So i asked in a previous thread if people would be interested in knowing how to make things like this, so here it is. This charger specifically is bare minimum tools and materials and leaves room for improvement, which i will be doing later. I took a few pics and the instructions are written assuming you are smart. Asking questions doesnt make you dumb though.
This will start you off with a charger that will charge 2 AA batteries, the same thing can be done with 3 AAA with only needing to change the battery holder. this will cost you about $40 counting all of the tools needed. if you dont have any interest in doing more electrical work, it would be better for you to just buy a small solar charger. shop around if you dont have the tools already, you could quickly spend way more than you should on a solder iron, pliers and wire cutters.
First you will need to gather your tools and components.
Tools
-Precision pliers and wire cutters (just about any pliers and wire cutters will do but the smaller they are, the easier it will be.)
-solder iron
-scribe (not necessary but it is great for holding hot wires down)
-a hot glue gun will be a great tool here, using air curing glue or epoxy would be fine as long as it is acid free.
Components
1x 1N914 type Diode
1x 0.5W/4.5v solar panel
electrical tape
prototype board (Proto Board will be what you see on the package, it will help but isnt necessary at this point)
enclosure/container of your choice (this can be an electrical enclosure, altoids tin, mason jar, card box... doesnt really matter a whole lot.)
battery holer (x2 AA or x3 AAA holder)
solder
tip tinner will help
solder wick
at this point the battery holder and solar panel have enough wire to get the job done.
heres a pic with the things i used. yes i have a ton of diodes but i use these on other things too.
to start off on preparing your enclosure, use some hot glue to bind the solar panel to the enclosure. cut a hole in the enclosure and feed the wire leads through the hole. on mine the leads come through the middle of the bottom side of the tin, others may be different depending on what your panel looks like.
next connect the cathode (the end with the black stripe) of the Diode to the + (red wire) of your battery holder. this step will ensure that in the dark the solar panel will not draw power from the batteries. to get a good hold, grasp the lead with your precision pliers then use your finger to bend the lead in a loop. do not twist the pliers to bend the lead, all you will do is tear the lead out of the diode. feed the tip of the wire through the loop you just made, then solder it together.
At this point if you plan on using shrink tube to cover you solder points, now is the time to feed them on bother wires, then connect the anode (the end without the black stripe) end of the Diode to the solar panel and connect the black wires.
Now the simple circuit is done and this will work very well for charging a couple of batteries. all you have to do now is stuff the parts inside of you enclosure and add batteries. my pic shows a lot of extra wires but next week i will be adding a USB port for charging my phone or any other USB charging device. well as soon as i can find a port that doesnt cost $10. keep in mind, it is okay to scavenge parts and material from other electronics. which is likely where i will be getting that USB port.
This will start you off with a charger that will charge 2 AA batteries, the same thing can be done with 3 AAA with only needing to change the battery holder. this will cost you about $40 counting all of the tools needed. if you dont have any interest in doing more electrical work, it would be better for you to just buy a small solar charger. shop around if you dont have the tools already, you could quickly spend way more than you should on a solder iron, pliers and wire cutters.
First you will need to gather your tools and components.
Tools
-Precision pliers and wire cutters (just about any pliers and wire cutters will do but the smaller they are, the easier it will be.)
-solder iron
-scribe (not necessary but it is great for holding hot wires down)
-a hot glue gun will be a great tool here, using air curing glue or epoxy would be fine as long as it is acid free.
Components
1x 1N914 type Diode
1x 0.5W/4.5v solar panel
electrical tape
prototype board (Proto Board will be what you see on the package, it will help but isnt necessary at this point)
enclosure/container of your choice (this can be an electrical enclosure, altoids tin, mason jar, card box... doesnt really matter a whole lot.)
battery holer (x2 AA or x3 AAA holder)
solder
tip tinner will help
solder wick
at this point the battery holder and solar panel have enough wire to get the job done.
heres a pic with the things i used. yes i have a ton of diodes but i use these on other things too.
to start off on preparing your enclosure, use some hot glue to bind the solar panel to the enclosure. cut a hole in the enclosure and feed the wire leads through the hole. on mine the leads come through the middle of the bottom side of the tin, others may be different depending on what your panel looks like.
next connect the cathode (the end with the black stripe) of the Diode to the + (red wire) of your battery holder. this step will ensure that in the dark the solar panel will not draw power from the batteries. to get a good hold, grasp the lead with your precision pliers then use your finger to bend the lead in a loop. do not twist the pliers to bend the lead, all you will do is tear the lead out of the diode. feed the tip of the wire through the loop you just made, then solder it together.
At this point if you plan on using shrink tube to cover you solder points, now is the time to feed them on bother wires, then connect the anode (the end without the black stripe) end of the Diode to the solar panel and connect the black wires.
Now the simple circuit is done and this will work very well for charging a couple of batteries. all you have to do now is stuff the parts inside of you enclosure and add batteries. my pic shows a lot of extra wires but next week i will be adding a USB port for charging my phone or any other USB charging device. well as soon as i can find a port that doesnt cost $10. keep in mind, it is okay to scavenge parts and material from other electronics. which is likely where i will be getting that USB port.