Hack your solar lights into Uranus and other planets
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- Hacking new LEDs into solar lights and ruggedizing them against the elements has always been a thing on this channel, and as summer is approaching it seems a good time to buy a couple and see if they've changed much inside.
Nothing much has changed, so that makes popping in a new LED (or two in series) quite an easy project. It lets you customise your lights and experiment with different colours and LED styles.
I like the idea of a planetary theme with these translucent globes, since some planets have vivid colours, like Neptune, Uranus and Mars.
If you live in a part of the world with lots of sunshine then you can swap in a lower value inductor for a brighter LED, and if desired, the NiMH cell can be upgraded too.
Conversely, if you live in a darker part of the world you can extend the run time of lights at the cost of intensity, by changing the inductor to a higher value, up to around 470uH.
As always with solar lights, placement is important. They should be a clear view of the sun directly for as much of the day as possible. The difference between direct sun exposure as opposed to just seeing a bit of the sky is massive. Sometimes it pays to shuffle the location of lights.
Waterproofing the PCB and trying to prevent water creeping down the sides of the solar panel is important. Electrolytic corrosion can destroy lights very quickly. It's sometimes useful to drill a drainage/breather hole in plastic lights too, to reduce the amount of internal condensation. That also lets bugs in, but it's a small price to pay for the increased longevity of the light.
Vaseline, silicone grease, nail varnish, spray lacquer, and other protective coatings can be used to shield the PCB and cell in your light from water.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of TH-cam's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
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Astronomers renamed that planet six years ago to end that joke forever. It is now called Urectum.
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣💩
@@scottgray6276 'urectum' certainly would be with uranus rammed in it 😜
@@scottgray6276 Urectum? Damn near killed 'em.
🤣
I heard they'd almost named it "Uranal," but that was too close to "urinal." 😛
I am Sorry I misread, "Pack ur solar lights into Uranus" 😂
I suppose that’s an option for people who think that the sun shines from there?
I'm not sure they would fit
I read: something, something....Uranus. Insert joke Here >
"Instructions unclear"
@@AndyFletcherX31 you’d be ASTOUNDED what would fit in there!!!
I haven't seen a ball that blue since I was married
Hahahaha 😂😂😂😂 best comment I’ve seen today thank you for making me laugh 😂😂😂
@@sharonpaterson1281 😊
lol. Snort!
ha!
the wife asked why i went ha! just got laid🙂
Remember to trim any bushes around Uranus so the visitors can get a good view.
Put your solar light where the sun don't shine.
Uranus glowing is a great result! Thanks Clive.
Wonder when he will review one of those plug style "UrAnus" RGB lights.
(Don't google it, if you still have faith in humanity)
always nice to see Uranus glowing. nice hack 2x👍
Look out for the Klingons!
@@FatNorthernBigot on the starboard side? 🤣
Taking apart and altering garden lights is how I got back into electronics a few years ago. I kept thinking why can't I build a better garden light than those crappy store bought ones? So I did, after starting to watch your videos. Now I make custom garden lights for friends. I totally agree about coating the board and components with varnish or some sealer. I live in Victoria, Canada, a very rainy and humid climate in winter and I've seen those components rust within a year, killing the light. Nail polish does wonders. I've also used liquid rubber, the stuff for wires but that's a bit more messy.
Clive, that blue glow really does make Uranus look beautiful. After this you're going to put Uranus outside for everyone to see it.
I lost it at "eight Polish NuNus". 🤣
Zwoty?
@@garrysekelli6776zloty
Fun fact: old zloty are PLZ, and new zloty are PLN. NuNus are phonetically close enough to "new."
So that's part 1, make it the right colour
When's part 2, make it follow the proper orbit ?
Inside joke.
I wasn't aware Poland's currency was now the "Nunu" 🤣
It's slang for "Don't give me zloty, I want the same amount in Euros." 🤪
😂
😂😂😂😂
Actually (improper puns aside) the colour is more reminiscent of Neptune.
They are virtually the same colour. NASA recently reminded everybody that the old photos that people used to use to determine the colour of Uranus are old false colour photos. They were produced with false colour to reveal more detail for science purposes, and were always labelled as false colour; somehow this was missed. More recent true colour photos show Uranus as very similar to Neptune in colour.
