If any single item has come to represent the cost-effective "state of the art" in modern consumer electronic devices, it surely must be the ubiquitous solar garden lamp. Selling for around $50 when first introduced in the mid 90s, the early models earnt bad press due to their inefficient and short lived filament lamp.

Those solar garden lights can often be bought for next to nothing but reveal a treasure-trove of electronic goodies just waiting for the experimenter...

Their panel placement (flat on top) was also a design flaw for non- tropical latitudes, where the sun is at a lower angle even in summer. Slanted panels will better pick up such valuable sunlight and allow dirt, leaves and even snow to slide off as well.

LED replacement using the colours of the era (red, amber and green) of course gave unrealistic night lighting. Although red is well known for preserving one’s night vision, that colour rather implies leading the wayward rather too encouragingly up (or down?) the garden path as well...