How to Build a Solar Lamp: A Complete Guide
A solar lamp allows for the energy of the sun to be harnessed and the light emitted to be used as a light source. For those in dark areas that don’t have access to electricity, these are very useful. They also come in handy when you want candles and avoid the risk of burned candles falling over.
About Batteries
If you want to charge batteries for a future occasion, you can do so by using the energy from the solar lamp. Aside from this, even if they are not drained, you can charge them for future use as a precautionary measure.
Even though batteries can be drained, you can minimize any current that is used by removing the batteries from your solar lamp.
Get the Right Materials
Make sure you get the right amount and type of materials required for your project and plan out accordingly.
Step 1
Get a solar charging panel, which is the main component of the solar lamp. You can purchase this at any hardware store. The size and shape of the panel will depend on the material you use.
Step 2
Determine your design. You can either design one yourself by looking up reference images online, or you can use a tool such as an egg carton to make a basic outline.
Solar Energy Today
With the rise in energy prices, solar power is becoming increasingly important, owing to its cost-effective nature. Using the power of the sun to light your home is not new. In fact, people have been using this amazing resource since ages. However, with the advent of the LED light, which is an energy-efficient source of light, the use of solar power to light your home has become even more popular.
Purchasing the equipment needed to set up a solar lighting system at home may be economically viable if you set up a system with a certain amount of wattage, but it may not be the right thing to do, for those just looking for a means of getting a small portion of their power requirements met. Solar powered lights are not as efficient as larger systems. However, they are perfectly capable of meeting your financial needs.
Solar energy is harnessed by solar panels. These are typically placed on the rooftop, where they get ample exposure to sunlight. The sun’s rays fall on the surface of the panel and heat up the panel. The panel’s temperature increases as it gets charged with the sun’s energy. If you get it moving, and are able to harness that movement, you can use that energy to light your home. This is why you have to your panels running from one point to another.
How to Build a Solar Lamp in Easy Steps
If you live in a country where it gets dark early then a lantern that runs on solar power can sure come in handy. Since you don’t want to directly charge a 12V battery, it’s best to build a solar panel.
The solar panel will allow you to store up energy during the daytime to charge your lantern from. Building a solar panel is not hard but there are a few things you need to look out for.
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
{1}. Battery and Lamp
{2}. Solar Panels
{3}. Solar Charge Controller
{4}. Cables
{5}. Cement
{6}. Containers (optional)
{7}. Tiles (optional)
{8}. Plastic Wrap (for waterproofing)
{9}. Screws/Nails ( for mount)
{10}. Iron rods (for mount)
CUT & TRIM THE WIRES
Use the wire cutters to cut the plastic off the end of the wires…about an inch or so from the end of the wire. Reserve the cut off pieces.
Insert a bent needle-nose pliers into the end of one of the wires. The needle nose part of the plier is what will be used in the next step.
With the needle-nose pliers still inserted into the wire end, use the wire stripper to strip off about 1/2 inch of wire insulation from the end of the wire.
Using the needle-nose plier grip both ends of the wire simultaneously, twist until the metal is twisted in an “S” shape.
Use the wire stripper to cut off all of the bare, twisted wire, so that the end of the wire is just below the twisted area.
Repeat this process for the other wire, and then using the needle-nose pliers, gently push the two ends together so that they form a single twisted wire.
Repeat the process for each of the wires.
CONNECT THE BATTERY HOLDER TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD
Connect the negative terminal of the battery holder to the “in” terminal on the top-side of the circuit board (see image below). Secure these to each other via any copper wires you may have.
Connect the positive terminal of the battery holder to the “out” terminal on the underside of the circuit board (see image below). Secure these to each other via any copper wires you may have.
CONNECT THE LED LIGHT
Take your multimeter and insert the black probe into the jack marked "COM" while inserting the red probe into the jack marked "V" to verify if it works. This is to ensure that the wires are hooked up correctly. Wait for the display to show "2.3" volts.
Step 2
Take your pliers and bend the wires around a voltmeter terminal. If necessary, wrap the stripped end around the hole a few times.
Step 3
Wrap the glass in plastic by taking the cut wire and wrapping it a few times around the glass.
Step 4
Place the solder above the glass on the wire and the press it for 15 seconds. This is to set the head and is hot for only 15 seconds.
Step 5
Take the piece of glass that you wrapped in plastic and hold it over the iron for 10 seconds.
