Revisiting rechargeable PIR lights (Patreon)

maxresdefault.jpg

I thought it would be worth taking a look at some more recent versions of these. I've had some older ones on test for a while, and they do provide surprisingly useful light on demand in the event of power outages. For a while I had an issue with a failing appliance heater that would randomly trip the main RCD for the whole house (TT system) and these gave very reassuring light when the place was suddenly plunged into darkness. The lithium cell in the small unit has now been tested, and is a miserable 150mAh. The lithium cell from the device I showed does fit, but only barely, and with no room for an adhesive pad to stick it in. Other similar vapour devices may have slimmer lithium cells in them that are easier to fit in. As always, take extreme care when fitting lithium cells, due to their high energy release capabilities. If adding more cells in parallel, make sure their voltages are very close first to minimise current flow as they balance. The electrical tests at 4.2V (fully charged lithium cell) showed that the small unit uses between 7-70mA depending on the intensity setting, and will stay lit for twenty seconds after the last movement is detected. The standby quiescent current is a very good 22uA. I like this style of light a lot. They don't need recharged too often - especially when you boost the capacity a bit, and are perfect little lights for power outages or just late night prowling around the house. Keywords to find this type of light on eBay are:- USB rechargeable PIR light Typical cost should be around £$€5 for the small one. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=usb+rechargeable+pir+light&_sacat=0&_sop=15 Supporting the channel with a dollar or two on Patreon helps keep it independent of YouTube's quirks, avoids intrusive mid-video adverts, gives early access, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams. https://www.patreon.com/bigclive #ElectronicsCreators