Quote Originally Posted by oj88 View Post
Conventionally, solar power is used to charge a storage device (battery, in our case) and the battery in turn is used to light up the LED. Is this what you're trying to achieve? Or are you trying to light up the LED straight from a solar panel using indoor lighting?

Domestic indoor lighting is nowhere nearly as bright as sunlight so it's not used for anything other than say, turning on calculators or charge wristwatches. These things requires only a few microamps to work. However, a typical LED (not the ones used as indicators, but rather, those white ones that are suitable for illumination) requires a minimum of 50 to 100mA or more. As an example, a 1W LED requires around 330mA*3V.

A commercially available 3V/270mA solar panel is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Although, it is rated as such, this is so at ideal conditions (ie. facing right smack at the sun, at noon, and in clear weather). To be able to produce the same amount of power indoors would require a larger panel. But then, you'll run into cost-benefit and practical issues with such approach.

Now, let's go back to being clear on what you want to achieve.

Basically i was thinking about using solar powered LED lights as emergency lights for the home. e.g. under normal conditions, we'd have the lights turned on at night -- i was hoping that indoor lighting would be enough to charge the solar powered lights -- then, when a blackout hits, the lights go out, and the solar powered LED lights kick in. Doesn't matter that it only lasts a few minutes, just enough for you to reach the nearby flashlight and/or get out of the house.

Thanks for the explanation sir, seems malabo nga tong mangyari

*sir gh: interesting suggestion sir, but i was hoping for something a little simpler

Nabad trip din kasi ako sa mga emergency lights. i forked up around 1.4k++ for a rebranded China-made LED emergency light, wala pang isang taon, sira na. Then i forked up another 1k++ for a local but reputable brand(at least yung ibang appliances nila), ganun din.

heck, i may just bite the bullet and buy the Philips unit at Ace