Inside an inflatable solar camping light. (schematic)
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Quite a novel idea. It's basically a slim solar panel with battery and LEDs that is sealed into an inflatable plastic housing. When inflated the units goes from being very flat and easy to pack, to a modestly sized diffused hanging lantern. It puts out a useful amount of light at its low setting (ample to see and read by) and a lot more at its high setting. Guesstimated run times are around a day at low level, and around 8 hours at full output with gradual intensity reduction.
Output of the solar panel is around 50mA in ambient light and 100mA or more in full sunlight, giving a potential recharge time of between 8 hours upwards. I don't recommend that it be left in full hot sunshine for too long to protect the internal cell from overcharging and heat.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also helps keep the channel independent of UA-cam's advertising quirks and allows it to be more "relaxed".
Clive's voice + my sub-woofer = my own personal earthquake.
Joe Snes xD
I'm sure when Clive records his videos it can be noticed by the quake prediction stations
Yeah, it's a bit too much low end.
Yeah i prefer to watch these vids on my laptop because even when i kill the sub on my main computer, there's still to much bass and i can't stand it.
When I saw the notification for this, all that got displayed was "Inside an inflat..." First was a double take, and then a 'no, couldn't be ..." and then "He's really taking this channel in surprising directions." And then, "whew", turns out it's just Clive and the Real Gadget, which is a lot better than something you can't unsee.
Meanwhile I was disappointed
You should check out his other channel, hungclivedotcom.
mechtheist. Apparently you missed the one on Anal Electrodes.
He's done those kind of things before.
Carl Franz Thats one one of his Highlights yeah ;)
I encountered the round, frosted plastic, multicolour version of one of these today while closing a swimming pool. They had a number of them floating on top of their solar blanket. A neat way to show where the pool is when it’s dark, I thought. Very cool to see Clive tear one apart the same day! 🙌🏻
Hey Clive i just wanted to say a big Thank You! I watch your videos because i find them interesting and i wan't to get into electrical stuff but honestly when you show all the schematics i haven't a clue yet i don't let that stop me enjoying them. I recently got into a project where i need a new battery holder and i hadn't a clue about soldering. I found your beginner guide to soldering really handy and i bought myself a cheep little kit for basic repairs. ^-^
GothicKittyMadness great way to get started. I am an electronics noob myself I have been getting kits off of eBay and banggood and it has been great fun. They are cheap too.
Way to go GKM 👍 I warn you tho....electronics can get addictive 😉
Over time you'll recognise more and more components on the schematics until you can intuitively read them. It all just falls into place.
GothicKittyMadness ur pretty will hav mah baby?
Do any of you have a book to recommend that goes over basic circuit design/schematics/components? I'm studying electrical engineering and I have a circuits class next year and I want a head start.
Online some say the Make Electronics books or the practical electronics book by Simon monk.
Are there better books?
Add a fishing weight to the bottom and float it in a pool or pond.
Poundland were recently selling off their floating LED solar lights for 50p each.
I wonder if it could be used in the same way, for fishing. Like if there are types of fish that are attracted to light (thinking it's the moon or something) then use this as a float with the hook hanging just below it.
Weirdly mine says all over the manual and even on the lamp itself "DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER!" it's even got a little symbol showing just that, just in case it wasn't clear.
Of course it's bullshit as it's supposed to be inflatable, so how could it NOT be waterproof?
By the way I submerged it under 2 m of sea water and it didn't break :)
The round camping light works really well for float trips, we usually tie them to our rafts to have a light floaring near us
Hey Clive - Stay safe today. No going out in the wee wind!
That's what my wife said" It's not as big as I thought it would be." Good job I don't get offended easily. 😂
I went bikepacking with a group of guys, some of them had these... Super awesome and super light whoch is exactly what we need.
