Charge a battery with a small solar panel and have it power five LED yard lights for a few hours after sunset.
50 W Solar Panel mounted on South side of
house
Pool Electrical and Solar Control
mounted together
We chose a new battery
technology for this project.
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)
It has several new advantages over older battery technology.
Here's the
wiki
12x12 Plastic Utility box with hinged
cover
Initial parts layout and planning
Note dusk sensor board, solar controller, timer module
AC transformer mounted in pool electrical box
In a prior installation we learned that the solar lighting system
control power is preferred to come from an AC source.
We needed AC for a new "waterfall" on-off valve for the pool so it lended itself nicely
to also power the control electronics modules.
Note the waterfall toggle switch and
the key switch for the pool gas heater.
Motorized Valve
Runs off the AC transformer and makes it easy to select the waterfall feature without disturbing the
other pool valves and pool equipment.
View waterfall
Schematic Diagram
How it works: Dusk sensor senses sunset and the onset of dusk. It closes
a relay contact and sends power to a commercial delay timer. The timer
energizes and sends power from the LiPo battery to the LED landscape
lights for a period of three hours. We added a test switch, AC power
indicator and the ability to run the system on AC without the battery.
Solar panel and Solar Controller keep the battery at full charge.
Final Parts Layout
Landscape spotlight installation
Note 1/2" irrigation line and low voltage wiring
Splice technique using a12 gage splice
Liberal
amounts of RTV sealant were used to seal the ends against moisture. It
was then buried 2"-3" underground.
Evolution of this system began with these two projects:
Hack of a cheap home depot yard light setup
Design and experimentation with
a solar landscape system
Tree Farm Home
Ham Projects Home
2/23/21