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Adding Solar Powered Rechargeable Batteries to the Kitronik LED Strip

2025-01-31 | By Kitronik Maker

License: See Original Project Batteries

Courtesy of Kitronik

Guide by Kitronik Maker

We love releasing new kits and modules, especially when they can be powered ‎by batteries. Batteries are super convenient and allow the user lots of location ‎options for their projects. The only downside being, you'll need some more ‎batteries, or... 🤔

This simple guide shows how you can easily add a solar powered recharging ‎circuit to our new Kitronik LED Strip with Solder Free Connections. If you are going ‎to create an enclosure for the kit this resource will allow you to include a ‎sustainable power source in your design, It is an adaptation of the guide created for ‎the Kitronik Solar Power Starter Kit. The beauty of this set-up is that it can be re-‎used for other projects with the same power requirements. Examples of kits that ‎can be used with this rechargeable solar power set-up are; 5V LED Desk Lamp ‎Kit (the Solar Power Kit ships with this kit included), 2157 FM Radio Kit V2.0, ‎the 2165 Mono Amplifier Version 3.0, and the 2162 USB Fan Kit.‎

‎‎Solar Power:‎

solar_1

As of 2017, renewable energy accounted for more than 25% of energy produced in ‎the UK every year, with environmental targets making this figure likely to increase ‎significantly in the years ahead. Elsewhere around the world, renewable energy is ‎making a far higher contribution to electricity generation already, and solar energy ‎has the potential to play a big part in this global drive for a more sustainable future. ‎Kitronik can help towards this goal, as by combining a few components and kits, it ‎is possible to build a simple solar charging and power supply system for a variety ‎of useful low power devices.‎

We Used:‎

Building the circuit:‎

circuit_3

Example Circuit

NOTE: ‎

  • Although the LED strip has solderless connectors, a soldering iron and some ‎additional connection wires are required for construction of the powering ‎circuit.‎

  • Care should be taken when adding the kit to be powered to the solar ‎powering circuit, the LED module board can be damaged by connecting it ‎the wrong way around.‎

The recharging circuit is super simple; the Solar cell, BAT 41 Diode, and the ‎Battery holder are all connected in series, as shown in the above diagram. The ‎diode is to prevent the batteries from discharging back into the solar cells if there ‎is insufficient light. The solar cell will charge the batteries at a safe maximum of 10% ‎of their total capacity.‎

recharging_3

Once the charging circuit has been built, the LED strip can be connected in parallel ‎with the charging system. A toggle switch added to provide simple on/off ‎functionality. Provided there is enough light falling on the solar cell, the batteries ‎will continue charging whether the LEDs are on or off. More detailed information ‎can be found in the additional resources below. And more detailed build information ‎for the solar charging circuit can be found in this set of instructions for the Solar ‎Power Starter Kit. ‎

Additional Resources:

©Kitronik Ltd – You may print this page & link to it but must not copy the page or part thereof ‎without Kitronik's prior written consent.

制造商零件编号 2157
FM RADIO KIT V2.0
Kitronik Ltd.
制造商零件编号 2165
MONO AMPLIFIER VERSION 3.0
Kitronik Ltd.
制造商零件编号 DKS-2AAM
BATT CONTACT SPR AA 3 CELL LEADS
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