Solar powered garden planter.



This video was a first attempt at using the YouTube capture and upload app on an iPad2. Seems OK.
This project was to put 30 LEDs in a circle in the rim of a plastic garden planter. I used a cut-down festoon of signage pixel LEDs. These are basically a parallel festoon of LEDs and resistors potted into a rubbery plastic designed to push-fit through a hole in a metal faceplate. I found 9mm was about the right size of hole in the plastic to grip them tightly.
They are powered by a cheap Poundland solar garden light originally designed to light a string of five plastic dragonflies. These little solar lights are actually very good. They’re designed for the British climate with our low levels of sunlight and run their LEDs at very low level to give a long run time each night for modest daylight exposure.
I cut off the original string of 5 LEDs and put on a two pin mini Molex connector, then soldered a matching plug on the string of signage LEDs, using a dab of hot melt glue on the back of the plug to strengthen the wire connection and also keep water away to try and reduce the inevitable electrolytic rusting that happens with DC and water.
The solar module runs the thirty LEDs at very low level, but they still produce vividly coloured dots of light even at such low current.
I also put a drop of oil in the little slide switch under the solar module to try and coat the internal contacts, as I find that the switches on these solar lights are very prone to corrosion and failure.
The LEDs were bought on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110767954466 and typically cost less than 5 GBP in a few different colour choices.


Post time: Jul-16-2017
INQUIRY NOW
  • * CAPTCHA: Please select the Truck

WhatsApp Online Chat !