Just found this video...Great work. I bought a 6 pack of these lights from China 2 years ago with a promise in the ebay advert of 4 hrs run time! I put the 18650 cells through my testers and they came out at 850mah! I complained that they wouldn't run for 1 hr continuously let alone 4 hrs and they gave me 50% refund on the whole order. I swapped them out for some good 2500mah cells I'd recovered from an old laptop battery and these lights have worked really well with only 1 dying from corrosion. Great video and keep up the good work.
Thank you for displaying the inner workings of this light. I have 8 of them and they are indeed bright when on full mode but when set to the 3rd mid on mode, it doesn't last for more than a couple of hours. I now set it to the 2nd dim/full mode and it stays on for most of the light.
Got one of these 1 year ago and a solar LED floodlight from Amazon, over the winter the floodlight died completely same circuitry as this device but with 2 18650 cells, so I transplanted the dual 18650 cells into this device and wired the LED array of the floodlight to the output of this device and both are now married together covering my back yard, I covered the panel with rhino shatterproof film and sealed the whole thing with black wurth RTV automotive silicone hahahaha, worthy of your approval? 😎
I have one of these and it works surprisingly well, even now in winter with quite cold temperatures for here (-10 degr.). I only used it "turned on" by motion so see little point in modding the LED resistors....it's only on every now and then and for a short time. It hangs on the side of my house...with another house at about 3,5 meters from it and even so the solar cell seems to charge it good enough.
Thank you for the education. You have an interesting and clear explanation . Some people make so many ums , ahs and I guess , that you realize it's only guesses spoken with confusion . You rock Clive !
Clive, I just love how you always teach me something on every one of your videos. They're so informative and interesting. Thanks so much for making them! :-)
These cheap lights are wonderful for sticking an esp8266 on them, disabling the lights and using it as an outdoors motion detector. I integrate mines to Home Assistant and alarmo to get a cheap and simple alarm system. I also use it to trigger the main lights from movement outside when I'm at home.
I bought some of these out of China last year for about $12 CAN$ each. First pair I bought, one arrived DOA. Company sent a replacement. In the mean time, I ordered another pair from a second company, also in China (both through AliExpress. Second pair arrived, and while both worked, one of them had the PIR cover broken. So, out of 5, I've got 2 that work fine, and one that works when it wants to, and one that does nothing. I took the DOA one apart, and it has the 18650 cell soldered in. I could not see any obvious point of failure - no burnt components or loose connections. Instead of screwing them into position, I used a 2 inch square of Velcro to attach them to the wall. This is handy in that it allows me to move them into full sunlight on occasion, as two of them are not in the best location for charging.
I purchased these from Amazon. The first used to light whole night but later on this became faulty during summer and now waiting for some repairs. One gotten stolen. One of these is similar to the first one. Whose solar panel seems to have faded but it’s still working. The last pair is new and at home for emergencies use in case of light failure during night. Thus I have two pieces of these 100 LED lights to work with to improve their performance. Which is why I searched and read this video with comments. I appreciate your advice to take out one resistor so this can work longer than expected. About 12 Hours during winter. I have tried to install better quality and capacity battery but it’s not accepting so I needed to reinstall the same capacity battery. Now both lights are charging from Solar but their working time is greatly reduced. Maybe an hour or two maximum. Living in farm with such rubbishy lights is never good. Hence I have some other type of lighting arrangements as well for my needs but I still have to look into these two lights. Some of the LED don’t want to glow, doesn’t matter how hard I want. Any help on what to do to those non lighting LEDs? I am thankful to you for providing a great help in this regard.
It's worth mentioning that these lights can damage the lithium cells in winter by attempting to charge them while below zero celsius, when cells should not be charged.
Hmmmm. This seems to have been copied from some other nicely designed device, for trying to make and sell it cheaper. Though initially they seem very exciting but they are not long time companions. However with some modifications these can be worth spending. There’s another light available about which I am very excited. I am giving you link to give it a look. Thanks for your message and thanks for great help in this regard.
There have been a couple of comments about the 3.3v regulator so I did a bit of analysis of the components to see if it needs to be that high. The dropout voltage is probably about 250mV, the lowest I could find was 178mV and they were starting to get too expensive for such a cheap device. That means the battery voltage needs to be over 3.5V under load in order to maintain a stable voltage and avoid retriggering. The PIR is intended to be battery operated and most of that type have a minimum voltage of 2V so no problem there. I've checked the MOSFET too, it should be fully turned on at 2.5V and although the on resistance would be slightly higher it shouldn't be significant at the current involved here. That really only leaves the voltage of the microprocessor to consider. A lot of those will run at voltages down to about 2V or even less. If that's the case I really can't figure out why they picked a 3.3V regulator other than cost. It would be interesting to swap it out for a 2.5V regulator (with suitably low dropout) and see what happens. I don't see any other voltage sensitive components or dividers except possibly the 47k pull down resistor between the PIR and the MCU, but a 33k would resolve that.
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Great video & tear down of this solar light, they have revised them recently as others have said. Don't think it has full battery protection on these cheaper boards, with only one resistor & less chips, so will see if the unit or 18650 blows out... However, very grateful to Clive for the tear down & listing the 3 power modes... Mode #1 - 0/1100 mA with PIR Mode #2 - 30/1100 mA with PIR Mode #3 - 350 mA no PIR, (simply dusk to dawn operation) Mode #2 is perhaps where most will use these lights with a run time of aprox 5hrs (Depending how often the PIR triggers the main 1100mA flood/beam Though as Clive suggests this may be pushing the LED's a bit too much) As Clive suggested using small value resistor(s) on the positive wire from PCB to LED board... I bought a few 10r value resistors to tone down the brightness a little too, plus one light was too sensitive, despite even taping the PIR sensor, some gas from a boiler flue was at times false triggering the PIR... The black tape did dial down the sensitivity a bit but was still slightly prone to false triggering from the flue exhaust close by (poor choice of location I know but wanted a subtle light there to begin with) On Mode #3 - 350mA, where the light operates dusk~dawn @ 350 mA Battery life will be shortened from the Mode #2 30 mA (5hrs) So I was looking to effectively operate the light on Mode #3 but at reduced power like Mode #2 offered in its 30 mA standby setting The 10 Ohm resistor, fitted in line seems to offer something near 30 mA power on dusk~dawn in Mode #3 like I was looking for to offer ambient lighting but without false triggering from other PIR modes... Other lights will be mounted elsewhere using the Mode #2 setting (but wanted a light kept in that location for subtle lighting) So a 10 ohm resistor worked perfectly in this instance as Clive suggested (I tried a range of resistors, but 10 Ohm was perfect for what i needed) A 10 Ohm dials down the main "flood" considerably but if using a number of lights on your property it avoids illuminating the area too much & shortening the lifespan of some cheap Chinese LED floodlights. If a 10 Ohm resistor dulls the flood too much for your own situation, then you could use two resistors to make a 5 Ohm resistance & dial down the flood slightly less without being too blindingly bright when say putting the rubbish bins out for example. So yeah, many thanks to Clive for the insight into these cheap lights, now about £14 for 4 of them on ebay, or £3:50, even with an odd dud/spare parts, say a fiver... With a 10 ohm, or 2x10 ohm to make a 5 ohm resistor, to dial down the floodlight & extend the lifespan of the LED's. Maybe a small spread of silicone mastic to seal/water proof the unit, perhaps paint the components with something. Borrowing say the wife's clear nail varnish will offer some protection to the components - though will not offer you protection if she finds you have used it all up on silly LED lights. Thanks once again to Clive, great video, amusing fun clips, a down to earth tear down wonderfully narrated too. The only thing puzzling me is wtf is there to dislike about this clip ??? How can people down vote such an informative video on these units, hmmm me thinks it might be the manufacturers disliking Clive informing others how to engineer them to extend the life of these LED's perhaps ??? Cheers again Clive & others taking the time to share & educate us more on these cheapo Chinese electronic devices
From the pcb photo it seems that the button is connected to battery positive, not to the 3v3... you fixed it on the schematic unconsciously :) Greetings from Italy!
