Comments on: Automatic Solar LED Lights Repair

By: Mike Retz

Mike Retz — Tue, 17 May 2022 08:50:38 +0000

Hey.. Great articles and feedback. I used to build microwave down converters that were originally designed to receive slow scan tv back in the 80s. Bootleggers here in the states found that if you modify the microwave circuit board traces it would lower the frequency to 2.154 GHz. Which was what mds providers use here in states for pay tv service. Anyway I build hundreds of these down converters into a small PVC pipe which was in front of a small aluminum parabolic reflector. It was always on the roof and moisture would get inside the PVC tube and destroy the traces on the narrow circuit board inside. They worked pretty well until corrosion destroyed traces. We tried everything to stop it including sealing it up with silicon and epoxy. Nothing worked! Then a friend said just drill a small hole in the bottom of the tube a make sue it was aimed down when dish was mounted. That solved the problem and allowed air to circulate in tube! Problem solved.. I think this could be applied to solar lights. Also mounting whole thing in a glass jar with a kid sealed tight with a small hole drilled in glass a pointed down. I did this with a photo cell used for our building lights and has worked great for 20 years with zero deteriation of sensors. Cheers and GOD bless people in Ukraine!! Mike Retz

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By: Mateusz

Mateusz — Thu, 14 May 2020 18:51:49 +0000

You should add hot glue also in PCB to protect it from corosion. It will grant long life for lamp.

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By: Albert Hoekman, Tiel NL

Albert Hoekman, Tiel NL — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 10:41:06 +0000

Hello Albert, I repaired maybe around 50 or more of these very cheap solar lights, mostly they were baught at Action-shops, these are seated here in Holland in almost every small village as you know. We do have about 15 pieces (different types) in our backyard. What I do is seal the edges of the solarcells on top with water resistant acryl-kit and after drying I spray them with clear photo-varnish, the same as I use for photo's and printable DVD's. Some of the solar lights are still working for more than 5 years and they are always outside!

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By: Albert van Bemmelen

Albert van Bemmelen — Mon, 08 May 2017 08:53:02 +0000

In reply to Romeo de Luna.

Apparently Romeo there are also other four legged Solar controller ICs. In my recent Solar lights it were the mentioned YX8018 types. I will see if I can find a datasheet of your's, and compare them.
Thanks!

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By: Albert van Bemmelen

Albert van Bemmelen — Mon, 08 May 2017 08:48:34 +0000

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By: Romeo de Luna

Romeo de Luna — Thu, 04 May 2017 14:30:12 +0000

The name of the four legged IC is QX5252. It is an IC Led Driver for solar of this size.

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By: Albert van Bemmelen

Albert van Bemmelen — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 08:08:34 +0000

In reply to Graeme Partridge.

I also bypassed the switch by bridging over the contacts with solder in a few of the lights Greame. But still the leds or the chip legs corroded too often.
Or the Solar cells failed for unknown reason to charge the batteries. But strange thing is that if we look at the chip datasheet, we can also see that the circuit also should have a light depending resistor originally to switch between dark and light automatically.
http://www.datasheet-pdf.info/entry/YX8018-Datasheet-YX8018-Solar-LED-driver
But because they probably found out that the solar cell in itself works in that same way too, they left out the LDR in newer designs? Maybe the LDR was too expensive why they only left the switch in the design? A switch that normally only can be reached by opening the plastic housing and only is needed when the light is kept in the dark to prevent the battery from discharging.

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By: Humberto

Humberto — Tue, 25 Apr 2017 04:09:07 +0000

Hi Albert, good explanations and very interesting your job. Congrats.

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By: Graeme Partridge

Graeme Partridge — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 20:09:17 +0000

Good article. I store my cheap solar lights away for the winter and then each spring I re plant them, invariably I have to take most of them apart and fix them and in my experience the most common fault (after a low charged battery) is the switch which I either clean or bypass.

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By: Suranga Electronics

Suranga Electronics — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 13:16:12 +0000

Very Good Repair job mr. Albert.
Thank you !!

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