Introduction: (10) Portfolio Solar Landscape Flood Lamp HACK (Update 9/27/13)

About: Been To:1) All 50 states 2) Guam 3) Adak 4) Hawai'i, Mo Bettah. The only good thing about snow is that it goes away...Would that it never comes.

We live in a building that goes through power outages on a regular basis.
Happens almost every month with no apology from HECO, the local electric company.

I spotted these flood lamps in a Lowes display. Their light was very much different from the usual LED. The light was not so bluish/white, it was a more natural yellowish that was close to a soft white incandescent. I bought a set for around $30 and took them home.

The idea I have is to remove the small 6V solar panel, save it for another project and install a tiny switch on two of the flood lamps.
I want to be able to operate two lamps with one switch and one lamp with the other switch.

I'm going to be able to plug in the three lamps to the 12V 200Ah battery. The battery is part of our solar PV system.
A small power distribution panel will be needed for each voltage I am going to use with various electronic devices.

Since the lamps work on 3 volts I will need a fused DC to DC Converter, switch for the converter and outlet to plug the lamps into.

This project is a part of my 'Pluggables' series https://www.instructables.com/id/12-Volt-PhotoVoltaic-Power-For-The-Tiny-Apartment/ because I want to be able to use various electronic devices on the PV System we already have, during blackouts.

Step 1: And Parts Is Parts

1 Box Portfolio 3ct Landscape Floodlamps Model #0010247
1 DC To DC Converter Model AH55
1 Panel Mount Fuse Holder
3 Minature DC Switches (SPST)
2-7 Segment Bus Bars
1 Banana Jack Outlet
2 Banana Jack Plugs
2 Stand Offs
Hook-Up Wire (Red And Black)

Step 2: Tools

Drill Motor
7/32" Drill Bit
7/64" Drill Bit
1/2" Drill Bit
Counter Sink Bit
Screwdriver Bits
Solder Iron
Rosen Core Solder
Needle Nose Pliers
Wire Cutters
Exacto Knife
Hot Glue Gun

Step 3: The HACK

Make note of the screw holes and where they go. If you don't the light will not go back together.

I cut a mark in the bezel and shell of the light to ID how the light goes back together.

Remove the 3 screws around the bezel of the lamp to remove the lens and LED.

Cut the positive wire going to the LED far enough back to allow soldering to a switch.

Drill a  7/32" hole to fit the switch and solder the wire to the switch as shown.

Be carefull not to pull the copper traces off the circuit boards when putting the switch into the hole you drilled

Repeat for all 3 lamps and reassemble.

These lamps come with extra long wire that can be shortened to the length you want.
I leave the wire as it comes as I never know when I will move to a new apartment.

The ends of the wires want a plug so you can use them, I route and attach the wire as shown to avoid breaking them off through use.

Spikes come with the lamps to stick in the garden dirt and hold the lamps in place.

I cut the tops off the spikes and mount them to the underside of our loft bed with 2 screws.

Now the lamps can be mounted under the loft bed or any where else I might want them.







Step 4: The Power Panel

Mark off a nice grid, as you like, to drill holes for the panel parts.

Top row for LED Indicators.

Next row for Miniature Switches.

Next 2 rows for Outlets.

Bottom row for Panel Mount Fuse Holders

All these little jimcracks and thing-ah-mabobs cost ah buncha money but I want it to look half way decent

Step 5: Schematic

As you can see the circuit is pretty simple.

All that is happening here is you turn on power and the circuit board does the rest.

All the wires to the board have been lengthened or shortened as needed to fit it to the panel.

A switch to the power cord eliminates the cigar lighter plug as the + and - wires are hard wired to a terminal strip.

An Anderson Power Pole Connector, instead of what I have used, would be enough to provide Polarity Protection.



Schematic via TinyCad a free Electronic Cad Program from SourceForge.com . Google - Tiny CAD.com

Step 6: Leftovers Are Good

~ Stuff left over from the lighting kit will be used in another Instructable ~

Step 7: Was an LED Flashlight (Update 9/12/13)

This was a 3 AA battery flashlight that never got used and cost about $4 bucks.
It has a small circuit board inside to make it flash or turn on 3 LED's on the end
or 24 LED's shown. The 3 LED's have been removed and the switch left in the 'ON'
position for the 24 LED's.
The power distribution panel has a switch that turns it on and off.
The power cord is soldered to the circuit board to make the appropriate connections of + and -.
Uses 8 watts.

On the back of the unit is a nice magnet to stick to metal to hold it in place.

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