Symbol for a Schottky diode is a diode with the bar replaced with an elongated S made of lines that meet at right angles. If it matters. Then again in the USA, resistors are zigzag lines...
Of course, they’re zig-zag lines; that’s how they slow down the electrons! Doubt me? Try driving on a road that looks like that and see how fast you go without crashing or ending up going off the road! 🤣😆 There’s a reason behind the madness. 😏
These lights are great. I use them when camping to ward off bears and the like. I place about 10 of them around the perimeter of the camp and on a couple of occasions I have woken to hear a bear running away and one of lights turned on...
If the case allowed it (due to space limitations), I'd personally use a 26650 cell in there instead of an 18650 - that would give much longer run time and better current capability, especially if you used a decent cell. The cheapy 18650s like those don't really like more than 1A current. Doing upgrades to the lithium cell (even a rectangular Li-Po might be able to go in) would result in the solar cell being the weak link, and needing an upgrade as well - otherwise the cells wouldn't ever get charged...
I just got one of these that looks the same, but the board, marked YF-SF, only has the sensor, the switch, an unmarked 8-pin chip and a ? mosfet marked J3Y - no resistors or diodes or anything else that I can see. It was nice and bright for 2 days, now it only lights dimly for a few minutes, but it is only getting light from my kitchen windowsill. Am going to try and figure out if I can put a TP4056 in with it and add some extra solar
@@Luc_Skywalker interesting, I bought a couple more a few weeks back and I'm experiencing the same issue you described. I'm thinking they might not be receiving enough light, I have not tried repositioning them yet, might get round to some time this week, I'll report back.
It does look a little cheesey... However you can put this and other similar lights in a zip lock bag before mounting, to water proof them... *ask me how I know... 😉👍 AWESOME VIDEO! BIG CLIVE... Blessings: James
I've done that with outdoor battery packs. I leave the bottom open to allow ventilation or use a silica gel desiccant pack to keep them dry inside. The PIR sensors can see through thin polythene.
I've had a couple smaller versions of these. After a few months they'd fail to turn on but have a charged 18650 still. Not really sure if the sensor is failing or the switching transistor.
@@bigclivedotcom I have 2 very expensive battery chargers that have both failed in the same way, I would love to send them to you from Australia for you to have a look at if your interested? No one can figure out what’s wrong with them. Would make a great video even if you find out it’s not repairable. I will be more than happy to pay you if you can repair them also.. let me know if your interested
@@bigclivedotcom They are cummins standby generator battery chargers, they do 12 and 24v, it’s going into fault and saying overload when it’s not connected to anything I opened it up and there’s nothing obvious that has blown etc? Google part number 0300-5878-01. Thanks
add a TP4056 and you can manually charge the battery if ever needed, i modified all of my solar lights to make that easier to do in times that sunlight is limited. Works like a charm.
@@javiercalero9596 from the TP4056's positive and negative battery pads connect a long enough positive and ground wire to the battery holders terminals of the solar light,, about 20AWG should do, for the power in of the TP4056 have a long enough wire to suit your needs, then solder a USB A cable's positive and ground wire to it. Then all u would need is a USB power source to charge the battery when needed. The TP4056 Should be in the unit itself then just drill a hole in the backplate of the light for the wiring to go through. You can use 18 gauge wire if you want to lessen the voltage drop when charging, but 20 should do just fine, depending on how long the wire will be. Hope this helps Also, doing it as u assumed would not be good for it because the power out of the TP4056 can only provide battery level voltage, so 3.7-4.20, so its best to just have it the way i described so that the power/voltage the light itself uses isnt affected by the TP4056. Oh also, connecting it that way the battery wouldnt have protection so it would be possible to overcharge it, which is why u want the TP4056 to handle charge and protect. As an additional idea for you, i have the porch solar light connected to a USB charger that is plugged into a smart socket that i can turn on/off with Alexa. I currently have it set on a schedule so the charger turns on for an hour and a half every day then turns off.. The light is under an overhang so it never gets much sun.
@@javiercalero9596 lol, its very easy to do.. Just remove the battery from the holder before you do any soldering to be safe. Any solar light that uses 18650's can be modified this way. You can even modify the light to be a small USB power bank for one use or another.
Try having a look on Ebay for electronic kits. Simple ones with half a dozen or fewer components are good places to start working out what happens - and cost about £2 including carriage. Most will have a little circuit diagram with them. Also worth looking for are free online electronic "intro and basic" courses. they will give you an understanding of the basics quite quickly and then you start to work out how and why the circuits work. www.instructables.com/class/Electronics-Class/ www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=electronics+kit&_sacat=0
Yes it is, sourcing the parts off of Ebay prepare to spend $4 for the solar cell, 2 dollars for the battery, $3 for an array of LEDs $5 for 5 battery protection circuits so thats $1 per cell, $0.10 for a diode.
Funny I bought the same one from Temu, actually 2 for roughly 3euro each and they arrived today. Literally everything's the same including the box, except the back cover and cell inside. The cover doesn't hold cell holder like yours, contacts are soldered and small AA size 3.7V cell is just crammed inside. Good thing both seem to work but I'll have to replace the cells, one AA for that amount of leds just doesn't feel right. If you haven't ordered anything from there check it out, they give nice discount for certain products for 1st time buyers, I got myself android tv box for 10euro (around 30 is regular price).
You need to get one of the old halogen style worklights to use for testing solar panels. LED just does not work. I find placing a small 250w unit at appropriate distance simulates sunlight quite well. My Maxeon cells (wide spectrum solar cells) generates their rated current in such a situation matching good full sunlight while even my 200w led at point blank only gives me a fraction. Otherwise, keep the videos coming! Enjoying them a lot!
Really? That's weird. Most bench LEDs can put out ~6500K light (tho I know Clive prefers the warm-white). Do you know what temp your LEDs were? I'd think the warn-white ones (~2500-3500K) would be shit for solar cells but I'd expect ~5500-6500K ones to fare much better.
The regulator has a bit of dropout voltage, let's say 100mV, then the regulation collapses when battery reaches 3.4V so it's not nearly empty, it's 30% charged. Under this condition PIR can become unstable i would think. Naturally 3.4V is also easy enough to reach in a state of high charge if you just try to draw enough current.
I need something like this with a 12v, 3-4s liion or lifepo4 battery, and about a 10-20 watt pv to charge, with 3, 5 watt LED, I guess I'm going to build my own, using 18w led flood/spot light, and possibly 4s LiFePo4, enough to light about 6 hours, and charge in 6-8 hours, and have the option to externally charge, for off grid use! Things like this can come in handy!!
Is that possibility to read IC controller software or what it is ? I have more valuable light and in pone that microcontroller just blown. So i wanted to keep functionality so need to program new controler, have more working ones so i am able to check next one but they are able to read chip and program new one?
