jollyjacktar
New member
I have been using a successful and cheap no frills solution to cabin lights and night time "at anchor riding light" on my simple low tech yacht. Worked well for the summer season at least. I bought several solar charging garden lights. Made in China very cheap [about 7 pounds each on a specials offer].
The idea is that during daylight they charge up the internal battery and in the evening the battery powers a led light for most of the dark hours. The unit contains two AA cell nicads, a high intensity LED, a solar panel, a light sensing night-on circuit and other some circuitry. Sum total unit cheaper than purchasing the component parts. As well I got a reasonable plastic housing that was easily waterproofed. I purchased a high intensity white LED to replace the yellow LED that came in the unit, fitted a manual over-ride on/off switch. Modified the housing a bit, added some aluminium foil reflecters [silver tape] for the units that I use as interior lights and waterproofed them with suitable tape and silicon etc. On most days the batteries are charged sufficiently to run all night. If ther is not enough sunlight available to recharge the cells, I can easily substitute them with conventional dry cell penlight cells which will run the unit for days.
I have used this for hoisting up the mast as a night time riding light [substitute for my trusty hurricane lamp] and used them for internal cabin lights. Still I could have bought a solar panel charger circuit and charged multiple lots of AA cells but costing out that option was much more expensive. Also investigated wiring the garden lights [or the useful parts they contained] to my motor starting battery with the addition of a voltage regulator IC but it all became too complicated and not portable enough. In its original configuration the garden light also will charge my nicads for use in other things if I do not want to use them as lights.
Mind you the cockpit looks a bit like a garden path with all the units charging during the day but I am working on this, perhaps the addition of some decorative artificial garden flowers may create a conversation piece. And I once thought that a solar powered light would only work in the daylight.
The idea is that during daylight they charge up the internal battery and in the evening the battery powers a led light for most of the dark hours. The unit contains two AA cell nicads, a high intensity LED, a solar panel, a light sensing night-on circuit and other some circuitry. Sum total unit cheaper than purchasing the component parts. As well I got a reasonable plastic housing that was easily waterproofed. I purchased a high intensity white LED to replace the yellow LED that came in the unit, fitted a manual over-ride on/off switch. Modified the housing a bit, added some aluminium foil reflecters [silver tape] for the units that I use as interior lights and waterproofed them with suitable tape and silicon etc. On most days the batteries are charged sufficiently to run all night. If ther is not enough sunlight available to recharge the cells, I can easily substitute them with conventional dry cell penlight cells which will run the unit for days.
I have used this for hoisting up the mast as a night time riding light [substitute for my trusty hurricane lamp] and used them for internal cabin lights. Still I could have bought a solar panel charger circuit and charged multiple lots of AA cells but costing out that option was much more expensive. Also investigated wiring the garden lights [or the useful parts they contained] to my motor starting battery with the addition of a voltage regulator IC but it all became too complicated and not portable enough. In its original configuration the garden light also will charge my nicads for use in other things if I do not want to use them as lights.
Mind you the cockpit looks a bit like a garden path with all the units charging during the day but I am working on this, perhaps the addition of some decorative artificial garden flowers may create a conversation piece. And I once thought that a solar powered light would only work in the daylight.
