Kikkerland Solar-Powered Double Rainbow Maker
by Kikkerland
 |
List Price: Our Price: $37.86 You Save: $4.64 (11%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Home See more product details |
Product Details
Manufacturer: KikkerlandBrand: Kikkerland
Edition: Kitchen
Release Date: 2008-06-11
Model: 1588-D
Color: Crystal
Publisher: Kikkerland
Studio: Kikkerland
Music Label: Kikkerland
Product features:
- Double rainbow maker that casts rainbows around the room
- Solar panel powers the unit to revolve and refract light in all directions
- Genuine Swarovski crystals create maximum rainbow effect
- Great for brightening a room; designed for Kikkerland by David Dear
- Comes with suction cup or wire hanger; measures 2-1/4 by 1-3/4 by 7 inches
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Kikkerland Solar-Powered Double Rainbow Maker
Customer Review: Fun solar toy
Summary: 5 Stars
This joins the radiometer and 4" prism as one of the basic sun toys that everyone should have. It's a fun design with a transparent case, exposed motor, different colored gears, and counter rotating crystals. It looks to be quite well made, and I was pleased to find that its large built-in suction cup does a good job. Up close you hear a little whirring sound (not objectionable) from the motor and high speed gear, but from across the room it runs silently. Its speed doesn't vary with the intensity of the light, it either runs or it doesn't run. Occasionally it will click for a few seconds as the shadow of the sun passes over it.
I saw one reviewer who said the single crystal unit worked fine, but the double unit was underpowered and would barely rotate in bright sunlight. I don't find that to be the case at all, mine rotates even when the sun is partial obscured by clouds. As I write, it is late on a winter afternoon in New England with the sun low in the sky at 60 degrees off perpendicular, and my double unit is still running. I experimented and found it would even run when the solar cells were illuminated from the back!
Minor negatives --- Compared to the one big bright solar spectrum a 4" prism will throw on the wall, the spectrums from this thing are pretty small and dim, though the compensation is that there are many of them and they sweep around the room. When the sun is at the right angle, you have to expect that some of these 'rainbows' are going to pass over your eye, so you get a little flash now and then. It's more complicated than a prism or radiometer, so it's probably not going to live as long.
For those interested technically its solar panel is 4 cm x 2.5 cm = 10^-3 m^2 and looks to be five (1/2 V) cells in series. Since the power of bright sunlight is 1,000 w/m^2, if inexpensive solar cells with efficiency in the 5% to 10% range are used, the output power available to drive the DC motor would be 50 to 100 mw, or 20 to 40 ma @ 2.5V.
update --- It's now nine months since I put this on a window using the vacuum sucker and it's never fallen off! Still works fine too.
update2 --- Well after two years, it's showing its age. One crystal broke off when it fell and the gears are now sticking. I just ordered a replacement.
More technical--- When my new one arrived, I took apart my old one to look at the motor, which still works. (I am a motor control engineer.) The motor is not a DC motor with brushes, which is good as brushes wear out. It is a brushless AC PM (permanent magnet) motor that a finger test shows will spin in either direction (at roughly 200 RPM). The 2.5V from the solar cell is converted to AC by a tiny circuit board mounted above the coil. The board's active component(s) is covered by glop, but it is probably a single IC clocked by an external crystal, which seems like overkill.
Description of Kikkerland Solar-Powered Double Rainbow Maker
Rainbow maker DoubleTools and Hardware
Bestsellers in Tools
Sophies World (Chinese Edition)by qiao si tan ·jia de
Wall Art City; Writers Publishing House; Published: 2010-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.99
NEW JDD 75W 75 Watt 120V E26 Clear Halogen Light BulbCBconcept DeSign; CBconcept DeSign; CBconcept DeSign; Lighting
Best price: $5.99
Wall Decor Removable Decal Sticker - Colorful ButterfliesWall decor; Lemon Tree; Baby Product
Best price: $10.95
OEM Car Charger for your brand new Sanyo Cellular Phone, Version 011!Generic; CE
Price in other shops:
OEM Blackberry Motorola LG & Hitachi Car Charger for your Mobile Cellular Phone. (Version 2.002)Generic; CE
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
SEM 15713 - COLOR COAT AEROSOLS-Ladera, 16 oz. AerosolSEM; SEM; SEM; Automotive Parts and Accessories
Mighty Bright silver Xtraflex LED Book Lightmighty bright; Mighty Bright; Published: 2010-12; Kitchen; Book
Best price: $6.72
Price in other shops:
Heavy Gear Slotted Hex Bases (25)DP9; Tools
Best price: $12.15
Flexible LED Book Light - Great for Jigsaw Puzzles too!UltraOptix; Toy
Best price: $9.98
Family Planner 2012 Wall Calendar with Stickersby DateWorks
Trends International Calendars; Published: 2011-08-01; Calendar; Book
Price in other shops:
Similar Tools and Hardware Products
Kikkerland Awika! WindupKikkerland; Kikkerland; Kikkerland; Release date: 2011-06-08; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
20mm Crystal Ball Prisms #701-20Asfour; Asfour; Asfour; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
76mm Icicle Crystal Prisms #505-76Asfour; Tools
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Kikkerland MxyKikker WindupKikkerland; Kikkerland; Release date: 2011-06-08; Toy
Best price: $16.95
Price in other shops:
40mm Crystal Ball Prisms #701-40Asfour; Asfour; Asfour; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $1.80
Kikkerland Chime Rainbow MakerKikkerland; Kikkerland; Kikkerland; Release date: 2008-06-11; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $21.99
Price in other shops:
76mm Teardrop Suncatcher Crystal Prisms #873-76Asfour; Asfour; Asfour; Lighting
Best price: $3.25
40mm Swarovski Aurora Borealis Strass Sun Disc Crystal PrismsSwarovski; Swarovski; Kitchen
Best price: $9.29
Price in other shops:
Kikkerland Window-Mount Solar-Powered Heart Rainbow MakerKikkerland; Kikkerland; Kikkerland; Release date: 2008-06-11; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $18.90
Price in other shops:
Kikkerland Solar-Powered Rainbow MakerKikkerland; Kikkerland; Kikkerland; Release date: 2008-06-11; Kitchen; Home
Best price: $17.28
Price in other shops: