Nice little light units. For power outage I bought maintained or non maintained bulkhead lights that are connected to the mains and come on if there is an outage. On ebay they were selling for £6.50.

[@Leroys_Stuff]

Those tapes are even in the USA as well thank you for an interesting device that isn’t complete crap device

[@ajacks1349]

Got many LED lights based upon your interesting strip downs/reviews, so no excuse for when the lights go out. I did recently purchase a large but cheap steel bin with lid off ebay though to store most of these rechargeable devices in, given the added risk....just in case...🤣

[@mattg5229]

Clive we must be getting the same reccomendations from Aliexpress, I just bought a dozen of these and replaced the batteries with some repurposed batteries I found in some old vapor producing devices!

[@bren106]

First time ever I've already bought something Clive features. Bought a few months back when the doom merchants in summer were talking possible winter power cuts. Printing thin over door hooks things and sticking the magnets to them I can move them around the house as needed.

[@Frankhe78]

1:16 We love those undocumented features.

[@fenstermakerwj]

I like using these over the ol porcelain throne for the night visits. I just hate that these usually come with such a small cell for their size. Wish I could find one that uses like 18650s or something like that I could change out quick... Or ya know at least a larger battery that will last like 6 months or longer.

[@ruudvansteenis]

Some time ago I bought a battery powered PIR light. I assumed that the power consumption when the leds were off would be minimal, but after three days the two AA batteries were already empty! So I did a 'hack', removed the batteries and powered the PIR light with a small 3 volts switched mode wall wart. Power consumption is negligible and now I have a perfect light in the dark in my staircase.

[@gmcintyre]

finally, a use for all these disposable e-cig batteries i've been picking up off the street

[@DigitalIP]

I would just keep a small USB power bank connected to them for quick recharging when necessary, which is what i do with ones ive made/modified.

[@uwezimmermann5427]

German and Swedish measuring tapes also tend to have both metric and body-part-based imperial units on them - because we sometimes just have to use the weird stuff...

[@casemodder89]

yes. because nobody in the whole earth could compare the wiener to a foot. like how would you get your foot that high in your crotch ? 😂

[@FamilyManMoving]

The old engineering joke must be repeated here: "The world is best broken into two groups: nations that have walked on the Moon, and nations that use metric." For the humor paralyzed: it's a joke. If you feel upset by anything I ever type online, please go for a nice walk outdoors. :)

[@ThisWontEndWell]

These will run in a pass-through capacity from a power bank they are really handy for camping in a tent.

[@grahamparsons3406]

After having these same ones for several months, I added a few similar ones to a TEMU order. Dirt cheap and only one row of LEDs, but they were just an impulse buy. They worked perfectly for a few charges, then the mechanical switch changed operation from "OFF-AUTO-ON" to "SCINTILLATE/FLASH BRIGHTLY AT TIMES-ON-ON". The only test gear I have these days is a simple multimeter, but I shall have a look inside and try to find the fault that has appeared.

[@bigclivedotcom]

The switches are very prone to failure. Try removing the switch and bridging the chosen feature.

[@blevin591]

I (in the US) work on a device made in multiple countries. I like to joke that the US parts are in SAE, the Switzerland parts are in Metric, and the Crawley parts are whatever came to hand first.

[@neilfarr5727]

These lights are great. I got two for under the bedside cabinets so that when getting up in the middle of the night, you get a little bit of sensor triggered light without waking your partner.

[@BensWorkshop]

Many thanks for that Clive.

[@RCoog]

Use these in the back of my van. Great jobs. Flick on the moment the doors open.

[@enoz.j3506]

Clive,hook up a variable psu ,remove one conection on bat,and see if the unit becomes unstable at very low volatages,the pic mcu might have a shutdown or a blink,to protect bat from undervoltage.

[@phil0083]

I've never heard it called a "douche flute" before. I almost died once I realized what you were saying!

[@rayoflight62]

I have the version with four AAA primary cell. I bought it from TKmaxx last year, and paid it £9.90. The lamp still works fine, and the batteries lasts for about three months...

[@madmatt677ify]

Had couple of these recently, work really well, it just stops working when battery is flat, had a look at circuitry accidentally when end popped off with charging cable. Went to buy more but seller was away, other listings were way more money so opted for some round ones, main difference is sliding mode/off switch and dreaded flashing when battery is flat. They do last long time charging not big issue.

[@noneyabusinessyoushouldbes7924]

Will these work while they're plugged in, i.e. can they be left plugged in so they are fully charged in case of a power outage and also work while the power is on? I know some of these types of devices will be disabled while charging, but none of the listings I looked at specified.

[@bigclivedotcom]

These ones can.