Thank you for your nice video!! I have a dumb question: would it be possible to modify mode #3 from dim to full light? I have these lights in my terrace and they are set by default in mode #1 (ON only in case of movement). However, I also would like to have a good light source at night in the few occasions we stay outside for a longer time. Current dim mode #3 is too weak to read, for example. I also don't care much about the runtime, we don't expend the entire night outside anyway. Thanks for you suggestions 😊
well, I finally gave up and installed an interruptor to bypass the MCU. Don't know how long it will take to blow the leds or the battery, but at least I have a steady "mode #1" to light up my terrace when we are staying outside during summer.
My problem with these solar lights like the simpler ones, have a problem. I put one out over the summer and it got so hot it cooked the lion battery the Cip went, one knackered battery , a great idea but how do you keep the inside cool and water proof??
Got 8 of these at end of July (4pack for 14.99). now price just check is 19.99 for 4 free P&P great light when it working But.. result: 3 partly working - working but if you go out to the garden a couple of time then it die. 4 die completely and 1 just flash then die. will definitely try Clive suggestion solderer one of the R500 resistor if it dont work then best option is rewire the light giving it more stable power I guess what you paid for is what you get
Is it possible to swap it's small solar panel with a 5v large panel with extended wires. I am planning to put the panels in the roof and run the wires to the circuit inside the garage. Will this type of swapping of solar panels be suitable for such circuit? Thanks in advance...
Hi sir I want to make these as a Motion Sensor Infrared Led light to use it as a Night Vision Illuminator for Camera. Please tell which IR Led work with this. Please give some suggestions.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks for your reply. If you are doing this which IR Led model do you choose sir? Or Please tell me how to make a small and powerful IR Illuminator for camera. It will be helpful for me. In RUclips there are only simple diy IR Illuminator videos available that illuminators can only cover few centimetres or big sized IR Illuminator videos only available that illuminators draw more energy.
My location has very little sun light that the battery does not get fully charged during the day. I am thinking of helping the solar cell by connecting an external 5V source to the input of the 3.3V regulator during the day. Not sure if this will work or not. Any comments?
You would need to use a current limiting resistor and connect it across the solar cell to charge the cell safely using its own protection circuitry. Or you could add a TP4056 module and charge the cell directly.
Isn't this quite ironic, cus my father literally bought the same thing and installed three in the backyard of my house. I just noticed that today, of all things.
Question: Could a light like this be upgraded with a bigger cell and some additional components for a longer running life in case of a busy night? Also wondering if anyone has considered powering such lights of the 24volt circuit used for doorbells?
I added a big solar cell on top of mine and lowered the current of all the LEDs. It normally still runs in the morning and it's facing north. I need to charge them 2 times during winter if it's really dark outside. For that, I added external charging terminals. Worked fine for several years now, because the batteries never run totally flat. I don't want to run cables across the wall.
I have two items working well (sometimes !). Theu have a malfunction because, in the night , light on even if there are nobody in front of them. Do you have any ideas to fix them ? This problem is related to both. Could MPU be a dual 8 pin op amp (LM2904 like) ? Best regards
I have a similar light which I was tampering with to add a manual switch so it is always turned on but had no success. The pir sensor maintains its voltage and probably sends a digital signal to the ic. Any ideas how to simulate the signal or where to add a switch (on your board for example)? Btw, thx for the video.
I have the same one. Any ideas how to add a button to leave the leds permanently on? Seems that the pir sends a digital signal and i can not simulate the signal to keep it on. Some help would br appreciatrd. Great video thx
Looked inside one today, and it only had 2 x NPN Tranistors and a Resistor (100 Ohm) + MCU + PIR + 100 LED + Solar Panel + Switch + Battery. Pin on MCU (7) powers PIR. One transistor switches the LEDs, the other controls battery charging. White Plastic case.
Opened another today, different again. 1 Mosfet (A2SHB) 2 resistors (1 for mosfet gate discharge, 1 to limit LED current, 1 capacitor (smoothing) and 1 diode (to prevent discharge through solar panel). Also the PIR sensor in these units is just a regular re200b type. They must use on board ADC to read the 20mV pulse (peak to peak). Black Plastic case , elongated mounting slots.
Přesně tento typ se mi porouchal - nereaguje na pohyb ani přepínač, baterie je dobitá a solární panel dodává cca 5V. Na opravu potřebuji znát označení MCU a PIR - poradíte?
@@karlvonbanhof2723 PIR = re200b MCU = Chinese ASIC (e.g. mx8098h). Suggest hacking in an ATTiny85 + AM312 (e.g. See: ruclips.net/video/pMx2BsaKWUA/видео.html)
Moc děkuji, součástky objednám, a až mi tyto součástky doručí, včetně tranzistorů SS8050-J3Y, tak se pokusím světlo opravit. Pak dám vědět. Přeji pěkný den.
Nice video mate. Quick question. My solar security lights have three modes. When it comes on. 30 seconds when it detects motion. Ithe second mode is 20% all night and the third mode which I use which is 10% and if motion is detected it has 100% light but only for 30 seconds. My question to you is how can you increase the time the light comes on for? 30 seconds is way too short. I'd like two minutes. Cheers Graham
Unfortunately these units tend to have the delay implemented in software, which makes it hard to change without rewriting the whole system from scratch.
My brother put 2 of these up today for my birthday. When we took it out of the box, put our hands on top and pressed the tiny power button it did not turn on. Did I get a dud? How long does it need to charge before it works?
Hello Clive, I have same issue with my 4 lights that are exactly the same on the outside. On the inside, the chip is slightly different and I have difficulties finding the resistor to remove. I can see I only have one Resistor (R750) if I am correct. Could I please send a picture? I do not want to throw them if there is a chance to fix them. They used to work though. Let me know, thank you very much!
Thank you so much for this guide! Is it possible to replace the solat panel with the same 5.5v solar panel but with higher current to charge the battery?
I'm interested in solar charging. I don't see how this protection device can disconnect the battery from the solar panel without also disconnecting it from the rest of the circuit, since it's in series with the battery. Am I missing something?
I bought 5 of these outdoor solar lights. I did set all of them on the "shut off/full power light if movement is detected", but one of these lights, after about 1 hour, turn itself to the "constant medium power light, no matter if movement is detected". What could I do to make this "rascal" light work like her sisters? Thank you in advance.
Non techie here. When replacing the battery is it as simple as finding any 18650 or should it be the purple covered one. There are a wide range of 18650s with different specs and I would like to be ready with replacement batteries for when the time comes. Thanks for this video and any help.
Disregard, mine was using a signal to the controller straight from the positive side of the panel across a single resistor. Removed the resistor and Bingo! Works day or night now😜
Just buy 20 of these (£2.80 ish each) be intresting what they look like inside (see if they are the same), could I just attach a heatsink to the 2 chips that is getting hot if it is still the same
@@bigclivedotcom unfortunately the lights that arrived have zero battery protection as I left 2 of them on and it went all the way down to 2.30v and started going off and on at 2.4v if modes 1/2 used so I assume the IR module has insufficient power its retriggering , mode 3 for constant dim just got dimmer the lower the battery voltage is It just has 2 chips, IR module and a button,, I have ordered a pack of 1s 18650 BMS battery protection so it cuts off at 2.5v and 4.0v only issue with using bms if it does attempt to overcharge the battery and the bms cuts off the power from the microcontroller feeding the battery unsure if it will destroy the micro controller when the bms cuts off charging current (as the solar voltage might go quite high when bms is not accepting voltage anymore and kill it guess I find that out in summer, or leave one if them under a light see what happens ) Also what sealant should I use, as the sides of the panel are not fully flush so water is going to enter the units if not sealed, they also allows water to collect and stay behind the panel (was thinking of using silicone sealant or somthing els that's whether resistant along the edges that bonds well but not over the panel it self to prevent water ingress, some of these are going to be installed in not easy to access locations) I wasn't really expecting a response (UK person here) do you have Discord or other place as posting pictures (links) tends to get automodded/deleted now
Hi, is it possible to avoid light sensor? To make it work even over the day? I thought of making an alarm system by hijacking it's motion detector sensor.
