Hi~!
im looking for Arduino project that is related to Solar Panel even the very simple one since this is my first actual performance. most of you will think a battery charging + solar panel arduino project and whenever im looking to google, what always appearing is li-on battery solar panel charging project. but what im looking at is a project that is using solar panel as the actual energy source. for example, Arduino + Ultrasonic + Solar Panel.
I wonder if it is possible?
1.A) if yes, can you please share it to me/link it to me? 2nd problem for this is the lack of knowledge of what other materials
aside from Arduino Uno / Sensor / Solar Panel. when i search it some circuit required Boost Converter(but wasnt mentioned
what version or sometimes not.) But since they are for Battery Charging, i do not know if they are too applicable to what im
looking at...
One of the fundamental points you need to consider, is your project won’t be able to do anything when there’s no light present.
That small panel, and the limited drive ability of an Arduino, means that even with full daylight present, you won’t be driving any motors or relays, just blinking some small LEDs, or displaying values on an LCD.
A battery of any sort will multiply your project options many times. Even a small rechargeable with a simple circuit to save the solar energy could mean your device is more useful and reliable - even in sunlight.
A solar panel is a current source, which does not work well as a voltage source. A conversion of the solar panel as a current source to the solar panel as a voltage source needs be done somewhere in the loop. One of the ways to convert is by using a battery of some sort. I prefer LiFePo4 batteries and a solar charge controller.
This is slightly off topic..... But.
I bought a few solar lights at Lowes. They are usually a joke, but this one intrigued me because of the size of the solar panel and that it was surprisingly bright, which told me that the LED was drawing considerable current.
Upon opening, I found a controller board and an 18650 battery. I replaced the controller board with a LiPo charger board.
As an experiment, I added a Wemos D1 Mini and a ds18b20 temperature probe. The Wemos was waking from deep sleep every five minutes and publishing the temperature over MQTT.
After a days charge, I moved it into the basement. It kept publishing the temperature for five days. It was still powering the Wemos after five days when I put it back in the garden, so I am sure that it would work even in the winter.
@SteveMann, I'd like to know what your experience has been with that MCP73871 module. The chip seems perfect for solar charging because it even includes the load sharing (aka power path) function so the solar panel can directly power the load when the sun is shining, while independently charging the battery. But Andreas Spiess reviewed a number of chips for solar charging, and didn't like the MCP73871 - apparently he couldn't get enough power out of it. What's been your experience?
And I'll just agree with the idea that powering something with solar alone means it probably shuts down with every passing cloud.
My experience with this board is limited to my post above. It was just an experiment to see if the solar panel would keep a 16850 battery charged while powering up a Wemos D1 Mini every 5 minutes. One day of charging kept the Wemos running for five days in my basement. It probably could have run longer- I did not wait until failure.