Those are cool, I used to tent camp when I was much younger, and loved it. A couple of years ago, we were down South in Arizona for the winter, and went to a city wide rummage sale, there I found a solar garden light top, just the top with the solar cell and an LED protruding from the bottom. First off, I didn't now for sure what it was, as it was filthy, but for a quarter I figured I could do something with the solar cell. So back to the RV we went, and I cleaned the little guy up, turned out to be in great shape, I stuck a rechargeable cell in her, and she worked just fine. I still have it, one day we had a power outage here in our home in SD, it lasted for many hours, I decided to put that little light to use. I put a AA Cell in it, and she came on, giving off some light but most of it right below th center of the LED. I had a glass of water beside my chair (I always have one of those handy) and just for shits and giggles, I placed the little light on the glass, nearly full with crystal clear water. Suddenly all around my chair became illuminated! Sort of like putting the globe on an oil lamp after lighting the wick. The water, much like that translucent plastic dispersed that light around the room and made a great occasional light for those days when the workmen just can't seem to get the power restored. Sort of reminds me of those lights I saw in hooches in Nam, where they had no power, some wise papa san took a pint jar, cut a hole in the roof in a dark room, and filled it with water, then covered the top with plastic wrap, he had made a wonderful solar light for the day time! Give that one a try, works great.
when he took the scissors to it so carelessly, was I the only one who had flashbacks of AvE opening boxes for his BOLTRs?
"Excuse me one moment while I blow it."
That's one of the best out-of-context quotes I've ever heard there.
I've see lights with large inflatable diffusors regularly at construction sites. The seem rather useful.
I go camping about once a year (motorcycle run over our labor day weekend) and in that location solar anything is a complete waste of time because there are LOTS of trees and few open areas that get sun for an extended period of time. Some people insist on bringing solar garden lights and whatnot and they're usually disappointed with their performance, even if they move them around during the day to try and get them to charge.
Inside my tent I use a 48-led disc light that runs off of 3 AA's and hangs close to the apex of the tent - plenty of light for my needs, though the one thing I'd wish for is a remote to turn it off after I get into my sleeping bag instead of having to faff about with a flashlight in between turning it off and getting into bed.
In messing around a bit this year, I realized that one of those 10M long strands of LED wire (the kind with the resin-dipped SMD LEDs) will encircle the outside top of my tent just under the rain fly, overlapping the length of one side - say, over the door where I might want it brighter. NOW I'm trying to remember if there are attachment points that would work for that inside the tent; with the USB power connection, I might be able to figure out a way to make it more convenient to use than the disc light... HMM!
wire led strings with solar (which you can insert AA battery with a few turn of the screw will work and easy to attach with a few cloth clips (dollar store). May not be enough light tho , would be very pretty.
Furr Bear if there aren't many attachment points you could always sew a few in.
just buy some stick on velcro
Dick Fageroni: Solar can make sense if one wants to do a permanent install somewhere there's no access to mains power and not have to keep changing batteries; obviously a very different use-case than a long weekend camping trip. ;)
Mark Howards: There's definitely seams at the corners and I should be able to attach there, if not elsewhere. Not sure if a binder clip would hold, but if it will I can just run the LED wire through the handles, _et voila!_ I'm rotten at sewing and I'd hate to damage the tent.
Proscriptus: As this isn't a backpacking trip weight isn't terribly important to me - it's just that solar makes little sense in this heavily forested site. I guess these people think they're being "green" - but an LED wire with a rechargeable USB power bank is no different in that way but it works much better. (And frankly, I go to that event to hang out with friends, not toh fuss with solar lights.)
I want more lights with cranks.
Unfortunately, you have prooved several times how does manufacturers don't care a **** about lithium batteries.... No protection circuits, disposables with fully functional rechargable lithium cells.... I also think the diffused lamp is better...
Put yourself in a shoes of a manufacturer of that shitty lamp... if your task would be to make something as cheaply as possible with a short lifespan (so your customers will have to buy more of your product in short time), you'd probably design similar product. No Chinese is too concerned about quality.
You said you'd hook it up to a power supply and check if it cuts the power. Obviously from the schematic it can't do that, but did you try it anyways? Maybe the LEDs turn on automatically so the cell won't overcharge?
