hi,
i've got what seems to be a simple little project i'm taking on. i have no experience with this stuff, and my internet research has only served to confuse me more. i can't seem to find the answer to my question in threads around here, so i'll simple lay it all out and see if anyone can advise.
i'm setting up some l.e.d. lights in a tree that will run all night and will be battery powered. not sure where to start so i'll just start explaining...
so i ordered 4 of these (green, 100 degree flood angle - check out the “specifications” tab towards the bottom) today to put in some of these. i've already built weather-proof housings to put the sockets and bulbs in and mounting brackets.
tech support at superbrightleds told me that the bulbs would use 1.2 watts each, or 100 milliamps. not sure if that's per hour, but i assume it is. there's 4 lights, so multiply that times 4.
i was gonna use a deep-cycle marine battery (~$100+) to power them, hooked thru a dust-dawn photocell, charged by a 20 watt solar panel (~$100+) connected to a charging control unit (~$30) to prevent the battery from over-charging… from what i understand a 20 watt panel will charge a car/marine battery sufficiently.
it would be great if i could simply power it with a 12v deer feeder battery (~$30 "Universal Battery" brand) and a 12 watt solar panel (~$30) from my local feed store. i’m just not sure if that is going to be enough to run the lights all night then charge the battery back to capacity the next day. i have no doubt the battery will power the lights through the night, what concerns me is the battery not charging all the way back up the next day and the lights slowly de-charging the battery over time, then all i gots is dark...
what i don’t want to do is buy a $30 battery and $30 solar panel only to find out a month later that i have to buy a $100 battery and a $100 solar panel.
also, i'd like input on what to put this stuff in if anyone has ideas. a galvanized box with a lip-over lid would be perfect. an ammo can with a sealed lid might work too, if it’s big enough. just has to be metal (squirrels) and rain-proof. i plan on just lag-bolting it to the tree the lights will be mounted in. i’m also gonna run the 18 gauge (is that sufficient?) wiring through flexible metal conduit so the tree rats can’t chew it up.
i'd appreciate any and all help.
thanks.
i've got what seems to be a simple little project i'm taking on. i have no experience with this stuff, and my internet research has only served to confuse me more. i can't seem to find the answer to my question in threads around here, so i'll simple lay it all out and see if anyone can advise.
i'm setting up some l.e.d. lights in a tree that will run all night and will be battery powered. not sure where to start so i'll just start explaining...
so i ordered 4 of these (green, 100 degree flood angle - check out the “specifications” tab towards the bottom) today to put in some of these. i've already built weather-proof housings to put the sockets and bulbs in and mounting brackets.
tech support at superbrightleds told me that the bulbs would use 1.2 watts each, or 100 milliamps. not sure if that's per hour, but i assume it is. there's 4 lights, so multiply that times 4.
i was gonna use a deep-cycle marine battery (~$100+) to power them, hooked thru a dust-dawn photocell, charged by a 20 watt solar panel (~$100+) connected to a charging control unit (~$30) to prevent the battery from over-charging… from what i understand a 20 watt panel will charge a car/marine battery sufficiently.
it would be great if i could simply power it with a 12v deer feeder battery (~$30 "Universal Battery" brand) and a 12 watt solar panel (~$30) from my local feed store. i’m just not sure if that is going to be enough to run the lights all night then charge the battery back to capacity the next day. i have no doubt the battery will power the lights through the night, what concerns me is the battery not charging all the way back up the next day and the lights slowly de-charging the battery over time, then all i gots is dark...
what i don’t want to do is buy a $30 battery and $30 solar panel only to find out a month later that i have to buy a $100 battery and a $100 solar panel.
also, i'd like input on what to put this stuff in if anyone has ideas. a galvanized box with a lip-over lid would be perfect. an ammo can with a sealed lid might work too, if it’s big enough. just has to be metal (squirrels) and rain-proof. i plan on just lag-bolting it to the tree the lights will be mounted in. i’m also gonna run the 18 gauge (is that sufficient?) wiring through flexible metal conduit so the tree rats can’t chew it up.
i'd appreciate any and all help.
thanks.
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