Science Project / Photo Resistor Question

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello everyone.
I am looking for some assistance with a project that I am doing for my college class on renewable energy. I have to prove that the energy that I make with a windmill kit and hydro power kit provide electricity. Due to the very small output of the voltage on the kits <5 volts I figured I would use the Arduino to assist me in lighting up the lights depending on the input from the windmill/hydro power. I am running into issues with the board properly turning off the lights when there is no voltage input from my devices. When I provide input into one of devices all of the devices go out. I have included my source code below. Also, I have wired up the board based on the circuit for the photoresistor circuit that came with the kit. I have also included a picture of how the wiring is wired based on the guide that came with the kit, just tripled for each of the different inputs with different color LEDs.

Parts used:
Board: Uno
(3) LEDs (5mm)
(3) 330-ohm resistors
(3) 10K-ohm resistors
Windmill Kit
Hydropower Kit
Solar Panel

// Wind Defination
const int windsensorPin = 2; 
const int windledPin = 12;

//Hydro Defination
const int hydrosensorPin = 0;
const int hydroledPin = 11;

//Solar Defination
const int solarsensorPin = 1;
const int solarledPin = 10;

int lightLevel, high = 0, low = 1023;
  
void setup()
{
  pinMode(windledPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(hydroledPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(solarledPin, OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  lightLevel = analogRead(windsensorPin);
  lightLevel = analogRead(hydrosensorPin);
  lightLevel = analogRead(solarsensorPin);
  
  manualTune();
  analogWrite(windledPin, lightLevel);
  analogWrite(hydroledPin, lightLevel);
  analogWrite(solarledPin, lightLevel);
}

void manualTune()
{
  lightLevel = map(lightLevel, 0, 1023, 0, 255);
  lightLevel = constrain(lightLevel, 0, 255);
} 

void autoTune()
{
  if (lightLevel < low)
  {
    low = lightLevel;
  }
  if (lightLevel > high)
  {
    high = lightLevel;
  }
  lightLevel = map(lightLevel, low+30, high-30, 0, 255);
  lightLevel = constrain(lightLevel, 0, 255);
}

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2

Does the class prescribe how you need to prove you made electricity, ie do something "useful" like light an led?

If not, you could just use a low resistance resistor to get some current flowing, with a voltmeter across it, and an ammeter in a break to show current.

3

9695976b7315cf77d46267d496484caf0f9f51cf.jpg
9695976b7315cf77d46267d496484caf0f9f51cf.jpg506×768 114 KB

4

mecoastie:
I am running into issues with the board properly turning off the lights when there is no voltage input from my devices. When I provide input into one of devices all of the devices go out.

int lightLevel, high = 0, low = 1023;

void loop()
{
 lightLevel = analogRead(windsensorPin);
 lightLevel = analogRead(hydrosensorPin);
 lightLevel = analogRead(solarsensorPin);
 
 manualTune();
 analogWrite(windledPin, lightLevel);
 analogWrite(hydroledPin, lightLevel);
 analogWrite(solarledPin, lightLevel);
}

You have the same variable (lightLevel) for all three pins/sensors in both Read & Write so they're all going to do the same thing. Make different variables for each resistor (eg: lightLevel, hydroLevel, windLevel) and see what happens.

5

mecoastie:
I am looking for some assistance with a project that I am doing for my college class on renewable energy. I have to prove that the energy that I make with a windmill kit and hydro power kit provide electricity.

Connect an LED with appropriate current limiting resistor to the output.

What does the LDR have to do with this?

6

Thanks for the replies, I had a little bit of time to look at it this weekend, and I got the lights to be independently. It was not defining the variables correctly as surveyranger stated. Also, to answer your questions. neiklot, yes have to prove that the renewable energy would actually produce an output. wvmarle, the LDR is I started with that allowed me to ensure that it is what I wanted for the output properly. Then I just repeated the process for the other inputs. Also, it is easier to test with the LDR then connecting my other kits to the board. Thanks for the help folks.

7

You don't make sense. An LDR (light dependent resistor) is an input device, it doesn't show you anything by itself, nor does it produce energy.

8

As suggested above, just use the generators to directly power (light up) some LEDs.

Put a 1K resistor in series with the LED (being sure to orient the LED correctly), and it will light up if the generator output voltage is anywhere between about 2 and 20 V.

This is not an Arduino problem.

9

Thanks for the help, I was able to get it working. Thanks for all of the help.