We’re getting ready for festival season and have a series of solar string lights that need care, feeding and repair.
Here’san example of one of our lights.
We let it charge in the yard for about a day and a half (which is usually enough). When I tested the lights, they give off a faint, anaemic glow, nothing like when they were new. If I switch it to [del]annoy[/del] blink, the initial ‘on’ is as bright as we’re used to (much brighter than when in non-blink mode), but quickly fades to the dull glimmer before winking out to repeat the cycle. It’s more of a gradated pulse than a blink.
To test, can I put in a ‘regular’ rechargeable AA battery (one that we use around the house in our mice) to see how the lights react? Or will I risk ruining either the solar charger or the battery. The battery that came in the string lights (not easily accessible, part of my wondering if they’re meant to be replaced) is generic and marked “AA 400mAh 1.2V”.
If the lights are as bright as normal after the temporary battery switch, is it safe to leave the Energizer battery in there (i.e. let it power the lights during the night and charge during the day)? Or is it likely that the string lights’ solar charging circuitry is so different from the Energizer-branded charger (this one) that we’re likely to either ruin the Energizer battery, the charger and/or cause an overheating or fire situation on our tent?
If I want to test whether it’s actually the charger that’s failing, can I safely put the generic, “AA 400mAh 1.2V” into the Energizer charger linked above? I know this may be an obvious question (it’s a ‘universal’ charger after all), but I’d rather ask the stupid-seeming question than overlook something and burn my house down (I’m rather fond of it).
Lastly, some of the lights’ wires have breaks in them, and the lights only work up to a certain one. If I want to repair the wire, do I simply cut the break, strip the wires, and twist the exposed ends around each other and tape? Is there any need/point to soldering them? If I have some convenient 14-gauge bare wire handy, should I wrap the ends around those (the wire is pretty thin to work with in terms of twisting them together)?
Thanks for any bright ideas~