So “go to Poundland and make Uranus glow” and I also heard you say that it’s good to “slather it in Vaseline“ so it will last longer?
I recommend the mains-powered version. Then it is a simple matter of using a plug to make Uranus shine.
Clive and Uranus?! I'm in, so to speak...
balls deep
With 700huffs! 😅
... so to speak.
Looks more like Neptune to me, but hey, Uranus is awesome, too. LoL
You just can't resist when Big Clive is probing Uranus.
Resistance is futile... 🤭
*Sigh* 2620 can't get here fast enough. ;) The astronomy nerd in me has to point out that Uranus is actually more of a cyan color and Neptune is blue.
I was originally going to say neptune. but Uranus sounded a lot better.
Turns out the images we have of a dark blue Neptune are incorrect. Sometime soon after V2 flew past the planet, a colour enhanced photo made its way into the hands of the press and that picture was broadly disseminated as being a true colour image (despite the original being identified as an enhanced picture). Neptune is actually slightly less green than Uranus and not as dark as the general public has been led to believe.
But that does make Clive's story fun.
The HUF is Hungarian Forint
HUF, HUF, pass
@@ThatMattWhite that is the paint thinner way
I always replace the batteries with an external, larger one from the Ni-Mh 3.6v pack that I have for free.
These tiny ones often only work for a few seconds. On the larger one, it lights up all night long, over 12 hours.
Whenever i have to open one of them, i try that too if possible.
Also bridge the stupid switches and blast it with WD40 for a "good enough" waterproofing.
Usually last long enough until they fall apart due to UV degradation.
yeah I got a globe light from Poundland and it had a 40mAh battery, pathetic... Except that there's not enough room to fit anything larger in.
I thought LIDL's 300mAh AAA batteries (supplied with their globe lights) were a bit tight, but then I saw these 40mAh cells!
He was feelin' blue in the end!
Nice modification. I had to laugh at the size of the battery though, maybe worth swapping that out as Clive mentioned.
Looks cool Clive thank you 😊
I like those blue LEDs. Do you have a link? I've not seen those.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234034804681
I was very disapointed in my visit to poundland when I last went to the UK... almost nothing was a pound! But i am not disappointed to see a new BigClive video whilst I'm doing my CAD drawings for the day
Inflation made it the ex-poundland, or so I shall expound, lad
Nice color LED 😊
Love these solar LED light hacks! 👍🏻
Not only is the world your oyster, but other worlds can be your oyster too!
The worm is your lobster!
Coincidentally, a couple of days ago I installed a AAA cell onto the garden light I have sitting on the bathroom widowsill. The inbuilt cell had lasted well over 7 years, which wasn't bad to say it originally cost me 50p (in the closing down sale of the then-named Poundworld). I calculate something over 2500 charge/discharge cycles. Identical components to this one. I bypassed the power switch while I was there.
I've had a Poundland solar light operating indoors for a massive amount of time. Something like 10 years. I should test the cell capacity. It doesn't get a huge amount of sunlight where it is, but still lights (blue) for a decent time.
such a pretty glow!
Awww Ha! Ha! Such a mature video title. 😂
You're a very cheeky man Clive,,,very cheeky.
4:13 anvil. That is a good name for the LED part.
My dad is always saying that it looks like if someone was urinating inside a toiled while standing.
Well now I'm not going to be able to unsee that...
What an excellently constructed video title 👌
With proper care solderwick can be safer than spring suction tools, which can suck the pads right off the board, especially where there is no platethru support. I did my time in the factory with real solder vacuum systems and good quality PCBs, low-end commercial grade boards are a lot easier to damage - the pads seem to be attached with school glue 🤣
Here in the tropics I find that solder wick soon loses its lustre and eagerness to absorb solder. But suction tools just keep going.
It will happen in the temperate zone too as the wick ages, a ziplock bag or sealed container can help a lot. Only pull out what is needed and try not to handle it with fingers. Sometimes nothing will help! 40+ years in this game, and I still get surprises, I definitely appreciate good quality PCB stock.
