Solar CCFL Yard Lights

Hi. Newbie here. My kids and I are longtime fans of LEDs, Peltier modules, semiconductor lasers, solar cells, all that fun stuff.

I've also become a Craig Johnson/LED Museum fan over the last year.

Some of you have had solar yard lights that use amber or white LEDs, and many of you have FavourLights and/or Arcwhites and/or the Coleman CCFL flashlights. I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with the Sun-Glow solar CCFL yard lights that Sears sells. Four segmented crystalline PV cells on top and 3 900mah NiCds driving a funny little encapsulated CCFL "bulb" inside. They're not cheap ($20), but this looks like a well-suited application of the CCFL. And a quick look around tells me that even at $20 each this is by far the cheapest solar/CCFL around.

Anyone tried 'em?

Walt Brand

Energizer keychain LED, Energizer folding LED, Energizer LED headlamp, Inova keychain, CMG Reactor, Dorcy CoolBlue, FavourLight, ArcWhite, Coleman CCFL, PT Aurora, various cheapie Target/Big Lots keychains

Welcome!

I don't have any experience with these but they sound neat.
CCFL Yard Light

Anyone else use these?

I broke down and bought one of these, ostensibly for my mother's yard, but really just to see how it would perform next to her Home Depot set of white LED solar lights which were half the cost.

I'll drive by tonight and take a look.

I did take the precaution of charging the NiCds in a "smart" charger first, noting as I did that sure enough, one of the cells had considerably less charge on it than the other two.

In fact, it occurs to me that if owners of these yard lights were to pluck the cells out once every month or so and charge them on a RayOVac or Energizer 1-hour charger so that each cell got individualized TLC (tender loving charging), solar lights would have a better reputation. I doubt that manufacturers do any cell matching.

"Dark Suckers". I like that. Equally apt but less polite terms come to mind too, but never mind. Dark Suckers it is.


Walt Brand

Just do a google search on dark sucker.
Its not as bad as you think (I think)....
There are many variations on the theme, but here is one http://www.greengrouper.com/jokes/messages/147.html

I have a CCFL solor light. I don't remember the brand, I bought it on sale at Shopko. I think it was less than 15$, should have bought more. It works real will, uses 4 NiCds and runs all night during the summer.

Interesting that your CCFL light uses 4 cells instead of 3. That's a hint that it might run straight off the cells rather than via an inverter. We don't have Shopko here in w. Michigan, but the price is right. If you could, post the make of the Shopko CCFL when you have a chance. Maybe there's a Michigan equivalent.

My mom's Sears/Sun-Glow CCFL doesn't look any brighter from a given viewpoint (eg, from the street), but on close inspection is throwing its light omnidirectionally, whereas the LED lights concentrate their output in 2 or 3 rings, the brightest of which is actually aimed upwards.

The CCFL puts out enough light over a large solid angle so that the surroundings can be seen. The LED lights are only bright enough to be seen.

Color of the CCFL is surprisingly similar to that of the LEDs, a purplish white. So it blends right in.

So now we wait to see how long the NiCds last.

Oh yes, thanks for the Dark Sucking site.