Illuminated sales shelf!

Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Newbeeneil

Queen Bee
***
Joined
Jan 1, 2018
Messages
4,706
Reaction score
4,408
Location
Fernhurst Sussex
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
40 plus 23 that I maintain for clients.
Good morning all,
I have a dilemma, the double shelf with roof that is attached to the front of my house is starting to get tatty and I thought I would make a new one. This shelf is stocked from about 8am until 6pm but is often out later in the summer.
1679304714740.jpeg
As you can understand in the winter my customers are often having to use a torch to decide which location honey the are going to buy so I thought my reincarnation should be equipped with lighting!
Now, as a civil engineer I feel confident in bodging most things using wood, brick concrete or metal but my knowledge of electronics is limited. I am capable using 240v, in fact I completely rewired my first two houses, but how different electronic bits work together is a step too far.
What I would like to do is install LEDs into the underside of the roof and top shelf, powered by a battery, recharged from a small solar panel on the roof of the unit.
The system really needs a photo cell that switches it on when it gets dark as I'm often out when it gets dark in the winter.
Would any of you electronic wizards like to recommend components I could build into my new shelf?
These are the type of components I've been looking at.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26449123...b04363bfa9a&rpp_icid=63441ffd26d75b04363bfa99
https://www.cricklewoodelectronics....f9mqOVHtt0MxugtnTv7ZFCJxX0cAksAhoCiaQQAvD_BwE
 
If is just to illuminate the area when a customer is near, and if you are bringing the honey in each night, would something like this be simpler to implement? I have a number of these units installed around the place.

They have a sensor, so will illuminate when someone is detected, and they last a while on one charge.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08ZYMVJ8G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
They are not waterproof, and the magnet strip they come with is not very secure, a bracket may be a better solution.
 

Attachments

  • 61u4zo1Xm5S._AC_SL1500_.jpg
    61u4zo1Xm5S._AC_SL1500_.jpg
    88.4 KB · Views: 0
That would have been my approach Garry.

Unless Newbeneil is concerned that any passing new trade won't be attracted, only coming on when existing customers approach close enough?
Exactly. My shelf is about 10m from the road so customers could not see if honey was on the shelves without approaching the house.
 
@Newbeeneil have a look at his website LEDSPACE play with their Lit Builder and have good rummage around.
Interesting Murox but it is not possible to build those into a shelf the size of mine. I am hoping to embed the lights directly into the shelf and hide the wiring and batteries etc within sandwiched panels.
 
The solar charge controller I use for the electric fence around my chickens has the ability to turn on lights when it gets dark. Might be worth checking. You'd probably need quite a big solar panel though.
 
The solar charge controller I use for the electric fence around my chickens has the ability to turn on lights when it gets dark. Might be worth checking. You'd probably need quite a big solar panel though.
I think I can get away with quite a small panel as the draw on these type of LEDs is very small compared to an electric fence.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top