That's where the starship Enterprise is searching for Klingons.
On Uranus?
My brain after reading this:
"There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow
There's Klingons on the starboard bow, scrape 'em off, Jim!"
That glow of the solar light reminds me of those colored Royal fluorescent light bulbs by Sylvania in Christmas or decorative chains. This was long before the LED was invented, so they were gas-discharge and phosphors of different color on the inside of the bulb...
You had me at Uranus. 🧡👊🏻🇨🇦
I have some giant plastic balls which belonged to shopping complex street lights, those could be made into a giant one. Good idea
Been following the "Big Clive keeps yer lights alive" vids for a while.
Been doing clear silicone on solar panels for a while, getting years out of lights at the mo ... Will have to try the tape / nail vanish for the next set we pick up.
Soldering the switch closed is a good shout 👍they definitely turn to shee-hite. Cheers!
Nice !
I bought some solar lights in 2015 because of Clive - and took them apart of course.
I'm not sure what came over me but I became very fascinated with making my own lights after that
Thanks
Thanks :)
Clicked for the title....Stayed for the nerdiness :)
When are they going to go back to instructions big enough to be read?
When the whole world speaks Esperanto.
I recommend spraying the board with Blaster Surface Shield. It's a great anti-corrosive. Murikans can get a can at Harbor Freight for $10 to spray their car's rusty bits as well.
I believe your Poundlands are 5Below stores in Murika
Love it Clive, mod it, hack it and if possible expose the mongo-economics.
Side note.
Been soldering for 30 years+-, these new usb c irons (pwr delivery) very versatile and RAPID temperature ramp. Hey we all like Bucks Fizz, bet they're bouncing off the walls in Rampton
The plastic dome could be used as UV shield for the solar cell, if it's of the right plastic.
All my small solar cells have turned white and ugly. Acetone rub brings them back for a while.
The epoxy they use must be the cheapest known to man, with no UV protection.
Sun's UV rays destroys the polymer and leaves a white dust in its place. Same deal with car headlights.
There's a spray-on product called 303 Aerospace Protectant, it's used in boating communities to protect the plastic windows on their soft-tops, and it's advertised as having UV blockers. Since I discovered it, I've been applying it periodically to plastic headlights (2-3 times a year) and it seems to do the job as I haven't seen any degradation over 6-7 years. (If you live in an area where it freezes, ice slides off your headlights with the gentlest tap of a snow brush's bristles.) I've also used it on gauge cluster bezels (the clear plastic over your gauges) and fine scratches disappear. If the bezel is scratch-free, 303 makes it nearly invisible. Once I discovered that... Applying it to plastic eyeglass lenses, with tons of fine scratches, it makes enough of an improvement to be a surprise every time I apply it. (I'm more nearsighted than Mr. Magoo!)
They're not a sponsor (lol), it's just a really great product that works well when applied as directed. What I'm getting to is that product might be great as a _preventative measure_ on future solar lights (with periodic reapplication, of course). Since the cells you have now are pretty damaged already, you might want to experiment with an acetone rub followed by a buffing with 303 Aerospace Protectant?
@@dashcamandy2242 I've never used it, but have seen a lot of car videos using them to restore and maintain rubber parts.
Will give it a try next time. Thanks for the tip.
That's why I avoid the resin ones and only buy glass ones. I've got 10 year old glass ones that are still good (although the batteries need replacing).
@@gary_rumain_you_peons The smallest glass ones I have, is 12W.
Also, these epoxy ones come with the garden lights, and motion lights.
The alternative, would be to use bare solar cells and encapsulate with good quality epoxy, which is expensive.
With a UV dome, you can use any cell and not worry about environmental degradation.
@@piconano Some do, some don't. Like I said, I only buy the glass ones and avoid the resin ones. You just need to look around.
