Saturday, June 27, 2009

New Arrivals! Unique Garden Statues Animal Style Solar Light

New arrivals! We just got more unique garden statues animal style solar lights in stock now!

Solar Turtle Holding Lights, and more...


Solar Bear with welcome sign


Stainless Steel Dragonfly Solar Light


Stainless Steel Butterfly Solar Light

solar turtle

Turtle Solar Light With Amber LED

solar turtle

Snail Solar Light With Amber LED

 

Time to get solar animals light to decorate your garden!

New Solar Color Changing Wind Chimes Arrival!

We just got new Solar Color Changing Wind Chimes in stock.
Enjoy the sound of wind and get lovely color changing light!
On Sale now for $19.99 Limited time only!

SOLAR COLOR-CHANGING Moon Face Star WIND CHIME







SOLAR COLOR-CHANGING Butterfly WIND CHIME






SOLAR COLOR-CHANGING Dolphin WIND CHIME


SOLAR COLOR-CHANGING HUMMINGBIRD WIND CHIME

New Ornaments Solar Animal Lights Arrived

New Solar Animal Lights arrived.

We have added 11 kind of solar dog lights, such as Dalmation Dog With Lantern Solar Light,    Pug Dog With Lantern Solar Light, and more here.


Solar Lights - Troubleshooting



Solar Lights - Troubleshooting


Having Problems with your Solar Lights?


 


Here is a check list to help you fix them. Don't forget - most solar lights have an on and off switch - its underneath the "head" - make certain it is Solar garden lights troubleshootingturned on- you can check if they work by going into a dark closet or just simply cover the solar cell- as long as they are charged up.


1. Loose batteries -All solar garden lights and solar outdoor lights have batteries. Some times the batteries come loose in shipping- and no contact is being made or they may have some condensation. This is real simple to fix.


To check this, hold the light upside down with the top of the light held firmly in the palm of one hand. With the other hand, hold the clear plastic cover that surrounds the bulb, push down firmly and twist to either left or right. This will allow the body of the light to separate from the top exposing the batteries. Be very careful not to damage the circuit board or wiring. (don't pull all the way apart or you will break the wiring)- You will see the batteries and you can take them out and wipe them clean etc.


If the batteries have become dislodged, simply push them firmly back into position and fit the light back together (wipe them clean first).


2. Batteries are not charged - as we warehouse all the solar lights, they might have been sitting in our warehouse for a while before getting to your place, so they might run out of batteries sometimes. Thus, please charge them with switch OFF for upto 48 hours to fully activate the rechargable batteries.


3. Corrosion in your Solar Lights - there have been some instances where dampness has caused corrosion on the battery terminals and/or the batteries. This can be fixed by removing the body of the light as per the instructions 1 above, remove the batteries from their holder, and clean terminals at each end of the battery holder with sand paper or carefully scrape with a small knife to remove any corrosion. Do the same to each end of the batteries. Reassemble the light.


4. Flat batteries or faulty solar panel - at times it is difficult to determine whether there is a problem with the rechargeable batteries not holding their charge or the solar charger not working. In Most cases its a battery problem. Again, remove the body of the light as per the instructions 1 above. To test batteries, replace one rechargeable with one normal AA/AAA battery and test light by covering the solar cell. Do the same with other rechargeable battery. If one test works and the other fails, one rechargeable battery has failed so contact us here, and we will send out a replacement battery. Please remember that you must only use rechargeable batteries in your solar garden lights- but you can test the lights with normal batteries in order to see if your rechargeable batteries are dead. The rechargeable batteries included with your light should last 1 1/2 to 2 years. And can be easily replaced with new rechargeable batteries- We have them but most hardware shops will have them also. Try and use latest models of rechargeable batteries. Your solar garden lights should last easily through 2-3 battery changes.


4. If these tests fail, the solar garden light will require servicing, so again contact us here and we will make arrangements to have the light returned for repair.

How Solar Lights Work



If ­you have a yard and have ever thought about lighting it at night, then you have probably heard about solar lights. They are no longer expensive as we have been working hard to get your great prices, and their advantage is that you don't have to run any wiring for them. As long as a location gets direct sunlight, you can put a light there in about 15 seconds.Solar stainless steel light


These lights are extremely interesting because they are almost like mini-satellites. They generate and store their own power during the day and then release it at night. This is just like a satellite that stores solar energy while it is on the sunny side of the planet and then uses that energy when it's on the dark side. In this article, you will learn exactly how it happens!


The Basics

A solar light consists of the following components:



  • A Solar Cell on top

  • AA or AAA rechargeable Ni-Cad battery

  • A small controller board

  • LED light source

  • A photoresistor to detect darkness



If you pop off the cover, you will find that all of the working components are mounted as a single unit. On the back side you see this:














Inside a solar light


Next, we'll take a closer look at some of these components.


Inside a Solar Light



You can see the battery, LED and controller board. If you cover the light sensor, the LED turns on, like this:









Inside a solar yard light turned on


Here are close-ups of the LED and the controller board:










LED and circuit board inside a solar yard light










LED and circuit board inside a solar yard light


On the other side of this module is a four-cell solar array, measuring 2 inches by 2 inches (5 cm x 5 cm), and the photoresistor:










Solar yard light solar array


Here is a closer view of the photoresistor:










Solar yard light photoresistor


Now let's see how the these solar lights work to light your yard at night.


