These lights are absolutely worth buying just for the caps, as they can be used with many other LED strings. They'd be really nice as illuminated baubles when added to an existing light string on a Christmas (or Halloween) tree.
The driver is functional, but doesn't drive the LEDs at a very high intensity for this large style cap. It has the diode and capacitor needed for driving colour changing LEDs.
I used a string of warm white Poundland garden parasol lights to convert the globes to a brighter warm white.
The different look and sound of this video is because I'm travelling with work and have had to improvise a recording setup in accommodation that is not ideal for recording videos. That said, I quite like the background - but the lighting needs some work.
I specifically avoid using intrusive mid-run video adverts.
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#ElectronicsCreators

Sound different color different lighting. I am making videos in accommodation. So it's an an improvised studio setup. But today's subject is solar powered bubble lights from poundland led lights.

I think this was either five or six pounds and here's what you get you get your string of lights. Which seem fairly good quality actually um. And you get a very dinky little solar panel and at this point. Let's get the film off it at this point.

I feel the need to uh turn it on and then turn the lights out and see how bright. These are just give me one moment. I'm going to do that right now. The camera is you know they're not bad certainly outdoors in the garden.

They would be okay they're not mega bright. I mean the construction of them really is just a single led in one of these caps. Oh. There's that's a solid cap uh.

So really what's in the little electronic module is what will determine how bright. They are and how hackable they are right tell you what watch your eyes. The light is coming back. Not that the light is such an issue with this lovely dark background strange color.

I'm gonna have to get some different lamps or experiment. The color temperature a bit that's weird here's a little spike you get for our stabbing people. And that goes into the back of this and that's your little semi waterproof solar powered thing let's open it up so there are i shall turn it off screws what's the bet if i hope it's not gonna be a button cell. I should hope it's going to be a double a style or tripoli style nick metal hydride cell.

There's only four solar panel bits in the front so that limits the use to just the lower voltage cells. So it's not going to be lithium oh it's a fairly stand. The only thing. That's special about this right tell you what i can't take a picture of this and show you the picture because uh.

Although. I've got a printer here uh. I can't set that up yet until we move on to the job and i install it on the job uh. The perils of travel.

This battery is knocked me out is this glued in oh. It's got double sided tape. They've stuck the battery in why right anyway. The battery is stuck in i shall get you as close to this as possible.

I shall doodle it out that's the best bet. It's the classic little i mean should i even doodle it out there's really not much to write home about here. The only redeeming feature uh hold on just give me a second a close up of the circuit board. It's using well it's even printed on it the yx 8018 uh.

But the difference. It's got a 33 micro henry inductor. Orange orange black. So really that is they're already pushing that for how much current it can put out.

But the one nice feature about this i wonder if they're doing it for intensity or just to allow a universal circuit board to be used with a color changing leds. They've got a 104 capacitor here that's 1 zero. And four zeros so that's a hundred thousand picofarad is a hundred nanofard and they've got a little 1n4148 style diode here. Which is being used to provide a stable sort of dc out to the leds well it it's not quite full continuous smooth dc.
It but it doesn't dip to zero. Which means it could use color changing leds. Any interruptions you hear in the background. My co workers are all arriving we're starting to load the show in shortly so uh.

It's all starting to kick off at the moment right tell you what i'm going to hack these lights. I'm going to do something to them because there's one redeeming feature. These have that makes them worth getting one moment. Let me show you the redeeming feature here and i like these for this the leds.

It's supplied with are three millimeter cold white leds. However if you want to use these caps. All you have to do is put your finger against the little cord grip. Thing or the i guess.

This is for who can onto a branch and click it up and it pops the cover off if i then lay in any standard. Well. I was going to say any standard five millimeter led. I think this will accommodate this it looks the hole in there looks like it's about eight millimeters diameter over a quarter of an inch uh.

So if you lay the lights into that legacies and then you clip. This little cover on that's you instantly put a new cap over your led. So. If you had a favorite string of universal.

