Solar Freaks

Looks nice. But that slew drive where can i get those ? I'am looking for a small/light (<4KG) slew drive. I only can find big large slew drives to turn turrets and that kind of things.

From here: http://www.linearbearings.com.au/Default.aspx?tabid=112

I purchased a drive second hand, but still haven't found time to start on this project. I get a few weeks off in about a month so im hoping i can do it them. I got 2 200watt Suntech panel i want to drive of this.

Its nice and small, but puts out huge torque, runs off 24VDC. Doesn't move fast, just slow and torquey, but thats what i want.

That looks nice. But i'm looking for a non linear drive to steer my boat with ! My motorpod is below the water and a normal steering cable from a boat is very heavy (9kg) and you can't make a 180+ dergee turn.

i like all your solar trackers. i was thinking about how i will make a solar tracker for my concentrated PV project. it seams from all your responces that sensing brightness is no good. i don't know how to program or use pics. is there a ghetto sun tracker option? what about timmer plugs for controlling the motor? just push down the segments that you need to keep the array pointed at the sun.

I request you to share the sun tracking algorithm / formula.

regards
ARM

Hi Arm,

I found a nice ALT/AZ formula on the South African Observatory website -http://www.saao.ac.za/public-info/sun-moon-stars/sun-index/how-to-calculate-altaz/

This is the one I use on my tracker.

Regards,


Paul.

Hi Paul!
This is Zaki From Morocco.
I hop that you progressed in your 2 axis solar tracker project.
I'm coming late in this post 1 or 2 years later!
From my part, I’m also interested by building a 2 axis solar tracker for my PV panels and my approach in stead of using a GPS like you did, is to simply feed a PIC circuit with the 2 inputs: latitude and longitude of my installation site and get back from it the 2 values of sun coordinates azimuth and altitude depending on the time and the date to drive 2 DC motors. (Such function exists already on the Millenium3 Custom automate from Crouzet (www.crouzet.com).

Can you please help me with any schematics and a PIC program of your solar tracker to help me to build this one for my one use.

Any help from you will be really appreciated.

I put you a PM yesterdauy with all details to reach me.

Regards

hey guys am new to this discussion,am making a 2-axes solar tracker as a final year project(atleast hoping to make one), it would really help if anyone of u guys can help me with the algorithms, am planning to make it sensorless, am still in the research stages of my project, so plz kindly help with some links and ideas if possible, really need ur help guys
thanx

Hi Shekhar,

Good to see that you have an interesting final year project on your hands

Could I suggest that you just make it a single axis tracker. It will be cheaper, take less time to design and build. If you can prove that you can get one axis working, then you have proved that you can add another axis. Well I think that makes sense

Could you give some more info on what you were thinking of making? What microcontroller are you going to use etc?

Paul.

Thanx Paul
i was trying to make a single axis tracker first,but my college professors want to be a bit more complex,so they have asked to make it 2-axes, my prof says hat making it 2-axes using algorithm will give me floating point calculations which will be better solved using a dsp processor(mostly Texas Instruments TMS320series), i am confused whether i should use dsp processor or microcontroller like maybe PIC or 8051based, also whether i should use actuator or normal dc motor or stepper motor, am nt tryin to make a big model a small model but accurate will do, also i have 3 other members with me in my group, we could try for a challenging projectand we have 1 full year, so plz guide me which one would be better,also plz share your knowledge, its really helpful, considering the fact that u all have gr8 practical knowledge.
thanx

hey paul
am trying to build a tracker very much similar to yours,,having problems with my sun position algorithm,,and calibration of my servos with the sun
i sent you my email,,could really use your help

I really "scored" on some small solar panels on eBay. I bought 4 of them - $5.00 ea. They are 5V @ 200Ma, so I paralleled them to get 5V @ 800Ma. Plenty for charging AA, AAA, C or D NiMh batteries. Presently I am using a "Chi-Com" USB powered battery charger, using the solar panel output rather than the USB port. It was really cheap when the associated parts needed to build one are considered. The batteries will charge as fast on solar as they would using the USB output. One of these days I will build a charger that provides a fast charge option using a MAX 712 or better yet a LTC4060.
_____________________________________
solar trackers