How to Make a Solar Powered Jam Jar Lamp

Emma shows you how to make a solar-powered jam jar lamp. At the time of writing, the sun is just beginning to wind up for summer, so it's the perfect time for this project! There's still enough sun to provide the power and the nights are beginning to draw in. We've got a complete list of the parts we used, a free DXF download, and instructions on how you can make your own!

• 1 x Solar Garden Light with Battery.
• 1 x Sheet of Transparent Polypropylene.
• 1 x Sheet Silver Mirrored Acrylic.
• A Jar with a lid wider than the board in the Solar Light Kit
• A Laser Cutter
• This DXF.

Pick out a jar large enough to house the completed project kit. Taking your clean jar, drill a hole into the lid large enough for the solar panel cables to pass through. Clean up any sharp edges and try to ensure that hole is a fairly snug fit.

Assemble your Solar Garden Light Kit, making sure to thread the wires from the solar panel through the hole in the lid. A PDF guide for building the kit is attached to this step, for reference.

You may need to tweak our design to fit your jar. Just load the DXF into your CAD software and adjust accordingly.

Cut the DXF out as above, and roll them up into the jar. It can go either way around, though we have put the solid sheet on the inside and the patterned sheet on the outside.

Pop the lid on, with the kit in the jar, maybe apply a little hot glue around the hole in the lid and any exposed connections on the underside of the solar cell, put in the sun to charge, and you're done!