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Cheap Photo-Electric Tikis - care and feeding |
Trader Rick
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jul 04, 2003
Posts: 88
From: St Augustine Beach, FL
|  Posted: 2010-07-15 05:56 am Permalink
This is about those plastic yard tikis you've seen and maybe bought from Target and Big Lots that have the photo-electric cells in the top. I bet your's didn't work when you got it home, did it? And since it was a bargin, there were probably no instruction that came with it. Well the problem is that most of us when we see the photo-electric cell assume that the battery is charged and powered by the cell. NOT SO! The photo electric cell is only there to turn the lights on and off depending on daylight or the rooms ambiant light. The battery is a standard AA cell or some other kind of battery that can be replaced by unscrewing the switch box at the bottom and replacing the battery. Most of these things were supplied with cheap generic batteries that probably were meant to last 2 or 3 hours at most and by the time they got put on the shelf for you to buy they were stone dead. Put a good AA battery in there and you'll be back in business.
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All Hail Floyd!! (Mira Mar League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
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tikigreg
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 1091
From: ClubTiki
| Posted: 2010-07-15 06:39 am Permalink
Thanks for the tip. I was thinking it was the photo-cell thing that was defective.
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TIKI DAVID
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2004
Posts: 1909
From: North Coast
| Posted: 2010-07-15 11:04 am Permalink
OR , look for a small piece of tape ,preventing contact of the battery until removed by the consumer(you).
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"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD
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TikiTres
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 28, 2008
Posts: 263
From: Forney, TX
| Posted: 2010-07-15 3:02 pm Permalink
Some of the resin tikis DO have a solar charger though. It's a combination charger and photocell, it shuts the lights off during the day and recharges the battery. Putting an alkaline cell in a tiki that has a solar charger can be disasterous as the charger will not know the difference and will try to "recharge" the battery. That can result in the battery bursting. Just be sure that the battery that was in it to begin with was not a rechargable battery. Below are resin tikis that do have rechargable batteries in them, don't ever put a standard alkaline in these (these came from Garden Ridge but may be sold elsewhere as well):
[ This Message was edited by: TikiTres 2010-07-15 15:03 ]
[ This Message was edited by: TikiTres 2010-07-15 15:05 ]
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tikigreg
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 1091
From: ClubTiki
| Posted: 2010-07-16 06:15 am Permalink
When I got my resin tiki, the eyes lit up for about a week. So I opened it up last night to check it out. I'm surprised it lit up at all, since there was only one battery in the holder, when it needs two! Replaced the NiMH battery with two charged ones, and it works like a charm now. Thanks again!
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LiddleLola
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 24, 2008
Posts: 162
From: Elk Grove, CA
| Posted: 2010-07-16 07:13 am Permalink
Tiki Greg, look more closely at that second battery slot. Mine has two slots as well but the second slot has no contact points. You may only need one battery.
Darilyn
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Unkle John
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 22, 2003
Posts: 1216
From: Middle-of-the-Ocean, TX
| Posted: 2010-07-16 08:05 am Permalink
My battery pack is glued in and has no way to get the top off.
Oh well, it stays indoors just outside the bar.
If anyone knows how to get it out, I'm all ears.
EDIT: Mine are ones bought from Big Lots some time ago, they look similar to TikiTres' ones from Garden Ridge.
[ This Message was edited by: Unkle John 2010-07-16 08:07 ]
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