Producing Light



If you have read the article How Solar Cells Work, you have a basic understanding of solar-cell technology. A solar light uses standard solar cells in a very straightforward application.









solar cells




A single solar cell produces a maximum of 0.45 volts and a varying amount of current depending on the size of the cell and the amount of light striking the surface. In a typical yard light, therefore, you need four cells wired in series (see How Batteries Work for a discussion on series wiring). In this solar light, the four cells will produce 1.8 volts and a maximum of about 100 milliamps in full, bright sunlight.










components of solar yard lights




The solar cells are wired directly to the battery through a diode (which prevents the battery's current from flowing back through the solar cell at night). The battery is a completely standard AA Nicad battery. A battery like this produces about 1.2 volts and can store a maximum of approximately 700 milliamp-hours. During the day, the battery charges, reaching maximum charge except on shorter winter days or days when there is heavy overcast.


At night, the solar cells stop producing power. The photoresistor turns on the LED. In the case of this light, the relay is replaced by two other transistors.










the solar yard light process




The controller board accepts power from the solar cell and battery, as well as input from the photoresistor. It has a three-transistor circuit that turns on the LED when the photoresistor indicates darkness.



The LED draws about 45 milliamps with the battery producing about 1.23 volts (0.055 watts). It produces about half of the light that a candle would. The Nicad battery, when fully charged, can operate the LED for about 15 hours.

Half of a candle's light is not very much, and if you have ever purchased one of these yard lights you know that it really is not enough to provide illumination. You use them more for marking a trail -- they are bright enough to see, but not really bright enough to illuminate the ground to any great degree.


The reason why these lights are so expensive right now is because of the solar cells and, to a lesser degree, the Nicad battery. Solar cells remain expensive because they are manufactured from silicon crystals in cleanroom conditions. They are much less expensive than they were 10 or 20 years ago, but still fairly pricey. As a result, solar lights usually cost $10 to $20 per light. However, we imported these directly from manufacture so that we are able to offer you great price for solar lights..


The solar light shown here uses a single LED. More expensive lights may offer a combination of an LED and a small halogen flashlight bulb. The LED is on all the time, and the light bulb turns on for a minute or two when a motion sensor detects movement.


Written by Marshall Brain. Refer from home.howstuffworks.com/solar-light1.htm

Solar Light Buying Guide


What is an LED?


Solar lights are equipped with LED's. An LED, or Light Emitting Diode, contains a chemical compound that gives off light when an electric current passes through it. They've been around for many years, but only recently has the technology advanced so that they can be made bright enough to actually use as an independent light source.


How much light does an LED produce?


LEDs put out a tremendous amount of light for their size and energy draw. They create almost no heat and use very little electricity. In general, an LED uses about 1/10th the power of an incandescent bulb and they are up to 90% more efficient than both fluorescent and neon bulbs of similar wattage. Best of all, an LED will last thousands of hours; some have been tested to over 50,000 hours (vs. a standard flashlight bulb that will only last a few hundred hours).


A common mistake is to compare wattage between LED units and their incandescent and fluorescent cousins - wattage is a function of power consumption, not brightness.


What are the advantages of Solar Lighting?


An advantage of buying solar lights is that LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product. Low voltage incandescent and fluorescent systems will need bulb replacements often and add cost and inconvenience to the product.
























LED Lighting Guide*
1-2 LEDs

(equivalent to a night light)
1-2 LEDs
3-5 LEDs

(equivalent to a desk light)
3-5 LEDs
6-8 LEDs

(equivalent to a porch light)
6-8 LEDs
9 LEDs and Up

(equivalent to a flash light)
9 LEDs and Up



*This is only to be used as a reference when comparing brightness of a solar light. Items pictured may vary in brightness depending on the wattage used.

Solar Light FAQs

How do solar lights store energy and how do they work?

Solar lighting is the safest and easiest kind of outdoor lighting to install. Each light fixture contains a scientifically designed solar collector panel that converts sunlight into electrical energy. This energy is stored in highly efficient rechargeable batteries, used to light the fixture at night.


What is the difference between solar lights and incandescent or fluorescent lights?

Solar lights are equipped with LED's. An LED is a semiconductor device that emits visible light when conducting current. Therefore, solar lamps give off a different type of light than incandescent and fluorescent lights. A common mistake is to compare wattage between LED units and their incandescent andIntegral Solar Flood Lightfluorescent cousins - wattage is a function of power consumption, not brightness.


The proper measuring stick for outdoor lighting comparisons is lumens or candle feet, which measures the brightness of the light. A typical LED will give off the equivalent of a 2 watt bulb. However, LED unit is more intense and has a different angle of dispersion, while incandescent light just glows all around.


Another advantage of buying solar lights is that LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product. Low voltage incandescent and fluorescent systems need bulb replacements often and add cost and inconvenience to the product.


How long do solar lights stay on?

The length of time that the lights stay on is dependent on the amount of sunlight received during the day. Most solar lights stay lit for up to 10 or more hours with fully charged batteries.


What advantages do solar lights offer?

Solar lights require no wiring and are very easy to install. And because they run on the sun's energy, they cost nothing to operate. That means they also are environmentally friendly, and helps us conserve our fast-depleting regular energy resources.


Are solar lights as bright as regular lights?

Solar lights are usually not as bright as other forms of outdoor landscape lighting. Thus, instead of harsh, glaring light, you'll have the benefit of softer, more subtle accent lighting that makes your outdoors look stunning in the dark.


What sort of maintenance will I need to be concerned with?

There is virtually no maintenance required except for occasional cleaning of the panel surface to keep it free of dust and dirt, regular battery checks, and replacing the batteries when required.


How often do the batteries need replacing?

The batteries are designed to withstand a minimum of 1000 deep discharges which is at least 1000 nights of light. They are readily available and easy to replace, rechargeable batteries.


How often will I need to replace the L.E.D. in my solar fixture?

The LED's themselves are not replaceable. However, their life expectancy typically exceeds 25 years, based on running 10 hours every night. Thus, LED bulbs will never burn out during the lifetime of the product.