Many of these devices detect the light level by monitoring the output of the solar panel. You'd need to find that track that does that and disconnect it or tie it to the negative rail of the microcontroller.
@@bigclivedotcom OK, thank you for your answer. One more question. Do PIR detect motion all the day long regardless if it's day or night? Maybe I could use it's detection as a trigger. I am aiming to connect two wires when motion is detected to an old phone's fast dial, and make it able to call me when it detects the motion.
for a while i've noticed that although they say items come from china, i've been receiving them from places like malaysia, laos, kyrgyzstan, and other random places. im guessing its somehow even cheaper to send from those places then it is from china, as dirt cheap as it already is. it usually takes longer from those places, too, which is annoying.
I've mostly given up on Ebay for these sorts of things. Instead, I order from places like Banggood, pay a bit more for Canada direct shipping, and I get most everything in 10 days to 2 weeks. Ebay? 2 *months*+. Prices are slightly higher on commerce sites like Bang, but I can't stand waiting for 2-3 months.
@@TheJohn8765 Order from Aliexpress and you will get them cheaper and with free shipping. Banggood is just a dropshipping site for Aliexpress. Even on Aliexpress there are the manufacturers and then export companies so by the time it is listed on banggood 3-4 companies are taking a cut. I spent close to 2k on Aliexpress a few months ago but it would have cost me 4-5k buying the same stuff on amazon or ebay.
Olá, conheci seu canal recentemente, excelente conteudo! Eu tenho a mesma lampada, porém depois de 4-5 meses ela funciona porém totalmente fraca. Ela fica exposta no sol e chuva, o problema dela pode ser a bateria original exposta o tempo todo a luz? O que eu posso fazer? Trocar pelo mesmo modelo de uma bateria ou fazer alguma adaptação com bateria de celular? Sou leigo no assunto. Saudações do Brasil
Você pode conseguir trocar a bateria. Outra coisa que causa problemas é a corrosão devido à entrada de água. Se trocar a bateria, certifique-se de usar um tipo semelhante e, se for de lítio, tente encontrar uma bateria com proteção embutida.
@@bigclivedotcom Eu troquei de bateria, porém agora ela fica acesa o tempo inteiro (e não está totalmente forte, está com brilho minimo). Sabe o que eu poderia fazer? Troquei para uma bateria "HU SD 18650 9800mah 4.2v"
I remember one of the first lectures I had in aerospace electronics.. Our professor said; You'll have it easier in a way since you design stuff that will hold, while consumer electronics is designed to break after a set time span...
What about reducing the overall output levels by adding a resistor between the MCU and the mosfet? Or swapping the 10k pulldown resistor between the gate and the 0V rail with a lower value? (or both, so make a voltage divider between MCU and ground, with mosfet gate halfway between 2 resistors) Would any of those ideas work?
Just found this video...Great work.
I bought a 6 pack of these lights from China 2 years ago with a promise in the ebay advert of 4 hrs run time! I put the 18650 cells through my testers and they came out at 850mah!
I complained that they wouldn't run for 1 hr continuously let alone 4 hrs and they gave me 50% refund on the whole order.
I swapped them out for some good 2500mah cells I'd recovered from an old laptop battery and these lights have worked really well with only 1 dying from corrosion.
Great video and keep up the good work.
That was my thought as well... though there should be enough space for at least two 18650s (in parallel), maybe even three.
the purple batteries should have a label on it" HongCi", the batteries suck and the solar panels cant charge it well and fast enough,
Got mine from Aliexpress. They only have a soldered and glued 14500, not even a cheap knockoff 18650.
Thank you for displaying the inner workings of this light. I have 8 of them and they are indeed bright when on full mode but when set to the 3rd mid on mode, it doesn't last for more than a couple of hours. I now set it to the 2nd dim/full mode and it stays on for most of the light.
Got one of these 1 year ago and a solar LED floodlight from Amazon, over the winter the floodlight died completely same circuitry as this device but with 2 18650 cells, so I transplanted the dual 18650 cells into this device and wired the LED array of the floodlight to the output of this device and both are now married together covering my back yard, I covered the panel with rhino shatterproof film and sealed the whole thing with black wurth RTV automotive silicone hahahaha, worthy of your approval? 😎
it's only 3 pound directly from China on Temu so I don't mind too much
I have one of these and it works surprisingly well, even now in winter with quite cold temperatures for here (-10 degr.). I only used it "turned on" by motion so see little point in modding the LED resistors....it's only on every now and then and for a short time. It hangs on the side of my house...with another house at about 3,5 meters from it and even so the solar cell seems to charge it good enough.
Thank you for the education.
You have an interesting and clear explanation . Some people make so many ums , ahs and I guess , that you realize it's only guesses spoken with confusion .
You rock Clive !
To be fair. When I started making videos I also ummed a lot because I hadn't developed the skill of thinking ahead of what I'm going to say.
Clive, I just love how you always teach me something on every one of your videos. They're so informative and interesting. Thanks so much for making them! :-)
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@@jkvintageanalog8489 ?? 666 666 666 666 666 666
Backlight the “Pico Balla” candy with the LEDs from the panel and see if they make for a more interesting lighting fixture. 😁
These cheap lights are wonderful for sticking an esp8266 on them, disabling the lights and using it as an outdoors motion detector. I integrate mines to Home Assistant and alarmo to get a cheap and simple alarm system. I also use it to trigger the main lights from movement outside when I'm at home.
Great video, love the detailed explaning. I just wanted to get an idea about the circuit board and you got it covered really well. Thanks again. Tc
I bought some of these out of China last year for about $12 CAN$ each. First pair I bought, one arrived DOA. Company sent a replacement. In the mean time, I ordered another pair from a second company, also in China (both through AliExpress.
Second pair arrived, and while both worked, one of them had the PIR cover broken.
So, out of 5, I've got 2 that work fine, and one that works when it wants to, and one that does nothing.
I took the DOA one apart, and it has the 18650 cell soldered in. I could not see any obvious point of failure - no burnt components or loose connections.
Instead of screwing them into position, I used a 2 inch square of Velcro to attach them to the wall. This is handy in that it allows me to move them into full sunlight on occasion, as two of them are not in the best location for charging.
I purchased these from Amazon. The first used to light whole night but later on this became faulty during summer and now waiting for some repairs. One gotten stolen. One of these is similar to the first one. Whose solar panel seems to have faded but it’s still working. The last pair is new and at home for emergencies use in case of light failure during night.
Thus I have two pieces of these 100 LED lights to work with to improve their performance. Which is why I searched and read this video with comments.
I appreciate your advice to take out one resistor so this can work longer than expected. About 12 Hours during winter.
I have tried to install better quality and capacity battery but it’s not accepting so I needed to reinstall the same capacity battery.
