Tutorial de Low-tech Lab | Categories : Energy
This tutorial allows you to make a solar lamp equipped with a USB charger. It uses lithium cells that are reused from a old or damaged laptop. This system, with a day of sunlight, can fully charge a smartphone and have 4 hours of light.
This tutorial allows you to make a solar lamp equipped with a USB charger. It uses lithium cells that are reused from a old or damaged laptop. This system, with a day of sunlight, can fully charge a smartphone and have 4 hours of light.
lampe, solaire, batterie lithium recyclées, récupération, batterie ordinateur portable, recyclage, cellules lithium usagées, NomadeDesMers, nomade des mers, liter of light
Lithium is a natural resource whose stocks are increasingly used for electric cars, telephones, and computers. This resource is gradually being depleted over time. Its increased use in battery manufacturing is mainly due to its ability to store more energy than nickel and cadmium. The replacement of electrical and electronic equipment is accelerating and it is becoming an increasingly important source of waste. France currently produces 14kg to 24kg of electronic waste per inhabitant per year. This rate increases by about 4% per year. In 2009, only 32% of young French people aged between 18 and 34 years old, have once recycled their electronic waste. In the same year 2009, according to Eco-systèmes, from January to September 2009, 113,000 tonnes of CO2 were avoided through the recycling of 193,000 tonnes of DEEE.
However, this waste has a high recycling potential. In particular, the lithium in the cells of computer batteries can be recovered and reused. When a computer battery does not work anymore, it is because one or more cells are defective, but some remain in good condition and can be reused. From these cells it is possible to create a separate battery, which can be used to power an electric drill, recharge your phone or be connected to a solar panel to operate a lamp. By associating several cells it is also possible to form batteries of storage of more important device.
The design of this lamp is inspired by a system documented by the Nomade des Mers expedition on the island of Luzong in the northern Philippines. The association Liter of Light has been installing similar systems in villages without electricity for nearly 6 years, also organizing training to allow villagers to repair the lamps independently (already 500 000 lamps installed).
(Turn on subtitles for the video, you will have every details !)
Youtube
Cells extraction
For the lamp fabrication :
This tutorial shows how to recover computer cells to make a new battery. Powered by a solar panel, or by a USB port, it will allow you to light an LED lamp.
The system works around three modules:
Energy Receiving Module: Photovoltaic Panel & Charge Controller
The photovoltaic panel concentrates the energy of the sun. It allows to recover its energy in order to store it in the battery. But be careful, the amount of energy received by the panel is irregular depending on the time of day, the weather... it is important to install a charge/discharge regulator between the panel and the battery. This will be protected against overload, among other things.
Energy storage module: the battery
It is composed of two lithium cells recovered from a computer. To put it in a nutshell, a battery is a bit like a box containing several batteries: each of them is a cell, a unit that supplies power to the device by electrochemical reaction.
The cells found in computers are lithium cells. They all have the same capacity to store energy, but their ability to make it is different for each. To form a battery from cells it is important that they all have the same ability to deliver energy. It is therefore necessary to measure the capacity of each cell to compose homogeneous batteries.
Module that renders the energy: the LED lamp, the 5V USB port and its voltage converter
Our battery supplies us with 3.7V power and the LED lamps we used operate at the same voltage. In addition, the USB ports provide a voltage of 5V. We therefore need to transform the cell energy from 3.7V to 5V: using a voltage converter called DC/DC booster
1) Removing the cells from the computer battery
2) Measure voltage of cells
3) Realisation of the 3 modules
4) Link of the 3 modules :
5) Build a box
6) Integration of modules in the box
For this part we suggest you to look at the following tutorial : Récupération de batteries
For this part we suggest you to look at the following tutorial : Récupération de batteries
Voltage measure:
We start by measuring the voltage of each cells in order to check if they are working properly. Every cells that have a voltage lower than 3V will not be able to be used in this project and should be recycle.
Be carreful : If the computer battery seems to have liquid on the outside, do not open the box, lithium is harmful in high dose.
Measure the capacity :
To measure the capacity of a cell, we have to charge it to the maximum and then discharge it. Those cells are lithium based, and need a specific charge and discharge system, ususally the maximal charge is 4,2 V and the minimum is 3V. Going over those limits will damage the cell.
Remark : It is important to do homogeneous batteries, with cells that have a similar capacity
Module 1 : Solar panel and charge regulator
Module 2 : Battery
Module 3 : LED / USB converter
The voltage converter DC/DC has two inputs and two outputs :
Inputs : VIN + and VIN - / Outputs : OUT + and OUT -
The LED has two input wires : one positive and one negative.
Caution: Wire polarity is not indicated on the LED. In order to identify it, use an ohmmeter. The wire is positive when it displays a null value. When it displays a higher value, the wire is negative.
Wath that the tension in use of the LED is around 4V, if not, add a resistance connected in serie to lower the tension (typically, 2 Ohm allow te lower the tension from 1 V).
The charge regulator has 2 inputs : IN- and IN+ (which are indicated on the component).
The commutation type of the switch is On-Off-On : the red wire coming from the lamp is welded on the middle electrical connection (Off), and the red wire coming from the charge regulator is welded on one of the other electrical connection (On).
Version 1 : Tupperware
This design originates from Open Green Energy, do not hesitate to consult the original tutorial. We are sharing it because it seems really interesting. However, the case shall be adapted to our circuit, in particular for the USB output. We will propose soon our own model inspired from this design.
Building of the two bases :
These are the two ends of the lamp, the upper one hosting the solar panel on one side and the electrical circuit on the other, the lower one just serving to close the lamp while sealing it.
Thermoforming of the lamp envelopp
Once the body of the lamp is completed, all that is left is to integrate the electrical circuit.
Integration of the electric circuit :
Fixation du panneau solaire :
Comme tout le travail du Low-tech Lab, ce tutoriel est participatif, n'hésitez pas à ajouter les modifications qui vous semblent importantes, et à partager vos réalisations en commentaires.
Do not hesitate to ask any question or suggestion about this tutorial, we will open a new section to address it. If you have made the lamp, share it ! #solarlamp #lowtechlab
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