"Robert11" wrote in message
...
Hello,

Regarding those solar powered small lamps that are useful for outlining a
driveway:
HD and Lowe's has them from several mfg's; usually in packs of 6 or 8 for
around
$ 30 or so.

Do they really work ?
After a summer day soaking up sunlight, will they illuminate all evening ?
Reasonably bright ?

Live in New England.
What happens in the winter with considerably less sunlight ?

How do they actually work ?
Just by using a solar cell to charge a capacitor, or... ?

Thanks,
Bob



The ones I have came from K-Mart (discount store) and they each use two AA
NiCad batteries. The batteries that came with them were not very good and
only lasted about a year. I replaced them with Sunpak NiMh batteries about
5-6 years ago and they still stay lit all night, even if it was a cloudy
day. On mine the batteries are very easy to replace and they can even be
used as a AA battery charger.