Now both lights are charging from Solar but their working time is greatly reduced. Maybe an hour or two maximum.
Living in farm with such rubbishy lights is never good. Hence I have some other type of lighting arrangements as well for my needs but I still have to look into these two lights. Some of the LED don’t want to glow, doesn’t matter how hard I want. Any help on what to do to those non lighting LEDs?
I am thankful to you for providing a great help in this regard.
It's worth mentioning that these lights can damage the lithium cells in winter by attempting to charge them while below zero celsius, when cells should not be charged.
Hmmmm. This seems to have been copied from some other nicely designed device, for trying to make and sell it cheaper. Though initially they seem very exciting but they are not long time companions. However with some modifications these can be worth spending. There’s another light available about which I am very excited. I am giving you link to give it a look.
Thanks for your message and thanks for great help in this regard.
There have been a couple of comments about the 3.3v regulator so I did a bit of analysis of the components to see if it needs to be that high.
The dropout voltage is probably about 250mV, the lowest I could find was 178mV and they were starting to get too expensive for such a cheap device. That means the battery voltage needs to be over 3.5V under load in order to maintain a stable voltage and avoid retriggering.
The PIR is intended to be battery operated and most of that type have a minimum voltage of 2V so no problem there.
I've checked the MOSFET too, it should be fully turned on at 2.5V and although the on resistance would be slightly higher it shouldn't be significant at the current involved here.
That really only leaves the voltage of the microprocessor to consider. A lot of those will run at voltages down to about 2V or even less. If that's the case I really can't figure out why they picked a 3.3V regulator other than cost.
It would be interesting to swap it out for a 2.5V regulator (with suitably low dropout) and see what happens. I don't see any other voltage sensitive components or dividers except possibly the 47k pull down resistor between the PIR and the MCU, but a 33k would resolve that.
I’ve been experimenting with outdoor solar lights for five years. They are incredibly simple and should be very easy to fix if it’s work it .
I've got 2 of these and they are working brilliantly so far.
hi, we have new solar motion sensor security light, do you have any interesting to cooperate with us?
@@currydouble9572 Yes no problem do you have an email?
@@R8V10 13662615035@163.com, please send message to us via this email, or you can add my whatsapp: 8613662615035, looking forward to cooperate with you, we need you to make vedio for our product
Excellent explanation, thank you for this!
1200 mAh for a no-name Ebay cell is pretty darned good. I've usually gotten ~700-800 mA cells when I order stuff from ebay.
Great video & tear down of this solar light, they have revised them recently as others have said. Don't think it has full battery protection on these cheaper boards, with only one resistor & less chips, so will see if the unit or 18650 blows out...
However, very grateful to Clive for the tear down & listing the 3 power modes...
Mode #1 - 0/1100 mA with PIR
Mode #2 - 30/1100 mA with PIR
Mode #3 - 350 mA no PIR, (simply dusk to dawn operation)
Mode #2 is perhaps where most will use these lights with a run time of aprox 5hrs
(Depending how often the PIR triggers the main 1100mA flood/beam
Though as Clive suggests this may be pushing the LED's a bit too much)
As Clive suggested using small value resistor(s) on the positive wire from PCB to LED board...
I bought a few 10r value resistors to tone down the brightness a little too, plus one light was too sensitive, despite even taping the PIR sensor, some gas from a boiler flue was at times false triggering the PIR...
The black tape did dial down the sensitivity a bit but was still slightly prone to false triggering from the flue exhaust close by
(poor choice of location I know but wanted a subtle light there to begin with)
On Mode #3 - 350mA, where the light operates dusk~dawn @ 350 mA
Battery life will be shortened from the Mode #2 30 mA (5hrs)
So I was looking to effectively operate the light on Mode #3 but at reduced power
like Mode #2 offered in its 30 mA standby setting
The 10 Ohm resistor, fitted in line seems to offer something near 30 mA power
on dusk~dawn in Mode #3 like I was looking for to offer ambient lighting
but without false triggering from other PIR modes...
Other lights will be mounted elsewhere using the Mode #2 setting
(but wanted a light kept in that location for subtle lighting)
So a 10 ohm resistor worked perfectly in this instance as Clive suggested
(I tried a range of resistors, but 10 Ohm was perfect for what i needed)
A 10 Ohm dials down the main "flood" considerably but if using a number of lights on your property it avoids illuminating the area too much & shortening the lifespan of some cheap Chinese LED floodlights.
If a 10 Ohm resistor dulls the flood too much for your own situation, then you could use two resistors to make a 5 Ohm resistance & dial down the flood slightly less without being too blindingly bright when say putting the rubbish bins out for example.
So yeah, many thanks to Clive for the insight into these cheap lights, now about £14 for 4 of them on ebay, or £3:50, even with an odd dud/spare parts, say a fiver...
With a 10 ohm, or 2x10 ohm to make a 5 ohm resistor, to dial down the floodlight & extend the lifespan of the LED's. Maybe a small spread of silicone mastic to seal/water proof the unit, perhaps paint the components with something. Borrowing say the wife's clear nail varnish will offer some protection to the components - though will not offer you protection if she finds you have used it all up on silly LED lights.
Thanks once again to Clive, great video, amusing fun clips, a down to earth tear down wonderfully narrated too. The only thing puzzling me is wtf is there to dislike about this clip ??? How can people down vote such an informative video on these units, hmmm me thinks it might be the manufacturers disliking Clive informing others how to engineer them to extend the life of these LED's perhaps ???
Cheers again Clive & others taking the time to share & educate us more on these cheapo Chinese electronic devices
I mean, you could (re)build very simple models, using the QX5252F (a dedicated solar light controller in a TO-94 or SOT23 package.
From the pcb photo it seems that the button is connected to battery positive, not to the 3v3... you fixed it on the schematic unconsciously :)
Greetings from Italy!
Symbol for a Schottky diode is a diode with the bar replaced with an elongated S made of lines that meet at right angles. If it matters. Then again in the USA, resistors are zigzag lines...
Of course, they’re zig-zag lines; that’s how they slow down the electrons! Doubt me? Try driving on a road that looks like that and see how fast you go without crashing or ending up going off the road! 🤣😆 There’s a reason behind the madness. 😏
With schematic, Is Clive is a schematic addict!!
It appears so
Great work ! Thanh you from Bucharest -Romania ( subscribed 😀 )
Sorry for "Thanh" ! 😀 Thank You again Sir, for your work !!
the pico balla comes from because haribo also sells "balla sticks", and those pico ballas are essentaly balla sticks cut into pieces
These lights are great. I use them when camping to ward off bears and the like. I place about 10 of them around the perimeter of the camp and on a couple of occasions I have woken to hear a bear running away and one of lights turned on...
I just bought two of these. Thanks very much for your suggestions.
The pir security led light from lidl is pretty good lights our garden up well very bright and seems lo last a long time
Thank you so much for such detailed information and explanation. Look forward to watching more of your videos.
If the case allowed it (due to space limitations), I'd personally use a 26650 cell in there instead of an 18650 - that would give much longer run time and better current capability, especially if you used a decent cell. The cheapy 18650s like those don't really like more than 1A current.
Doing upgrades to the lithium cell (even a rectangular Li-Po might be able to go in) would result in the solar cell being the weak link, and needing an upgrade as well - otherwise the cells wouldn't ever get charged...
You could also put in 2 or maybe even three 18650s and use higher quality ones...