Some people like to put a dark spot on Uranus to make it look more realistic, but nobody's ever seen it that close to know whether it has a dark spot or something else. If you're so inclined, you could use a sharpie or other marker to make an asterisk or similar mark on the inside of the globe. You can experiment with boldness or size to see what looks the most realistic, and some IPA on a cloth or paper towel should remove the mark if you make a mistake or put it in the wrong place.
solar panels are not activate by infra red. they are only work under higher energy photons.🕯
the photo electic effect was one of the clues on the way to discovering photons.💡
Snarf snarf :)
"Eight Polish... nuu nuus" LOL, you got me here good, Clive (I'm from Poland). The currency in Poland is "polski zloty". The "N" in "PLN" comes from denomination of 1995, as after that it was called "nowy polski zloty" (new polish zloty) for some time. Cheers!
Did you know you can fit 58 Earths in Uranus? Surprisingly spacious.
I was wondering what brand / model printer you have? I'm always impressed with your results
Thank you
FLsun Q5 delta printer, but there are many options.
"..and other planets." Oh.. THAT Uranus.
I wish they sold these in the US. Dollar store ones here are the ones that maybe last half a season most of the time because they have the exposed panel and nothing sealing it… I’ve used silicone caulk to improve them, but they’re not nice glowy like that
Wow, Uranus is pretty big!
Looks more like Neptune to me 😊❤
i'm hoping to see you do the other planets. i found some desoldering wick but when i tried it it was useless. thank you clive for showing how to make it work. i just have to flux it. glad i watched.
Solder wicking without making a mess or burning your fingers is an acquired skill. Practice on a junk board and you will soon be good at it.
Disclaimer: "This channel does not in anyway endorse the hacking of solar lights into Uranus. You have been warned."
Nice 😊, now what RGB colors do I mix to get brown? Uranus. 😂😂
Boo.🙈
Just a red LED will do after the weekend.
To quote Technology Connections; "brown is orange with context."
I googled for "anus brown RGB" and surprisingly I didn't get any results, but I forgot to log out first so now I think I'm going to get some somewhat embarrassing personalized ads 🤦♂
So when someone tells you that *everything has already been invented* you can reply that they have not yet invented the "anus brown color" 🤭
@@ZacabebOTG **contextually-smooth jazz plays**
Opportunity to do all the planets! faint blue LED with brown highlights for Mercury, Yellow LED for Venus, Orange LED for Mars, Warm While for Saturn (with DIY acrylic rings), Neptune ("Darker blue with darker stripes", don't forget the ring system), and Jupiter ("Daylight white" led, with reddish - brown highlights; don't forget the Red Spot). Definitely would be a great talking point in the garden!
In other news, Neptune is also blue, but doesn't get the same attention as Uranus.
I wonder why? 😁
Very nice color mixing the ice blue with the white dome!
I've had success replacing the button cells with the 1/3AA size (from eBay) in these smaller fixtures.
i gave up waiting for the video's to start before liking them now , i just know there going to be good 🤣😂
Uranus is so well illuminated 😊
The third price is in Bulgarian Lev (лв), followed by Bosnian convertible mark (KM) which are both pegged to the euro at roughly 0,50 euro for 1 лв/KM. Kn is the Croatian kuna, which is no longer in use as Croatia joined the eurozone on Jan 1, 2023. Strange why they used the currency symbol for the lev and the kuna, but used ISO codes for the other currencies.
uranus is quite impressive
Beautiful blue end result.
Now to the desoldering wick, I'd like to buy some, however I'm not sure what to choose.
The website I order components from offers to choose between tinned, non tinned and no clean.
At least it's how it translates from the French, with the exception of No clean used as an anglicism.
But on the pictures they all look copper-y while I expected the tinned one to look more silvery, like tinned wire ends for example.
The only wick I have used so far comes from a former work colleague and I don't know what type it is.
It's copper in color and doesn't need any flux to do its job.
Any idea what type it can be and what the best choice would be ?
Thank's.
I've only come across generic copper braid.
I do have 3 of them but it has 2 options.. you can switch to white or to colours and does have a normal battery 🔋..i can change it when is done
Have you seen those "handheld sleep aid" devices on Temu? What do you reckon is inside them?
I've got one that gives surprisingly brisk electric zaps.
Looks like a decent candidate for one of those lithium capacitor style cells unless it was a nimh cell to begin with.
That would require very different circuitry.
