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Author Topic: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up  (Read 5729 times)

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Offline evans52

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Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« on: November 15, 2015, 04:49:49 PM »
Last year, I put a few lights on the house and they were solar operated. The lights are from KMart and come with a little solar panel about 100mm x 100mm. I had issues with them cutting out through the night, likely due to not getting enough charge due to trees.

2 questions:

1. Has anyone used a setup from the camper/caravan batteries and solar panels using similar or the same lights?

2. Is it as simple as cutting off the supplied small panel and wiring it up to the camper battery (maybe merrit socket), and charging with the solar panel when needed? (which I assume would be very little due to only being LED lighting)

Cheers

Craig
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Offline duggie

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2015, 05:16:44 PM »

Don't know about the set up that you want but I run lights on my camp trailer at our FNQ Christmas get-together off an inverter.


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Offline Ben.Archer

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2015, 05:22:13 PM »
Quote from: duggie on November 15, 2015, 05:16:44 PM
Don't know about the set up that you want but I run lights on my camp trailer at our FNQ Christmas get-together off an inverter.





Wow - and I thought my setup last Christmas with laser projectors was going some.....
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Offline tryagain

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2015, 05:23:40 PM »
I am no expert but I would suspect that they would need to be run at the same volts that were being supplied by the batteries in the solar panel unit. If there were say 8 1.5v batteries (AA or similar) then you should be able to run it from the camper set up otherwise I would think you would need a step down/buck converter to get it to the right voltage
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Offline duggie

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2015, 05:32:59 PM »
Quote from: tryagain on November 15, 2015, 05:23:40 PM
I am no expert but I would suspect that they would need to be run at the same volts that were being supplied by the batteries in the solar panel unit. If there were say 8 1.5v batteries (AA or similar) then you should be able to run it from the camper set up otherwise I would think you would need a step down/buck converter to get it to the right voltage

I also agree with this, I just wanted an excuse to show off my lights. ;D
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Offline plusnq

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2015, 05:51:21 PM »
Quote from: duggie on November 15, 2015, 05:32:59 PM
I also agree with this, I just wanted an excuse to show off my lights. ;D
:cup:
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Offline Rumpig

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2015, 06:33:09 PM »
Can't help much with your question, but i know it's dead easy if you have a powered site somewhere  8) 8) ;D ;D
Some of those lights are the solar ones (candy canes and the ones on the front ropes of the awning), the icicle lights and the inflatable santa are running off 240V power.

« Last Edit: November 15, 2015, 07:17:58 PM by Rumpig »
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Offline evans52

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2015, 06:51:43 PM »
Quote from: duggie on November 15, 2015, 05:16:44 PM
Don't know about the set up that you want but I run lights on my camp trailer at our FNQ Christmas get-together off an inverter.






Nicely done.

I found an inverter the other day I thought I had lost. Might use that.

Quote from: tryagain on November 15, 2015, 05:23:40 PM
I am no expert but I would suspect that they would need to be run at the same volts that were being supplied by the batteries in the solar panel unit. If there were say 8 1.5v batteries (AA or similar) then you should be able to run it from the camper set up otherwise I would think you would need a step down/buck converter to get it to the right voltage


That was my first thought. I'll check the box.
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Offline evans52

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2015, 06:56:48 PM »
As follows on the box:

"LED bulb rating 3V/0.02A, 0.06W"

So directly connected to 12V would fry the bulbs wouldn't it?
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Offline duggie

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2015, 07:59:50 PM »
Quote from: evans52 on November 15, 2015, 06:56:48 PM
As follows on the box:

"LED bulb rating 3V/0.02A, 0.06W"

So directly connected to 12V would fry the bulbs wouldn't it?

Me thinks that they would be really bright lights, but only for a few seconds. :'(
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Offline NewieCamper

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2015, 09:17:57 PM »
Quote from: evans52 on November 15, 2015, 06:56:48 PM
As follows on the box:

"LED bulb rating 3V/0.02A, 0.06W"

So directly connected to 12V would fry the bulbs wouldn't it?
Depends on how they are wired up. Could be a few in series, and a bunch of those series connected in parallel to allow a higher voltage to drive them. You need to look at the output of the power adaptor. I think (and I'm not going to dig mine out until the end of November) that mine range around 18-36v depending on the brand. I've got a feeling it is a weird voltage though, not something easy to hook up to 12v without some electrickery.
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Offline evans52

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #11 on: November 15, 2015, 09:46:54 PM »
Quote from: NewieCamper on November 15, 2015, 09:17:57 PM
Depends on how they are wired up. Could be a few in series, and a bunch of those series connected in parallel to allow a higher voltage to drive them. You need to look at the output of the power adaptor. I think (and I'm not going to dig mine out until the end of November) that mine range around 18-36v depending on the brand. I've got a feeling it is a weird voltage though, not something easy to hook up to 12v without some electrickery.

"Output" - would that be 2V/180mA with 1.2V 800mAh battery?
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Offline tryagain

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #12 on: November 15, 2015, 11:52:57 PM »
Quote from: evans52 on November 15, 2015, 09:46:54 PM
"Output" - would that be 2V/180mA with 1.2V 800mAh battery?


I think that is probably why they don't last to long in a perfect world you are only going to get about 4 hrs out of them, Some higher rated rechargeable batteries would probably help them last longer some like http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/8pcs-3000mAH-AA-Ni-MH-NiMH-Recycle-Rechargeable-Battery-BTY-Cell-/281090017127?hash=item4172454767:g:Ht8AAOSw6BtVUEx0 would probably make a big difference but it would also depend on the charge the panel can give. (I am assuming they are the AA's)

Alternatively these should work from your 12v set up http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-12V-Step-Down-To-3V-3A-DC-DC-Converter-15W-Power-Supply-Module-/380703115161?hash=item58a3ac8799:g:~JIAAOSwKrhVVawF but each one of those would only do 150 LED's from my calculations and not arrive from China for a few weeks.
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Offline NewieCamper

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2015, 06:10:59 AM »
Quote from: evans52 on November 15, 2015, 09:46:54 PM
"Output" - would that be 2V/180mA with 1.2V 800mAh battery?
Sorry, my bad. I was thinking of mains powered lights with a transformer.

I managed to convert some battery powered strings to run off an old Nokia phone charger to save on the batteries and I know the voltage was a bit different then, but only by around 1v, maybe only 0.5v.

If the voltage is close you may be able to use a USB output provided the current isn't too high.
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Offline Bird

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #14 on: November 16, 2015, 07:49:58 AM »
Aldi have these as a 12v kit in xmas colours as I found out expecting white lights and didn't get white ****ing lights...

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Offline Fizzie

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #15 on: November 16, 2015, 08:05:44 AM »
Quote from: duggie on November 15, 2015, 05:16:44 PM
Don't know about the set up that you want but I run lights on my camp trailer at our FNQ Christmas get-together off an inverter.

Duggie, how did you do the My Swag sign?

I could relate to a string of lights bent to shape, but it looks like there are gaps between the letters?
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Offline BaseCamp

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Re: Christmas Lights from 12V camper set up
« Reply #16 on: November 16, 2015, 08:19:31 AM »
Just keep to the string theroy - and cover over/gaffa tape out the bits that you don't want  shown  -- me thinks.... (sorry; not from duggie  :)  )

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