How to Make a Solar Light from Scratch?

There is a wide range of solar lights that can be found online. Many people still buy them to bring bright for their dark times. At the same time, they think that using solar lights can bring much convenience and save some money for them. However, still, for DIY lovers, they want to make a solar light from scratch. Here, in this post, I would like to share them with you step by step.

You can find diffrent kinds of solar lights that you can always buy at your local store and light up your house. But you can make yourself a lovely solar light at home for less than $25.

These top 10 solar light ideas for DIY will help you better envision which solar light you should make. But all of those solar lights will have some common steps to DIY.

First Thoughts

Before jumping into the step-by-step section, we will walk you through some concepts you might need during this article. And also want to brief you about solar energy and modern life.

Suppose you have already read our solar energy 101 article. You can just bypass this section.

Solar Energy

We live in a world where solar energy has become a daily norm. Solar energy has more advantages than disadvantages. They do not use fuel to operate.

All you need is to install them at your residence, and from there, you are good to go. Your house will be well powered if the sun is out and shining.

Although clients still complain that solar energy is still expensive, they live in an area that receives less solar energy. But that is not the case; using solar energy saves you a lot of money in the long run.

10 Easy Steps To Make A Solar Light

 

Building a solar light has never been so hard. It does not require any technical or electric knowledge to get yourself a solar light. You can follow our instructions, and you will be good to go.

What is Required

Here are the parts and tools you need: Hot glue gun or superglue, Jar, Led lights, Soldering machine, or wire nut, Battery holder, Solar panel 2Volts max, AA or AAA NiMH batteries, PCB circuit board with a dusk to dawn regulator switch.

To DIY a solar light, you will need some products.

  • Hot glue gun or superglue
  • Jar
  • Led lights
  • Soldering machine
  • Battery holder
  • Solar panel 2Volts
  • AAA NiMH batteries
  • PCB circuit board

A drill is to pierce the jar. If you are skillful when it comes to wires, you can also use the wire nut to solder the switch and the wires.

First, you will need a PCB circuit board with dusk till dawn photo switch regulator that always stops charging at night. A PCB circuit board with an inbuilt element is always the best, but you can always design one yourself to get one. The PCB board should be just the lid’s perfect size as it will be placed under the lid and enable it to close well. 

When choosing a jar, you can get anything perfect for you, but it is always good to use a pickle jar. Use a drill to make a hole on the lid, and if you do not have a drill, you can always find something sharp in your toolbox to puncture the lid.

Get things ready? Here you explore 8 steps to make a solar light from scratch. We include these effective steps in this list after analyzing several work strategies.

You can get a look at the list to make your solar light-making plan. It is not a mandatory list but helpful to every DIY lover who explores solar lights.

You can add or remove one or more steps from the list below when making your first solar light. It will enable you to do the work independently.

1. Buy Your Products
2. Wires Preparation (Trim and Cut the Wires)
3. Connect Light To Circuit Board
4. Connect Circuit Board to Battery Holder
5. Drill the Lid
6. Connect Solar Panel with Circuit Board
7. Glue-All the Parts Together
8. Install Your Switcher
9. Choose Your Location
10. Testing It

Test the Energy Production

First, it is important to check the energy production rate of the solar panel. You can not run the solar light without sufficient energy and expect perfect brightness. Low voltage will provide you with less brightness than the efficiency of the 50w solar panel.

Check the Output

When solar panels produce sufficient energy, the battery will provide you exact output for the light. Check the performance of the battery. You can compare the charging and discharging performance of the battery.

Check the Performance of the Light

If everything goes well, you should receive enough power to operate the light. The light will provide you with more brightness, and you can measure it with lumens.

Conclusion

Now, you know how to make solar light. If you still have any doubts, then you can ask the installer for help.  But you still need know that there are drawbacks if you use the homemade solar lights, so you need to accept it when you decide to make the solar lights by yourself. 

At the same time, if you just want to buy a bright and high quality solar light, then you had better choose a branded solar light store.  And still, some stores offer customization services if you need them. 

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