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Few years ago I read an article on lighting in developing countries, it told that 1.6 billion people have no access to electricity and a reliable source of lighting is a BIG problem for them. One Canadian company manufactures and distributes lighting kits which include a white LED array, rechargeable batteries and a solar panel. In the article there was a picture taken somewhere in Sri Lanka: the children holding these kits in their hands.
Having read the article, my first thought was what a hands-on solution to the burning problem it is. But my second thought was a bit different. Sri Lanka lies in tropical zone, so there must be rainy seasons over there. What will the folks do when it pours outside? I decided to make a weatherproof LED lamp. It can harvest both solar AND wind energy. In emergency (when the battery is dead), you can hook up the dc motor directly to the lamp and run it by spinning the motor by hand.
You are welcome to comment and ask questions if you have any. Please, vote and rate it.
Having read the article, my first thought was what a hands-on solution to the burning problem it is. But my second thought was a bit different. Sri Lanka lies in tropical zone, so there must be rainy seasons over there. What will the folks do when it pours outside? I decided to make a weatherproof LED lamp. It can harvest both solar AND wind energy. In emergency (when the battery is dead), you can hook up the dc motor directly to the lamp and run it by spinning the motor by hand.
You are welcome to comment and ask questions if you have any. Please, vote and rate it.
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Signing UpStep 1Motivation
Motivation. I was motivated to do this project by the fact that I like reading in bed and my wife is a VERY early riser. I hate disturbing her. The LED lamp turned out to be a practical and cheap solution. The lamp is green due to the two facts. Firstly, the scavenged parts, plastic bottles and scrap plywood (read trash) are used to build it. Secondly, the lamp operates with 1AA rechargeable battery (NiMh) which can be charged with a small solar panel (not shown in the pictures), by hand AND being slightly modified with a small vawt.
Being an educator, I fully recognize the importance of encouraging students to learn more about renewable energy. Thus, the lamp can be a nice scientific project for school students.
The LED lamp is multipurpose because it has 3 operational modes. When the flashing LED is inserted the way shown in the schematic, all the LEDs are on and you have a reading lamp. When the flashing LED is inserted backwards, only one LED (in series with the flashing one) is on, and you have a flashlight (VERY bright). If you remove the flashing LED, 2 LEDs (in series) are on, and you have a night lamp. I think it makes the project attractive for diy hobbyists and experimenters (mechanics, optics, electronics). It can be easily scaled up and modified by replacing the dc motor with a larger one(more powerful) and by adding another battery (see also Feel free to do experiments ).
Being an educator, I fully recognize the importance of encouraging students to learn more about renewable energy. Thus, the lamp can be a nice scientific project for school students.
The LED lamp is multipurpose because it has 3 operational modes. When the flashing LED is inserted the way shown in the schematic, all the LEDs are on and you have a reading lamp. When the flashing LED is inserted backwards, only one LED (in series with the flashing one) is on, and you have a flashlight (VERY bright). If you remove the flashing LED, 2 LEDs (in series) are on, and you have a night lamp. I think it makes the project attractive for diy hobbyists and experimenters (mechanics, optics, electronics). It can be easily scaled up and modified by replacing the dc motor with a larger one(more powerful) and by adding another battery (see also Feel free to do experiments ).
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Keep up the good work.
My name is Claudiu,
I'm in Romanian,
please send PDF,
my e-mail is stubborn.coco@yahoo.com.
Thanks.