You know the common five millimeter or so leds are very common for christmas lighting. Now it means you could actually add these caps and along that string or replace every cap in the string. But a mixture of variety is good so let me just finish putting another two caps on then i'll show you these that they go on very quickly the fronts also screw on i'm guessing they probably have other styles of caps available for these as well maybe olive shaped lamps you have to excuse me if the lighting is all a bit skewed at the moment and the sound because uh. It's just i'm working in a different environment from normal.

So everything is going to look good and sound different here we go right tell you what uh let's turn these on turn this off. I'll turn the lighting off and then i'll take the exposure off. Oh. I don't even need to take the exposure off.

Oh maybe a bit too bright. I shouldn't have taken exposure off that is ferocious uh that's actually a lot brighter than other ones as you can see and it's warm white. So it gives them a nice effect something you're not seeing here. Let me see if i can just tame this down to show you that one moment are you seeing the little swirls in here.

That is because the led inside is a side emitting led and it's projecting that pattern onto the inside of the globes. It's quite a nice effect. It's not a very even illumination. I suppose if you put in the five millimeter diffused ones.

It would give a fairly even illumination. There's lots of different shades. You can see that on the camera. Quite clearly.
There's different shades of warm white here. Which isn't a bad thing um. But there we go um. I would say just give me a second bring the light back.

I would say these are actually quite nice. It's actually worth getting them just for the caps. This could do with an upgrade. Although having said that the 33 micro henry inductor.

Is already quite low that's uh suggesting you know i think they can go down to 27 micro henry. But when you as you do that you're going to run the battery down faster for the given amount of charge you get from the solar panel during the day but overall. I would say they're actually worth getting just the caps. So you can put them in your own lights.

They're actually a worthy thing so relatively speaking. I would say that's actually a poundland win again.

17 thoughts on “Poundland’s solar bulb lights are worth having”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Major Tom says:

    Man the video compression algo really hates that background..

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Lawd Elpus says:

    My first move is to change the crappy 200 mh battery for a 650mh one (also poundland although the price of these is nowยฃ3)

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Curtis Hoffmann says:

    BigClive – Back home from Edinburgh?

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars imbw267 says:

    Custom OpenSCAD Lamp covers for the bulbs!

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Karl Jay says:

    Didn't see any in that prices range that were a string design like that. Would be cool to have a link to actually get these for < $9 USD. Most seem a lot more money.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars factorylad says:

    Big live can you please do something on tesla for the likes of me who apparently seems to be missing something. Also the Rife machine , large and small the miracle cure for cancer?

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Nina Evans says:

    Next door should get these to put outside his house for Christmas, before he kills some poor bastard with his shitty idea of outside mains wiring. He's not exactly IP44 rated enclosure minded for starters……….

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jim's videos says:

    For six bucks? Not bad.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars twocvbloke says:

    They're very similar to a set I got from Aldi last year (maybe?), though the Aldi set has clear "bulbs" with warm white LEDs, which will get snipped off and replaced with dupont connectors for coloured LED replacements, cos yeah, colours, when I get around to it… ๐Ÿ˜€

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bernd Eckenfels says:

    Great setting, nice light, crisp picture and good Matt! (For non work)

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars John Senchak says:

    Don't say " stabbing people" on Youtube big brother is listening

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars d. t. says:

    The show must go on! Good luck. ๐Ÿ‘

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Frogz says:

    AHHHH MY EYES, I DIDNT WATCH MY EYES!!!! IT BURNS!!! I SEE THREE LIGHTS!!!! WAIT, I SEE 20 LIGHTS!!!

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ted McFadden says:

    Back at the Edinburg Military Tattoo?? That looked like an amazing show, and Iโ€™d love to catch it if I ever make it to Scotland.

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars stain0269 says:

    Is there a link to where I can purchase these?

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Okurka says:

    You forgot to place the BigCliveDotCom label on the bench, n00b.

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Alan Garland says:

    A quarter of an inch?, Impressive !

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