I did charge it from the power supply and it just kept charging.
bigclivedotcom good so i can get more light out
Well this explains why one of those same lamps I bought stopped taking a charge almost immediately. Thanks!
Big Clive: "Let's open this one up!" **stabs inflated light with scissors**
Inflated Light: "AAAAAAAAAAH! YOU'RE KILLING ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" **dies**
I hope you enjoyed tonight's Halloween entertainment! :P I mean, those scissors just came from nowhere!
Well, he could use the 'X-RAY' Machine ...
And then "Let's see if we can get this out in a non destructive manner" *looking at the carnage already done*
Frosted has better light diffusion. Also clear has a cold white light. You could narrate audible story books with your soothing voice. 👍
Your knowledge base is quite stunning !
Would not surprise me if the solar cell is so poor the battery never really gets charged, it just slowly runs down until it works no more. I have a solar powered energy bank like that and the only way to recharge it is with the usb, in fact exposing it to sunlight runs the battery down as the charge indicator led's draw more power from the lithium cell than the solar panel can supply even on a summers day.
That gives me an idea for a gas lantern like project- white straw hat LEDs in frosted plastic shot glasses. Should look quite reminiscent of mantles.
2:48 I suppose the fact that they fold flat would be a major asset to campers or hikers moreso than people with vehicles. My understanding is that being able to shave off a few ounces or cubic inches of space in your pack is a big deal when you have to lug all your gear across miles of hiking trails.
Nice one for pointing out hidden product obsolescence 👍
Turns out your videos are really good when accidentally streaming to a school hall when in assembly...oops "hmmm let's get inside the unit" *scissors intensifies*
With Ophelia heading your way, Clive, you very well might have a use for the other lantern. Stay safe Big Clive.
Why do the Chinese think every flashlight needs a blink mode? I hate the blink mode. I'd want a flashlight to go low, high, blink(if you must), but if you delay a few seconds, the next push turns it off. I've got a headlight that goes high, low, blink; which means I can't just get a little light, I've got to go thru the mode for bright light, and worse, I have to go thru the remaining modes to get to off, including the blink mode -- every damn time.
When I saw the title I was hoping the panel itself was inflatable, like an air mattress that would collect like a square meter of sunlight but still fit in a backpack or saddlebag with ones other stuff. But the simple solar light in a beachball design is also neat, if only it could cutoff the charging in sunny places like Gobi or Nevada.
Little tip. If you use a drinking straw to inflate those it's much easier. That way you don't have to get in super close or fight the pseudo check valve.
The chip seems designed for this application. As such, it is plausible they integrated a zener diode into it to short the current from the battery into the chip as heat once the battery is fully charged. Also, the LEDs are in banks of 2 instead of one big bank of 10 because not all diodes are exactly the same, some will have a slightly lower or higher voltage drop than the rest. If that is the case, the larger the bank the wider the difference will be between the highest and lowest, as those with slightly higher drop draw less current which is then concentrated through the LEDs with slightly lower drops, heating them up and shortening their lives.
Bordering on going full AvE.....
There is only one true uncle bumblefuck!!!
250 pound bear.
I like ave
Should be fun seeing one of them in use in direct sunlight with an unprotected lithium cell and a hot, baking sun beaming down on it... :D
Wish you had done a side-by-side comparison of the illumination in darkness before destroying the "bag"...
(30 seconds comparison would've been enough to sate my curiosity)
The flashing modes on that camping light and flashlights is very annoying don't you think?
BUDDY LIGHT mmmm hate to state the obvious...but, only if you switch it on 😆
think its meant for a emergency signal to be easily spot
nobody will ever use it and a lotve the time you have to click through flash mode to turn thing off
I hate flashlights that flash.
