From solar meteor tubes to mains powered

Robbo

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 10, 2010
Messages
216
Location
Hastings-Victoria
A couple years ago I bought some meteor tubes from bunnings, they came in a set of 4, solar powered with a 1.5vbattery, I got 3 sets.

Then they stopped functioning properly, the sensor seems to have failed, so lights would not turn off in daylight, and panel not charging the battery. So I thought what if I could control them through a dc controller, I'm only running a static display so rather than going the dc controller I sourced an old 5v power supply.

To test I cut the solar panel off and connected the strings to my lab supply running 3v, and they worked, with effects as well, as the effects are in the IC chip on each tube, so I connected all 12 tubes together and attached to the 5v power supply and it looks great.....just hope the 5v aint too much but can't imagine it would...would it? Just be a LOT brighter than they were on solar
 

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Nuzzy

Apprentice elf
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
75
Location
Denmark
I do the same with solar net lights from Kmart, cut the solar controller off and power them through one of @AAH’s 2811dc15 boards and a 5 volt power supply to incorporate them into my show.
 
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