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

Robert11 wrote:

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

I don't think you will be satisfied with the amount of light they give off.
Think they are just meant to mark the boundaries not give off any
significant architectural benefit.
Rich

--
"You can lead them to LINUX
but you can't make them THINK"
Running Mandriva release 2008.0 free-i586 using KDE on i586
Website Address http://rentmyhusband.biz/

"Robert11" wrote

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 ?

Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more.
replace them annually.

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

Depends on what you need. They normally last til sunlight comes back but
dimmer come early morning. They are enough to see the driveway and walk
along a sidewalk. This isnt a main streetlight level light, but a dimmer
addition for safety.

For 30$ for 8 of them, we find them useful.

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

Here, with fewer leaves to block the light, they work a bit better.

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

They charge a little battery inside that you get. AA cell type, lithium if
i recall. Once one goes dead (doesnt light at night) first put it in full
light for a day and see if it lights that night, and if not, replace
battery.

I got a set almost 2 years ago. All still work fine though most have had a
battery replaced.

On Apr 9, 5:38*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
"Robert11" wrote

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 ?

Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more.
replace them annually.

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

Depends on what you need. *They normally last til sunlight comes back but
dimmer come early morning. *They are enough to see the driveway and walk
along a sidewalk. *This isnt a main streetlight level light, but a dimmer
addition for safety.

For 30$ for 8 of them, we find them useful.

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

Here, with fewer leaves to block the light, they work a bit better.

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

They charge a little battery inside that you get. *AA cell type, lithium if
i recall. *Once one goes dead (doesnt light at night) first put it in full
light for a day and see if it lights that night, and if not, replace
battery.

I got a set almost 2 years ago. *All still work fine though most have had a
battery replaced.

On Apr 9, 5:38*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
"Robert11" wrote

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 ?

Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more.
replace them annually.

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

Depends on what you need. *They normally last til sunlight comes back but
dimmer come early morning. *They are enough to see the driveway and walk
along a sidewalk. *This isnt a main streetlight level light, but a dimmer
addition for safety.

For 30$ for 8 of them, we find them useful.

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

Here, with fewer leaves to block the light, they work a bit better.

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

They charge a little battery inside that you get. *AA cell type, lithium if
i recall. *Once one goes dead (doesnt light at night) first put it in full
light for a day and see if it lights that night, and if not, replace
battery.

I got a set almost 2 years ago. *All still work fine though most have had a
battery replaced.

Most don't do well in the Chicago area in the 5 shortest day months,
They only last a few hours.

"Robert11" wrote in
:

Hello,

Regarding those solar powered small lamps that are useful for
outlining a driveway:

Ohhhhh, you mean runway lights :-)

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

Red Green wrote:
"Robert11" wrote in
:

Hello,

Regarding those solar powered small lamps that are useful for
outlining a driveway:

Ohhhhh, you mean runway lights :-)

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




I bought some of them two years ago and a) the solar cells are already
hazed over b) they're all at cockeyed angles. the stakes are made of
plastic that is softer than the ground in my yard.

it's a great idea, but the quality isn't there

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

"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... ?


*Candles put out more light.

"Robert11" wrote in message
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 ?

Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing



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

Thanks,
Bob


I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in $1
bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get more
light, they will last longer than the solar lights.

I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually
work.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Robert11" wrote in message
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 ?

Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing



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

Thanks,
Bob


I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in
$1 bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get
more light, they will last longer than the solar lights.

I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually
work.


JUNK...Low voltage is the answer....

"John Grabowski" wrote in
:


"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... ?


*Candles put out more light.



Even more when you light 'em.

On Thu, 9 Apr 2009 22:17:54 -0400, John Grabowski wrote:

"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... ?

charge a battery actually. They provide light at night for a few hours.


*Candles put out more light.
who the **** wants to light candles every evening?

"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 answer is yes, no, definitely, and maybe. They put out minimal light,
enough to find your keys if you drop them right under the light, and get
down on your hands and knees to look for them. They are fragile, breaking
easily. They are spendy, and for less, you can get good 12v. systems. They
are not repairable. One good hail stone or sleet ball and they're toast. I
wouldn't waste my money.

