Electronics help please - solar garden lights

[droopsnoot]

I've got some of these cheap solar-powered lights in the garden, and most of them don't work. Is it most likely that the batteries have given up after being left outside over a few winters, and/or through being old?

This is the circuit board:

The contact to the battery is made when it's all clipped together. I've cleaned that up and left it on the windowsill to see if it charges up, but I'd be surprised. I can get a battery here but they're quite expensive, or wait ages and get some from AliExpress, but I don't want to bother if it's more likely I'll have a load of other work to do. I don't have another use for the batteries otherwise I'd just buy some anyway. I know I'm expecting a lot to think someone can diagnose the fault by a photo.

 

[minimutly]

I tell you whats wrong with that - it's not in the bin....

 

[Matrixx]

Its throw away technology unfortunately . not worth repairing.

 

[pawsnizzy]

The best thing to do is dismantle before putting outside and conformal coating the electronics

 

[Seadog]

More than likely the battery. I had to replace one similar in the timer for my boiler. That was 6 years after replacing the original timer because the last one showed the same fault

 

[daedalusminos]

Pretty certain they used to be 99p... probably £1.99 now, even so I'd throw away and stop wasting valuable time.

 

[droopsnoot]

OK, thanks. I sort-of agree, but I'd always prefer to fix than replace stuff. I'll think on it - they've been here for ages, I expect they came from one of the many catalogues that came through the letterbox so probably not as cheap as I could get them for. 52p on AliExpress for new lights, but a load of postage of course. Maybe I'll just leave them - if I get them all working it'll just make it easier for someone's cat to find the vegetable patch to use as a toilet.

 

[angellonewolf]

looks to me like there bin job if if theres rust inside water ingress kills all them things

 

[Robotstar5]

Mrs Robo loves solar lights, I call her the "solar queen" and even had a sign made for her "solar garden" at the stables when lights fail I have looked at repairs in the past, but it's just not worth it so they get binned.

 

[Turbo]

When they're new take them apart & spray everything with sticky chain lube, once they go rusty it's bin time & a trip to Poundstretcher!