Solar Food Dryer From Cardboard Boxes - DIY. It seems that — at long last — a goodly number of people in government and industry are beginning to come around to the notion that, yes, there might be something to this sun-energy concept after all!
Unfortunately, whenever the bigwigs begin "talking solar," they invariably speak in terms of multimillion dollar projects, brain-trust technologies, and the all-too-familiar decade-long implementation schedules. Well, all that may be necessary (although I doubt it) for some solar energy applications, but I've designed a solar food dryer that anyone — and I do mean anyone — can put together for pennies ... and in minutes! To build your sun-powered unit, choose a long, shallow cardboard box and cut a few holes in each of the narrow ends. That done, paint the inside of the container black or line it with black plastic sheeting — whichever is easier.
Cover the box with clear plastic, and your heat catcher is complete. Now, take another cardboard box and make several holes in one side. Solar Cooking Wiki (Lots Of Free Plans) Mason Jar Solar Lights. Don't you just love all of the things you can do with a Mason jar?
My favorite is the old aqua jars with the zinc lids. They look so pretty sitting in a window sill with the sunlight coming through them. Did you know that first Mason jar was invented in 1858? I am also amazed at the popularity of the Mason jar, if you get on Pinterest or most home decorating/craft blogs you are more than likely to see an image of a Mason jar. Well, I have been wanting to make Mason jar solar lights since I saw them in a catalog three years ago.
Dollar Tree Solar Lights (Or any solar light) Painter's Tape (If you decide to spray paint) First Step: Screw off the top of the light Prep your lids and the lights for spray paint. Spray paint the lids and lights. Since, the lights are smaller than what the size of the hole is for the jar I needed a way to keep the light in place. I then wrapped the tape around the light after the spray paint had dried. I then placed the light inside of the jar. DIY Solar Lamp: Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Sun Jars. The principle is simple and seductively clever: solar lights that store energy during the day and release light at night.
These can be purchased ready-made in a variety of colors (yellow, blue and red) but they can also be built at home. A simple, less-technical approach involves buying a conventional solar-powered yard lamp and then essentially harvesting it for key pieces to put in a jar. This is simply a way of taking an existing solar lamp design and appropriating its parts to make something more attractive for display around a house or home. Hack Your Solar Garden Lights. Solar garden lights....
How on earth do they manage to sell something with a solar panel, rechargeable battery, step-up converter, LED and the plastic and metal casing for a dollar/pound. You can't even buy the bare components for anywhere near that, in fact the solar panel alone would probably cost you five times the cost of the whole light! This project is about hacking your solar lights to make them different colours and potentially increasing the battery life too.Solar lights are great to hack. They're cheap enough not to worry if you mess up, and very gratifying because they are effectively free to run due to being powered by sunlight. Here's the test subject for this project.
Inside is a small NiMh cell and a PCB with the LED, a small inductor, a switch and a COB (Chip On Board) which is basically a bare integrated circuit which is stuck to the board, connected and then covered with a blob of black resin. Now put in your new LED noting the polarity (long lead is positive). Make A Solar Power Generator For Under $300. Whether you live off grid or just want backup power for emergencies, having a small solar generator at home can definitely come in handy.
While most store-bought solar generators can be pretty pricey, you can actually create your own with parts easily acquired through the internet or at local stores for $200 to $300 – and you don’t have to be an engineer to do it. An online tutorial created by Phil Heiple features easy-to-follow instructions with amusing illustrations that guide you through each of the eight steps. Once you obtain the parts, which include a small solar panel, a battery, a DC input and an AC inverter, assembly takes about an hour to complete.