Without the sun, solar watches can still be charged, there are a few ways to accomplish this. A solar watch in general remains charged if you wear it outside in the sun for a few hours each week.
There are three efficient methods for charging a solar watch without the sun. You can use a flashlight as a source of electricity. Another option is to place the watch next to an opening where it can get some filtered light. The third option is to use a hand-crank charger made especially for solar watches.
So, can solar watch be charged in the absence of sunlight? It might surprise you to say that technically, yes. Solar cells can be charged by artificial lights as long as the light is powerful enough. The best ways to charge your solar watch will be covered in this article.
What Exactly Is a Solar Watch?
Even if you’re not a big watch person, you’ve probably heard of a solar watch. Despite how well-known this technology is, an important percentage of people are unaware of how it works. The power source keeps the watch ticking for approximately 2-5 years before it needs to be replaced.
The energy within watch batteries only flows in one direction: from chock-full to empty. The battery can gain energy rather than lose it which increases the watch’s lifespan. The battery gets its energy from the sun through the use of tiny solar cells.
How Do They Function?
The battery empowering the solar watch is charged by the sunlight. A solar panel located on the watch’s face powers the watch by converting sunlight into electrical energy. These watches also possess sensors that can recognize exposure to direct sunlight. The procedure they use to power themselves is as follows.
- Collection – Watch manufacturers cover their products’ faces with tiny solar panels. They are constructed of a pair of silicon, a substance that is particularly adept at capturing solar energy.
- Transportation – This energy travels down a cable to the battery after passing through the first and second layers of silicon. It travels through a network in microscopic electrons, which are continuously used as transporters.
- Operation – Once the watch’s battery is fully charged, it begins to run such as a regular quartz timepiece.
The detailed mechanism is somewhat complicated for someone without a background in science, but it is not too difficult to imagine how it works. To put it simply, these watches use panels that gather solar energy, which they then transmit to the battery using a wire.
How to Charge Solar Watch Without Sun?
There are a few methods to charge a solar watch without the sun as it can charge with indirect light, compared to charging a solar panel with moonlight. Wearing solar watches in sunlight for a couple of hours each week will keep them charged, and they can even be charged by using indirect light.
They simply need to be subjected to indirect light for a little while longer. There are some things you can try if your watch fails to retain a charge or if you wish to charge it more quickly.
Utilizing a Portable Solar Charging Unit
A special gadget called a solar charger unit, which replicates sunlight for powering the watch battery, can be used to recharge a solar watch. You can buy these charging units online or from the watchmaker.
Long-term power outages during or after a natural disaster can cause people to suffer indescribable suffering. In these situations, the use of portable solar energy can be a viable, and cost-effective solution. For family, you can also use a solar-powered handheld charging unit or critical electric power supply unit.
Indirect Sunlight Can Charge Solar Watch
Placing a solar watch in front of an entrance where it may get indirect sunlight is an additional method to charge it without the sun. To be converted into electrical energy by the watch’s solar panel, the light must be sufficiently bright.
Find a window that offers the right kind of light for charging. You could find your watch charging more frequently if you reside in an area with less sunlight.
Employing Artificial Illumination
Utilizing an artificial light source is a means to power your solar watch when the sun isn’t shining. This might be a lamp, a flashlight, or even the display on your computer. Simply keep the watch near the source of light for a few minutes, and it should begin to charge.
Incandescent lighting is less efficient for solar watch charging than LED or fluorescent lighting. Artificial light sources don’t charge watches as quickly as sunlight, but they can still be helpful if you must power your watch quickly or when the natural light isn’t out.
Hack the Battery
Do you know a basic understanding of electricity? Search from the manuals, what type of cell powers the solar watch. Then manually open the watch and remove the battery. Google the battery’s current requirements, and get a 12-volt power source.
Then determine how much resistor is needed to change one volt into the required amount of electric current. Just enter the correct current value in the following equation and calculate the voltage.
- Voltage= Current x Resistance
Create the appropriate circuit by connecting the positive and negative terminals, with resistance positioned between them. For about 10 to 12 hours, charge the battery. You’ve finished! Your battery is now fully charged.
Using a Hand-Cranked Charger
Your watch is relatively light-sensitive, depending on the brand. Solar watches require light to charge; if heat exceeds the threshold, the light will not function. The watch’s internal components may burn out.
A hand-crank charger is made especially for solar watches. If neither direct nor indirect sunlight is available to you, this is a fantastic alternative. Your solar watch’s battery is charged by the hand crank charger by converting mechanical strength into electrical energy.
Sun Charging Vs. Artificial Sources: How Fast?
The effect of lux on solar watch charging by artificial sources vs sunlight is fairly comparable. It may vary between brands and between models of the same brands. When exposed to bright sunlight, it can take a typical solar watch 30 hours to fully charge.
A single square foot box will receive 500 lux from a fluorescent lamp. If the sun, a source of 50k lumens, takes such a long time, it will take about 5.5 days for an artificial source to recharge with only 500 lux. The watch might take an additional 10 days to charge at this high level.
You can charge your watch faster as the lux level rises. If you continuously place your watch in a fluorescent lamp at an inferior lux level, it will take longer than a week. Therefore, it takes 19 days for a continuous artificial light origin to fully charge your watch.
Conclusion
A solar watch can be charged in a few efficient ways other than by the sun. But it is not a good idea to charge an expensive watch in the absence of sunlight. Use the solar watch during the summer by simply donning a different one.
However, it’s riskier to charge a solar watch when there’s no sun than it is to take a stroll in the park when the sun is still visible through the clouds. Therefore, if you intend to use an artificial source, be sure to take the necessary safety measures.
