light color and batteries....

[mrcaptainbob]

So...my wife has a LOT of those neat outdoor solar lights that change color. First...what makes them change color? Is it a chip that controls voltage that controls the led? Second ?: since they have a solar charger in there, and the original batteries go bad after a while, she replaced them. Now, what is the difference between Nicad and MH? I know one is nickel/cadmium and the other is nickle metal halide. But is there a difference in those lights ability to charge one over the other?

[HayZee518]

metal halide is lighting. NiCad is the battery. NiCads can be brought back to life by jumping across them by a higher voltage just for an instant. NiCads have a voltage of about 1.3 volts. jump a rectangular 9 volt battery across them, then recharge them. keep in mind the polarity. positive to positive, negative to negative - just for an instant.
Metal Halide is the bulb type like mercury vapor or sodium is a lamp type.

[Lone Star Charles]

Now, what is the difference between Nicad and MH? I know one is nickel/cadmium and the other is nickle metal halide. But is there a difference in those lights ability to charge one over the other?

NiCad is Nickel Cadmium. NiMH is Nickel Metal Hydride and is a slightly newer technology than NiCad. The NiMH usually has more capacity than NiCad for the same size battery. I suspect that the built-in charger will re-charge either without any problem.

HayZee is correct that Metal Halide is a type of Lighting.

Cheers
Charles