As is usually the case, the simplest projects become the most complex. We were originally under the impression that all we needed were solar cells and a energy efficient light bulb. So, we got to work making the foam form to fit the bough and the frame work for the branch while we waited for our bulb to arrive. Much to our delight, we discovered that calculator solar cells produce a whooping 3 volts! Of course, much later we realized they lacked the proper amperage. Once the bulb arrived, we set up the system for a test. The bulb didn't light...it was an AC bulb and solar cells produce DC current. Back to the internet we went, finally finding a seemingly perfect (albeit very expensive) DC bulb. Again, we waited. During this wait, we did enough fiberglass work to produce a boat (or at least the mother of all surf boards). When the bulb finally arrived, we wired everything up and low and behold...it didn't work! Well, rather the bulb itself worked, but our system did not. We, then, rewired the cells into a parallel arrangement to acquire greater amperage. This too did not work. It would seem that solar cell produce only a whisper of amps (all that power, with no momentum). We were finally resigned to using a battery to light the bulb. An optical sensors wired into a rather complex network worked as the switch. Through this system, the bulb would still be on in daylight and off in darkness. That's not cheating, eh? Jack helped us greatly with the programming and wiring. It worked!! We retrofitted a light bulb with LEDs (again, an expensive and dangerous venture). We tested and retested and it worked every time! We then stuffed our little system into tree artificial tree and tested it again (and again). Once we were satisfied, we went to work making our little tree look like its inspiration and future home. And it worked! Once our tree was installed in the tree, it did what so many electronic projects have done before...it got performance anxiety. Perhaps it was the setting or maybe the audience...but our poor little tree decided to give up the ghost. Its body remains in the tree on the prairie, while its heart and soul sit on my studio desk awaiting their chance to reawaken like Frankenstein's monster. Some how, some way... it will live again.
