OK. I have seen solutions floating around but have not found one where the solution is clear enough for me to follow. (I am still trying to figure out areas of "arduino land".
I have a project where I would like to make my yun solar powered with a battery backup for night.
Originally, I was going with an energy shield from nightshade electronics http://www.ns-electric.com/products/energyshield/ with a 6Ahr battery from sparkfun. Lithium Ion Battery - 6Ah - PRT-13856 - SparkFun Electronics. The battery will charge from the usb, but ill not charge from the solar panel. Because I am using a yun instead of an uno, I do not think the built in 1200mAhr battery will even come close to making it through the night.
As a bous, I have discovered that the support from that company sucks so I am looking for other solutions.
Does anyone have any ideas for powering my arduino yun via solar power?
I don't understand when you say the battery will not be charged from the solar panel?
If there is another source of power why do you need a battery for night time power for the Arduino ?
If the battery and the Arduino are really being powered exclusively from the solar panel is there any limitation on the size of battery ? For example could you use a large 12v lead acid battery ?
How many watts does your solar panel produce and at what voltage ?
I figured out why I have the issue with the energy shield and have fixed that. My problem is that the 6Ahr battery will barely make it through the night.
My project involves using a yun in a remote (no accessable power) location to collect data and report it to a MySQL server.
Because these units will be used to collect data for scientific experiments, the units need to be able to run for a few days on battery power if there is no sun.
What I am looking for is examples of other peoples solar powered inventions.
What I am looking for is examples of other peoples solar powered inventions.
@istrait77,
this problem (of overnight power) has been worked on by quite a few people. I think if post a new message and make the Subject Line a Question and Request, then you are more likely to get help.
I saw a power pack meant for mobile telephones. It had an 8000 mAh battery and a solar panel measuring some 10 * 15 cm. I guess it could be charged through a standard USB charger, but obviously also with the solar panel. The price was some 20 €. I couldn't fing any specs about the effect of the panel, though, but I guess one could figure it out from the size. The questions are: how many mAh does your setup need per 24 h, how many mAh can a panel produce on a sunny day, how many sunny days are there. Following questions: would a solar tracker increase the daily power produced.