If those had the protection circuit built in they're be great little lights. Uninflated they'd be great for an emergency kit since they'd take up so little room. Wonder if they'd float when inflated? If so they may be handy when boating at night,
very usable when going lightweight camping nice review
Well these are new to me, and you may need them if this hurricane they're predicting hits any place near you. Fingers crossed it dissipates before it does any real damage, tho, stay safe Clive!
a very usefull device if you do backcountry or backpacking where a standard camping light would take up a ton of usefull space in your backpack
My Mum has a few of these, the ones she has are called Luci Lights. One difference with the ones my mother has is that they have an LED battery gauge on them.
I camp once in a while. That is great for packing because it takes up virtually no space due to how flat it is. On the other hand it's a bit of a pain. If the light is that flat, they might as well put a diffuser right over the led's and call it a day. The inflatable section is pretty much useless. At the end of the day, once your camp is set up, your not going to have the energy/ enthusiasm to sit there and "inflate" a light lol! As for the battery, I would not feel safe carrying that around. The battery needs a dedicated framework to keep it from being punctured/ crushed. I have a black flashlight that's could almost be confused for a dirty grey flashlight due to hiking.
Were those the Scissors of Knowledge?
They were the scissors of sudden revelation.
Fairly sudden anyway.
The Scissors of Enlightenment, of course!
@@bigclivedotcom the vise of knowledge and the scissors of excitement lol
What is it with people who make lights and giving them a flashing mode? I've got them on my watches, night lights, flash lights, cellphone, etc. Like everything with a light has a blink mode and I've never use it aside from when I want to annoy someone.
Maybe that is the purpose then? But for real, I think it's sort of an "SOS' thing that if you're trapped somewhere with broken legs, maybe you've been screaming for help for days and lost your voice, this /could/ help. I think I would find the source of a flashing light if I saw it while camping.
A 3.9V zener across the lithium cell would give it some basic overcharge protection but low voltage zeners tend to be leaky so a charged battery would slowly discharge.
"It's not as big as I thought it'd be" - Big Clive, 2017
I have several of these. Has them recharging during the day then serve as night lights. They work so well. The chinese ones seem to last longer than the brand one at least for me. Only need to recharge once every 6or 12 months. Have one in my car, one in my backpack. The rest in the garden (garden lanterns) and house
I would love to see what you found inside the eBay solar controllers people use on campervans and such wonder if they are as good as stated
It seems with the clear unit, they are relying on the condensation from your breath to act as the diffuser. Us minimalist campers and lightweight hikers are always looking for our equipment to have multiple uses. Maybe I will end up picking up one of these little units and cannibalizing the solar cell for another use depending on the output of it.
My in-laws use these on their sailboat in the Caribbean, they love them. I wonder if there are higher-quality manufacturers that include protection... an unprotected lithium ion battery on a boat could be quite bad...
Clive, I realize this is quite an old video now, but I thought I'd answer your "question" about where these would be useful. I would take them with me when on a Kayaking trip. In a Kayak you have limited space for gear, especially stuff that needs to be waterproofed. I typically take a waterproof case for my phone that clips to my life vest. Then I also take a larger (about 150 cubic inch) waterproof container to fit everything else. Sometimes two of those. Then I take fishing gear, a backpack of clothing, and a tent. Once you add me in there, that pretty well fills up the Kayak. A couple of these in their deflated state would fit very nicely into my waterproof container(s) without taking up a lot of space.
Amazon sells these.
The clear round version is everywhere, but it took just a little more effort to dig up the diffuse square one.
Found a slightly upgraded version with a charge indicator.
Makes me wonder if they also added cell protection when they did. (I hope so.)
I'm guessing they are lighter and you don't have to carry batteries either. Plus they have a compact size which is important for backpacking.
Maybe we are a small market.. But spend some time living on a boat and you will understand the advantage of a sealed light like this.. Completely sealed means a long life without corroding itself to death.
+Travis Wizniuk You've just made realise that standard solar garden lights could be put in heat seal plastic tubing.
These would be good for distance hikers. You can hang it on your pack solar panel side up in the day time then inflate for later at night
"its not as big as I thought", yeah we've all heard that on a cold camping trip
hey clive,i love your videos(been watching over a year), would it be possible if you could do a tear down of a cheap disposal camera and go into the details about the capacitor used.Thanx.