I just got one of these that looks the same, but the board, marked YF-SF, only has the sensor, the switch, an unmarked 8-pin chip and a ? mosfet marked J3Y - no resistors or diodes or anything else that I can see. It was nice and bright for 2 days, now it only lights dimly for a few minutes, but it is only getting light from my kitchen windowsill. Am going to try and figure out if I can put a TP4056 in with it and add some extra solar
I put one of these up at the back of my house but it’s a white version instead; it’s been up for quite a while now and still works perfectly fine
I bought a few of these in Thailand where I live they cost about £2.40 including delivery. There ok for what they are.
6 months in and mine are still working absolutely fine. Great product
less then a week in, and I have to manually turn them on every night. I got two them with the same problem. Not happy!
@@Luc_Skywalker interesting, I bought a couple more a few weeks back and I'm experiencing the same issue you described. I'm thinking they might not be receiving enough light, I have not tried repositioning them yet, might get round to some time this week, I'll report back.
@@Luc_Skywalker same here that's why I'm researching what the hell happened to it
I have a few others like this,pretty much same circuits some use smaller batteries and I've been using them close to 2 years and they still work fine.
It does look a little cheesey...
However you can put this and other similar lights in a zip lock bag before mounting, to water proof them...
*ask me how I know...
😉👍
AWESOME VIDEO!
BIG CLIVE...
Blessings: James
I've done that with outdoor battery packs. I leave the bottom open to allow ventilation or use a silica gel desiccant pack to keep them dry inside. The PIR sensors can see through thin polythene.
I've had a couple smaller versions of these. After a few months they'd fail to turn on but have a charged 18650 still. Not really sure if the sensor is failing or the switching transistor.
That's interesting. If there is still 3.3 volts, the FET probably died.
Check for corrosion. The PIR sensors are not properly sealed.
@@bigclivedotcom I have 2 very expensive battery chargers that have both failed in the same way, I would love to send them to you from Australia for you to have a look at if your interested? No one can figure out what’s wrong with them. Would make a great video even if you find out it’s not repairable. I will be more than happy to pay you if you can repair them also.. let me know if your interested
@@JimLahey21 What type of chargers are they and how have they failed?
@@bigclivedotcom They are cummins standby generator battery chargers, they do 12 and 24v, it’s going into fault and saying overload when it’s not connected to anything I opened it up and there’s nothing obvious that has blown etc? Google part number 0300-5878-01. Thanks
Great video big Clive, thank you.
add a TP4056 and you can manually charge the battery if ever needed, i modified all of my solar lights to make that easier to do in times that sunlight is limited.
Works like a charm.
How did you do that? Connect the output of the TP4056 at the same solar wires?
@@javiercalero9596 from the TP4056's positive and negative battery pads connect a long enough positive and ground wire to the battery holders terminals of the solar light,, about 20AWG should do, for the power in of the TP4056 have a long enough wire to suit your needs, then solder a USB A cable's positive and ground wire to it. Then all u would need is a USB power source to charge the battery when needed.
The TP4056 Should be in the unit itself then just drill a hole in the backplate of the light for the wiring to go through. You can use 18 gauge wire if you want to lessen the voltage drop when charging, but 20 should do just fine, depending on how long the wire will be.
Hope this helps
Also, doing it as u assumed would not be good for it because the power out of the TP4056 can only provide battery level voltage, so 3.7-4.20, so its best to just have it the way i described so that the power/voltage the light itself uses isnt affected by the TP4056.
Oh also, connecting it that way the battery wouldnt have protection so it would be possible to overcharge it, which is why u want the TP4056 to handle charge and protect.
As an additional idea for you, i have the porch solar light connected to a USB charger that is plugged into a smart socket that i can turn on/off with Alexa. I currently have it set on a schedule so the charger turns on for an hour and a half every day then turns off.. The light is under an overhang so it never gets much sun.
@@DigitalIP great post. Thank you. I will try, i hope we dont get explode :-)
@@javiercalero9596 lol, its very easy to do.. Just remove the battery from the holder before you do any soldering to be safe.
Any solar light that uses 18650's can be modified this way. You can even modify the light to be a small USB power bank for one use or another.
Fantastic as always
I want to understand this better real bad. Circuit boards fascinate me.
Try having a look on Ebay for electronic kits. Simple ones with half a dozen or fewer components are good places to start working out what happens - and cost about £2 including carriage. Most will have a little circuit diagram with them.
Also worth looking for are free online electronic "intro and basic" courses. they will give you an understanding of the basics quite quickly and then you start to work out how and why the circuits work. www.instructables.com/class/Electronics-Class/
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=electronics+kit&_sacat=0
That battery cell is already $1-2 in bulk. Then you get a nice little solar cell, a battery charger, a PIR, and a 100 LEDs. that is quite a value.
Yes it is, sourcing the parts off of Ebay prepare to spend $4 for the solar cell, 2 dollars for the battery, $3 for an array of LEDs $5 for 5 battery protection circuits so thats $1 per cell, $0.10 for a diode.
I have this is actually quite good above the shed
Funny I bought the same one from Temu, actually 2 for roughly 3euro each and they arrived today. Literally everything's the same including the box, except the back cover and cell inside. The cover doesn't hold cell holder like yours, contacts are soldered and small AA size 3.7V cell is just crammed inside. Good thing both seem to work but I'll have to replace the cells, one AA for that amount of leds just doesn't feel right. If you haven't ordered anything from there check it out, they give nice discount for certain products for 1st time buyers, I got myself android tv box for 10euro (around 30 is regular price).
You need to get one of the old halogen style worklights to use for testing solar panels. LED just does not work.
I find placing a small 250w unit at appropriate distance simulates sunlight quite well.
My Maxeon cells (wide spectrum solar cells) generates their rated current in such a situation matching good full sunlight while even my 200w led at point blank only gives me a fraction.
Otherwise, keep the videos coming! Enjoying them a lot!
Really? That's weird. Most bench LEDs can put out ~6500K light (tho I know Clive prefers the warm-white). Do you know what temp your LEDs were? I'd think the warn-white ones (~2500-3500K) would be shit for solar cells but I'd expect ~5500-6500K ones to fare much better.
The regulator has a bit of dropout voltage, let's say 100mV, then the regulation collapses when battery reaches 3.4V so it's not nearly empty, it's 30% charged. Under this condition PIR can become unstable i would think. Naturally 3.4V is also easy enough to reach in a state of high charge if you just try to draw enough current.
I need something like this with a 12v, 3-4s liion or lifepo4 battery, and about a 10-20 watt pv to charge, with 3, 5 watt LED,
I guess I'm going to build my own, using 18w led flood/spot light, and possibly 4s LiFePo4, enough to light about 6 hours, and charge in 6-8 hours, and have the option to externally charge, for off grid use! Things like this can come in handy!!
so 100 LEDs in parallel ?! OMG!
Really good explanation
Ah, Big Clive loves to masticate.
Monetisation removed! ;)
Who doesn't? :)
I think clive posted this vid on the wrong site. He spends so long masticating.
Is that possibility to read IC controller software or what it is ? I have more valuable light and in pone that microcontroller just blown. So i wanted to keep functionality so need to program new controler, have more working ones so i am able to check next one but they are able to read chip and program new one?
Unknown microcontroller.
I just got two of these on temu for $2.20 a piece, hope they work out well.
Just what I was looking for.
hi, we have new solar motion sensor security light, do you have any interesting to cooperate with us?
Thank you for your nice video!!