Make Uranus Glow!
The Big Yin commented about Scots being a natural shade of blue, I imagine it's very similar to this colour which also happens to match Uranus.
HUF is the currency of Hungary. Interesting to see this in the uk.
Could also use some use outdoor sealing caulk to water proof the seal...
Keeping in mind that acid curing silicone can liberate enough acid fumes to cause corrosion.
I remember buying these about 4 years ago from Poundland, i think they were called Malibu. I got these over the other "posher" designs because the solar panel wasn't susceptible to rain ingress, due to being enclosed in the globe. They still work now, only main difference i can see is my ones have an AAA ni-cd battery. They were only 50p each though, inflation!
Connect every single led to the next one in series and see if it'll survive straight 240?
You would want two chains for the positive and negative half cycles. Then you'd want about 240V (mains rms) * 1.732 (peak vs rms) / 3 (LED peak Voltage) = 138 LEDs in each chain.
@@ekij133 he said he had a large number and doesn't know what to do with them, put them all together and see how far they blow up 😂
Technically you can hack it to Neptune too, as the true colour of Neptune is actually quite similar to Uranus, just a bit more pale blue where Uranus is almost pearl like.
Well actually, this is honesty a bit too blue to be even Neptune :(
I'm so glad it's not only me that orders too many LED's and then wonders what to do with them.😀
One can never have too many LEDs.
What's the best way to protect the Uranus light from taking a pounding while outside?
Presumably, one has to use Voltaic piles to light them😁
The one under the euro price is bulgarian levs. It costs 4 lv. (лв.) It's likely that you aren't going to see that for much longer since we are about to introduce the euro come next year.
Any colour you like great track off dsotm.
For a long time they thought daylight came from Sun. Then they discovered that sun shines out of Uranus.
I made my own solar garden light using li poly(280mah), attiny 412 , tp4056, 6v solar cell and some leds. It blink Morse Code "help". (For the li poly battery who is stressed due to heating during the day)
There's a lantern like the one you reviewed a while ago the orange one with a flashlight at the end of it, now I found one that has a portable fan on the end and I'm wondering if it's as dangerous as the one before? It too has a power bank and I hope that it doesn't give anyone a horrible shock if they use it. I'm really close to buying one but I'm not sure about its safety. Let's hope it's safe to use.
I think gardens should be dark at night.
At best have some lights on a motion sensor.
It is better for nocturnal animal life.
And it creates less light pollution for astronomers.
Make all the "Uranus" jokes you want...
At the end of the video, Clive showed us his blue ball(s). 🤪
Living on the Isle of Man, I'm not surprised Uranus looks ice cold.
Why put two LEDs in series? Does the circuit automatically boost to fit any Vfwd (within some constraints)?
The collapsing field in the inductor can usually drive a few LEDs in series.
There's a currency exchange rate right on the label :)) Tres cher, tres cher !
It's got prices for Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Serbia and Hungary...
Guess they're selling these things in a rather broad range of countries.
It's interesting that it's most expensive in euros (comparatively).
i am interested in this don't solder cells idea. even though i buy little holders for 18650s for my own projects, when i want to , for instance, make a crap torch last longer between charges, i just winkle them open and solder another 18650 across the original one. is this terribly bad? should i buy a little spot welder instead, attach a bit of metal, and solder to that?
AIUI lithium cells such as 18650 have 2 major dangers if soldering directly: the high temp can cause sudden combustion or even explosion within the cell if applied for too long, & the (usually) +ive end terminal has tiny vents for the natural outgassing, which if blocked by solder can cause similar effects. A spot welder is far faster WRT its heat transfer to the cell, & is more precise WRT avoiding the potential for vent clog. I forget where I saw this, but it was while I was looking up how to build small home-made spot welders for exactly this purpose
My main concern is that overheating could cause the separator film to shrink away from the end and potentially allow the electrodes to short.
A house I often drive past has flickery blue lights down both sides of his drive and I often wonder if he found them that way or did "surgery".
They already like mine
I was expecting a brown light diode, that would have been a novelty; and doesn't the soldering iron get on your wick?
Neptune now identifies as Uranus