I want to string up some solar-powered lights (200-300) in a back-yard tree.
The last time I tried it, the solar power source fell over after 6-8 weeks.
Any recommendations for brand\source etc?
I want to string up some solar-powered lights (200-300) in a back-yard tree.
The last time I tried it, the solar power source fell over after 6-8 weeks.
Any recommendations for brand\source etc?
'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire
'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey
![]() ![]() |
I bought some kmart ones that have been sitting outside waiting me to put in for about a year, and the bundle of them is still lit up for a few hours each evening.
The LEDs seem to rust out on them before the solar fails. Avoid ones that look like they have poured resin over the solar panel, that crap goes chalky in no time and really lowers the charge they can get.
Ok.
Well, we don't have a K-Mart here in deepest, darkest Southland. Not even a little old Bunnings (nearest is Dunedin) but we do have M10.
But all their LED stuff is very Chinese.
Yeah, I know just about everything on the NZ market is made there now, but on a scale of 1 to 10, most of the gear we're expected to buy would struggle to rate #3, IMHO.
And galvanized stuff - gawd, it's hopeless. We're around 50k from the sea but just about every galvanized item I've bought from M10 starts to rust within 6 months.
'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire
'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey
Bit late to be hitting up aliexpress if you want them on the tree this year. I have a few crap sets that I have just binned the solar box and feed them thru a resistor from 5v from a powerbank when I want them to be lit up. You can put way more current into them than the solar box does since its trying to run it for hours on a single AA cell.
Watch out for the newest sets if you want to do that tho, they have the 2 colours hooked up in reverse to each other so they can animate, and on DC only one lot will light.
Don't know how good they are but the Warehouse have some on sale at the moment - white and coloured 400-LED strings for $35, and shaped ones for $20, although it looks like you need to get those in-store.
Thanks, Tieke, the white ones look OK.
Cheers :-)
'Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.' Voltaire
'A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.' Edward Abbey
Have a word to Mayor Tim - he knows all about Chinese Christmas lights, eh.
Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.
![]() ![]() |