cues
Well-Known Member
Here goes. 1st, get one of those cheap solar garden lamps. I got mine from the local store for £1. Now is a good time for bargains as it's the end of the 'gardening' season in the UK.
Next, open it up and remove and keep the solar panel, cutting the wire off as close to the circuit board with the LED (not the solar panel), binning all the other electrical stuff. I kept the surround for the panel for mine to give me something to hold onto.
Finally, buy a cheap multimeter (mine was £5 from maplins, luckily I already had one)
Finally, plug the probes into the multimeter (black to com, red to VΩmA) and attach the other end to the wires from the solar panel.
Mine works best on settings V2000m and V200m but it will depend on the output of your solar panel.
Also, I do realise that it isn't calibrated, but that was never the intention. Although it would be simple enough to do with a known light, there is no point as we will all have different solar panels.
My intention is to use this to do a micro grow, using my dialled-in HPS system to work out the optimum distances from CFL bulbs.
Hopefully, it will also help me shape my scrog screens and adjust my reflectors more efficiently.
P.s. If you have an old solar calculator or watch, maybe the panel would help as well?
Final point. I have no idea how much the readings are affected by the colour of the bulb.
Maybe more people could build on this and experiment?
Next project: Mini-mini micro grow with the LED I have left from the garden light and an AA battery!
Next, open it up and remove and keep the solar panel, cutting the wire off as close to the circuit board with the LED (not the solar panel), binning all the other electrical stuff. I kept the surround for the panel for mine to give me something to hold onto.
Finally, buy a cheap multimeter (mine was £5 from maplins, luckily I already had one)
Finally, plug the probes into the multimeter (black to com, red to VΩmA) and attach the other end to the wires from the solar panel.
Mine works best on settings V2000m and V200m but it will depend on the output of your solar panel.
Also, I do realise that it isn't calibrated, but that was never the intention. Although it would be simple enough to do with a known light, there is no point as we will all have different solar panels.
My intention is to use this to do a micro grow, using my dialled-in HPS system to work out the optimum distances from CFL bulbs.
Hopefully, it will also help me shape my scrog screens and adjust my reflectors more efficiently.
P.s. If you have an old solar calculator or watch, maybe the panel would help as well?
Final point. I have no idea how much the readings are affected by the colour of the bulb.
Maybe more people could build on this and experiment?
Next project: Mini-mini micro grow with the LED I have left from the garden light and an AA battery!
