Now the dark nights are upon us I want to install a light for in front of
the garage which will come on when I reverse upto the driveway, so I can
avoid the Van on one side and a log stack on the other with about 6" to
spare on either side at the back, there's enough room to open the driver's
side door at the front.

I only need it on 30 seconds a day and don't want to run a cable to it so
I've been looking at some solar lights:
http://www.solarshop.co.uk/solar-mate-secure.htm

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to changing
the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant compared
with reversing lights?

AJH

andrew expressed precisely :


Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to changing
the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant compared
with reversing lights.

Impossible to tell due to the none existent data on its wattage output.
Saying it illuminates up to 16' doesn't help, you need to know what
level of illumination it proves.

Judging by the tiny size of the solar cell, I would hazard a guess at
maybe a couple of watts or so - much less than your reversing lights.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

andrew wrote:
Now the dark nights are upon us I want to install a light for in
front of the garage which will come on when I reverse upto the
driveway, so I can avoid the Van on one side and a log stack on the
other with about 6" to spare on either side at the back, there's
enough room to open the driver's side door at the front.

I only need it on 30 seconds a day and don't want to run a cable to
it so I've been looking at some solar lights:
http://www.solarshop.co.uk/solar-mate-secure.htm

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to
changing the batteries every few weeks but will the light be
significant compared with reversing lights?

Spec says, rather vaugely that it has "3 double sized super efficient LED's"
but no details of wattage. Not sure what "double sized super efficient"
actually means.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:56 +0100, andrew
wrote:

Now the dark nights are upon us I want to install a light for in front of
the garage which will come on when I reverse upto the driveway, so I can
avoid the Van on one side and a log stack on the other with about 6" to
spare on either side at the back, there's enough room to open the driver's
side door at the front.

I only need it on 30 seconds a day and don't want to run a cable to it so
I've been looking at some solar lights:
http://www.solarshop.co.uk/solar-mate-secure.htm

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to changing
the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant compared
with reversing lights?


If its intended it will be used like a "flare path" to guide you where
you need to be I'd say it might well be ok.

The solar energy it has stored won't be enough to illuminate a whole
area. But as a pinpoint beacon to drive towards it should be OK.

I have one of those solar "house number illuminators". even facing
North so it don't get much sun, it's readable from the road.

Derek

On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:56 +0100, andrew wrote:

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to
changing the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant
compared with reversing lights?

I doubt you'll be able tell they are on over the amount of light from
your reversing lights, unless you actually look directly at it and
they are out of the direct beam of the reversing lights.

These days high effcency LEDs are pretty damn bright on less than
1mA. You might be able to have a solar cell and a handful LEDs to
used as markers that are powered by the light from your reversing
lights. No batteries and automatic without complex battery eating PIR
senors etc...

What is the actual problem apart from only 6" each side, keeping
corret alignment as you do a straight reverse into the gap or getting
alignment in the first place? Markers at various points that you
align with bits of the car or rotate around can be far easier to use
rather than actually watching the obstruction and trying to avoid it.
I take it you are already practised in using door/wing/interior
mirrors for reversing rather than turning in your seat to look
backwards.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk...
On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:56 +0100, andrew wrote:

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to
changing the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant
compared with reversing lights?

I doubt you'll be able tell they are on over the amount of light from
your reversing lights, unless you actually look directly at it and
they are out of the direct beam of the reversing lights.

Personaly i'd fit either a work lamp the the back of the van, or a brighter
reversing lamp bulb.

you can get 50 watt halogen reversing lamp bulbs, unfortunately they are
part of a reversing beeper, and that you don't want when coming home at
night... not to mention technicaly illegal on a vehicle under 3.5 tons.

some of em can be silenced by engauging reverse twice in quick sucsession,
but if you are handy with a soldering iron, it'd take a few minutes to make
up a 50 watt halogen reversing bulb using the origional tugsten bulbs base.

yes it's a lot more power than origionaly intended, but for the time the
reversing lamps are on, your unlikely to do any dammage, just dont drive to
work in reverse or expect a melted lens, and possibaly wiring, but of the
hundereds i see fitted to motorhomes, who spend about 5 mins max in reverse,
they do no harm.

Derek Geldard explained :
On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:56 +0100, andrew
wrote:

Now the dark nights are upon us I want to install a light for in front of
the garage which will come on when I reverse upto the driveway, so I can
avoid the Van on one side and a log stack on the other with about 6" to
spare on either side at the back, there's enough room to open the driver's
side door at the front.

I only need it on 30 seconds a day and don't want to run a cable to it so
I've been looking at some solar lights:
http://www.solarshop.co.uk/solar-mate-secure.htm

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to changing
the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant compared
with reversing lights?


If its intended it will be used like a "flare path" to guide you where
you need to be I'd say it might well be ok.

The solar energy it has stored won't be enough to illuminate a whole
area. But as a pinpoint beacon to drive towards it should be OK.

If a 'flare path' might be enough, then a pair of those much cheaper
solar powered garden lights, if strategically placed, might be all that
is needed.


I have one of those solar "house number illuminators". even facing
North so it don't get much sun, it's readable from the road.

We have one too and it is rather good. Stays lit even in winter through
to the early hours.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Harry Bloomfield submitted this idea :
Derek Geldard explained :
On Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:56 +0100, andrew
wrote:

Now the dark nights are upon us I want to install a light for in front of
the garage which will come on when I reverse upto the driveway, so I can
avoid the Van on one side and a log stack on the other with about 6" to
spare on either side at the back, there's enough room to open the driver's
side door at the front.

I only need it on 30 seconds a day and don't want to run a cable to it so
I've been looking at some solar lights:
http://www.solarshop.co.uk/solar-mate-secure.htm

Anyone any experience with this sort of thing? I don't object to changing
the batteries every few weeks but will the light be significant compared
with reversing lights?


If its intended it will be used like a "flare path" to guide you where
you need to be I'd say it might well be ok.

The solar energy it has stored won't be enough to illuminate a whole
area. But as a pinpoint beacon to drive towards it should be OK.

If a 'flare path' might be enough, then a pair of those much cheaper solar
powered garden lights, if strategically placed, might be all that is needed.


I have one of those solar "house number illuminators". even facing
North so it don't get much sun, it's readable from the road.

We have one too and it is rather good. Stays lit even in winter through to
the early hours.

Another suggestion which I use and might also work for you...

Our drive is very dark if the PIR lights fail, so I installed
reflectors at strategic points in the drive. My reversing lights pick
these out easily.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dave Liquorice wrote:

What is the actual problem apart from only 6" each side,

It's the streetlamp 6m inn front and 3m to the side of the gate which makes
the hedge which surrounds the gate quite bright and the hole which I have
to reverse into is heavily shaded by the hedge, which I don't wish to
lower. So I just need to create a pool of light in front of the garage
door, in front of which I park my wife's car.

AJH

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "The Medway Handyman"
saying something like:

Spec says, rather vaugely that it has "3 double sized super efficient LED's"
but no details of wattage. Not sure what "double sized super efficient"
actually means.

Tsch, it's got Nutri-Ceramide R in it, innit?