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LED for solar light

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LED for solar light

Home › Forums › General Questions › LED for solar light

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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  • 18 May 2023 at 20:51 #645748
    gerry madden
    Participant
      @gerrymadden53711

      I have a duff LED in a series solar light units in my garden. This particular model of light unit has gone out of production so I'm trying to avoid the cost of a new set.

      The LED is a surface mount type but, unlike other types I have seen, it seems to have a inductance coil on its reverse side.

      Firstly, out of curiosity, what does this coil do, and, secondly is it possible to buy anything like this so that I can attempt a repair ? Ive has a scan on the web but cant see anything resembling this but I may not be using the best/right terms.

      screenshot 2023-05-18 185627.jpg

      screenshot 2023-05-18 185800.jpg

      Gerry

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      18 May 2023 at 20:51 #29190
      gerry madden
      Participant
        @gerrymadden53711
        18 May 2023 at 21:16 #645752
        Frances IoM
        Participant
          @francesiom58905

          Buck converter – possibly from a 1.25v cell to the 3V needed to drive the LED or possibly 12v down.
          unlikely the inductor has failed – more likely the actual converter chip

          Edited By Frances IoM on 18/05/2023 21:18:08

          18 May 2023 at 21:18 #645753
          Dick H
          Participant
            @dickh

            I repaired a couple of these solar lights (not so nice as yours). I assume the battery is a rechargeable NiMH cell (~1.3v) or similar. The circuits used a yx8018 chip and a tiny inductor the size of a small resistor. as to the LED, any white LED should do.

            Google "Joule Thief"..

            18 May 2023 at 21:33 #645758
            Adam Mara
            Participant
              @adammara

              I have several sets of garden lights, and each one seems to run at a different voltage. I use a 12 vdc supply from a solar panel and a 'buck converter' to set the appropiate voltage, also where possible I converted the units to 12 volt, as 12v LEDs with a resistor are reasonably cheap and available in several colours..

              19 May 2023 at 11:26 #645826
              gerry madden
              Participant
                @gerrymadden53711

                Thank chaps. Those points have opened a few new lines of investigation.

                Francis, yes Im 99% certain the fault was the LED. If I squeezed it in a certain way with tweezers it worked perfectly which to my simply mind was like I was remaking the junction…. of course I may be totally wrong again A miniature G clamp would have been perfect if I'd had one in the tool box.

                Gerry

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