[@noneyabusinessyoushouldbes7924]

@@bigclivedotcom Thank you for answering.

[@rompdude]

Question. Wouldn't a lower voltage regulator end up being less efficient due to more heat dissipation

[@bigclivedotcom]

It only deals with a tiny current. Not the LED current.

[@rompdude]

@@bigclivedotcom ah that makes sense :)

[@sparkyprojects]

Saw these on another channel i follow, he called them wardrobe lights, he's using them in a camper van inside the storage shelves and cupboards.

[@batterynerd8779]

You should always have a few of these light in a steel box or something. In case of a solar storm or emp, you’ll have light

[@brucepickess8097]

Chances are that if you suffer a emp your lights'll be out anyway.😏

[@casemodder89]

in an EMP event these unshielded devices would be dead first 😂

[@noneyabusinessyoushouldbes7924]

@@casemodder89 That's why they said to store them in a steel box, i.e. a Faraday cage.

[@TheSpotify95]

Thanks for this, very informative, these seem like a good idea. Though of course it is better still to replace the small batteries with much larger ones, as 150mAh (on the smaller one) won't do very well at all.

[@vhfgamer]

American measuring tapes also have imperial and metric on them... and it's also how we roll too.

[@horrovac]

I found a bunch of similar type of own-brand lights in the local hardware store's bargain bin, at 1€ each, and got all of them. The difference is that they use a single LED and 3 AA batteries for power. I'm running them on Eneloop/Ikea Ladda NiMH cells, which IMHO is more convenient than having a light you have to (slow) charge, since you can simply get on the ladder with 3 charged cells and replace them on-the-spot¹. Also, for stuff that is installed at random places in my home, I prefer NiMH, because less can go wrong, and there is no need for low-volume, low-weight high energy density cell like LiIon. The cells draw such low current that you only have to put fresh ones in every couple of months. ---------- 1) you could of course buy one extra of these rechargeable ones and keep it charged and ready to replace any light that starts dwindling

[@uxwbill]

One of the last things in the world I need are more cheap LED lights from eBay. Oh, never mind. My mind had other ideas and one of those was "running lights on a bed frame". I'm thinking the PIR part can perhaps be bypassed for simple on/off operation, as I would prefer.

[@zerogrey3798]

I've never seen a measuring tape that didn't have both on it.

[@dancoulson6579]

This is pretty cool. We currently use a PIR LED light in the porch, which takes 3xAA cells. But I think one of these with a solar cell charger to trickle charge it through the day would be even better. Then again, knowing me, I'll probably install a seperate PIR sensor and a little 15w appliance bulb.

[@DigitalIP]

You could always add a TP4056 to it and make it USB/18650/rechargeable powered instead of using AA's.

[@joop2295]

In NL we already have dual “language” (cm’s and inches) measuring tapes and folding rulers since the 1950’s, if not earlier. Also, the Dutch word for “folding ruler” is “duimstok”, which literally means “inch stick” …

[@casemodder89]

greets over to our neighbour holland ! 😀

[@joop2295]

@@Okurka. yes, but the dutch word for inch is "duim", which is also "thumb",

[@joop2295]

@@Okurka. "Duim" has two meanings: firstly it means "thumb". Secondly it is an obsolete Dutch unit of length roughly equivalent to two and a half centimeters, with slight regional variations. (According to the Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc.).

[@joop2295]

@@Okurka. No, I don't agree, because an inch is roughly 2.5 cm, to be exact: 25.4 mm, as on the dutch "duimstok", opposing the cms.

[@Ajtech369]

Just fyi the us tape measures have both imperial and metric on them as well

[@youtubeviewer7077]

My guess would be that the WTF capacitor is a position for a protection diode common with such linear regulators. For example see page 13 of TI's LM1117 or LM340 datasheets.

[@TheSynrgy1987]

Now these with USB type C would be nice, could even custom 3dprint a new enclosure to take larger or different shaped lithium cells like 18650s.

[@dustinhipskind7665]

Many measuring tapes in the US also have both imperial and metric.

[@richardbriansmith8562]

Awesome Video big clive

[@mfx1]

I have an inductively charged light from Lidl it sits in a plug in charger and acts as a PIR activated light at night (it has a light sensor) useful for night trips to the toilet without turning on the main lights, a power fail light and a hand held torch, wish I'd bought more than one.

[@Zardox-The-Heretic-Slayer]

would you have to balance the cells to put them in parallel or just stick them in? it might be worth doing a video about putting these douchepipe batteries in parallel, perhaps combine it with a small christmas light project

[@bigclivedotcom]

The voltages would need matched before wiring in parallel to avoid high current flow between them.