Step 6
Take the piece of plastic and the piece of glass off the iron, and then take the plastic and rub off the solder. This is to remove the excess residue.
Step 7
Check to confirm that the wire is connected to the ground of the circuit board by inserting the black probe into the jack marked "COM" while inserting the red probe into the jack marked "GND" to check if you have a voltage when the switch it is on.
PIERCE THE LID
Beginner student of science – or any student – you will learn Chemistry, Physics, Mechanics and Physiology, the way a child is born to learn through the 4 simple 5 minutes experiments.
The experiment will save you hundred of dollars, it will save you from the toxic products bought in the hardware store, a thousand chemical products in everyday objects, it will save energy for your house, will save you precious time because you won't have to wait in line in the store to get an oil or gizmo, it will save you from plastic or any other pollution created to satisfy material needs in your life.
Your eco-system will rejuvenate and become more clean and healthy and in the best possible way for the full development and unexpected origin of life.
Experts and specialists in the field of Energy and Ecology have built a new innovation called Eco Generator.
This system is radiation free, zero emission and it provides cheap and efficient energy from the sun light and earth energy.
The 4 easy to repeat experiments included in the energy kit will show you how to build your own solar energy generator.
After work completion and assembly time of 30 minutes it will provide you with power for light and mobile device indefinitely.
CONNECT THE SOLAR PANEL TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD
- Take a very close look at the solar panel and locate the positive (+) and negative (-) signs.
- Using a soldering iron, solder a long wire to each positive (+) sign.
The wire should be long enough to reach a power source.
- Attach two wires to the negative (-) sign.
- Make sure the wires are long enough to reach the ground or ground rod.
- Use wire nuts to connect the three wires.
- Grab the other ends of the two wires with a wire stripper and expose some of the wire.
- Solder the exposed wire to the circuit board.
- Use a wire nut to attach a wire to the circuit board from the other wire end.
- Then attach that wire to the board on the negative (-) sign.
GLUE THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER
Once again, the order for gluing will be top, middle, bottom. It’s important to do this so you can screw down the bottom cap to the lantern body.
Apply glue to the end caps and the middle connecting frame. Place the end caps on and screw down using four screws.
Glue the Middle Frame to One End of Tube
Apply glue to the threads of the lantern body and screwed in the middle frame.
USING A SOLDERING IRON
The first step in making a solar lamp is to make holes in a lamp that will act as a switch. It is easiest if you have a lamp with an already attached switch. Once you have this, you should determine a way to fix the switch so that it can be easily turned on and off.
The first place that tips at the lamp is a good place to attach it. Turn the lamp over and hold the switch in place with masking tape to make sure that it will be secure. If you can be sure that the glue will hold the switch in place, you can skip this step.
Now tin the ends of the wires coming from the switch and solder them to the switch. Make sure that you are able to screw the switch back into place. Gently unscrew the switch and make sure that it will fit back into place before you extend the wires.
The wires attached to the switch should be soldered to a positive and negative wire that will connect the switch to the cells. This will ensure that when no light is shining on the cells, they are not wasting power.
Once it is soldered in place, it can easily be detached and attached to the wires of the cells.
SOLAR PANEL
Solar panels are a fine example of sensible and efficient use of renewable energy. They collect the energy from the sun and convert it into usable electricity for the running of a wide variety of devices.
Solar panels have several uses from domestic to industrial and commercial. Currently, they are available from many different brands and suppliers.
A lot of people have embraced this as a useful source of electricity that features many benefits. If you happen to be considering it, here are some of the top things to look for in the best solar panels.
You will consider lots of factors before buying the solar panels from different suppliers such as:
- What are the technical specifications?
- How much power do they output?
- How easy is it to install?
- Can they be used for both low power and high power appliances?
- Are they guaranteed?
PRODUCT RANKINGS With over a hundred listed products, finding the best solar panels for 2022 would be a daunting task. To help you with your purchase decision, we have ranked the top 10 products according to performance, features, quality, and after sales services.
SWITCH
It’s easy enough to do this in your house: switch off the light at the main switch. You can then safely disconnect the light, using your fingers to work the plastic clips, at the cable entry point, without having to touch any live wires.
CIRCUIT BOARD
The circuit board, or PCB, is a critical part of a solar lamp, because it takes in the power delivered from the panel to charge the energy store. The primary parts of the circuit board are the solar panel, the light sensor, the voltage regulator, the rechargeable battery, and the switch. You can buy these components from an electronics store, or make your own from scratch.
