Solar energy is the energy of the future and you could use it in many ways at home. With the assistance of an old, discarded deodorant stick, a solar light and some creativity, you could create your own solar powered bike light. This DIY project is easy and here is how you go about it:
Difficulty Level: Moderately easy
Time required: About 45 minutes to 1 hour
Resources required:
1. Solar light
2. Old deodorant stick (screwing up type)
3. Blunt knife
4. Drill
5. Wires
6. Hot glue
7. LED lights
8. Silicone adhesive
9. Conduit clamp
10. Screws
Estimate Cost: Around $10.
Instructions:
1. Clear out the remnants from the deodorant stick. For this, open the cap and screw screw the bottom till the slider reaches all the way to the top. Then, scoop out any remaining solid deodorant with a blunt knife or spoon.
2. Clean out the deodorant stick so that it now is a hollow tunnel-like case. Remove out the screwing apparatus from the bottom.
3. Open up the solar light. Separate the solar panel and keep aside the Cadmium cell to act as a switch. Also keep the circuit board connected to the battery pack. This means the light will come on automatically in the dark and put off automatically in the light.
4. Take the solar panel that you have separated and fix it on to the deodorant case. The easiest way to fix the panel would be to make four small holes in the case using a drill and fit the panel via screws.
5. Connect the circuit with the battery pack.
6. Slide this circuit holder with the battery pack into the deodorant chassis. Make use of hot glue to keep them in place.
7. Now take the LED lights and position them at the top end of the deodorant chassis as you desire. Connect them to the circuit board.
8. With the help of silicone adhesive, fix the solar cell and later seal it also.
9. Take a conduit clamp and drill holes on the backside of the deodorant case to align with those on the clamp.
10. Fix the conduit clamp on to the deodorant case with the help of screws.
11. Now, close the lid back to the top of the deodorant case.
12. Fix the newly made light to your bicycle handlebar. It is now ready to use and it will put on automatically when it goes dark
Frequently asked questions:
1. The solar panel that I drilled into the deodorant case does not look so elegant. Any better ideas to do the same?
Ans: To make it look awesome, you could embed the panel into the deodorant case. Here is how you do it. Cut out a hole in the deodorant case such that the panel will sit snugly in it. Place the panel almost all the way into this cut hole and then use silicone to seal the sides. This will fix the panel and also waterproof the case.
2. Can we have a switch to for this bike light? It will save power for later use.
Ans: You can definitely build in a switch in the circuit. In fact, an actuator could be made out of the ‘spinning’ part at the bottom of the case. That was made here in order to keep the connections simple and easy. Also note that once the panels charge the battery completely, it will last quite some time. That is the logic of the solar light that puts on and off automatically. So don’t worry about power being drained fast and not being available for you at night.
Quick tips:
1. The solar light consists of four parts – the LED lights, the solar cell, the circuit board and the battery pack. Separate these four when you dissemble it.
2. You can play around with different types and colors of LED lights to go on the bike light.
3. You can use a gel cell instead of the battery pack in case of alterations with the LED lights.
4. It would be easier to fix the conduit clamp to the deodorant case before you do the rest of the wiring.
Things to watch out for:
1. If you are varying the numbers and types of the LED lights, keep in mind the the maximum output voltage of the battery pack. Also see the amp rating that it has.
2. Be careful while using hot glue. It can cause burns. Do not drop it on your skin also.
