Evaluation

Template light evaluation:

I have just completed my template solar panel light. It is in good working order. The solar panel charges the battery well.
I began this project on the 13th March when I received a brief from Terry to make a template solar powered light by modifying a solar panel circuit. The circuit I was to modify was a garden light from the warehouse. I began by pulling apart the circuit then received a top plate which had been cut out with the cam machine. As soon as I acquired the top plate I took off the clear plastic layer and set to work. I began by finding the centre and drawing a line across it horizontally. I then realised that the tracking on my solar panels tracking was torn off so I had to measure carefully where to put my holes on the top plate across the horizontal line. These holes where measured carefully as later on they would be the holes for my LED’s and wires connecting to the solar panel. Once I drilled the holes I bent the edges of the top plate 90 degrees to make the top plate look like a three D box with no bottom. After that I made four 90 degree brackets which were 40 mms long and attached these onto the top plate using steel rivets. Then I got my bottom plate and again pulled of the clear plastic coating. Then I drilled holes around the edges (after they had been measured). Then I bent the edges of the bottom plate at a 90 degree angle so it would fit onto the top plate and sit flush. Then I realised that my top plate wasn’t a perfect rectangle so my bottom plate wouldn’t sit flush. To get around this problem I bent the bottom plate edges around the top plate using a wooden mallet. Then I drilled this removing the LED and wires connecting the PCB board to the solar panel and battery. I then stripped and tinned 8 wires and connected two of these new wires to the solar panel slots in the PCB board. Then I connected three of the wires to make a single Y shaped wire. I made two of these Y shaped wires. Then I connected these two wires into the circuit where the old LED went and modified the circuit to make the circuit parallel. Then I connected two LED’s to these wires after I put heat shrink onto the wires. Then I burnt the heat shrink to the connection between the LED’s and wires to ensure the circuit didn’t short circuit. Then I attached the battery snap to the PCB board then I glued the Battery to the inside of my box with a hot glue gun. Then I popped my LED’s through the holes specially drilled for them and the wires through the holes drilled for them. These wires were then connected to a solar panel which was glued down. I had some trouble gluing it because I couldn’t glue the panel properly so my solar panel was on a slight angle. And then while I was putting the silicone along the edges I did a bad job because silicone was oozing all over my template box. Alas I had finished my template light once I glued the bottom plate back on.
Even with the numerous troubles I encountered making this box I still enjoyed building it and modifying the circuit. I am happy with my template box and I am happy that I succeeded in making it work. I look forward to making more creations like this in DTM.
Henry Nicholls