The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Cheviot on June 07, 2013, 01:35:40 pm
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Hi,
Does anyone know if you can recycle the solar panels from garden lights, into something else, I have a number of them in which the wires to the bulbs have snapped or the bulbs just don't work, it seems a shame to bin them, but I can't come up with any other use for them, if you know of another use for them, I would love to know.
Regards
Sue
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Depends on your electronic skills, but they can charge batteries; I did once use 4 such solar panels to charge my (LED) bicycle lamp batteries - the panels were glued to my rear mudguard and wired to the batteries via diodes. Seemed to work well, but the bike was stolen about a month later so I never got to test the system properly >:( .
It depends on how many panels you have, how many cells each panel is designed to charge and what you have to use the power.
For e.g.: If I had some now I'd be using them to make a charger for the 2nd handset of my cordless phone in the workshop (rather than using the mains power adaptor) - it requires 6v and very little power, so 5 x 1.2v NiCd/ Nimh cells would give me the required 6 volts, and 2-3 x 2cell panels would give enough volts to charge them, or 3-4 x 1cell panels.
or, 4-5 x 2 cell panels would charge a 12v car battery (well a small trickle charge - might increase the charge interval on a fence energizer for e.g.)
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Hi Mab,
Thanks for the reply, don't think my electronic skills are up to it I'm afraid, so will have to bin them.
Regards
Sue
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Mab, very clever, I have some fairy solar lights too that are a shame to throw away.......I wish I had some one handy in the house to sort them out, just bought some very pretty ones that I leave out all day and bring into the dark hall at night, they are very pretty and last a fair while :wave:
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The lights have rechargeable batteries in them which eventually won't charge any more. If the bulb and wires are ok the battery may be able to be replaced with new rechargeable ones. We have done this (ours used 2 x AA rechargeables) and have saved ourselves from needing new lights. :thumbsup:
Helen