I made my own Dollar Store Solar Panel

I tested dollar store solar panels and then combined them into a larger solar panel that outputs 7.2 volts and 85 mA of current. This project is currently charging 18650 cells one at a time!

Donate some sats: bc1qy90czk37qsjexz368jtkjhuqschf83pj69vv43

[billhennen]

Just started hacking dollar store lights. Now I have another project to work on!

[FargothPL]

About 3 years ago I recycled my old solar lamps exactly in this way. To easily remove the solar panel, you need to heat it with a hairdryer. When the glue dissolves, it is very easy to push the panel out. If possible, it is better to leave the original cables. Just like in the movie, it's very hard to solder them. In several-year-old panels, during soldering, the cable often fell off along with the silicon layer

[Jeff-euov]

Appreciate it, Alan. You wouldn't believe how hard it can be sometimes to find the right search results! Great video! I sure needed the help!

[michaelbrinks]

My local cemetery threw a bunch of solar lights away so I grabbed them out of the trash. I think the batteries are only dead in most of them.

[Kekker]

I have made one and it puts out 14.3 WATTS. I recharged my ATV Battery and used it to maintain my Truck Battery.

[OGMann]

Doing the same thing brought me here. Great sense of humor. I enjoyed your video. Excellent data points for my project, as well.

[thorium]

I tried something like this with hot glue and my own structure (not rich enough for 3D printer) the hot glue got soft enough with heat from the sun and the ting fell apart. I later used silicon which worked well. I have larger polycrystalline cells from larger garden bright spot lights. (They were thrown out and thus got them for free!) There were 2 2000mah 18650 cells already in there and the solar panel gave 6W (5V x 1.2A) output in full sunlight. Easily charges my phone.

[RedfishInc]

I've been scavenging dollar store solar lights for a few years. I've made several small, panels using dollar store pictures frames as a framework. Add a 12 volt gelcell and a cheap Chinese controller and I have lights for a couple of garden sheds.

[rpbajb]

At 1:20 it's not a resistor and a transistor. It's an inductor and an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit, e.g. YX-8018 or QX-5252); transistors have three leads, not four. The inductor increases the 1.5 volts from the NiMh or NiCad cell to the 3 volts required to light the LED, so it's a voltage increasing circuit, not a voltage drop one. At 8:16 the TP4056 module requires an input of 4.5-5.5 volts, usually a USB input. Data sheets are your friend.

[sbunny]

That works out to $19 per Watt. Interesting project, informative video. For a second there, I got excited thinking about solar cells for $1 each but then I did the math 7.2V x 85mA = 0.612 Watts for $12 (plus frame and charge controller). The dollar store isn't a great bargain after all. Oh well. OTOH, I found a 2 Watt solar panel online for $7 with free shipping, about 4 inches by 5 inches.

[toddday]

I had a similar idea cuz one day I found a bunch of those in the dumpster behind the dollar store I wanted to try to make a phone charger with them but I really don't know how to do it but it's nice to see somebody else was thinking the way I did

[frankstetka]

Here is a hot tip- If it is just the usual “hot glue” you can put alcohol on it and it will release from what it is stuck to.

[expertssay]

I took apart a £10 solar garden light and wired it up to a spare domestic switch, and separated the light from the panel to turn my 'shed toilet project' into a girls toilet for no 1's only on fire nights down the allotment. The light shines at the toilet and the tiny panel is at the window. The switch is at the entrance as expected.😋 £10! Job done! No more fumbling around in the dark. Subscribed!

[mussim]

Great video! Please do more small solar project. I enjoyed watching this video very much!

[ChadLawson]

I haven’t read all the comments, so forgive me if someone has already given you this tip. But a couple drops of isopropyl alcohol will cause the hot glue to dry and can be easily cracked off. I use hot glue for temporary mounting because I know I can get it off later.

Thanks for the idea. I’ll be doing this soon!

[ericblenner-hassett]

Look up " jewel thief " and as pointed out by another comment, the boards have an inductor. It would be one way to use smaller than required voltage/current to light LEDs. There are ways with an inductor, not a hand wound transformer to make the circuit. As long as they are all in paralell and roughly the same voltage drop on the LEDs, they will all light up to the same brightness until you reach where there isn't enough power to make them bright. At that point, remove only one at a time until they work again.

[lihtan]

I built something like this many years ago. I had a friend give me 14 old yard lights they were getting rid of. I made a frame out of bamboo chopsticks. It put out enough power that I could trickle charge a car battery with it. Keep in mind that hot glue is a terrible choice if this is going to be exposed to high temperatures (like sitting behind the windshield of a car sitting out in the sun).

[mechanicalmonster]

I proposed this project to the King of Random, like 7 years ago. Never had the know how to do it myself, I absolutely love this! Great Vid!!

[justryingmybest]

This is actually a genius move because I could get 10 of these at a dollar store plus the leds plus the charge modules

[Legenda]

You need a diode between the solar cells and the TP-4056 board.