"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


They work, but as everyone said, they give out very dim light. They usually
don't last a whole night. In winter, if it is in snowy regions, it is
advisable to store them away. I think more expensive ones will last a bit
longer and give out more light. I have some over two years old and they're
still working without changing batteries.

AZ Nomad wrote:

They provide light at night for a few hours.

Only in the sense that you can see them. If you are expecting those solar lights
to throw enough light to illuminate a path you will be severly disappointed.

They glow. That's it. I wouldn't call them lights.

Motion detecting lights would be a better choice. They actually
illuminate to a useful degree and use a negligible amount of
electricity. Assuming you get a white fixture, use white
electrician's tape on the sensor to block nuisance trip sources as
needed.

On Apr 10, 9:34*am, "Luckyme" wrote:
"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

They work, but as everyone said, they give out very dim light. *They usually
don't last a whole night. *In winter, if it is in snowy regions, it is
advisable to store them away. *I think more expensive ones will last a bit
longer and give out more light. *I have some over two years old and they're
still working without changing batteries.

I dont' have any problems with the light output of mine, and when new
they did last all night. They're just **** quality - one of them
snapped off at the top of the pole; the rest you can see that the
solar cells are all milky (should have used glass rather than plastic
for the "skin" over the cells) and all of them if you pull them out
of the ground you can see where the stakes just bent when they hit the
clay sub-soil rather than biting in.

If someone made a GOOD solar light I would not be hesitant to try it.
I've never seen one for sale though (online doesn't count, I have no
way of evaluating quality from a web picture)

nate

"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.

On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:22:53 -0600, Robert Neville wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote:

They provide light at night for a few hours.

Only in the sense that you can see them. If you are expecting those solar lights
to throw enough light to illuminate a path you will be severly disappointed.

I don't have a set, but a friend does. Unless you suffer from night
blindness, they do provide enough light to illuminate a path.

And of course, 20% of the lights have already crapped out after about
a year of operation.

On Apr 10, 2:17*pm, AZ Nomad wrote:
On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:22:53 -0600, Robert Neville wrote:
AZ Nomad wrote:
They provide light at night for a few hours.
Only in the sense that you can see them. If you are expecting those solar lights
to throw enough light to illuminate a path you will be severely disappointed.

I don't have a set, but a friend does. *Unless you suffer from night
blindness, they do provide enough light to illuminate a path.

And of course, 20% of the lights have already crapped out after about
a year of operation.

Yes. Low quality and the batteries not being the best and also likely
fully discharged each night don't seem to last long; especially in
Northern climates with shorter days during winter. Also Low
temperatures reduce battery capacity.
They really don't give much more than the ambient light at night and
for anything other than a little foot-way or path marker, really don't
see the point. My son in law had package of three (or maybe six)
little over year ago and at least two are now non-operational. The
little short plastic spike that many have is useless, frost just
pushes them out of the ground and/or they fall over. Pretty much of
toy IMHO.

In article
,
N8N wrote:

If someone made a GOOD solar light I would not be hesitant to try it.

I could build you one the day after tomorrow. What would your price
point be? Do you want to spend $100 each, as opposed to $5 each for the
****ty ones?

benick wrote:

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Robert11" wrote in message
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 ?

Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing



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

Thanks,
Bob


I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in
$1 bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get
more light, they will last longer than the solar lights.

I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually
work.


JUNK...Low voltage is the answer....

And line voltage is the real answer when the typically low grade LV
fixtures fail after a few years.

On Apr 10, 3:16*pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article
,

*N8N wrote:
If someone made a GOOD solar light I would not be hesitant to try it.

I could build you one the day after tomorrow. What would your price
point be? Do you want to spend $100 each, as opposed to $5 each for the
****ty ones?

I probably wouldn't spend that much, but say $30 each would not be out
of line if they worked and lasted 10+ years (batteries not included)
and I understand that something "aesthetically pleasing" like soldered
copper, leaded glass, etc. would cost more yet. It just seems that
the more expensive options that I see on the shelf are simply more
"stylish" and not any better constructed than the cheap ones that I
already have.

