I have 12 nice solar charged LED path lights that I would like to hardwire. Someone posed a similar question on the former Google Answers but I still need a few things cleared up.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/771491.html
I will wire all the lights in parallel. My solar lights only use 1 rechargeable AA battery each, so I am dealing with prob around 1.2V (I think the rechargeable batteries are 1.2V not 1.5V, but I will verify the voltage with a multimeter). I will find a DC adapter that is compatible. My questions are:
1. How many amps should the DC power supply be?
2. Is there a voltage drop to each light when wired in parallel?
3. Will the solar light furthest away from the power supply (at least 50ft) get enough/any power?
4. Does anyone foresee any longterm issues with this setup?
Thanks!
1. Allow at least 25 mA for each individual LED (count the LEDs in each lamp.
2 and 3. The voltage drop is along the length of the supply cable, so use a cable rated generously for the full output of the power supply.
4a. You may well have difficulty finding a 1.2 V supply, and so you might have to build your own.
4b. Damp-proofing is an issue, and in any case, as you are taking electricity outside, I would protect the power supply with an RCB.
