My daughter's outdoor lights do not work, location is Ann Arbor, MI. Attached are pics, the black device seems to be the source of power, may be a solar cell but no markings. It has 2 pvc insulated wires which are attached to the bare copper wires which run along the railing and are attached to white, small lights. Does anyone know how these work?

 

The black thing is the AC input power supply. The white cord is apparently the AC (120 VAC) input and it does not look like it is grounded or designed for outdoor (wet location) use.

The light bulbs (could be light emitting diodes but they look like incandescent bulbs to me) might be wired in series or in parallel, can't really tell. If they are in series one burned out bulb would stop the entire string from working, just like Christmas lights of the old days. The wires on the string of lights should go to the AC Input Power Supply, though I cannot see that in the lower photograph.

This thing looks dangerous and could cause electrocution especially if wet after a rain. I suggest replacing the system with lights that are designed to work out of doors. Pay attention to all warning labels on these things.

 

If that's as AC adaptor, it should have writing on it specifying the input and output "specifications".

AC adaptor or not, you can check the output to see if it's still functioning. Unfortunately it may not have any exposed terminals for easy testing. It might not be too hard to open it up, though. If it's plugged in, unplug it first and only plug it back in once you're prepared to test the voltage safely.

It appears to me that the black thing is a solar collector + battery as you guessed. This may have failed because the battery went tits up, or a number of other reasons including prolonged poor lighting to charge the internal battery. If you can open the thing up, the first thing I'd look at is the battery. I hat d a similar thing that used a sealed lead acid battery. But it could be anything, hopefully labelled.

The fairy lights are probably in series like a string of Christmas lights and a failure (rodent bite?) anywhere along the string will bring it all down. If you can learn - from examining or testing that black box - what power the string needs, you could substitute another power source to test whether the string still functions.

In short, you have to divide and conquer. Does the battery have a voltage? Does the black box have a voltage on its outputs? (Don't forget that it probably turns off when light strikes the panel.) Can you light up the string by using a substitute battery or some other power supply? You have to just keep testing and looking for where the power ends.

 

For liability reasons, the only advice I can offer is to remove that dangerous mess and have someone competent provide a system, premade or designed, that is safe for outdoor use and will do what you want- normally for insurance reasons, electrical devices must be UL listed in the USA.

 

You might try putting the solar cells facing the sun. The will not be able to provide much power pointed at the house ss they are.

 

Looks like the lites are in parallel - some light and some do not. Anyone know here to get replacement bulbs? The black box has a PB for ON/OFF and one for mode. Replaced with a new 1.2 V battery but no change i.e. some bulbs light some do not. Nothing lights when it is dark

 

Looks like the lites are in parallel - some light and some do not. Anyone know here to get replacement bulbs? The black box has a PB for ON/OFF and one for mode. Replaced with a new 1.2 V battery but no change i.e. some bulbs light some do not. Nothing lights when it is dark

What does the mode switch do or say?

 

That is what I am trying to find out. Just says "mode"

 

So the whole device runs on a 1.2 volt battery inside the black box? Any part numbers for said box?

 

No P/N for the box, yes it seems to run on a 1.2 VDC Batt

 

Post a photo of the front of the box.

 

Nothing lights when it is dark

I think the circuitry in the box is shot. It should turn off when light out and on when dark. It has to have a boost converter to get enough voltage out of a single battery cell (as do many solar lights) but doesn't seem able to do that. The voltage from the solar cell may be enough to light the LEDs without boost.

But I think the bottom line is to shop for a new string. They're not expensive. You might spend a lot of time trying to fix something that is beyond fixing.

 

Post a photo of the front of the box.

Here is a picture of device

 

The photo shows the solar panel is "sunburned". My old solar garden lights all got sunburned solar panels and failed in a couple of years. New ones have a glass cover to prevent a sunburn and they last for many years. The cheeep Chinese battery gets rusty and fails in a couple of months. Name Brand rechargeable batteries last for many years.

 

It's not worth the time and trouble to try to repair them. AliExpress sells them for low prices, starting around $5.00. Do a search on their site "for solar fairy lights".

 

Looks like the lites are in parallel - some light and some do not.

I can't tell what the lights might be from the picture. Post a well-focused closeup of one of the lights.

Anyone know here to get replacement bulbs?

If you could find replacements, it'd probably cost you more in time and money than the device costed new. A common problem with our throw-away society.

 

Here is a picture of device

Opened the black box, it has 2 diodes and an IC ANA6518, Could not find the datasheet for this.

 

Saw this on the web.

 

Looks like the lites are in parallel - some light and some do not. Anyone know here to get replacement bulbs?

The lights look like Fairy Lights, at least that's what I think I've seen them called. That or "Rice" lights. I don't know for sure if they're LED or Incandescent lamps, but there's no way to replace them. And yes, it's solar powered. IF some lights do not light then the whole string needs to be replaced. They're cheap. That may be the reason why some work and some don't.

 

Wonder what the mode sw does?