Saturday, September 19, 2020

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"New improved" solar panel for Joule Thief lights

I don't just use the Joule Thief circuits for running ATTiny13s as fake candles, as outlined in a previous blog post, but also they come in handy for providing "normal" light to illuminate the house at night.

In our house we don't tend to turn lights on at night as we move around - these little solar fellas sit on the floor and provide enough light to avoid tripping over giant dark puppies that habitually lie about the place in a haphazard manner.

We've been using the lights for more than a year now and they work really well, however I did spy some up-spec solar panels that looked a treat (a bit smaller and tidier) and as well they promised better performance via a higher current output at the same voltage (a promised 160mA vs 130mA at 2V).

Testing the panels side by side

So after flicking on both the soldering iron and hot-glue gun, I was up for tinkering away with the next generation of solar lights.

Building the "new" version

Works a treat!






 

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