ASDA/Walmart George brand solar light showdown
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
- These lights are available in 50, 100, 250 and 500 LED sets in warm white or coloured. I got a set of each type to check out the circuitry and solar panel size.
The LEDs are wired as a long parallel string with visible intensity drop across them when bundled together. By cutting the string shorter the intensity of the remaining LEDs will increase.
Note that these are the type of sleeved LED that will inevitably wick in water and corrode. But the solar panel can be repurposed for other stuff if that happens.
As with most solar lights, there is scope to customise them by changing the inductor to set a new LED current according to how much sunshine you get. The NiMH cell can be upgraded and the LED string can be adjusted in length.
If you have a window that catches a lot of sunlight, these may be suitable for use indoors too, and should last a lot longer due to being kept dry.
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.
#ElectronicsCreators - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
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I don't know how long I have been following this channel, but the very first thing that came to mind with this one was "What the hell happened to the desk?" 😄
And his name on the desk is slightly misaligned with my play bar.
- Outrageous
With the skid marks!!
13:25 He's Traveling.
I think it's in a budget hotel. Looks like a crappy prem inn desk
@@andyjbaumanYep. The change in desk and sound is the tipoff that he’s on the road.
You can re-vive clouded solar panels by giving them a quick treatment of spray-on clear coat. Makes them look and perform (if they are still free from water ingress) like new. Learned that from some super old homemade TH-cam video years ago. I wish I had the link to give credit to that fine dude who has been saving my old solar panels.
I’ve also used a coat of car polish to bring them back to shiny and new. Probably doesn’t last as long as recoating but still works.
@@erikthewonderdog6522I used coconut oil and fine steel wool. Works!!
I used coconut oil and fine steel wool to revive mine. Working great!! I try to avoid buying anything I don't already have on hand for this kind of project of squeezing more life out of dilapidated solar garden lights....although I firmly believe in doing whatever I can to extend them and keep them out of the landfills....
Nice it's Clive time ! I love solar led lights and you explain really well how they works
Thanks to you I've started expermenting with grafting larger capacity batteries onto my solar lights with 3d printed holders. Indoor stuff so far but in the longer daylight hours they easily charge enough to stay lit all night. Improving dollar store lighting for a couple dollars more.
I was laid in bed earlier thinking about you Clive, I still have a pack of them small and lovely nixie neon lights and keep meaning to get my head around sending the boards off to get PCB printed. hopefully I can figure out power supplies and a way to add a dimmer. always love seeing you talk tech, hopefully this is the year I finally make my nixie fairy lights!
I bought an iSesamo due to seeing you break into all sorts of gadgets with previously the clone and now the real deal.
Thanks for the video Clive. I appreciate the effort you make to keep us supplied with these even when you're out doing RL stuff. Cheers.
So far the best trick I have found out for preserving the resin solar panels is packing tape actually. Lay a strip on and smooth out the air. Then use a sharp blade to carefully cut it out. Lasts much longer than spray lacquer, though you can combine the two (lacquer, wait to dry, then tape) to restore a cloudy panel and preserve it too.
I was re-attaching a wire that tore off when a small solar panel fell during a storm. Cleaned the hot melt glue from under the cover off with isopropanol (a trick I learned here) and some spilled around the edge. Was quite suprised how easily it cleared the dull panel, it had spent years outside at that point. Even showed it in a short.
BLIMEY!... ive often said that myself... LOL... smFh
I got a bunch of those warm-white fairy-lights, the little blobs-o'-LEDs on magnet-wire, and it's the same controller, 32 idjit modes that take 20min to get to just-constant-on, because some of those modes *LOOK* like steady for maybe 5sec, but then start to fade and then go into other patterns, or go full-flash, etc., so they're deceptive. Really need to stick with what you think is "steady", then wait about a minute to be sure.
What is the default power on mode? I was wondering if installing a spdt switch on the chip’s power pin to short it to ground (and disconnect the Vcc of course) would force it to reset to that mode.
@@markfergerson2145 It does seem to remember its last mode, but no idea what it was at initial power-on.
Amazing value 4 in 1 video!
Oo-o-o...Clive's been 'weegie' shopping again! Yay! This video brought to you from his desk thing in the bedroom.
When I saw the strange desk I immediately thought of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo but that is not until August.
Hay Festival is just over and Glastonbury is at the end of the month.
Just got another roadside solar garden light that was busted up. Just the board and panel. Glad you mentioned that about the glass. This one is like that. I'll see if I can trim it to a size I can make workable.
