Thanks a million Kevin! I've been hacking at my wife's solar lights that die for YEARS trying to get them going again - she loves cool glass, and the electronics that come with the cool glass are always crap so it's been a huge pain to recover from corrosion, re-solder broken connections, or even just tin the garbage wire that they use. The 4-pin Mystery Silicon has always been present; one switch, what I thought was a resistor, solar panel input, and battery contacts. Today after a particularly cool looking one died, I finally decided I'm going to dig deeper and figure these things out - I'm going to design & 3D print housings and come up with my own battery+solar driver circuit dammit! A little Google effort and I found this video - SUPER HELPFUL! 4-pin guy is an ASIC! Scooby Doo Mystery Solved! Thanks again! :)
@gearhead08004 жыл бұрын
nice job Kevin, you have a real teaching type of presentation. You present in depth information while not showing off and seem actually concerned that your listeners are getting the information. Kudos
@Roadhvac2 жыл бұрын
I was a HVAC service tech for years and I've always been interested in circuitry. I was always tearing apart circuit boards to see if I cold repair them or see what the issue was. I found this interesting. Thanks for the info🤯👍
@enriqueeenriquez21802 жыл бұрын
The approach of using the oscilloscope to show the DC-DC conversion was simple and elegant, great job!!! it shows the reader that it is not a simple DC circuit, but a complex and robust IC . Thank you!
@elsupremo91882 жыл бұрын
Looking for a fix I ran into this video from a very smart man and I was mesmerized even though I could not understand all the technical jargon Kevin was saying, it was intoxicating and made me realize why I am such an average uninteresting dude that can in most situations never complete a task with out running into complications of my own creation...Of course I soon as I saw how technical this was I should have immediately gone to another page but no I was glued to the lights and the graphs and the schematics and all the fancy technical names for these little electrical thingiiees that made me want to be smart like Darrah so that I could fix the darn solars! Not to be in this lifetime. Ok done, time for a coffee and some medicine...
Your tutorials are awesome and I want to thank you for that. I learned pretty much through your Tutorials. Keep on staying creative and sharing your knowledge. Wishing you a merry X-mas and all the best for your future!
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
thanks! Merry Christmas to you too
@JerryEricsson7 жыл бұрын
Had to watch this, I picked up one of those tops, a bit different, mine has the 8 pin package but pretty much the same, found it on a table at a community yard sale for a nickle. It was so dirty I had no idea what the hell it was till I got it back to the camper and cleaned it up. Put an AA cell in it and it came to life. Sure not sure what I am going to do with it, but I think to start with the solar is coming off and will be re-purposed to run some other device of some sort. They are very interesting, I built my own joule thief following Big Clive's video and it works great running a high output LED from a dead (mostly ) AA battery.
@Ashricks7 жыл бұрын
great video, love the way you explain everything.
@kamran_aghlami7 жыл бұрын
Now if i could get my hands on that chip 🤔, greate work, You have tauht me more than any teacher has ever done, keep it up
@jp0407597 жыл бұрын
I have seen these available on Ebay from China for pennies. Have fun.
@kamran_aghlami7 жыл бұрын
jp040759 awesome, now all i have to do is waiting for ebay to be available in my region. 😔 thanks for the notice though
@cycnus7 жыл бұрын
I'm sure you should be able to find ome AliExpress supplier able to ship to your place: www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&SearchText=QX5252
@HillsWorkbench7 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the link.
@motormadness99757 жыл бұрын
check www.bangood.com as well for electronics. ive had good experiences so far (about 10 items bought). shipping is slow
@garthhowe2977 жыл бұрын
Hi Kevin, I have been looking every night at my sad outdoor LED lights. When they do light, they look great with the snow around them. But like you, I have been pondering an upgrade. So I would love to see a follow up video, or two, with some recommended upgrades.
@AlCatrraz6 жыл бұрын
I was hoping you will show how to "upgrade" this circuit..
@klausbrinck21374 жыл бұрын
The bottom line being, that the circuit is already perfect, u don´t "upgrade" it any more, u rather upgrade other circuits with it...
