Replacement Solar Panels for outdoor lights

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openmedia

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#319343 15-Apr-2025 14:48

We've got some basic Bunnings / Lytworx Solar string lights in our garden where it appears that the solar panel is slowly dying. We've tried replacing the battery and cleaning the panel, but the units are no longer holding a good charge.

Has anyone found some appropriate replacement solar panels off aliexpress or elsewhere we could use instead? The lights themselves are working fine if we use a AA alkaline battery or re-charge the batteries using a standard charger.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

openmedia

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#3364324 15-Apr-2025 15:14

Here is an example of our units

There are some roughly equivalent units, but I'm really after something with a bit more longevity

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007896076869.html

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

richms

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#3364335 15-Apr-2025 15:46

Those ones you linked too look vastly better with about twice the actual solar panel area on it.

But TBH, I would look for bigger again and taking a lithium cell in them instead of the NiMH ones. - I was looking for one to repurpose for a meshtastic node to stash at work and found plenty that were not much more expensive and took an 18650 and probably had 4x the solar panel area for about $15 or so.

Richard rich.ms

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#3364341 15-Apr-2025 16:24

richms:

Those ones you linked too look vastly better with about twice the actual solar panel area on it.

But TBH, I would look for bigger again and taking a lithium cell in them instead of the NiMH ones. - I was looking for one to repurpose for a meshtastic node to stash at work and found plenty that were not much more expensive and took an 18650 and probably had 4x the solar panel area for about $15 or so.

Any chance you've still got the link?

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

richms

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#3364369 15-Apr-2025 18:31

This is one of them that I had on the list. I had to clear the cart out as it hit 100 items and I am waiting for prices to come down when they start to hurt with the US not buying. https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005008549800052.html

Richard rich.ms

openmedia

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#3364378 15-Apr-2025 18:58

richms:

This is one of them that I had on the list. I had to clear the cart out as it hit 100 items and I am waiting for prices to come down when they start to hurt with the US not buying. https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005008549800052.html

Thanks. Looks like you need to be careful as some of these are advertised as 3.7V when they are really 24V.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

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#3364517 15-Apr-2025 22:26

I was just wanting the case with the 18650 and the solar panel charging it so was not that worried. Many of them have a boost converter to 5v on the output which I was avoiding as that would just be wasted power.

The solar panel and battery things that come with most of the locally available lights are a complete joke like you have seen with your ones.

Richard rich.ms

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Bung

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#3364540 16-Apr-2025 07:50

richms:

The solar panel and battery things that come with most of the locally available lights are a complete joke like you have seen with your ones.

Joke or not usually the panel shows more sign of UV damage before it fails. I don't buy any cheap lights for outside that are not rope style in a plastic tube or sealed in a tape as the wiring usually fails first.