Miss the squiggly lines on the table
Since these were not acquired online but at a retailer, there’s a higher likelihood the figures are closer to reality since there could be legal repercussions from the buying public and/or government bodies against the retailer *and* the retailer could also hold the manufacturer to contracted design too.
It would be nice for you to show a way to chop these sets up to run on USB supplies. I dare say you could get quite a few out of a 50 set.
Great videos as always
Two ten ohm resistors in series. I have a video about it.
Asda is no longer Walmart, it is owned by the guys that own Euro Garages petrol stations.
Walmart still have technically very small share in Asda they just don't fully own it anymore
@@kobirelf97means nothing then
10% ownership. Sold ASDA and George in 2020 to TDP Capital and the Issa brothers. One brother has sold his stake to TDP, the other is still involved.
Interesting comparison. the 250 string look a bit dull not sure if thats the video or not. But I wouldn't expect them to stay lit for long in our winters with the included battery.
Nice video. 2x. 👍
I think Asda are no longer owned by Walmart? Great video as always.
Wikipedia article on Asda says:
‘In February 2021, the Issa brothers and TDR Capital acquired Asda, with Walmart retaining "an equity investment" in Asda, a seat on the board and "an ongoing commercial relationship".’
Whatever those mean.
Some private equity firm owned by 2 UK brothers bought out Wallmarts share of Asda pre pandemic but one brother just sold their share recently. It was in my news feed as i don't allow google to personalise said feed by tracking. Same on TH-cam i don't have personalised recommendations on.
Walmart holds a minority stake in Asda and as part of that keeps its supply chain available to the UK supermarket.
The Issa brothers own EG Garages and TDR is an investment firm that has been backing them for years.
What i find interesting here is the use of the George brand, which is a Walmart store brand here in the USA, and the packaging/artwork looks very similar to the 'Better Homes and Gardens' branded products that Walmart (and only Walmart as far as I know) sell here too, which tells me that they still have an influence over ASDAs store brand products and probably more.
Walmart still owns 10%, so it's a minority shareholder but probably has no real say in operations.
I wonder how honest those battery sleeve ratings are.
Probably all under capacity, likely around 50% of the sleeve rating as typical for the cheap cells, or they all are 200mAh cells, just different sleeves.
“Trust the science “
It's a 'High Street' retailer, so open to potential legal action if things aren't as described.
@@thegorgon7063 They turn around and claim the goods were ordered as advertised, and that the store is not responsible., forwarding the request to the importer to fix, who is always "off for today, back real soon".
Not from AliExpress so probably legit
ASDA was apparently bought from Wal-Mart by the Issa brothers, backed by TDP Capital, in 2020. One brother later sold his share to TDP capital, but Mohsin Issa still owns 22%. Wal-Mart only has a 10% stake
Thanks :)
You could hack together a 555 timer and an integrated H-Bridge IC to drive the LEDs with alternating polarity, then run it at like 2 KHz and you see no flicker at all.
I have multiple pieces of blackened glass that were once amorphous panels. Once the connection is broken, nothing successfully reattaches the cable. Resin polycrystalline on the other hand are easy to repair.
It would be nice to see a simple h-bridge/oscillating circuit to facilitate the reuse of the alternating leds that ran at a fairly constant speed so the thousands I have rescued could be fully illuminated rather than having them in half lit balls, stuffed into jam jars as light bulb replacements. I remember building something with my Tandy 200 in 1 electronics kit 50 yrs ago but both are lost in time.
The solar panels and batteries are a tenth of the size required to drive the lights for more than a couple of hours
Too true. Years ago small single LED solar lights used to have a 600mAh AAA inside. Now they've shrunken to abysmal 40mAh button cells and the 600mAh ones are being used to power 500 LEDs at like 0.5 milliamps for two hours...
Just bought a 100 led from Homebase on offer for £6. 1200 mah 18650 and dual mode leds yellow and colour. Multi mode great value.
The leds do not seem very vibrant, think they're just a white light through coloured plastic?
Could capacitor be for any accidental high voltage spikes
Any word on the output of the solar panels?
I'll need to wait on sunshine returning to test the solar panels.
After the bizarre overheating effects I observed on other dollar store solar panels that makes their current output suddenly drop to 10% after 5 minutes in the sun, I don't trust any "good deals" on solar panels without testing them first, seems like a lot of these dollar store items are using factory seconds.
A small amount of clear bath and kitchen silicone (caulk) I’m filling the corners of the solar panel will prevent the ingress of most moisture. Also a thin layer of clear coat applied will help prevent the discoloration/ distortion.
We have the exact same sets down here. Price compare works out about the same after conversion.
Removing the plastic film ensures the discoloration of the protective gel.
