An inexpensive 8 AA NiCad, or NiMH battery charging system for when the powers out.I bought an 8pk of these a WalMart a couple of days ago for $15.00.
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.With a little ball of foil stuck between the battery and the contact,you can also charge AAA,and AAAA batteries.Using a single battery holder,two lengths of wire,and a couple of alligator clips you can recharge C&D batteries singly as well.Wire two of these in series for recharging your 123 batteries,three for most cell phone batteries,four for 6v,six for 9v,and eight for 12v.Remember that the larger the battery capacity the longer it will take to charge,and only use rechargable batteries.WalMart also sells a smaller version of these solar lights singly for$1.50 that work with button cells,and can be converted to recharge just about any size button cells.Heres another handy way to DIY a charger for your batteries out of a cordless drill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&xl_b ... cription=1 .Hope this helps those wondering what to do about batteries in the PAW,at least for a while.Matt

Yes, inventive, inexpensive and low tech( well low tech to use and modify anyway)!!! I love it.

I will be heading to Wal-Mart Thursday first thing! Thank you my friend for sharing!
One question: how did you come up with the following info?


Wire two of these in parallel for recharging your 123 batteries,three for most cell phone batteries,four for 6v,six for 9v,and eight for 12v.

Knowing when they are charged may take some figuring based on amount of sunlight during recharge and size of battery as you mentioned.

But Thanks again!!

Each one charges @1.5v.Each additional one you add in series should up the voltage another 1.5v.This would involve dissabling the diode for regulating the voltage,and adding one for regulating the total end voltage.Two panels would need a 3v regulator,three a 4.5v regulator,four a 6v ,ect.,ect..Matt

No, no, no! for each one in SERIES you add 1.5 volts. connecting the solar cells in parallel will get you only 1.5 volts. You need to connect them in SERIES to increase the voltage.

My bad,thank you for the heads up/correction.I fixed my posts.Series adds to the voltage.Parallel adds to the wattage/charging power.I knew something didnt look right.Matt

Excellent post!

Thank You

I will definitely do this

While at Wal-Mart today I did find the same solar lights for the same price. I also found that there are two different types of rechargeable AA battery types. There are 1.2v and 3.2 v AA rechargeable AA's.
What you need to do is identify which voltage your solar lights will work on and recharge. This is what I was told when I called the Toll Free number on the package directly to the manufacturer. I was totally surprised to reach them while still in the aisle at Wal-Mart. What came to mind next after learning this was, in which electronic device of mine would I use either of these two AA choices. I walked away not buying the solar lights or the rechargeable batteries. I think there are other sources of solar panels much larger, not requiring re-wiring in series or in parallel that will (speaking for myself) work better across the board for me and my full intended utility of such a device.
Thank you for the opportunity to learn more on this subject by posting what you have "goinpostal".

Good to know.I think you might have misunderstood battery types.3.2v batteries are commonly reffered to as 321 batteries,and are a totally different animal than AA's.Though similar in apperence 3.2 batteries are about 1/3 shorter,and have a slightly larger diameter.321 batteries are commonly used in the higher output tactical lights,and lasers.I'll have to check my WalMart for these solar lights,becouse I want a couple of sets of them if they are the same price as the 1.5v ones I already bought.The 1.2v AA's are usually the old style NiCad rechargables.The NiMH AA's are 1.5v.The directions say that both can be used.They both have their pro's and con's.NiCad's charging lifespan is many times that of NiMH's,but have less power and have to be charged more often.Matt

Yes, both voltages were on the same shelf and sold at the same price, $10 for 4. They are color coded. I think one was green and white the other red and white, but they are there. Thanks for the update and added info.