Intro A while ago I set out to build a solar lamp that can work all the time, especially in the dark winter months. After a while I realized that there is already some version of it in my home. So now it’s time for part 3 SOLVINDEN skeleton, new insides Step 1 – beef up the solar panels: 2 pieces of 6V 133mA each Step 2 – assemble the led head Step 3 –… Continue reading
Intro A while ago I set out to build a solar lamp that can work all the time, especially in the dark winter months. Using real solar production data and a simple excel model, I was able to figure out combinations of battery and solar cells that would be able to power the LED in a SOLVINDEN lamp through the dark winter months. But in my laziness, i never ended up building it. Until I… Continue reading
Last Christmas I picked up the functional part of an Ikea SOLVINDEN lamp that has failed from my parent’s garden. I was curious what caused it to fail. After charging the battery and putting it back in the lamp, nothing happened. The switch felt rather rusty when toggling. The randomness in me (or the kid) flicked the switch frantically a few more times and … boom! There came a spark of light. A few more… Continue reading
Intro Everybody knows them: solar garden lamps. They work quite well during summers, when there is a lot of sun, days are long and nights are short. But come winter nights and you barely get anything from them. So i thought, what would it take to make a solar lamp that can always run when it is dark, winter or summer? In fact, this ties into a more general question: how do I size a… Continue reading
Intro For a while now, I started replacing the dead AA(A) batteries in my sensor nodes with rechargeable NiMH ones. So, since these batteries are rechargeable, I thought, why not trying adding small solar panels for sensor nodes, where light is abundant. Node 27: outside sensor Purpose: outside temperature, humidity, light, pressure sensor. Powered by 2 x AAA 500mAh from Ikea. The solar cell is rated 3V, 125mA and is pointing vertically south and costs… Continue reading