Customer Reviews

Kikkerland Solar-Powered Double Rainbow Maker

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

The first one I received didn't constantly rotate as the inside gears would jam. When I called the distributor I immediately spoke with a nice person who told me to return with "Please debit the postage back to my credit card." on the packing slip. And in a timely fashion I received a new rainbowmaker and a debit for the postage I spent to return the broken item!!! And my new rainbowmaker brings me such joy!

Double the fun! This double rainbow maker sends a myriad of rainbow balls that swirl across your room. The solar power does need sun, so put it in a window that receives a lot of sunshine. This product doesn't work on cloudy days, but is well worth the experience on sunny days!

I just love crystals!! And this one that make rainbowns is just fantastic!!! It works very well and if is a nice suny day, makes the most amazing rainbowns all over you house!!!
Brings a lots of happiness and good energy.
By one and enjoy!!!!!!!

We have had one of these for the past three years. It provided endless entertainment for my daughter when the sun was coming in the windows. Suction cups made it easy to move it around as the sun moved throughout the day. I would give this 5 stars...but they are not working anymore. I emailed Kikkerland about it, and they said the solar cells degrade after two years. For the price, I honestly expected it to last much longer.

whoa, I seriously love this product...it's so intense. What does it mean! oh my god, OH MY GOD!

I bought one of these after seeing that one of my friends had a similar one in her apartment kitchen. I've stuck mine onto my apartment room window and it definitely makes my student apartment room much more colorful. Just a little cautionary sidenote: be careful about peeling the rainbow maker off of the window. When I pulled, the suction cup came off and I had to super glue it back on. It tends to be fragile so dont 'hard handle' it. Treat it like an egg or the plastic encasing will crack.

Update: Also make sure its stuck on the window good 'n tight. After I removed it once while cleaning my windows and re-stuck it, it fell off damaging the crystals on it. I used superglue to paste it back together and onto the metal hooks that hold the crystals but it has become a problem for me. It still makes nice rainbows though.

When I got this for christmas 6 years ago, I thought it was cheesy. Now, I buy them for everyone! Nothing cheers me up like a house full of rainbows! The cats love it, I feel great, and it never fails to put a smile on my face. After 6 years, my first one stopped turning. Not sure if it fell and broke or just ran out of steam, but those were a fine 6 years. I have a new one and am happy as ever.

I bought one and loved it so much that I got two doubles and two singles. They fill the room with a spectacular light show every afternoon for a few hours. I found an ornament entended for an outdoor wind chime that had a string of 5 small mirror squares hanging from it. I cut the string and hung it from the single units. The mirros catch the sunlight and so along with the rainbow splashes of light, small flecks of brilliant white light also fly around the room. I can't tell you how many people rave about it once they see the spectacular effect. If you can find such a string of mirror squares, definately attach them to the unit. The single seems to be able to support the extra weight. The doubles many not unless you add an auxilliary solar panel wired in parallel, but then you are getting into more complicated modification, but if you are handy, this will be a great effect.

As for the degrading of the solar cells, yes, obviously these are not the highest quality and as with all photovoltaic cells, they do degrade with time -- the less expensive ones faster than the more expensive ones. But for the money, I don't expect they would last a live time. In fact, I would assume that the plastic gears would wear out in about as much a time frame. My worry is that they may not be easy to find a three or four years from now. What if the company goes out of business? I know may family and I will be very disappointed if we loose this little bit of beauty in our place. Therefore we are getting a few extra to put them in storage just in case.

Had to get another one of these, as I love the one I got quite some time
ago, and is still rollin' because I lubed up with some silicone lube.
Still tickin' and love the colors on a sunny day. Going to give the new one to my new mother-in-law, she loves centimental things! Gotta stay in good graces, hahah. Jeff in TX