@Rainbow__cookie5 жыл бұрын
Wow a connector i did not expect that They make them cheap as posible but still spend some cents on a connector
@lelandlewis72072 жыл бұрын
That was interesting. Eliminates the need for an LDR or other such light sensing circuit. Basically, your cell now doubles as your sensor.
@stdavross6666 жыл бұрын
great video, much more in depth than I was expecting.
@cncdn46236 жыл бұрын
My biggest problem is solar panel itself, seems that either photo resistor drops dead or they are already selling these lamps with screwed up panels, as in 70% of bought, they dont react to day-night, so 1st day they lit up, drain battery and NEVER recharge again, can this thing be fixed ?
@Maclman17 жыл бұрын
I would love to see a video on DC-DC boost converters! good video, too.
@freebird19635 жыл бұрын
How you fix that switch so that it doesn't short out the lights. Mine won't come on now but if I move the switch back to off then back to on they flicker but don't stay on.
@decompyler7 жыл бұрын
Chinese says: Light Control Switch (top-left), Over discharge protecion (bottom-left), Switch-type drive circuit (right)
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
thanks!
@AlCatrraz6 жыл бұрын
I got the same thing in my fortune cookie...
@Rick_Cleland3 жыл бұрын
@@AlCatrraz 😮😮😮
@bankshot99856 күн бұрын
i know i wont get an answer but does anyone know how to make it boost to more like 4volts?
@3dPrintCreator7 жыл бұрын
I still don't understand where the measurement of the available light is done to turn the LED On or Off. There must be some critical voltage in the QX5252F that's uses the solar panel as a LDR like device.
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
yep, it must be monitoring that solar panel pin to decide whether or not to turn the LED ON. Funny thing is that the LED turns on when you disconnect the panel, so that makes sense.
@paulh25255 жыл бұрын
Check out how solar panel is used to turn led on/off. www.reuk.co.uk/wordpress/solar/use-solar-panel-as-darkness-detector/
@Tuneman-iy8og2 жыл бұрын
thanks kevin you rock
@johnmellor60657 жыл бұрын
wow im straight off to my local pound shop to get some , great stuff
@sepig.s.17143 жыл бұрын
Nice Video explaining the board. Question, is it inductor problem if LED light stays on while solar panel exposed to light?
@justtinkering6713 Жыл бұрын
Mine has a chip labeled Aj7y1. Only 5 pins. Smd chip. Anybody know what this is?
@tablatronix7 жыл бұрын
wow those are fancy, jst connector, led driver ..
@NA124953 жыл бұрын
I was also waiting to see the RGB LED and WiFi interface. What about that battery to make it last longer through the night?
@getyourbone5 жыл бұрын
What is the highest safe voltage input from the solar panel... want to use the guts of a solar light and replace the solar panel with a 5v inductive charge coil receiver for a string of led lights. Does this have some kind of over voltage protection/reduction on the input side from the solar pane feed? Not in any way familiar with this kind of thing so not even sure how to ask question.
@mikeadelberg34095 жыл бұрын
if you replaced the 600mah battery with a 900mah or higher would it stay on longer? or would it just need more sunlight charge time, or would it screw up the ASIC?
@LetricShave6 жыл бұрын
Awesome analysis!
@kimberlypurdy63563 жыл бұрын
I have a small garden solar light that isn’t working but the identical one is working really well. I have taken apart except removing the cell itself (which can be if needed) and found my red positive wire is no longer connected to the cell. Can someone tell me where that darn tiny red wire attaches? This light has blue, red and black wires, 2 of each. I can send a pic and would most likely be really simple for someone who knows the basics.
@travismoore7849 Жыл бұрын
/Would it work with a 500uh inductor
@MarcelDiane6 жыл бұрын
Two Questions Kevin, How many SMD LEDs do you think it could run? Do you know how many mH is the coil?
@ovi_46 жыл бұрын
It will not be mH but microHenry. How many SMD LED's? Well, you need to know the current (in milliamps) each individual LED needs to light up (decently) first. Then read the battery capacity (written on it) and do some simple math. then you'll know. Regarding the coil size you have a look at the color code (rings) on the coil and find a table (that shoul be available on-line somewhere I'm sure ) or measure it with an LCR meter (if you can get your hands on one)
@7juan173 жыл бұрын
If I want to use a 1.5 A and 3.7V lighting, which transistor do you recommend?
