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Project but not car related

Started by Taxi_Driver, 05 January 2007, 19:02:34

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Taxi_Driver

My back garden is about 120ft long.....right at the end is a shed and a gate.
And id like the area alluminated at night when i take my dog for a walk.

At the moment I have got two 20W spots powered by a 6v battery with a PIR sensor that turns the lights on for 20 secs....the battery gets recharged by a solar panel on the shed roof......I didnt make this....shop bought and blinking expensive and bloody useless......the solar panel carnt charge the battery enough.....even with a full charge it only lasts a day or so before it gives up working  :(

So my plan is scrap this piece of junk and make something myself.

Idea is use a 12v car battery placed inside the shed.....goto halfrauds and buy two cheapo possibly 50W spotlamps (or extra driving lamps as they will probably call them)
Attach the lamps to the shed. (one pointed at gate the other pointed at the pathway up my garden)
Use a 10A (or higher) car relay to switch the spot lamps with a 12v PIR switching the relay.

Trouble is im finding it difficult to find a 12V PIR with a timer circuit at a reasonable price  :(

What im hoping to achieve is, that the lamps will switch on for 10-15 secs when the 2x PIR's (one facing my house the other facing the gate) detect movement.
Im also hoping that a fully charged 12V car battery will last a week before going flat, then I can recharge it once a week, i think it should as the drain by the PIRs should be next to nothing and the 100W load on the battery will only be a minute max each day.

SO any ideas, where i can source a couple of 12v PIRs for outside use with a delay timer and needs  to have light sensor in them as well....as no point switching the lights on during the day! at a reasonable price.... :-/

Also open to other ideas on how to achieve floodlighting by my gate......no mains power down there and i dont want run a reinforced cable 120ft.

Cheers  

Andy B


Taxi_Driver

QuoteHow about caravan accessories? eg Towsure

I did have a look at Towsure earlier....they have an outside light 12V with PIR but i dont think its going to be bright enough  :( Thanks for the info tho  :y

tunnie

sorry can't help here, but sure someone will  :y

Taxi_Driver

Quotesorry can't help here, but sure someone will  :y

:( And i thought you were a wizz with your soldering iron Tunnie  :(

Allenm

Why not leave what you have in place but change the battery arrangement.  6v heavy duty battery either from a motorscooter or a kids ride-on toy will give you plenty of light time and you don't need to make a wholesale change to your setup.

tunnie

Quote
Quotesorry can't help here, but sure someone will  :y

:( And i thought you were a wizz with your soldering iron Tunnie  :(

Jaime is, he has a gas powered one!  :o - I only have a draper budget one, i can solder but not very well.

Although tbh why bother with batters, run yourself some power from the house and get an outside plug! Not too far, just outside. You might have to run a cable the length of the garden, but is should be small enough?

TheBoy

Quote
Quote
Quotesorry can't help here, but sure someone will  :y

:( And i thought you were a wizz with your soldering iron Tunnie  :(

Jaime is, he has a gas powered one!  :o - I only have a draper budget one, i can solder but not very well.

Although tbh why bother with batters, run yourself some power from the house and get an outside plug! Not too far, just outside. You might have to run a cable the length of the garden, but is should be small enough?
Gas one a bit too meaty for most stuff, but certainly has its uses....
Grumpy old man

Taxi_Driver

QuoteWhy not leave what you have in place but change the battery arrangement.  6v heavy duty battery either from a motorscooter or a kids ride-on toy will give you plenty of light time and you don't need to make a wholesale change to your setup.

Thats certainly 'food for thought' ....was thinking of the 12V option tho as i have a 12V car battery sitting about doing nothing!  :-/ Cheers  :y

TheBoy

Not hudely efficient, but use 12v, stick on a regulator to power the 6V PIR, relay that with 6v relay (12v caplable contacts) to 12v bulbs.

Then use HID lights, coz they are low power....
Grumpy old man

Taxi_Driver

Quote
Quote
Quotesorry can't help here, but sure someone will  :y

:( And i thought you were a wizz with your soldering iron Tunnie  :(

Jaime is, he has a gas powered one!  :o - I only have a draper budget one, i can solder but not very well.

Although tbh why bother with batters, run yourself some power from the house and get an outside plug! Not too far, just outside. You might have to run a cable the length of the garden, but is should be small enough?

So do i Tunnie....gas powered soldering iron that is  ;)

Ummm 120ft of reinforced mains cable isnt cheap Tunnie  :(
And TBH means running the cable from inside my house....drilling hole for the exit into the garden....rather do it using batterie/s  ;)

Taxi_Driver

QuoteNot hudely efficient, but use 12v, stick on a regulator to power the 6V PIR, relay that with 6v relay (12v caplable contacts) to 12v bulbs.

Then use HID lights, coz they are low power....

HID's? thats sounding expensive now......im only a poor taxi driver you know  ::)

TheBoy

Quote
QuoteNot hudely efficient, but use 12v, stick on a regulator to power the 6V PIR, relay that with 6v relay (12v caplable contacts) to 12v bulbs.

Then use HID lights, coz they are low power....

HID's? thats sounding expensive now......im only a poor taxi driver you know  ::)
ok, forget the hids, but the rest of it?

Grumpy old man

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I like red cars

tunnie

QuoteWhy not buy a torch?

and strap it to the dog  ;D