Solar Powered Cordless Drill.

by ravenc83 in Workshop > Solar

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Solar Powered Cordless Drill.

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This was an experiment in repair. About a year ago my beloved cordless drill stopped working because the ac/dc transformer died. Rather than just chuck out when I bought my new 18 volt drill, I tossed it under the work bench.  Then after a fun trip to Harbor Freight I had an Idea... Solar Drill!!!!!
My Wife needed a simple drill of her own, so for the price of a really cheap crappy drill I bought a harbor freight solar panel.

Items Needed

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-spare solar panel
-good drill
-useless charger
-good batteries
-wire connectors 

Replacing the Power Source

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The drill was a 15.5 volt drill and the solar panel supplied up to 24 volts.
Replacing  the ac/dc transformer wasn't too hard, simply cut the wires and add some quick release wire ends. Just so that I can move the solar panel to another project.

Harvest the Power!

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with the wires connected place the panel in a window that the light won't be missed from. 
even though the panel puts out 24 volts, only 15.5 volts is charging the batteries. 
One day of sunshine in the winter is good enough to drive 6 2" screws, but after 4 days charging its good to go for a while.