Solar Light Circuit

 

Eye-Comfort Solar Light Circuit

Here is a drawing of the circuit. It is simple, safe for beginners, and effective.

      Hand-Drawn Circuit Diagram
+------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                      |
|   +12V DC ----(VIN+)--+-------------+--(LED+)------|>|--+
|      [1]              | [2] PWM     |                [3] |
|                       | Dimmer      |                  | | Full-Spectrum
|                       | Module      |                  | | COB LED
|   GND   ----(VIN-)--+-------------+--(LED-)----------|--+
|      |                |             |                  |
|      |                +-------------+                  +--[ Mounted on ]--+
|      |                                                    |  [4] Heatsink   |
|      |                                                    +-----------------+
|      |
|  [DC Power Jack]
|
+------------------------------------------------------+

List of Required Parts with Values

Here are the specific items you'll need to build this circuit.

1. Power Supply: You need a standard AC wall adapter.

   • Value: 12V DC, 1A (or 1000mA). Make sure the plug is a standard DC barrel jack.

2. PWM Dimmer Module: This is a small, pre-built board with a knob that lets you control the brightness. It's essential for adjusting the light to a comfortable level.

   • Value: A 12V DC Motor/LED PWM Dimmer. They are very common and usually rated for 3A or more, which is perfect.

3. Full-Spectrum COB LED: This is the most important part. Do not use a standard white LED. You must get a "full-spectrum" or "high-CRI" LED. A CRI of 95 or higher is best for natural light that's easy on the eyes.

   • Value: 10 Watt, 9-12V DC, High-CRI (95+) Full-Spectrum COB LED.

4. Heatsink: The 10W LED will get very hot and will be destroyed without a heatsink.

   • Value: An aluminum heatsink designed for 10W LEDs. You will also need a small amount of thermal paste to put between the LED and the heatsink.

How to Connect Everything

1. Mount the LED: First, apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the back of the COB LED and screw it securely onto the heatsink.

2. Connect the Dimmer to Power: Plug the 12V DC power supply into the wall and connect its barrel jack to the input side of the PWM dimmer module. Pay attention to the positive (+) and negative (-) markings.

3. Connect the LED to the Dimmer: Connect the output wires from the PWM dimmer module to the LED.

   • Connect the positive output (marked LED+ or OUT+) of the dimmer to the positive (+) solder pad on the COB LED.

   • Connect the negative output (marked LED- or OUT-) of the dimmer to the negative (-) solder pad on the COB LED.

Now, you can turn the knob on the dimmer to control the brightness of your high-quality, sun-like light from off to full brightness. This setup creates a single-source light that is spectrally similar to the sun, making it comfortable for reading and working without the complexity of mixing multiple colors.