[@andreas9238]

the wtf cap may well be an ption for a resistor the PIR consumes very little power, so a moderately dimensioned resistor like 470Ω together with a slightly larger cap across the "3.3V" rail might have seemed like an option during design time

[@petersage5157]

I've been wondering this for a while. Is it safe to use LiPO cells of different capacities in parallel?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yes. They just have to have matching voltages before connecting in parallel. They will act as a single cell.

[@ChongMcBong]

perfect to go on the stairs to light the way for midnight munch sessions :)

[@justme5384]

We also here in Finland have measuring tapes with both, mostly on cheap Chinese ones. Ones bought from home improvement stores etc only have metric

[@Swedish_Engineer]

Same in Sweden.

[@travisash8180]

@@Swedish_Engineer Winston Churchill said, that Sweden "ignored the greater moral issues of the (2nd World) war and played both sides for profit".

[@mlmmt]

We actually have some of these in a cabinet where it would be basically impossible to have something wired in.

[@williefitzall]

Kindly do a tipsy Christmas video cramming as many cells into it as you can ;)

[@tim1724]

Most rulers in the US have both cm and inches but most measuring tapes are only feet/inches. But if you're careful when shopping you can find measuring tapes with both systems. (8m/26ft is the size that's most likely to have both measurement systems. The key is to find one that isn't a multiple of 5 ft; the ones with metric measurements are nearly always a round number of meters, whereas the foot/inch-only ones are almost always a multiple of 5 ft. But of course you can find exceptions; I've seen at least one 25ft/7.6m dual-unit tape measure.)

[@myfavoriteviewer306]

FastCap makes a really nice foot and meter tape, they do a lot of interesting, almost specialty tapes. The one I have oddly enough is 16 feet or 4.87 meters. Maybe there's another specialty measuring need at play either in metric or standard, both measurements feel a bit odd now that you got me thinking about it. 😂 I picked it up strictly for both systems printed on it, and they make solid stuff.

[@sarkybugger5009]

I have a 25ft / 7.5m tape. The metric printing just stops before the imperial side.

[@richardwasserman]

I'm in the U.S. and accidentally ordered a PIR light from Canadian eBay. The purchase price was the same in Canadian dollars as it was on U.S. eBay in U.S. dollars . The exchange rate was then applied and the price dropped to reflect the exchange rate. I saved at least a dollar. might work for more expensive items also.

[@wherami]

those are quite impressive.

[@MrBobWareham]

Very nice video I would think that the seller will sell plenty.

[@MrMiryks]

If I want to reduce the light sensibility of the PIR light, do i need to increase or reduce the resistor value on the photo diode? So it will only trigger when it is much more darker. I have a PIR light light this for a while now, but it triggers to early, when it is still to bright and i dont need the light. The resistor in front of the light diode is a "(all underline)124" SMD resistor, which is either a 0.124ohm or 120K ohm...

[@bigclivedotcom]

Try a higher value. It may be worth experimenting.

[@1kreature]

The weir WTF cap is probably not a cap position but a resistor position for a 0-ohm to skip the regulator alltogether.

[@mackfisher4487]

Clyde love your reverse engineering and critique, your unique photos of the enlarged circuit board (Care to share the secret of the photography?)

[@bigclivedotcom]

I made a video about how I get well lit shots. Search for tupper-cam.

[@leet6937]

How about modding it to include solar cell/s to charge during the day, and to let it glow dimly until someone comes near and triggers the PIR to start full brightness? Perhaps you could do another video on how to do this Clive?

[@twotone3070]

Would I be right in saying that if additional batteries were placed in parallel, there could be an issue with cell balancing? This being more likely to be a problem with the random nature of the source of the cells. Do the cells from the devices that you mention have sufficient protection circuitry fitted to prevent over charge and a conflagration?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Balancing is only needed with series cells. If lots of random cells are connected in parallel, making sure their voltage is close first, then they will act as one single cell.

[@twotone3070]

@@bigclivedotcom Ah yes, thank you, cleared that up for me. I was basing it on my experience with batteries in parallel that started fully charged but had discharged at different rates, when I separated them I was able to see this.

[@RottnRobbie]

Just by the by - it's a few weeks later, and when I clicked on the search link the pricing I found was a bit under $3.60 Canadian (~ €2.50 ) for the small one.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Does the measuring tape have actual inches though or is it metric inches (25mm) as we somethimes get in sweden.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Real inches.

[@strehlow]

If it will fit w/o the pad, then regular double-stick tape would probably work. Or use a 3M Command Strip to make it easier to remove if needed.

[@ianmorris8534]

"Douche flute", haha, thanks Clive, definately going to be using that :)