I mean, come on, *plastic stakes?* I live in Virginia; the ground is
clay. Plastic will not drive into clay. (and even if it did, the
force required would probably break the lights.)

nate

On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:50:16 -0500, Pete C. wrote:

benick wrote:

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Robert11" wrote in message
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 ?

Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing



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

Thanks,
Bob


I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in
$1 bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get
more light, they will last longer than the solar lights.

I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually
work.


JUNK...Low voltage is the answer....

And line voltage is the real answer when the typically low grade LV
fixtures fail after a few years.

junk is junk. The voltage doesn't matter, except that junk at high
voltage will provide a more impressive light show as its connections
corrode and the contact temperatures rise.

AZ Nomad wrote:

On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:50:16 -0500, Pete C. wrote:

benick wrote:

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Robert11" wrote in message
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 ?

Same thing that happens in bright light and long days. Nothing



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

Thanks,
Bob


I have a set of them. To get the best bang for the buck, get your $30 in
$1 bills. Tack the bill on a stick and burn them. You'll not only get
more light, they will last longer than the solar lights.

I may put in a set of the low voltage lights. Brighter and they actually
work.


JUNK...Low voltage is the answer....

And line voltage is the real answer when the typically low grade LV
fixtures fail after a few years.

junk is junk. The voltage doesn't matter, except that junk at high
voltage will provide a more impressive light show as its connections
corrode and the contact temperatures rise.

True, however there are many junk LV landscape lights on the market and
relatively few quality LV landscape lights. For the line voltage
landscape lights there are few junk units and many quality units on the
market.

On Thu, 9 Apr 2009 18:38:39 -0400, "cshenk" wrote:

"Robert11" wrote

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 ?

Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more.
replace them annually.

Lithium? They are Ni-Cads or NIMH.

Construction is cheap but they do work as far as
outlining the drive. Light output is about out half
that of a candle. Full recharge can occur in one sunny
day and they can stay lit as long as 15 hours

wrote
"cshenk" wrote:

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 ?

Yes, though the batties they require are lithium so cost a bit more.
replace them annually.

Lithium? They are Ni-Cads or NIMH.

Ah yes, thank you. I mis-remembered. I don't have to change them out that
often so when I do, I just look at them and get more of same type.

Construction is cheap but they do work as far as
outlining the drive. Light output is about out half
that of a candle. Full recharge can occur in one sunny
day and they can stay lit as long as 15 hours

Thats what we find. I like that we can just pull them out when cutting
grass, trimming etc, then put'em back in. I'd say I get about equal to a
candle in early evening? Enough to line a driveway and make a little light
at the side of the house where the garbage cans are. By morning, they arent
as bright.

I agree with the others that 'you get what you pay for'. If you are
expecting a great deal of light and a metal post, these arent it. For 30$,
we got 1 dozen lights. I believe 2 have broken since?

"Pete C." wrote


True, however there are many junk LV landscape lights on the market and
relatively few quality LV landscape lights. For the line voltage
landscape lights there are few junk units and many quality units on the
market.

You get what you pay for. Most of the time. Outdoor low voltage lights are
all over the map quality and price wise. The stuff available at the borgs
is typically junk. I have a friend who owns a commercial lighting company.
I got several dozen from him. They are metal cases. No plastic. They have
12v. bulbs like the automotive tail light bulbs. The others are halogen.
They cost from $7 to $14 each at his price to me, which I believe to be just
over cost, as I have seen the same units for $30 per in stores. They are
five years old now, and still working fine. We live in a desert climate, so
there is no rusting.

One CAN run 110v lights, it's just that they are very expensive to buy,
install, maintain, and feed.

In article ,
"Pittman Pirate" wrote:

One CAN run 110v lights, it's just that they are very expensive to buy,
install, maintain, and feed.

Expensive to ...

Buy? Maybe. Install? Maybe. Maintain and feed? I'm going to have to
challenge you to back up those two claims.