TRIGGER working again!

Today Pipi and I went up to Kielder to do some maintenance work on our audio installation. When we first installed the work, the solar panel was supplying the speaker with the power necessary to play the audio and it was working well. However, at the opening event we were very disappointed to discover that the sound was no longer playing and the speaker would not switch on.

Today we went to investigate the nature of the problem and try to find a solution. We were armed with all kinds of tools and equipment giving us plenty of options that could be used to solve the problem.



On arrival we checked that the solar panel was charging (which it was), unplugged the speaker and plugged a MP3 player into the solar panel to check whether the problem was with the speaker or the solar panel. When plugged into the solar panel the MP3 player began to play our audio. This indicated that the speaker was the problem. We had sealed the speaker in a plastic box and placed that within the box of the structure. All joins were sealed to minimise any water getting into the speaker. After what seemed like hours of peeling the silicone off all the joins, we were able to remove the speaker from the shelf within the structure. We were surprised to discover that the speaker was full of water. We could hear it splashing around inside.

It was clear that we were going to have to find an alternative to using the speaker, and so decided to replace it with the MP3 player and headphones. Once again we sealed all the equipment into place and filled any holes with silicone in order to prevent any water entering the structure and damaging the equipment. The MP3 player is powered by the solar panel, and because it requires less energy than the speaker, it should remain charged for a long period of time. 

Now all we have to do is keep our fingers crossed that the sun shines and there are no more storms. 



If you do visit, please share your thoughts about the work with us. We are keen to hear what you think.