Product Description

Solar Bottle Lamp

The package include:

1.Assemble Board

2.60mm*60mm Solar Panel

3.8mm,0.5W LED





Solar Bottle Lamp is a solar-powered light that is constructed from waste plastic bottles. The design idea is to reuse waste plastic bottles by attaching a 3D printed solar lamp in place of their old plastic cap. It can be fitted into almost all soft drinks bottles.

 

Recycling obviously helps make plastics more sustainable but sometimes, recycling can be less carbon-friendly than we would like for it to be so instead of recycling, why don’t we try upcycling! Upcycling is the process of reusing items in a way they were not necessarily intended for that gives them a new life rather than going into the trash or being sent off to be recycled.

 

Solar Bottle Lamp can be used to provide lighting in rural areas. These lights are surprisingly bright, illuminating your campsite, backyard, pathways, or even your home in the case of a power outage.

 

It is ideal for camping trips, especially when backpack space is tight. Just think, armed with this eco-friendly device you can enjoy a good glug, go wandering after dark and illuminate your tent without messing around with a separate light.

 

I have designed this lamp by inspired from Moser bottle which was invented by Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser. The concept is that clear plastic beverage bottles filled with water and bleach can be fixed into the roof of an unlit building to refract sunlight around a room.

 

In 2011, Illac Diaz used Moser’s technology to start the Liter Of Light ( MyShelter Foundation), which used a grassroots model to provide lighting on a large scale. The program uses partners around the world to keep costs down, using recycled plastic bottles and locally sourced materials. The program also promotes local entrepreneurs, by providing financial incentives to locals who assemble and install the lights.

 

The Moser bottle lamp is simple and inexpensive but has a limitation. It only works during the daytime. So I have designed a solar bottle cap that can provide light during the night. By combining the Moser Bottle concept and my Solar Bottle Cap, a powerful lamp can be made.

 

Benefits:

 

1. Reusing plastic bottles can significantly reduce pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy usage.

2. The use of the solar lamp will decrease the amount of local air pollution and saves energy.

3. It can provide access to solar lamps at an affordable price to a wide range of people living in remote villages that are deprived of clean energy access.

4. It also came out as an alternative business model with the potential to strengthen the overall rural economy by generating technology-based livelihood opportunities.

 

Step 1: Working of Moser Bottle

It works by the refraction of light rays because of different mediums, air, and water. By refracting light from the sun, it produces light 360 degrees around the room with an equivalent light power of 55 watts bulb. It will last for 5 years without maintenance and before the water has to be changed. The chlorine prevents the growth of microorganisms and maintains the clarity of the water.

 

 

Step 2: How the Solar Lamp Works

 

The solar panel receives sunlight from the sun and converts it into electrical energy. The controller board charges the battery during the daytime and drives the LED during the nighttime.

 

The solar lamp can be considered as a standalone Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) system and contains four basic components:

1. Solar Panel: Convert Solar Energy to Electrical Energy

 

2. Controller: Charge the Battery ( Charger ) and drive the Load ( Driver )

 

3. Battery: Store the Electrical Energy

 

4. Load (LED): Provide the desired light output

 

 

Step 3: 3D Printed Enclosure Design

The enclosure for the solar lamp is designed in Autodesk Fusion 360. I have designed many iterations to get this design. The enclosure has 4 parts:

 

1. Main Body

 

2. Top Cover

 

3. LED Holder

 

4. Diffuser

 

5. Button

 

The Main Body is basically designed to fit all the components including the battery. The top cover is to cover up the main body and mount the solar panel on it. The LED holder is used to hold the LED and the diffuser is used to diffuse the LED light in all directions. The button is used to operate the switch on the PCB from outside.

 

Download the .STL files from Thingiverse.

 

Step 4: 3D Printing

 

 

I have used my Creality CR-10 Mini printer and 1.75 mm PTEG filaments to print the parts. I have printed in 3 different colors yellow, Orange and Cyan. The diffuser is printed in the transparent filament. You need support structure for printing the main body and top cover.

 

My settings are:

 

1. Print Speed: 60 mm/s

 

2. Layer Height: 0.2mm

 

3. Fill Density: 25%

 

4. Extruder Temperature: 205 deg C

 

5. Bed Temp: 65 deg C

 

Step 5: Remove the Support From the 3D Printed Parts

 


Both the top and bottom parts are printed with support structure, so we have to remove them before final use.

 

Removing support from the main bodies is quite easy, just squeeze them with fingers, they will be easily separated from the main body.

 

Removing the support from the cap threaded area may need a screwdriver or any sharp object. After removing the support, you have to smooth out the cap threaded area. You can easily do it by twisting and untwisting few times with a soft drinks bottle.

 

Step 6: Mount the Solar Panel

You have to use a solar panel that can be fitted to the enclosure. The slot is made for mounting a 55x55mm solar panel. The solar panel that I have used here is rated for 6V and 50mA.

 

Insert the terminal wires from the solar panel into the slot in the top cover and solder them to the PCB ( SOL+ and SOL-). Mount the solar panel on the top cover by using epoxy glue.

 

Seal the panel from inside also, so that water will not enter into the enclosure.

 

Step 7: Install the Battery Terminals

 


Solder 24AWG wires to the battery terminals. I always prefer to use red wire for the positive terminal and black wire for the negative terminal. The spring shape contact is the negative terminal. Solder the terminal wires to the PCB ( BAT+ and BAT- )

 

Then install the terminal plates into the battery slots as shown in the above picture.

 

Step 8: Mount the LED

I have used an 8mm 0.5W straw hat LED. Solder 24AWG red wire to the positive terminal and black wire to the negative terminal of the LED.

 

Mount the LED into the holder and then install it into the main enclosure as shown in the above picture. The notch shall be aligned properly.

 

Now seal the led from all sides by using epoxy glue. Then install the diffuser, you can apply epoxy glue to the joint.

 

 

Step 9: Install the Button Cap

 

Insert the Switch button cap into the slot given in the main body. You have to align the notches perfectly.

 

Step 10: Install the PCB

 

 

Align the PCB mounting holes with the mounting studs in the enclosure. Then secure it with two M3 screws.

 

Now solder the terminal wires from LED, Battery, and Solar panels. The polarity is marked on the PCB.

 

Step 11: Assemble the Enclsure

 

 

After installing all the parts, close the top cover by aligning the mounting studs. For a better joint, a snap and fit arrangement is also provided in the top cover. Now use M3 screws to tighten both the parts together. You may apply epoxy glue at the joints to make it weatherproof.

 

Now the lamp is ready for use.

 

 

Step 12: Prepare the Bottle

 

 

The solar lamp is compatible with any soft drinks bottle cap. Take an empty soft drinks bottle and clean it thoroughly.

 

Fill the bottle with water and add a few drops of chlorine to avoid algae formation.

 

Close the bottle with Solar Bottle Lamp and your lamp is ready.

 

Step 13: Finishing

 

Before first use, charge the battery by placing the bottle lamps in bright sunlight for at least a day. Then turn on the button switch to set the desired brightness ( Low / High ). Place the bottle lamp at the desired location like a garden or pathways. The lamp will be automatically switched on when the sun goes down.

 

If you want to use this lamp for lighting the room, you can follow this Instructables to mount it on the roof.

  • Comments(5)
You can only upload 1 files in total. Each file cannot exceed 2MB. Supports JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
0 / 10000

    You might like

    Product Name
    Link for reference
    Quantity