SOLAR LANTERN OR SOLAR LAMP?
A solar lamp, just like it sounds, is simply a solar light that is there to provide light whether it be at night or during a power outage. A solar lantern is an improvised lamp that can be easily set up and used in a variety of ways.
A solar lamp can be hung up almost anywhere, like for example, on a tree, which is the preferred spot when out camping. They can also be placed on a table or on the ground. They are very easy to light once they are charged.
Solar lanterns, on the other hand, are much larger and heavier than a solar lamp. They must be charged in order to stay powered.
Some solar lanterns are also heavy duty and waterproof which make them great for camping trips.
The choice of which solar lamp you should buy is really going to depend on what you plan to use it for. If you are going to be camping or traveling it’s best to go with a solar lantern for the size and weight. If you want to simply light up a tree or a pathway, then you should go with a solar lamp.
MAINTENANCE
- an hour before sunset, turn on the solar lamp for a few minutes to charge
- when the room becomes dark, turn on the solar lamp
- the lamp will automatically turn off after a set time, if not, you need to replace the battery
- when it rains, you need to cover the lamp up
- to assure the health of your solar lamp, turn it off once a month and clean it.
- you can clean the solar lamp with a damp sponge.
- check your lamp regularly for any damages
- if you notice any damages please contact the manufacturer
SOLAR LAMPS WHERE THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY
Solar lamps are one of the greatest inventions among a long list of inventions as it provides a wonderful alternative to electricity. If one day you find yourself in a situation where you have no electricity, but the sun still shines bright, then you can still provide yourself with the basic necessities of life, including light, if you have a solar lamp. Simply find a nice outdoor place where the sun shines bright throughout the day and set up your solar lamp! It's as easy as that!
What is a solar lamp? It's a small solar panel that has a tiny rechargeable battery attached to it. Usually, the light is powered by a 5 or 6 volt battery that is stored in the lamp for the purpose of powering it when there is no sun available. However, you can purchase the type of solar lamp that doesn't have a built in battery. It will only charge the battery whenever the sun is shining. In other words, you can plug the solar lamp in like you would a cell phone in order to charge it. For example, the solar lamp that I'm going to show you how to make will have a cord attached to it that allows you to plug it in. This is a great feature if you don't want to be worried about replacing the battery when it is used up!
MORE TIPS
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And Finally, Below are Tips For You:
How to make solar light like this is a hidden gem and a great way to make your home greener with easy solutions.
This whole solar light is so easy to make by yourself.
There's no complicated wiring and it’s completely safe.
To be honest, making a solar light is a first step to recover and re-use some items that you may have otherwise just thrown away.
These solar lanterns are always great eye-catchers and it's a nice way to surprise your neighbors and friends.
The idea is also easy to build with just a few basic materials and tools like:
- Ziploc bags (1),
- Binder clips (2),
- Paper towel tube (1),
- Scrapbook paper (1),
- Self-adhesive iron-on letters (1),
- Nail polish remover (1),
- Modge Podge (1),
- Waterproof glue (1),
- Hot glue (1),
- Solar power lights (2),
- Aluminum foil (1),
- An awl / a sharp knife,
- Scissors,
- Glass cleaner.
TEST IT
- – solar lamp rope + solar charger + mobile power bank + two rechargeable batteries (instructions: below)
- – solar charger calculators:
- – mobile power bank charger calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar charger calculators:
- – mobile power bank charger calculators:
- – rechargeable batteries calculator:
- – solar charger calculators:
- – mobile power bank charger calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
- – solar lamp rope solar panel calculator:
- – mobile power bank calculators:
Final Thoughts
Solar charging works well if you have a fixed application and can leave your solar charger in the sun to maintain a constant charge.
Another solar charger design consideration is if you want the solar panels exposed.
Exposed solar panels are great for some applications, but not so much if they’re installed on a boat or some other place that’s subjected to both sun and water. You might not want to go that route.
Once you’ve made your decision and purchased your solar panels, you’re ready to assemble your solar charger.
How you put your solar charger together is up to you.
The easiest option is to buy a premade kit and use those instructions, but if you’re looking to build or purchase your own parts, you need to know what types of components you need and what to look for.
The first thing you need to do is pick your solar panels. The size of the solar panel will depend on your battery and the amount of power you want to store.
Most solar panels are connected in parallel because they are made to be wired together.
It’s really normal for the panels to have some variation between them, in voltage and current, but for the panels to be put in parallel, they need to be about the same.