EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Looking for suggestions for stand alone lighting

where2 · 02-11-15, 07:19 PM

Alternatively, you could go order a 12V panel from Sunelec for ~$1/W.

I've got one of their 20W panels attached to a Morningstar charge controller and a 17Ah SLA battery. I also have a Sunelec 50W panel in the garage that I use for tinkering.

For lighting, there are some 48 element 5050 SMD LED units on a rectangular circuit board intended to run off 12V that seem to put out decent light. You can pick them up on ebay for under $4 each with $2 shipping from HK. I put one in the trunk of my wife's car, and you can now see everything in the trunk like it's daylight. I have half of one (yes, you can split it in half) in the dome light of my own car. I'm still looking for a project for the other 24 LED unit.

My advice: don't go with the least expensive (no-name) charge controller you can find. What you save in expense on the charge controller, you may lose replacing batteries prematurely. I use Morningstar controllers because they've been doing charge controllers for quite awhile and have a reasonable reputation. I actually have 2 Morningstar charge controllers, because I plan to build a solar lighting setup for my dock, someday. For that project, I bought the Sunlight 10. The SunLight controller allows you to choose how long the light runs automatically after sunset.

02-11-15, 07:19 PM	#5
where2 DIY Geek Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 401 Thanks: 74 Thanked 83 Times in 73 Posts	Alternatively, you could go order a 12V panel from Sunelec for ~$1/W. I've got one of their 20W panels attached to a Morningstar charge controller and a 17Ah SLA battery. I also have a Sunelec 50W panel in the garage that I use for tinkering. For lighting, there are some 48 element 5050 SMD LED units on a rectangular circuit board intended to run off 12V that seem to put out decent light. You can pick them up on ebay for under $4 each with $2 shipping from HK. I put one in the trunk of my wife's car, and you can now see everything in the trunk like it's daylight. I have half of one (yes, you can split it in half) in the dome light of my own car. I'm still looking for a project for the other 24 LED unit. My advice: don't go with the least expensive (no-name) charge controller you can find. What you save in expense on the charge controller, you may lose replacing batteries prematurely. I use Morningstar controllers because they've been doing charge controllers for quite awhile and have a reasonable reputation. I actually have 2 Morningstar charge controllers, because I plan to build a solar lighting setup for my dock, someday. For that project, I bought the Sunlight 10. The SunLight controller allows you to choose how long the light runs automatically after sunset.