Project CL Restoration/Remake

[crenn]

Well, I knew this project was coming, however I've decided to change it slightly. Basically the reason why this project is starting is because a set of cheap solar Christmas lights have ceased functioning (they weren't taken down after Christmas because it's difficult to put them on the outside tree) and a new set was bought recently (although sort of ironically, they're not seeming to function correctly as well!), so instead of throwing out the old set, they're being given to me!

I'm intending to repair them initially and seeing what made it work, then I'll be remaking the electronics and put in a low powered microcontroller, low powered wireless transceiver, and possibly a real time clock to allow the lights to only be on during certain times of the night. It should also give me a possibility of making the lights to be switched on and off to music ;D

I'm also exploring the option of having a port on the side to allow the solar panel/battery to be connected to a base station hidden somewhere which is connected to all of the solar lights, however this may not be possible due to I^2R losses. This will be investigated later on in the project though.

The main change will be switching the NiCd batteries for NiMH batteries, which means I need a method of detecting when they're fully charged, However, because I already have a microcontroller, I possibly don't need any special hardware, however, this is to be seen. Either way, this should provide some amusement during the times I'm not working on MEHA and SEPA.

And pictures will come as soon as I get a hold of the lights, remove spiders and clean it up.

[SXRguyinMA]

sounds interesting