Leave the freakin' protection On, its a Neutral Density UV filter, and Oxygen barrier.
I use Brasso for cleaning dulled surfaces. Paintwork (oil based), car headlights, and of course brass unless it's really bad then I use stainless steel cleaner (Sulphamic Acid).
I keep wondering if the "Sesamo" in iSesamo is pronounced in a similar way to the "Sesame" in Open Sesame. It would make sense, considering it's a tool for opening things.
That's what I thought when he first started using it. Makes sense.
I've always thought that too
Thanks Big Clive. What a cool review. I'm kind of like you in digging the options without the stupid blinky stuff. Interesting that reducing the value of the inductor increases the current if I got that right. I'm looking into making a solar powered backlight for an address light maybe using a LiFePO4 battery. I don't think this kind of circuitry would work being such low voltage. I "think" I have a battery protection board for the Headway 8 amp cell I have. I need to combine that a dusk dawn sort of circuit with a solar panel.
It is poorly explained but the mechanism is that the chip operates at a fixed duty cycle and frequency, so by lowering the inductance you get higher inductor current. As the peak current increases linearly when lowering inductance, but energy storage in the inductor is Li^2 you get more energy pushed to the LED string with lower inductor values.
This is true for the fixed duty and frequency mode that these chips use. It is not in any way a general rule
@@Kuremyr I sure have a LOT to learn. I wish my dad was still around. He'd be 113 this year but was an amazing engineer.
It's good value even if you just want it for parts. You get a battery and charger circuit, solar panel and all those LED's.
I recently found an illegally discarded solar light while riding my bike through nature, of course I picked it up and it worked! Well until yesterday when the strong June sun caused the tiny 50mAh button NIMH cell to overcharge and burst. I replaced the cell with a used 2400mAh (new) AAA cell and changed the inductor to 1/3 of its original value of 330µH and swapped the LED to one of these nice turquoise ones. In short - it got the full BigClive treatment.
I guess the AAA is not 2400mAh..
Been for a beer with Kevin yet? Can we expect a colab. Electrocity pixie wrangling, island style. 😊
I have the same conversation with my brother. I give him millimeters and he wants inches. I sent him the conversion formula.
I would pay to see your house at Christmas...you may have the biggest collection of Chrismas lights in the world.
It's the complete opposite.
UK-based private equity firm TDR Capital will become the majority owner of Asda after acquiring co-owner Zuber Issa’s shares in the supermarket chain. - june 2024.
I was dissapointed when asda became 'part of the walmart family' as we never got a guns and ammo aisle.
Walmart will still retain a minority share in the company, and I remember seeing news reports back in 2020 about the purchase, and if it took them this long to find the deal then you have to wonder how much debt they leveraged for it.
As for the guns and ammo aisle, don't be too disappointed. Walmart Canada doesn't have one either. We have to go to a Bass Pro Shops/Cabela's for the guns and ammo aisle!
Walmart jumped ship and joined the anti-gun gang so most gun owners won't buy guns there now. They only sell shotguns/rifles and shotgun/rifle ammo now. That leaves peoplel like me with pistol caliber carbines and pistols having to go to Sportsman's Warehouse.
We did get a huge Halloween range though.
Have the Bolton brothers sold out?
You can just spray clear coat on them if they go cloudy and they come up like new
I have some landscaping lights and I sprayed lacquer on them and it took the white away from the solar panel but I'm wondering if it stops some of the UV rays from going through and therefore doesn't give it a full charge
It shouldn't really have too much of an effect.
nice comparison between the different size solar panels tied to LED lights. with the set up is there any
difference in the hours of illumination? or is that ties to the battery? and it’s quality.
It's dependent on solar panel size, exposure to sun light, cell capacity and the choice of inductor in the voltage boost circuit.
It'd be nice if they just had an "on" setting that overrides the annoying flashing options, cos not everyone wants to have lights flashing away like the police are outside... :S
Nice one Clive I have a question, I have a 50 led set of led lights that look like bulbs, basically an led in a holder when they start running the battery down the first few are dim to no light, but as you go along they’re brighter how does this happen? Thanks 😊
Sounds like voltage drop along a long run of wire. Even a tenth of a volt will affect LED intensity significantly.
It’s so nice to see a comment section so early on with nobody going “first”
I have one of those Solar powered Christmas lights I set up in my Green house last year. It worked well. But as the solar unit was outside, water went in and it corroded.
I bought another similar set and used the solar panel to replace that broken solar panel. Seems like it worked once and then stopped working.
My question is, how can you find, which part of the wire the fault is or which light is faulty, as it's difficult to test it as you cant take the bulb out, or insert yhr multimeter where the bulb is connected with the wire.