I have a dumb question: would it be possible to modify mode #3 from dim to full light? I have these lights in my terrace and they are set by default in mode #1 (ON only in case of movement). However, I also would like to have a good light source at night in the few occasions we stay outside for a longer time. Current dim mode #3 is too weak to read, for example. I also don't care much about the runtime, we don't expend the entire night outside anyway.
Thanks for you suggestions 😊
well, I finally gave up and installed an interruptor to bypass the MCU. Don't know how long it will take to blow the leds or the battery, but at least I have a steady "mode #1" to light up my terrace when we are staying outside during summer.
Hi im from Argentina. I wish you were my master at school.
My problem with these solar lights like the simpler ones, have a problem. I put one out over the summer and it got so hot it cooked the lion battery the Cip went, one knackered battery , a great idea but how do you keep the inside cool and water proof??
R8 to the unused part of U3? Might be as stable reference, or prevent current spikes
Got 8 of these at end of July (4pack for 14.99). now price just check is 19.99 for 4 free P&P
great light when it working But..
result:
3 partly working - working but if you go out to the garden a couple of time then it die.
4 die completely and 1 just flash then die.
will definitely try Clive suggestion solderer one of the R500 resistor
if it dont work then best option is rewire the light giving it more stable power
I guess what you paid for is what you get
I swapped the resistors out for a 10 ohm one. Much dimmer, but more stable and longer lasting.
@@bigclivedotcom you mean replace the r500 with the 10ohm one?
@@jetli740 Yes. Or if it's easier just add it in series with the PCB and the wires going to the LEDs.
Sweet video Big Clive
Is it possible to swap it's small solar panel with a 5v large panel with extended wires. I am planning to put the panels in the roof and run the wires to the circuit inside the garage. Will this type of swapping of solar panels be suitable for such circuit? Thanks in advance...
It usually is possible, but don't use one that's too big as the charge current often has no regulation.
Ok. Solar panel max 6v 3w
I got solar flood light from the range shop best solar light I’ve had for my back garden only cost 12 quid
hi, we have new solar motion sensor security light, do you have any interesting to cooperate with us?
Omg the only Haribo i like.. They did sell them here in the uk but i can't find them anymore. But now i have a name to search! Cheers lol.
Hi sir I want to make these as a Motion Sensor Infrared Led light to use it as a Night Vision Illuminator for Camera. Please tell which IR Led work with this. Please give some suggestions.
You might be better using a high power infrared LED and matching lens.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks for your reply. If you are doing this which IR Led model do you choose sir? Or Please tell me how to make a small and powerful IR Illuminator for camera. It will be helpful for me. In RUclips there are only simple diy IR Illuminator videos available that illuminators can only cover few centimetres or big sized IR Illuminator videos only available that illuminators draw more energy.
My location has very little sun light that the battery does not get fully charged during the day. I am thinking of helping the solar cell by connecting an external 5V source to the input of the 3.3V regulator during the day. Not sure if this will work or not. Any comments?
You would need to use a current limiting resistor and connect it across the solar cell to charge the cell safely using its own protection circuitry.
Or you could add a TP4056 module and charge the cell directly.
Sounds reasonable. I'll give it a try. Thanks.
Hello , is it possible to bypass thar motion sensor? To stays always on at maximum during the night. Thanks
It wouldn't last long at full output.
@@bigclivedotcom even if i add 1 or 2 extra batteries?
Isn't this quite ironic, cus my father literally bought the same thing and installed three in the backyard of my house. I just noticed that today, of all things.
Question: Could a light like this be upgraded with a bigger cell and some additional components for a longer running life in case of a busy night? Also wondering if anyone has considered powering such lights of the 24volt circuit used for doorbells?
I added a big solar cell on top of mine and lowered the current of all the LEDs. It normally still runs in the morning and it's facing north.
I need to charge them 2 times during winter if it's really dark outside. For that, I added external charging terminals. Worked fine for several years now, because the batteries never run totally flat.
I don't want to run cables across the wall.
I have two items working well (sometimes !). Theu have a malfunction because, in the night , light on even if there are nobody in front of them. Do you have any ideas to fix them ? This problem is related to both. Could MPU be a dual 8 pin op amp (LM2904 like) ? Best regards
Lm393?
I have a similar light which I was tampering with to add a manual switch so it is always turned on but had no success. The pir sensor maintains its voltage and probably sends a digital signal to the ic. Any ideas how to simulate the signal or where to add a switch (on your board for example)?
Btw, thx for the video.
Your switch could bridge the output transistor.
I have the same one. Any ideas how to add a button to leave the leds permanently on? Seems that the pir sends a digital signal and i can not simulate the signal to keep it on. Some help would br appreciatrd. Great video thx
Nice I need about 3 of them.
I would not recommend these light got 8 in july now 3 partly working 4 die completely 1 flash then die
@@jetli740 thanks for heads up grasshopper
Looked inside one today, and it only had 2 x NPN Tranistors and a Resistor (100 Ohm) + MCU + PIR + 100 LED + Solar Panel + Switch + Battery. Pin on MCU (7) powers PIR. One transistor switches the LEDs, the other controls battery charging. White Plastic case.
Opened another today, different again. 1 Mosfet (A2SHB) 2 resistors (1 for mosfet gate discharge, 1 to limit LED current, 1 capacitor (smoothing) and 1 diode (to prevent discharge through solar panel). Also the PIR sensor in these units is just a regular re200b type. They must use on board ADC to read the 20mV pulse (peak to peak). Black Plastic case , elongated mounting slots.
Přesně tento typ se mi porouchal - nereaguje na pohyb ani přepínač, baterie je dobitá a solární panel dodává cca 5V. Na opravu potřebuji znát označení MCU a PIR - poradíte?
@@karlvonbanhof2723 PIR = re200b MCU = Chinese ASIC (e.g. mx8098h). Suggest hacking in an ATTiny85 + AM312 (e.g. See: ruclips.net/video/pMx2BsaKWUA/видео.html)
Moc děkuji, součástky objednám, a až mi tyto součástky doručí, včetně tranzistorů SS8050-J3Y, tak se pokusím světlo opravit. Pak dám vědět. Přeji pěkný den.
I guess you could cover the whole thing in a sheet of adhesive film to make it water resistent
Or put it in a trash bag. It'll end up there eventually
Nice video mate. Quick question. My solar security lights have three modes. When it comes on. 30 seconds when it detects motion. Ithe second mode is 20% all night and the third mode which I use which is 10% and if motion is detected it has 100% light but only for 30 seconds. My question to you is how can you increase the time the light comes on for? 30 seconds is way too short. I'd like two minutes. Cheers Graham
Unfortunately these units tend to have the delay implemented in software, which makes it hard to change without rewriting the whole system from scratch.
My brother put 2 of these up today for my birthday. When we took it out of the box, put our hands on top and pressed the tiny power button it did not turn on. Did I get a dud? How long does it need to charge before it works?
Make sure it's switched on if there's a slide switch and leave it in bright light for a day.
Love you Clive!
Hello Clive, I have same issue with my 4 lights that are exactly the same on the outside. On the inside, the chip is slightly different and I have difficulties finding the resistor to remove. I can see I only have one Resistor (R750) if I am correct. Could I please send a picture? I do not want to throw them if there is a chance to fix them. They used to work though. Let me know, thank you very much!
Thank you.
Thank you so much for this guide! Is it possible to replace the solat panel with the same 5.5v solar panel but with higher current to charge the battery?