@torquemate504 жыл бұрын
Great job. Thanks.
@iLive2Ride767 жыл бұрын
Great video Kevin. More like this 😀
@fireofenergy5 жыл бұрын
Is there any way to "do this" such as to prevent battery discharge past _1.8v_ and operate at around 2.5v ? I ask not for just putting two nimh in series, but to utilize the awesome 2.2v _lithium titanate_ battery which withstands charging in -20 C and high temps, too. Also (supposedly) some 7,000 - 30,000 charge cycles! I imagine having to use more parts, since I couldn't afford to have a dedicated chip made just for that! And, thanks for this video! I am "testing" a 1500 mAh one by charging it in the sun (a couple of days were just 15 F) and discharging LEDs ALL the time, about 45 mA (3 Amber LEDs in parallel) each with about a 13 ohm resistor. And with NO diode, because that would drop too much voltage from the 2.5v ~200mA panel. It doesn't seem to lose juice through the panel at night. will last for about 48 hours or so without a full charge (only gets up to about 2.6v because too many tree shadows and LEDs on all the time. Of course, there's less current the next day, so, seems to last a lot longer (and has yet to dim completely). The "switch" is just me taking the battery out of the 18650 holder... So yeah, I want to be able to do it right with a chip like the QX5252 that would work for this 1 volt higher requirement. I've searched and came to the conclusion that the LTO battery is very unpopular (due to its low voltage? Can't even find a cheap protective circuit board like they have for li-ion). If you have the expertise to design such a board, I'd be able to pay after I get catch up with bills (painter in the winter, I am) ! Thanks for considering!
@sabinekatsavrias44227 жыл бұрын
i got some of those but they filled with water the first time it rained and broke
@veronicazrnchik90145 жыл бұрын
Help--something wrong with the solar panel or light sensor. Light goes on but won't go off when light is present. What could I do to fix it? There are like 6 of them but only 2 currently working. They are really nice copper or copper-look design. I love them and can't afford to replace them. Any suggestions to fix them? They don't have the plug thing--everything is soldered. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
@edstar835 жыл бұрын
Try putting in a new rechargeable battery.
@SweetPea19705 жыл бұрын
Impressive! Can you take a electric pump and make it solar? Is it possible?
@garysprague80864 жыл бұрын
I was also hoping to show how to upgrade
@motormadness99757 жыл бұрын
Hey Kevin, do you have qualifications in electrical/electron engineering by any chance? great vid as usaul
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
yep, got a EE
@amoljoshi65467 жыл бұрын
Any one knows eable library for TO-94 package so that I can put QX5252 on the schematic?
@DanielRowe7 жыл бұрын
That ASIC will probably have a comparator?
@HillsWorkbench7 жыл бұрын
Thanks Kevin. Been waiting for someone to do a video on this.! I need longer run time, shorter charge times. Battery capacity seems easy to increase with higher capacity NiCds available. And could I use a LSD NiMH or won't they charge well at 1.2V?
@HillsWorkbench7 жыл бұрын
And I wonder if I could double the solar input voltage with two solar cells in series and charge a large capacity NiMH 'AA' cell.At least in my mostly shaded areas.
@johnberry53392 жыл бұрын
@@HillsWorkbench That's exactly what I am trying to do :) Did you ever find the answer? Thanks John :)
@AliAhmadi-hq9pj2 жыл бұрын
Nice video. When you cover photocell the light goes on not when you cover solar panel
@patrickjeromeobaldo24502 жыл бұрын
It works like a joule thief.
@dipakkerkal70206 жыл бұрын
did you made its Schematic? i want to know the position of switch.
@murraymadness46742 жыл бұрын
My looking at the switch in one I have is it cuts off the +bat from the chip, which seems to me it also is cutting off the solar panel from charging the battery. I need to keep the battery charging and not lighting up at night, and not sure where the switch goes. If I switch off the inductor, it may still consuming power running the transitor on/off at 200khz, so confused.
