Home-made Sun Jar

Maybe having that inside a small mayo jar and having the stained glass effect by gluing thin colored paper (also known here in the philippines as papel de hapon ) using white glue onto the jar and adding a second layer of glue on top to have the effect. more research!!!!!..................................

wow, it is good guideline to try out.

Hair Gel works as a wonderful light amplifier as well, the bubbles shine the light in all directions, you just have to give space between the light and the gel so you dont end up with a sticky sun jar

to solve the problem of the solar panel not charging the battery enough for long/bright light, why not just top up the charge in the battery with a home charger and then slap it in whenever you wanted it on.. kind of defeats the solar purpose but it will work fine i'm sure.

the biggest problem for me is finding a damn jar XD

if you are in the uk B&Q do a pack of 2 solar lanterns for £4 but many petrol stations have them for dirt cheap as "promotions". if you fill the jar with glass beads there is no need to fix the components to the jar as they just sit buried in the beads. also colored beads would give a nice effect. i've found the solar panels to be crap behind glass (window or jar). open the lid and stick it outside if you want to use it that night. i guess the windows block some vital part of the spectrum either uv or ir which the solar panels may make use of. nice instructable, creative not complex! (the best kind)

I used a mason jar, with great results. Mine's a bit more janky though, the solar panel sticks out the top, but I like it. It's a personal touch.

Which one you get more light through? The paper or the spray? :/

Really want to make one.

I was at Lowe's Hardware today looking for one of the garden lights, and found this guy: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=190519-59179-RMS1-49&detail=cr&lpage=none for $5.

All I had to do was break off the outermost plastic ring and it fit perfectly into my jar top. There is even a small mirror screwed in the bottom I took out and put in the bottom of the jar to reflect some light back up and out. I did replace the LED on the second one, because I wanted the amber color instead of white.

Hi,

I have some questions: what is this glass frosting spray and where can I buy it? What does it do? Seconds: On my solar light, the led -as usual- is lightening to one direction, to the bottom of the jar. I think a mini glas bulb would be better and shine to all directions.

if i can add a joule theif to this device and a better capacitiation/energy storing device, do you think that the solar panel would absorb/process more free electrons???? if i used a mirror (parabolic) and focused the heat energy through a circuit of prisms and special blue glass as well as a jar of electron enriched liquid/gases post solar panel does anyone think that it would improve the capacitance and storage of free electrons???

if bioluminence were added to the jar and the light electrics issolated from the liquid i think that this glow light could be cleverly pimped.......any one got any other ideas??

If you bought colored see through glass, would enough sunlight still reach the solar panel to be effective? Or does it have to be clear glass above the solar panel?
Thanks

this is a radical way to save energy and im glad that some people care about that i mean isnt that what lifes about these days, saving energy and going green and you really caught that in your video so... thanks

Thank you for sharing! This is one easy project that can save more carbon foot print. With a whole wall of windows facing south, I might as well utilize the sun light to do some work for me....Uhhh....such as leave a sun jar on top of my worm bin to discourage my worms from running away?

Q: just out of curiosity, when the jar is fully charged, how many hours of light can it supply?

Q: my husband always complains those solar garden light wasn't bright enough to do a thing, is there anyway I can make it brighter? Or maybe you have a brighter version of the sun jar?

ya its sweet

You could always get a brighter LED (If you don't mind soldering) and replace the old LED.

1. It depends on the amout of sunlight and the type of solar garden light. Usually a few hours.

2. This is just as bright (or maybe a tad dimmer) than a regular solar light so you can either use 2 lights, but that will half the runtime.

This is one of those things you just NEED to make. Nice one !

I want a brighter light, and I think you do too!

I am planning on purchasing the inner guts sans fixture at this site (click on parts tab, and I believe it is the first item listen, SOLAR TOP-AMBER LED-INCLUDES BATTERY, please leave comment if I'm wrong). I am also planning on replacing the bulb with a brighter bulb, specifically a T8M LED Malibu bulb from superbrightleds.com . I also plan on replacing the battery with a higher capacity 2400maH rechargeable battery to compensate for the brighter light output.

My thoughts before I proceed.

1) The solar panel will not completely charge the battery, leaving unsatisfactory runtimes (like 2 hours). I will not be happy until I can get 6-8 hours with the brighter led. ( i know i know, when tested in an IDEAL situation, like all day direct summer sun, I obviously realize clouds will yield lower output times throughout the night)

2) Led replacement lights will not work with the inner guts I listed above.

3) The website listed above who sells the inner guts sans fixture, also has other models, that are $4 more expensive, specifically model LZ1, and I have no idea if this provides more power to the batteries and thus a longer runtime during the night....anyone???

If anyone who has made a Sun Jar from a Malibu garden light and wants to purchase the brighter leds listed above, I would love to hear your results!!

If anyone has any information that may help my decision before I purchase I would greatly appreciate it?

Or has any other ideas to make the light brighter...?

Just imagine how beautiful a 3 gallon glass jug or any extra large glass containers would look with a few brighter solar kits applied....

For brighter light, someone did an instructables for this, titled "Adding_Oomph_to_the_Garden_Solar_Light", by changing the electronic circuit for the LED (the bulb). However, it consumes more power, which means less running hours for your sun jar.

The problem with existing solar garden light is, their electronic booster for the LED (the bulb) doesn't give enough juice for the LED.

Some other ideas are also floating around here in the instructables world, starting from beefed up the solar cell and adding more batteries and so on. Unfortunately for those with minimal electronic experience, those might not be an easy option.

