well #1, as it 'appen lad, I have done just that. I live in the country and when it's dark it's DARK, and the area inside and outside the front gate is inky black at night, and visitors just can't find their way up to the house (some would say that's a good thing). had cogitated about running mains out to the gate and mounting a light on a pole, or getting an old victorian street light, but it all seemed too much hassle.....so.....as i spend most days dealing with electronics in one form or another i thought i'd try brains instead of brawn.
somewhere down the line i had obtained one of those large opaque round white light globes, so i turned up a wooden base for it and mounted it on an 8' oak post.
inside are 48 superbright led's (the really bright bu55ers that are available now) cheap as chips now, i also had a solar battery top up charger (which i mounted just below the light, on the post), also on the post is a 12v pir, quite small and cheap, and an ldr (light dependant resistor) inside the globe, underneath the led array is a small(ish) rechargeable lead acid gel-cell.....bingo, a self sustaining automatic light which only operates between dusk and dawn.....blummin bright too........long winded as usual
pip pip
