# Solar powered building lights



## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I took apart a 3.50 solar garden LED light from Lowes yesterday. You can pop these things apart easily and extend the wires to the solar cell and hide the solar cell in your garden somewhere and pop the rest of the light inside of your garden model buildings and have wire free, maintenance free model lighting anywhere in your garden. Kinda' cool. Check it out.


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

AWESOME idea, thank you!! I'll be using this idea to power my entire outdoor landscape lighting needs when I get around to it next summer or so... Thanks!!


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Some guys get the cheapies at Harbor Freight and upgrade the batteries for longer life. 
Some hide the solar pannels in vegetation and others design them into the building... 

It's a great idea and eliminates wires in the ground... 

John


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

upgrade the batteries for longer life 
Yeah - the batteries last exactly one season, in my experience (cheap NiCADs.) The online battery stores sell cheap NiMH cells, advertized as 'great replacements for solar lights' !


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

you can also put them in a suitably sized, west or south facing window...


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

It all depends on where you live I guess... 
I experienced with those last year but the solar lights only get charged enough during a clear day with enough sunlight. 
This meant for me (in northern europe) they only work well mid summer, during short nights (when it's getting dark after 23:00 hr). 
Wintertimes, they only give a weak glow between the twilight hours (16:00 - 18:00 hr). After that it's finished before it is really getting dark (and before I'm home to enjoy the minature lights...) 

I'm thinking to hook up 2 solar pannels on 1 light, perhaps that will work?


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## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

I tried that with one I got at Walmart and it was dissmal. Guess I need to go to Lowes and try theirs.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

For Northern/Southern winter climes, add a couple of rechargeable batteries in parallel to the circuit battery. Do Not put in Series, the LED will fry. 
Suppliment the solar charge and utilise the circuit's photocell. 
Make a round stove pipe (sticking through the roof) the on/off switch for times away. 

John


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Cozad has been using solor lighting in his buildings for the last 2 years with great success, buying the multipacks on sale at Menards. 
I prefur the brighter lights of regular malibu wired lights, BUT I am paying for the brite lights controlled by a timer in all my buildings. 

Bubba


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

I dislike the white solar-powered lights, preferring instead the warm yellow ones, which I'm having trouble finding these days. It would be nice if it specified on the box which color light it is. 

Great idea, btw, about putting them in your model windows. 

Dave


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

My experience so far is with three different lights. The two from Walmart were lousy I thought, both were GE I think the label said until I did what John said and simply pitched the cheap 400aMh NiCad that came with it and replaced it with some cheap Ray-O-Vac NiMH I found mis priced at Big Lots for 5 bucks a 4 pack. You can find them cheaper on line but pay freight. The insides were identical, style was different as was the price. 
The 3.50 lights from Lowes have charged much better from the git go but after a season I notice about 4 of the dozen in the yard are barely glowing when we leave in the morning. All get plentyof sun all day as it's a new home with 'baby' shade trees still. Replaced some of those four dim lights with NiMH and they shine brightly again all night. The batteries seem to be the weak link. 
I'm experimenting with gels and going to try glazing the LEDs to make them give a warmer glow from the stark white light. Should be abl to make them what ever color I want. 
Again, it's not about saving the planet and reducing my carbon footprint, whatever. It's about ease of construction and maintenance and at 3.50 plus tax...That's pretty hard to beat. As for saving the planet NiMH are freindlier from a landfill perspective than NiCads I really need to save the old ones in a box to take to the recyler. Lowes or Depot used to have a box for batteries but I haven't seen them in the stores any more.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

"I'm experimenting with gels and going to try glazing the LEDs to make them give a warmer glow from the stark white light. Should be abl to make them what ever color I want. " 

Please let me/us know how it goes 

Dave


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

Okay Dave, 

What I tried so far was simply wrapping the LED with a small piece invisible Scotch tape, the matte finish kind. I had an orange magic marker that I then colored the tape with. It did change the glow a bit from the stark white but not as dramatically as I was hoping for. I'm going to try and mix a thicker glaze up with some model paints and paint a thin coat on a clear plastic 'globe' to try and place over the bulb and see if it produces a more noticeable color next. I have some clear plastic tubing that looks like it is the same inside diameter as the LED is. Might be able to slice a piece of that, paint it and slide it right over the LED.

Besides changing the batteries from NiCad to NiMH I also gave them a full charge in my wall charger before putting them in the solar light. That may be something folks can do when they feel there not quite charging fully in the winter or when the shade trees are limiting hours of daylight.


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

If you are looking for all types of LEDs, including Warm White, White, Green, Red, Yellow, etc. go to Ebay. The 5 mm are the most useful to us. However, they are available in all types and sizes. Some of them have resistors already soldered and insulated with heat shrink tubing. Some come with separate resistors. The prices are really good, and alot of them have free shipping. Just type into the search bar, 50x Warm White LED Lamp Light Set Pre Wired 5mm 12V DC As for powering them, look for LED drivers. They are available in 12 volt and different amp values. These thing will drive more LEDs than you probably will use in your garden railway.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Dan, 
Solar, 
Solar garden lamps used for buildings...no wires no muss no fuss..... Solar drivers..... Did I mention solar? 
And cheap? Less than $5.00 cheap per building and free power.... 

John


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

SRW, my only concern is that anything you put over the LED will reduce its lumens (or is it candela?). 