@dipakkerkal70202 жыл бұрын
@@murraymadness4674 I delivered products with switch at SW pin.
@murraymadness46742 жыл бұрын
@@dipakkerkal7020 what is the SW pin? I modified one so the switch is between the inductor and the chip. However, I am concerned with long wires to the switch it will create emf. I'm thinking now to put a big (relatively) capacitor on the led and switch the led- wire off.
@dipakkerkal70202 жыл бұрын
@@murraymadness4674 LX pin, that switches the inductor. You did the same. Capacitor on LED will reduce effective brightness.
@garthhowe2977 жыл бұрын
I took apart a Halloween lantern thingy, and found the identical circuit as this. How do you determine what looks like a resistor, is indeed an inductor?
@motormadness99757 жыл бұрын
Axial inductors tend to be sea foam green, although some are pea green or even cyan. The cyan ones you can tell from 1% resistors because they have one fewer band.
@garthhowe2977 жыл бұрын
Thanks
@cncdaddio7 жыл бұрын
Does the solar panel double-up as an LDR replacement you think?
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
yep, but looks like there's a way you can use an LDR if you want
@cncdaddio7 жыл бұрын
I was wondering how they implement that..Looking at the schematic wouldn't they always see the battery voltage? (and the solar panel voltage would never go above the battery voltage because of the charging). How do they know when it's dark? Maybe 'Lx' is more then an open collector and they use the LED as LDR?...The chip 'schematic' doesn't tell the whole story.
@enriqueeenriquez21802 жыл бұрын
I think it is just simply, no power from the solar cell means, it is dark, then the control logic inside the chip does the magic
@enriqueeenriquez21802 жыл бұрын
Then the control logic inside the chip as well as the LED are powered by the battery
@CrazyCoupleDIY6 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot for that
@julianblow47395 жыл бұрын
Your 600mah don't last all night? My 200mah ones do. O.o
@1_HighDuke7 жыл бұрын
Hey Kevin, thanks for the great explanations. I've been looking into light/dark sensors a bit and I'm just curious if you know a solution with a low quiescent current drain. A 'standard' Darlington pair sensor with a photoresistor and two transistors works well but has a drain of a few milliamps. Would a setup with op amps work better? Thanks.
@felixcat43467 жыл бұрын
Source unit = power supply, when did this happen?
@Kevindarrah7 жыл бұрын
oh, well just using for a power supply :)
@pulesjet5 жыл бұрын
Dang , that one looks like its constructed WAY better then the Dollar Story variety I mess with. They even used a Connector ? LOL All that and then they install a Wimpy azz 600mAh Chiniesium NiCad. Just replace that with a real Sub C NiCad out of a old Drill Battery Pack and you would have something. The circuit is working employing the Joule thief concept. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule_thief
@xsauce38584 жыл бұрын
Basically a joule their circuit
@zhenhuachen66117 жыл бұрын
i have this type product. the same
@cayrick3 жыл бұрын
interesting
@klausbrinck21374 жыл бұрын
Please, why didn´t u draw tha whole circuit, an then draw a circle (on your drawing) around the components that are inside this intergrated 4-pin-circuit...??? This´d have been much more comprehensive and educational... I very well understand the clever idea behind its function, but knowning nothing about electronics, I cannot apply that knowledge, for that I´d need the circuit, cause I´m an absolute beginner!!! still thumbs up...
@patprop745 жыл бұрын
im late to the party, but its basically a Joule thief with a solar voltage switch.
@elmocotton30783 жыл бұрын
Chinese writing on spec sheet says: American f-35 fighter has carbon fiber wing spar.
@Isti4713 күн бұрын
You wrong,this writing says American is Mother Terorist...😂😂
@JerryEricsson7 жыл бұрын
Sort of a juele thief circuit in disguise.
@JohnJohnson-zk1rr7 ай бұрын
You started off with... "I want to see if I can swap to a lithium battery" and "a led upgrade." After 12min of electrical circuitry gibberish... absolutely no conclusion or answer to your own original question and provided us with zero information to either of the upgrades you proposed. No answers; No parts list; No build demo... Nothing... you sir are an engineer.