2nd question, if I connect it with a 1.3 volt AA battery will it light up if working, or does it need the solar circuit to work?
The LEDs should light with two AA cells in series for 3V. It's not uncommon for LEDs to corrode or fail in a way that shunts the string.
LED' can act like solar panels (though very inefficiently) I wonder if they have any that also allow flow from the lights back into the battery while it's daylight out?
Their current output is tiny.
The electronics to benefit from the tiny power produced would be more costly than just providing a bigger solar panel that would be far more effective anyway.
I would buy the 250 sets
The cap in the S/F circuit may possibly be to debounce the switch.
This workbench has a nice look and feel. What if it followed you home?
Asda used to be owned by Walmart. It is now owned by EG Group, who in the USA are known as Certified Oil, Cumberland Farms, Fastrac, Kwikshop, Loaf 'n Jug, Minit Mart, Quikstop, Sprint, Tom Thumb, or Turkey Hill; depending on which state you are in. All of those are equivalent to the small Asda Express shops rather than the big Asda you likely bought that from.
Random question about LED flicker: I have 2 bathrooms in my house that share a wet wall. The lights in one bathroom don't flicker at all while the ones in the other one do quite irritatingly.
It's a different circuit (probably) but still a very similar run from the panel to the switch to the lights, so why could one flicker but not the other?
It could be the style of bulb - some do flicker. Or there could be electronic control like a dimmer or active switch, that is not suited to LED loads.
I have always wondered, if it is possible to make those lights so cheep, why is it not possible to make a solar panel the same way and for a significantly lower price.
Many years ago Walmart sold Asda to some Pakistany brothers. That time called Euro Garages. These days they are called EG group. They are known for owning loot of petrol pumps around UK.
So if you see Asda petrol pump then its not Asda owning the pump, but pump owning Asda.
No more connection between Asda and Walmart
I'm seeing a new screwdriver! Does it perform well? I'm planning to get a set of wera drivers, but they are kind of expensive.
Temporary location, so one of my work screwdrivers.
I need you Clive. My Samsung TV died and with my limited knowledge i replaced the Power board to get it working again :). 1 Month and 5 days later it dies with the same fault Blowing a T 6.3 Ah 250V. This Fuse is very close to the Power cord and the 2nd fuse T 3.15 Ah is not affected.
Was it a used power board? It may have already had high use.
George is an in-house brand from a Canadian centered grocery conglomerate owned by the Weston family, called Loblaws.
Named after the UK fashion designer George Davies!
I had two of these sets and they were not good at all, the multi colored lights started to fail after a few months and gradually less and less came on then all went off, a few came back on months later before dying. the white set lasted a few months before stopping working. I find solar lights dont last very long.
Dealing with a PIR solar led light .Can't get them any more ,I got 5 years use and the battery is till good .The epoxy laminated solar cell delaminated and water got in the PIR is working and so are the 2 led strips used to side light the lense .They were $5; each on one of those sites .Should have bought more .Can't seem to find them
You may be able to find a replacement solar panel. But it may be just as cheap to buy a new one.
Walmart sold Asda back in February 2021.
you can consider use a tablet with drawing software, so you can take a picture and show it on large screen imidiately with the ability to mark the tracks and zoom in and out
Could one big advantage of the 500 set be the leds will last a lot longer outside due to the AC power and hence less electrolysis action on the led leads?
You won't get a high enough voltage to generate the current needed to overcome the resistance of the wire it's probably Chinese aluminium wire, otherwise yeah it could act like ReGen on cars ! :)
It could help slow corrosion with the alternating polarity.
Don't we have UV resistant resins that could be used?
Asda hasn't been owned by Walmart for a few years now.
I have a two color solar light guts that has pretty high switch rate in static mode, maybe in kHz range._
Funny seeing christmas lights on sale in the middle of the year, the multi function ones can be annoying with the flashing... they look like generic chinese LED's just branded for asda, possibly the same ones argos and poundland sell.
It's probable that Walmart will have the same supplier (Walmart used to own part of ASDA didn't they? Probably still do.) It looks like you have a Walmart brand product. Seeing the logo on the box, the font and design are very much like their mid-range brand Better Homes & Gardens. That brand line does carry summer/garden themed Solar LED string lights & decorative LED lighting a little different than what you're showing. As for Christmas Lights (fairy lights), Mainstays is the brand Walmart uses; however, I can't say I've ever see a Solar option - what is becoming more and more common over here is the new "European"-style safety, 12-volt connector. Walmart's Mainstays 96-Count Indoor Curtain Lights (Manufacturer Part 62-093) appears to be identical to what you have - sans Solar capability - warranty is by a manufacturer called Everstar Merchandise Co, Ltd. (likely the US office for a Chinese company).