Dan, Those on eBay certainly are inexpensive! As for the driver, that would be connected to the grid, vice solar.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I have been buying LEDs o9n E bay in 100 pc packs. The come with free resistors I get the 3 MM and the 5MM All have been less then 10 bucks a pack. You can get all kinds of colors 

JJ


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Use the smaller ones from our local "Menards" store (like home depot, lowes) I just cut a hole in all my buildings and place the top part of the solar light into the square cut out, and walla no muss no fuss no wires and great building lighting on all my buildings!! Works great! Regal


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## RimfireJim (Mar 25, 2009)

I'm going to try and mix a thicker glaze up with some model paints and paint a thin coat on a clear plastic 'globe' to try and place over the bulb and see if it produces a more noticeable color next. 
Testors makes a Turn Signal Amber paint in their Car and Truck Enamel line, SKU 2723, that might work. They also have that color in their Model Master line, SKU 28004, but it is a lacquer so it might react with the plastic of the LED.


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## Madman (Jan 5, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 18 Nov 2010 10:31 PM 
Dan, 
Solar, 
Solar garden lamps used for buildings...no wires no muss no fuss..... Solar drivers..... Did I mention solar? 
And cheap? Less than $5.00 cheap per building and free power.... 

John 




I knew that you were pushing solar power. Without mentioning what I was doing I went directly to electric power. I should have prefaced my information with my own solar experience. While I love old Sol and the warmth and vitality he gives me, I cannot say the same for my own trial and error, more error than trial, with my experimentations using him to power lighting for my railway. Thats when I discovered LED drivers. I just didn't want to be bothered with more experiments. I hope your's work out well, which I am sure they will. I was pointing out another method, that seemed to be eluding some responders to your topic.


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

I got a chance to apply an acrylic model paint orange to the, aforementioned, vinyl tubing which did fit right over the LED. YES it does seriously reduce the 'lumens' even though I applied it thinly but it did make a pleasant glow from the welding arc white/brite of the LED. I actually kind of like the wide open white light better though outdoors in the dark, may look into putting some kind of 'drapes' or shades, or gels in my farmhouse windows for a less 'vacant/unoccupied' look, but i also stumbled upon some yellow cellophane saved from a fruit gift basket that I had in my closet. I made a circular wrap of that around the whole light fixture and put it back in the model. it worked pretty cool too and looked more like lamp light. Again, cheap solar lights, cheap lighting gel. This might be the solution for me. Your mileage may vary.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Posted By Madman on 19 Nov 2010 06:20 PM 


Posted By Totalwrecker on 18 Nov 2010 10:31 PM 
Dan, 
Solar, 
Solar garden lamps used for buildings...no wires no muss no fuss..... Solar drivers..... Did I mention solar? 
And cheap? Less than $5.00 cheap per building and free power.... 

John 




I knew that you were pushing solar power. Without mentioning what I was doing I went directly to electric power. I should have prefaced my information with my own solar experience. While I love old Sol and the warmth and vitality he gives me, I cannot say the same for my own trial and error, more error than trial, with my experimentations using him to power lighting for my railway. Thats when I discovered LED drivers. I just didn't want to be bothered with more experiments. I hope your's work out well, which I am sure they will. I was pointing out another method, that seemed to be eluding some responders to your topic.


Not pushing it as much as it is the subject of the thread.
I tried to keep my post light in the 'ha ha' sense....

Where I live the creatures love to chew on wires, the whole point of solar is to reduce wiring...kinda the oppsit of your posture, so I wouldn't say your solution evaded as much as didn't apply.

I'm glad you have your solution, but kinda eludes making the solar part better.... however maybe some guys will be able to replace the white LEDs with amber or what ever suits their fancy, from your source, so thanks.

John


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## SRW (Jan 13, 2010)

It's all good guys and I found everyone's input useful. 

I'm sure, as the car lawyers always say on the commercials "your mileage may vary" 

These lights seem to vary greatly, even among the same lights shipped in the same box! Again, the cheap batteries seem to be the weak link. 

I made caps out of 1x8s and stained them to match for the corners on the back deck [It's a three level deck or three seperate decks about 14' x14' connected by staircases] I got the idea when I saw the lights were so cheap. I cut square caps and drilled a hole in the center of the caps the same dia. as the pipe stands/poles that the lights come in. I cemented them in place in the caps with a dab of clear caulk and screwed the caps to the railing corners with galvanized screws and have about 8 lights on the corners of the 3 level decks and stairs. It actually makes a very impressive look and people are amazed when I tell them it all cost less then 40 bucks to create and absolutely zero wiring. Now after a season I have seen that some of the lights are dimmer than others. I have since replaced those batteries with the cheapest NiMH and the deck looks great and I'm sure in time will have switched them all out but a four pack of NiMH cells is still under 10 bucks. 

As to using them in the garden layout...same reasons. Cheap, no wires, easy maintenance, looks good. Might there be some thing that looks or works better...Sure...does it cost 3.50 a piece though?


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

SE18 said:


> I dislike the white solar-powered lights, preferring instead the warm yellow ones, which I'm having trouble finding these days. It would be nice if it specified on the box which color light it is.
> 
> Great idea, btw, about putting them in your model windows.
> 
> Dave


 color them with a yellow highlighter it looks great, Bill


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## choochoowilly (Oct 31, 2016)

window location is a great idea, I've found that the solar panel doesn't need to be in direct light and that it will also charge on house hold light if left on, Bill


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## Scott (Jan 29, 2008)

Very resourceful


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