question about cheap solar lights

I'm wanting to get some solar lights to use as nightlights inside the house. These for example SolarLights

It is a two pack, each 72 feet long with 200 little lights. I only need about 25 feet so, If I simply cut off the other 47 feet (repairing the wire) and along with it about 60% of the lights would that do anything to keep them on longer, as in reliably all night?

If I used both panels and both batteries wired to the same 25 foot string of lights would that make them last longer, or would it just burn them out?

I don't recommend them. The battery on those lights degrade over time and it's hard to gauge how long the lights will last when charged, since they run on one single battery. I used to have these an two similar at my glamping airbnb, before they failed or broke.

Your best option is going with LED strips and a small solar generator. Then you can easily have lights all night for multiple nights and have brighter lights.  Last ttime I was at home depot, that had usb powered led strips for $6. Which you can plug into those cheap amazon solar controllers as well.

Mark Reed wrote:It is a two pack, each 72 feet long with 200 little lights. I only need about 25 feet so, If I simply cut off the other 47 feet (repairing the wire) and along with it about 60% of the lights would that do anything to keep them on longer, as in reliably all night?

If I used both panels and both batteries wired to the same 25 foot string of lights would that make them last longer, or would it just burn them out?

There's a good chance that the number of lights is tuned to the available voltage, so shortening the string may burn them out.

You might be able to use both panels on a single full-length string, but they must be connected in parallel so the voltage does not increase.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

Mark Reed wrote:It is a two pack, each 72 feet long with 200 little lights. I only need about 25 feet so, If I simply cut off the other 47 feet (repairing the wire) and along with it about 60% of the lights would that do anything to keep them on longer, as in reliably all night?

If I used both panels and both batteries wired to the same 25 foot string of lights would that make them last longer, or would it just burn them out?

There's a good chance that the number of lights is tuned to the available voltage, so shortening the string may burn them out.

You might be able to use both panels on a single full-length string, but they must be connected in parallel so the voltage does not increase.

I don't believe these controllers have chargeback protection, based on the photo someone put in their review on Amazon. If both boxes are powered on while in parallel, the box with the highest battery charge will discharge in the box with the lowest voltage until they balance out. The right way to do it will require modifying the circuitry of both boxes, since splicing parallel wouldn't work as intended.  Would make it easier just to go DIY route where the controls of the boxes are not on the back of the panel, since panel needs sunlight.

Nicolas Keeton wrote:I don't believe these controllers have chargeback protection ... If both boxes are powered on while in parallel, the box with the highest battery charge will discharge in the box with the lowest voltage until they balance out.

That's a fair comment; I sort of assumed that would be the case. But there could be other unintended consequences, given the "black box, lowest cost' charge controller. Perhaps the kludged-together batteries, with competing controllers fooled by the input of a second panel, wouldn't charge properly.

I'm also not clear on whether we are talking NiMHs or NiCd. Frankly I've been seeing much better performance in our northern latitude with lithiums.

I got a set like this for Christmas with the thought of using them year round and they didn't work by the time spring came around.  The batteries died.  The little panel was still working well.

I started just making my own with lead acid batteries and a good controller.  For me it has been more cost effective over time.