Interesting camping lights. Good luck with #OpheliaStorm tonight and tomorrow going to be blowing gale down the Irish sea onto the Isle of Man. Stay safe.
It's suspiciously calm outside right now. The Isle of Man gets a lot of storms.
bigclivedotcom the calm before the storm. Quite rugged place being in the middle of the Irish Sea bet you see lot of rain and wind.
It's calm here in Blackpool too . It looks like it's going to snow the way the light is.. might catch the tail end of it , might be very blowy . It's in the hands of ma nature now.
The one I have is flat and has magnets for mounting. Also has 4 power level LED's ( the holes on the board).
I wonder if there would be a way to just order the circuit board fully populated, minus the battery and minus the plastic covering? Since they are using batteries without overcharge protection in them, that could conceivably get them banned at customs as a fire hazard, as is. Selling it DIY would put that liability onto the consumer, who could actually add a common phone battery that has proper overcharge protection built-in. They could also add some more shopping cart options by adding mounting kits of various types that fit the circuit board's dimensions.
Any sense what the solar charge rate is?
I picked up a similar light the other day. It uses a silicone water bottle as diffuser but otherwise the same idea. What was disappointing was how little charge current the solar cell actually provided - 20mA at most in peak sunlight and less than 10mA more generally. Since it discharges at ~200mA this translates to a fraction of an hour's illumination per day of charge. This is pretty useless for a lantern which would ideally be used for ambient light for a few hours each night. The lack of over-discharge protection is also a critical flaw since ambient lighting tends to be left on unsupervised.
Too bad, a sealed, self-sufficient lighting source would provide one less thing to manage when camping.
Thanks for the fun content as always.
This video reminds me. Any projects ideas for a solar panel taken from a pounland light that's been hacked.
Thanks Sir Clive.
Are they water proof? that's pretty neat actually.
I have a 30w solar cell to charge a 12v car battery. In ambient light the efficiency of the cell is about 5%, so not much chance of over charging.
Useful in flood situations?
Speaking of camping products, I bought and have opened up an (as seen on TV] motion sensing light that solar charges a no name 800 Mah Lipo battery. I am very curious if it will continue to charge or if it has a cut off to keep from overcharging, as I have it installed near some very expensive lightweight gear. An explosion would be devastating. The panel claims a 0.75 Mah charging rate and at that rate, in theory it could charge the battery in about 10 hours. Definitely within 2 days. I'm curious to know if it cuts off when the battery is full or if it will cut off. I am just getting into these sort of projects and LOVE your channel!! I have learned so much and appreciate what you do! Anyway, I will gladly send this product to you to breakdown and destroy if you are interested in doing so.
Most commercial products do have charge protection.
bigclivedotcom, Right after writing the above comment, I began searching the internet for an answer as well. and I came across many testimonials where these things were catching on fire and burning peoples' homes. which leads me to believe that they will just continue to charging. I also found a few links to U.S. Consumer Safety Board and Better Business Bureau with the same claims. It seems these little Chinese guys are pretty dangerous. If you are interseted in one to dissect, I will gladly send you one.
So I was thinking. The clear unit, when you start to inflate it with your breath, the condensation will adhere to the side of the unit creating a diffusion effect. The only thing is that it wont be as nice as the translucent one.
They're great for emergency kits or to keep in a car. Also, the very small size is helpful if you are backpacking. And, no, you don't carry a pump or an air mattress, too heavy.
That is a brilliant invention, simple and compact and if they had a switch which could energise flashing red LEDs would be a good safety beacon to assist mountain rescue hunting for lost or injured climbers or hikers. Why didn't I come up with that idea ffs. 😭😭
Easier to pack and carry around because they take up almost no space. They can be charged by being carried on the outside of your pack during the day.
Seems to me there is no alternative to battery power lanterns or just bring some of garden solar lights and a bag of batteries to install while camping and put them back in your garden after you're done?
No over-discharge protection either then?
