PV Gap

Andy Said:

solar light wiring leds together?

We Answered:

It is not as simple as it seems. You can put the batteries in the lights in series and connect your string. But you are forgetting a little something... the photocell. That is the part that turns the light on at night and not in the daytime. Connect the lights there and they will always try to be on, but the solar cell isn't big enough to run your lights and charge the batteries for night time.

You can try disconnecting the wires to the internal LEDs and wire the two fixtures in series. If you can get it going, the batteries are sized for just a few hours of operation with the internal lights... it will be a much much shorter time with your light string. It may not be worth the trouble.

Ray Said:

How many volts would the solar panel with this shed light be rated for?

We Answered:

Not enough info to tell. Hook all three up in series, put them in the sun and take a reading with a DVOM. You will need at least 15 open circuit volts to charge or maintain a 12V battery.

Gertrude Said:

I need to rig a device to light up a 0.5-2.0 watt LED connected to a NiCd battery with a solar panel...?

We Answered:

Oh, I love doing IR remote circuits. But your question is ambiguous.

The first part is easy enough, connect your LED with a series current limiting resistor to the NiCd battery. Connect the solar panel to the NiCd battery through a diode so it can only charge and not discharge the battery.