Yes. But make sure the battery has overvoltage protection.
I'm interested in solar charging. I don't see how this protection device can disconnect the battery from the solar panel without also disconnecting it from the rest of the circuit, since it's in series with the battery. Am I missing something?
I bought 5 of these outdoor solar lights. I did set all of them on the "shut off/full power light if movement is detected", but one of these lights, after about 1 hour, turn itself to the "constant medium power light, no matter if movement is detected". What could I do to make this "rascal" light work like her sisters? Thank you in advance.
Isn't the voltage reference ruined by the leakage current from that diode?
corriente autorreductora 30mA. diy resistor iluminación 50 Ohm
Non techie here. When replacing the battery is it as simple as finding any 18650 or should it be the purple covered one.
There are a wide range of 18650s with different specs and I would like to be ready with replacement batteries for when the time comes. Thanks for this video and any help.
Most of the cells used in these are standard 18650 cells. Don't go too expensive as a low capacity one is usually fine.
@@bigclivedotcom Thanks 👍
I have a cheap version. Don't think I have a battery protection on mine.
DIY working bms 1s
Could you upgrade this by adding another solar panel and another battery to extend the life or brightness of the lights
Theoretically, yes you can upgrade units with cell protection.
Is it possible for this model to setup day off light mode? So far my lamp reacting on the motion day and night.
It's usually turned off by detecting light on the solar panel.
Awesome video! I'm using one for a project, how would you make it work regardless of voltage coming from the solar panel? (During the day)
Disregard, mine was using a signal to the controller straight from the positive side of the panel across a single resistor. Removed the resistor and Bingo! Works day or night now😜
Just buy 20 of these (£2.80 ish each) be intresting what they look like inside (see if they are the same), could I just attach a heatsink to the 2 chips that is getting hot if it is still the same
If I remember correctly it was the resistors getting hot? They should be fine.
@@bigclivedotcom unfortunately the lights that arrived have zero battery protection as I left 2 of them on and it went all the way down to 2.30v and started going off and on at 2.4v if modes 1/2 used so I assume the IR module has insufficient power its retriggering , mode 3 for constant dim just got dimmer the lower the battery voltage is
It just has 2 chips, IR module and a button,, I have ordered a pack of 1s 18650 BMS battery protection so it cuts off at 2.5v and 4.0v
only issue with using bms if it does attempt to overcharge the battery and the bms cuts off the power from the microcontroller feeding the battery unsure if it will destroy the micro controller when the bms cuts off charging current (as the solar voltage might go quite high when bms is not accepting voltage anymore and kill it guess I find that out in summer, or leave one if them under a light see what happens )
Also what sealant should I use, as the sides of the panel are not fully flush so water is going to enter the units if not sealed, they also allows water to collect and stay behind the panel (was thinking of using silicone sealant or somthing els that's whether resistant along the edges that bonds well but not over the panel it self to prevent water ingress, some of these are going to be installed in not easy to access locations)
I wasn't really expecting a response (UK person here) do you have Discord or other place as posting pictures (links) tends to get automodded/deleted now
Thanks for the detailed technical review.
I gave up buying this product
Quality: -1, very bad
The factory might be located in Swords Dublin near to the Aer-Lingus Airport.
i convert this to my old solar panel light at the roof it works fine
reminds me of the Cobra MkIII Elite ship :D
Hi, is it possible to avoid light sensor? To make it work even over the day? I thought of making an alarm system by hijacking it's motion detector sensor.
Or to put it straight, how can I disable the microcontroller to know the light level by checking the voltage from the solar panel.
Many of these devices detect the light level by monitoring the output of the solar panel. You'd need to find that track that does that and disconnect it or tie it to the negative rail of the microcontroller.
@@bigclivedotcom OK, thank you for your answer. One more question. Do PIR detect motion all the day long regardless if it's day or night? Maybe I could use it's detection as a trigger. I am aiming to connect two wires when motion is detected to an old phone's fast dial, and make it able to call me when it detects the motion.
got a version of these but it has a 400mah lithium cell with no protection, only the microcontroller and one fet
Can you use nail varnish to make it more water resistant
On the PCB that can work.
@@bigclivedotcom thank you
JBL speakers? I know they are high end, but I have two and would like to see how they work, especially because they are a bit wonky.
I took a small JBL speaker apart in a video.
@@bigclivedotcom The cylindrical ones. With subwoofers in both ends. They have a hefty battery, aswell.
Is there a modification I can do to make it stay on longer when motion is detected in mode 1
It's often baked into the software.
My solar light stays on, and Fresnel lens broke. Any help?, thanks in advance.
It sounds like water has got into it and caused corrosion.
for a while i've noticed that although they say items come from china, i've been receiving them from places like malaysia, laos, kyrgyzstan, and other random places. im guessing its somehow even cheaper to send from those places then it is from china, as dirt cheap as it already is. it usually takes longer from those places, too, which is annoying.
I've mostly given up on Ebay for these sorts of things. Instead, I order from places like Banggood, pay a bit more for Canada direct shipping, and I get most everything in 10 days to 2 weeks. Ebay? 2 *months*+. Prices are slightly higher on commerce sites like Bang, but I can't stand waiting for 2-3 months.
@@TheJohn8765 Order from Aliexpress and you will get them cheaper and with free shipping. Banggood is just a dropshipping site for Aliexpress. Even on Aliexpress there are the manufacturers and then export companies so by the time it is listed on banggood 3-4 companies are taking a cut. I spent close to 2k on Aliexpress a few months ago but it would have cost me 4-5k buying the same stuff on amazon or ebay.
@@excitedbox5705 Aliexpress doesn't use Paypal. I'm not sure if that's good or bad!
China has been using other countries as a go-between for China-to-US transactions. It's a rather clever way for them to bypass the tariffs. :-)
Olá, conheci seu canal recentemente, excelente conteudo! Eu tenho a mesma lampada, porém depois de 4-5 meses ela funciona porém totalmente fraca. Ela fica exposta no sol e chuva, o problema dela pode ser a bateria original exposta o tempo todo a luz? O que eu posso fazer? Trocar pelo mesmo modelo de uma bateria ou fazer alguma adaptação com bateria de celular? Sou leigo no assunto. Saudações do Brasil
Você pode conseguir trocar a bateria. Outra coisa que causa problemas é a corrosão devido à entrada de água.
Se trocar a bateria, certifique-se de usar um tipo semelhante e, se for de lítio, tente encontrar uma bateria com proteção embutida.
@@bigclivedotcom Eu troquei de bateria, porém agora ela fica acesa o tempo inteiro (e não está totalmente forte, está com brilho minimo). Sabe o que eu poderia fazer? Troquei para uma bateria "HU SD 18650 9800mah 4.2v"
I remember one of the first lectures I had in aerospace electronics.. Our professor said; You'll have it easier in a way since you design stuff that will hold, while consumer electronics is designed to break after a set time span...
Because it is a 18650 cell would I be wrong in thinking, This light is not suitable for the cold Canadian weather during the winter months?
I bought one of similar construction and she still works down to -24°F
nothing beats a bit of mid-vid mastercation 😉🤣
What about reducing the overall output levels by adding a resistor between the MCU and the mosfet? Or swapping the 10k pulldown resistor between the gate and the 0V rail with a lower value? (or both, so make a voltage divider between MCU and ground, with mosfet gate halfway between 2 resistors) Would any of those ideas work?
You can change the existing current limiting resistors in most.