If you want the easiest option to upgrade the light intensity, there is no other option other than getting extra bright solar garden light in the first place (for example: Torino super bright garden solar light). They come with a price, of course.

For those who have to much time (like me), a wee bit extra dough in the pocket, and some serious adventure for soldering, you can go to the same path that I'm in the process of doing at the moment:

That is, upgrading the electronics, and preferably upgrade the solar cell as well. The only difference is, I'm not trusting myself with the design, so I'm using National Semiconductor's voltage booster: LM2623 (In particular, use Application note AN-1221, April 2002 edition , I managed to find it from Google in the past, but can't find anymore now :( )

in North America, I found many options (from Google of course) to beef up your solar cell, but here in Australia, I use Jaycar's solar battery charger, and salvage the solar cell from that.

The biggest adventure of course, how to manufacture the electronic yourself, considering LM2623 is only available in surface mount :(. Well, not easy I should say. Everything from getting the surface mounts, etching the PCB myself (this is surface mount, seriously small tracks!!) and soldering them onto the board, hmmmm....

it's good but if you are poor person ,you can't do it . i think all us invention need useful for in acture

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cool

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In english please?

Very nice! Keep going! (Literally, its add oil or gas or fuel) And cool is cool.

Ya that would be nice to know what that means in english.

I think 451551601 said "Does attagirl! Refueling! cool!
I don't know.... maybe...

Wow, this costs no more than $20!

The Sun Jar designed by Tobias Wong costs somewhere around $100!!

Might try this. Sounds awesome!

I bought solar panels because I figured it would be more eco-friendly than taking them out of a solar garden light, but they do not come with the LED light, battery, etc., required. Can someone tell me how to connect these other items to the solar panel?

Thank you! I followed your instruction and they work great!! I didn't care for the white light so I folded a piece of transparent cutable film available at any sign or lettering store for less than a buck. I like the orange glow better.

Alright I keep seeing people using tracing paper wouldn't it look alot nicer if you sanded it I have never tried sanding glass and I know it would a B_T_H but I think it would be worth it anyone else have comments on this reply?

Michael's, JoAnne's and other craft store offer an etching product that you should try. It's a liquid you paint on that etches the glass. No sandblasting, no risk to your health and its pretty inexpensive. You can even etch initials, sayings, designs with it. Both these stores have websites you could check out. I know one brand name is Armour. Good luck!

Just Don't. Don't sand glass.

You'll wreak havoc on your lungs -- glass dust/shavings are toxic. Very bad juju.

I'm not even sure if you can , anyway. Use the paper or some etchant to do the job for you.

Hi,

Glass is cut or drilled under water for exactly that reason. Etching paper...ultra strong fly paper can be used to rip off a micro layer of the glass and cause diffusion. Other methods are surely available as well.

Bill

There is a variety of Hide Glue that you can get (Not the stuff in the plastic bottle) that will attach to glass, and shrink as it cures, giving you that back-of-the-fishtank look. It isn't frosted, but it will disperse light better than plain clear glass.

You can't have like one of those masks and do it?

I found a respirator today with a filter apparently rated for glass dust. So if you're really desperate to sand the glass, it's about $57 for the respirator.
lots more expensive than the frosting spray, but it'll never rub off <3

actually, does anyone know if you could sand the glass underwater? that's what I do at TAFE, but we do it in a fume booth at the same time.

hey that makes me wonder... couldn't you just send it around in a giant rock tumbler? i think i saw plans for one on here...

NO!!
No, no and no. Glass contains silica, the particles of which are so fine they come right through those cheap masks. You even have to get a special silica filter for your respirator. It's seriously nasty stuff, you can get silicosis of the lung which is irreversible.
Please be safe, folks and buy an already frosted jar, or use frosting from a spray can (which you will need a mask for.)

Ceramics OH&S class FTW.

You can buy already frosted jars. I saw some at American Science and Surplus.

American Sci and Surp also has glass lumps, LEDs, and solar cells.

GReat info. ALright I got a question since you said wear a mask for spraying the frost what about spray paint which I am guessing is basically the same thing although never used the frost. WOuld you use a mask as well even if outside?

I've never used a mask for spray paint...but then again, when I blow my nose afterward, I sometimes find the ejecta to be flecked with paint.

So...it's probably wise. You wouldn't need a full-filtered respirator for the paint, though...one of those cheap dust masks would work pretty well, I think. Assuming of course that you're outside, not sticking your face near the spray, and not working with it for long periods of time.

Thanks psycholily; I didn't have the time to dig up the specific info about it (couldn't remember what the various issues were), but I knew it amounted to serious lung damage (iirc, smoking is marginally healthier; though that may be heresay)

no problem, guys.
Instructables should have OH&S instructions for dealing with various materials <3

This is a very good idea.

Thinking of modifying this a bit to make a LOZ costume fairy-in-a-bottle. Thanks!

I recall seeing a variety of LED that changed colors that would fit in with the halloween costume accessory idea.

RGB LEDs are frickin sweet. THanks!

I made a few of these. I used some glass beads as well. Be aware that darker colors do not let out as much light. I stuck with clear or light blue. Frosted glass beads look great too.
This are how mine turned out:

If your light is inside surrounded by glass beads or marbles, you could find already frosted marbles to give you a more dispersed light, and not have to sandblast anything.

went to the local Wal-mart and they have cheap color changing solar lights. Going to adapt this idea into a light jar. can't wait to see the outcome