I’ve always just bit down gently on that kind of valve to inflate them. I wonder if that’s destructive to the valve in the long-term, though I’ve never had a problem with it.
Josh Myer not really, that's actually how they are meant to be used. Biting on it will open the little flap inside, same for deflating.
We have the same product in the States, the brand is Luci. The inflatable plastic enclosure and reflector are the same, but the solar panel looks different. The Luci model has another button to indicate the level of charge in the battery. Pressing this button illuminates 1,2,or3 small indicator LEDs. Any unpopulated region of the board for this circuit?
Interesting review as always. Clive, my friend, baton down the hatches and dog the doors - you have a big blow coming.
Gully Foyle fnarr fnarr...
Hi Clive
Have you battened down the hatche's?
(Ps- the audio is very bassy)
Thanks
Is there a way you can test lumins, or do you just do an eye test for brightness?
I do have a light meter, but to get a proper average reading you need to use an integrating sphere. It's easier to judge usefulness by eye.
We always drop penlights into milk jugs. Works great.
I had a couple of these charging on the dashboard, probably not a great idea then. Impressive runtime though 16 hrs+
Mr Clive can you tear down 12 w led bulb that's led PCB is direct on board there use blue MOV ..its a request please
It sounds like the driverless style LED lamp. Some of them ride the mains sinewave, switching in sections of LEDs to match the voltage and also actively regulating the current. Others just have a long series string of LEDs and act as a current regulator to drop the remaining voltage.
Are you sure the chip doesn't turn on the LEDs to dissipate extra charge and protect the cell?
The chip started passing current progressively from about 5V but not in a way that would protect the cell.
In your schematic is the 2nd ladder the solar panel? Why are the leds connected separately to the chip? Why not have the leds in series and drive them with a transistor if needed?
"It's not as big as I thought it would be", said the actress to the Bishop
The ones at a shop near me have battery indicated leds
If they are decently waterproof they could be good for floating in a pool/pond etc
That must be my favorite kind of plastic. What kind is it?
I think it's vinyl.
besides the lack of protection it also doesn't appear to have external charging. It looks designed for backpacker's whose arch enemy is space constraints and weight.
Matthias over at team edge reviewed one it was aimed at disaster situations (Solight Solarpuff Portable Compact LED Solar Lantern)
This is a copy of the Luci light, which they have several different sizes of lights exactly like this, and they also have a full RGB one! :D
After fiercely sticking scissors in the thing he discovers... Oh, it's got a lithium!
these things are great for there light weightiness expescally for long ranger backpacking or ultra light weight camping its all about wight
Maybe chip switches LEDs on for battery protection.
Good video. As always
Amazing video man. How long should I charge this battery for ? Thank you
It's hard to say due to the lack of proper protection against overcharge.
yes that's interesting foxy likes foxy also has an inflatable pin cushion
Yep.. Over time the solar heat will build causing the lipo battery to expand and become unstable. I had one similar and it wasnt even inflatable, luckily i caught it semi puffed up then modded a protected 18650 on it.
(mine had circuitry and i just didnt want a mini hand grenade waking me up in my tent as everything burned down around me)
Welp I've had the exact same one he took apart sitting on my window sill for 3 months, gonna go move that.
I think it was a problem/miscommunication between the design and parts departments. Probably the parts was like "Give them the cheapest batteries" and the design called for a protected battery.
skyliner_369 Problem with these things is the design and manufacturing teams often don't even work for the same company. One place comes up with a design and then sends out to a bunch of other factories to build the various bits. Then if it sells everyone else copies it. Then copies the copies. All the while removing components to make theirs cheaper than the original. It's a miracle these things are as broadly safe as they are.
the only reason things are safe is because of regulations.
skyliner_369 Regulations? This is China we're talking about... In Shenzhen there are no regulations!
Guys, there is some military spec for battery charging? That should e interesting reading. Can you point me on it more precisly, please? Or just good old Google method I shall use?
The chip *could* protect the cell by turning on the LEDs when the cell voltage is high.
Should be rebranded as "Accordion lights."