Does anybody know why they still use screws when everything is just clipped together to not get you in easily these days? Decor?
Maybe more suited to outdoor temperature fluctuations.
The 250-light set doesn't have a cover over the switch.
The packaging definitely looks very Walmart, I'll have to look next time I feel like being treated like a thief.
Yes yes I bought a set of wire droplet LEDs thinking I could just snip off a few feet for a project. surprise polarity reversal and these were just a steady on string.
I put together an audio recorder bag and thought it would be neat to string them around the edge and that would also solve my load issue to keep the USB power bank on when the recorder is not on as well as to add some general illumination. I accidentally blew a couple of them somehow but I guess what I could turn the string around.
You'll need a couple of 10 ohm resistors in series with a typical parallel LED string to limit the current on a USB supply.
What's this posh black tableish expanse? It's captivating!
Think he's in a crappy prem inn branded jail cell sized hotel room
As Clive whispers I found myself wishing for a solar powered led/bowling ball comparison…maybe time to find a video with a “BetterHelp” link. 😜
I am just a beginner, and am confused because resistors and inductors look similar. How do you tell them apart?
They do look similar. You have to either test their resistance (inductors will be very low) or deduce their function from the circuit.
Ahh the 500 ruined by the class-less flashy nonsense... lol - Could you do a deeper dive into H Bridge circuits?
Yes. I have never grasped how an H-Bridge works and would love to see a Big Clive explanation of it.
Think he made a video about them 6 years or so ago
@@phonotical It may have been before I started watching him.
bro why the comments after 2 week?
@@Termenit because this video has only just become public
How do the batteries recharge unless they recharge only while flashing?
They recharge from sunlight during the day and the LEDs turn on at night.
Solar panel static mode is designed to zap trespassers.
Sounds like Clive is near the 1 o'clock cannon.
Not yet. But coming soon.
Asda aren’t owned by Walmart anymore are they?
No, they were sold about three years ago by Walmart to the Issa Brothers..
@@cypeman8037pure dodgy guys.
Does AAIC mean ic for a AA cell?
I think it's just a random code.
Not owned by Walmart since 2021 - now back in British hands.
Your next purchase will be some MONSTA gerkin jars ( to allow some outdoor water resistance ? ) .... BTW , contents must be eaten first ( and will keep you regular : 💩 ) ...... Ha - Ha 😝............. DAVE™🛑
So, when you're reviewing these products while on the road, what do you do with them afterward? Donate them somewhere? I can't imagine you'd pack them up to take home with you.
Sometimes give them to neighbours or condense them down into a box and ship them home.
why 600ma nimh --- should be 1900+?
Did you escape the TT Clive?
It's been going on loudly in the background.
I thought ASDA hasn't been owned by Walmart since 2021?
Can you do a video on 9v rechargeable lithium battery 😊
He already did, several years ago. Try searching his back catalog, it should still be up. From what I can remember, those 9v batteries are actually a small 4.2v cell and a tiny boost converter packed into a standard 9v rectangular package. I own 2 of them, they work decently but I don't trust them to charge unattended.
Cover your solar panels with a sandwich bag.
Thank you, keep working.
Walmart sold ASDA years back
I think a white desk would be better visually
White tends to swamp out the camera. I was using what was available while travelling.
seems you would be better getting 2 x 250 units and buy better AA batteries so they last longer.
What we want to know is, who or what, is downstairs ???!
It was a flat.
Awesome Video Big Clive🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
I always think that flashing or fading, usually in the dual channel style, will make the power last longer
Calling them "lights" is a bit like having indicators on steroids. Legacy battery with mystic content?
Walmart flogged ASDA to two clowns who made their money with petrol station forecourts, and couldn't run a supermarket to save their miserable lives😂
They’re good at extracting money from the government though… I wouldn’t call them clowns, criminals however….
…solar powered lights? 0.o
I thought they were just a cheap off-brand clothing range.
Looks like a rather cheap way to buy LED's
Asda isn’t part of Walmart, hasn’t been for quite a few years.
The divestiture is still ongoing. There's still a lot of Walmart in ASDA, but they're supposed to be completely separate by the end of the year. (Which I've heard for about 5 years now).
@johnfulmer740 The IT systems are still hooked together, though they're working hard to fix it. Colleague email is all still through Walmart
I had a string of Asda lights, absolute garbage. Not suitable for exterior use, end leds rotted off the 2 strings causing half the legs (every other one) to not light up.
The heat-shrink covered LEDs often wick water in and corrode.