Source for replacement yard solar lights?

[OWC Jamie]

sekker wrote:
Any reason I cannot just use inexpensive NiMH batteries?

I replaced my nicd original with 2500mAh nimh. They charge and runtime the same. My solar lights run all night and shut off at sunrise in the Summer but only light for about 2 hours in the Winter.

[The Grim Ninja]

Check the dollar stores, they usually have em around here.

[space-time]

billb wrote:
[quote=sekker]
Any reason I cannot just use inexpensive NiMH batteries?

I replaced my nicd original with 2500mAh nimh. They charge and runtime the same. My solar lights run all night and shut off at sunrise in the Summer but only light for about 2 hours in the Winter.
same experience here, I upgraded the Westinghouse HiMH AA to Eneloop AA and I put them in fully charged. They worked all night for a few nights in the winter, but then the solar panel was not able to fully charge the AA cell and they were very weak towards the morning. I think the issues is not the cell, but the small area and low efficiency of the solar panel.

[OWC Jamie]

600 or 750 mAh isn't a very large source of power.
Probably not much of a light either.

Mine use 2500mAh and have a light powerful enough to not light up a very big circle on the ground.


250mAh - must be those little stick lights ?

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Older lights that came with NiCd might not fully charge NiMH batteries. I think they might also have have abbreviated life because they are not protected from being completely discharged. A new light that comes with NiMH would last longer.

[NewtonMP2100]

...dollar store has new ones for $1....Home Depot/Lowe's sometimes on sale has them for $1 each.....

[AllGold]

I have a set of 4 lights that uses a larger solar collector containing batteries with wires running to the lights. It's nice because you can put the lights in an area of northern exposure that wouldn't normally charge much and put the collector in a more sunny area.

Anyway, I found that a lot of higher capacity NiMH wouldn't run the lights, even if they were fully charged when installed. I don't know what the problem is but I'm guessing the setup is fussy about resistance in the batteries.