Ever thought of discarding your alkaline batteries and trying a solar-powered remote control? With alkaline batteries becoming an eco-threat, why not keep your abode safe with the solar-powered energy? Here is a DIY project to resolve your issues on remote controls running out on batteries in an eco-friendly way. This solar-powered remote is made by using Make Volume 25, simple, effortless and hassle free, something you can do over the weekend, requiring one major factor- “the Sun” for Solar energy.
Difficulty level
Easy
Time required
5- 10 minutes
Estimated Cost
Around $18.00, the SunMod Solar panel kit is available in;
http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSL03&Click=37845
Things you will need
• SunMod solar kit or flexible solar panel with a power capacity of 4.8V
• Blade
• Solder
• Tape or adhesive
Things to keep in mind
• Open the remote to see what kind of batteries you will be requiring, as most of the remotes require two batteries, just sum up the individual volts of the batteries to get the size of the Solar panel you need.
• Buy the solar cell that generates more volts than the batteries.
• The solar cell should be flexible.
• Carefully and gently add the solar panel wires, such as; black for negative(-) and red for positive(+).
Procedure
1. Buy the SunMod Kit, which can be used to Hack any AA or AAA powered device to make it solar powered. This kit contains; 4.8V flexible Solar cell with soldered metal connectors and double sided tape.
2. Stick the solar cell to the remote with double sided tape after cutting a notch at the battery compartment to route the wires. Cover the solar cell’s contacts and diode with electrical tape.
3. Solder the diode directly to the cell making sure that black is for negative and red for positive.
4. Using adhesive tape on both sides of solar panel, attach it at the back of the remote.