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Solar Cell Circuits
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Last Updated on:
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 05:39 AM |
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Circuits Designed by Dave Johnson, P.E. : |
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Solar Cell
Test Fixture
If you are considering building your own solar panel, you might try building the
solar cell tester shown below. When constructing a solar panel it is important to
make sure that all the solar cells used in the panel be closely matched for their
short circuit current. One weak cell will lower the efficiency of the whole panel.
The system shown allows individual solar cells to be tested for their short
circuit current under a constant light intensity condition....
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Solar-Powered Pump Motor Controller - A Discover Circuits visitor had a
problem. He needed a simple on/off controller for his solar powered water
pump. His system used two 12v 50 watt solar panels wired in series.
The power from the solar panels drove a submerged water pump. However,
during overcast skies the pump motor did not operate properly due to the lack of
power from the panel. He wanted a circuit which would turn off power to the
motor during low sun conditions. The circuit below performs this function.
A small 0.1” x 0.1” photodiode monitors the sunlight intensity. The current
from the diode is proportional to sunlight intensity. An adjustable load
resistor across the diode converts the current into a voltage and feeds the to a
voltage comparator circuit. The output of the comparator drives a small
n-channel MOSFET, which in turn drives a high current p-channel MOSFET,
controlling power to the pump motor. When the sunlight is less than one
fourth of full intensity, power to the motor is turned off.
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Solar Powered Lithium Ion Battery
Charger
The circuit below feeds a
controlled current and voltage to a 3.6v lithium ion battery. The current is
limited to 300ma and the voltage is limited to 4.2 volts. The circuit uses a
LTC1734 IC from Linear Technology. No diode is needed between the circuit and a 6
volt solar panel....
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Solar PV cell Test Fixture
This is an
illustration of a test fixture, which can be used to test individual solar cells
for short circuit current. Using a PIN photo diode and a control circuit,
the solar cells can be tested under constant light level conditions. A halogen
incandescent lamp is used as the light source. (added 7/06)
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Links to electronic circuits, electronic schematics, designs for engineers,
hobbyists, students & inventors: |
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[_OLD-ads-dont_upload/OLD I-ADS from web/ad-djandassoc.htm] |
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Solar Shed Lighting Circuit Testing - Analysis of a typical solar
shed LED lighting circuit…. [REUK - Renewable Energy UK website] |
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Solar Step Down Regulator - This is an experimental circuit which
rapidly "chops" a steady DC input voltage to produce a lower output voltage.
Regulation is a function of the chopping - it is caused by the output
transistor switching on and off around the target voltage, which when
smoothed provides a constant DC output.... [Rowan from Melbourne, Austrailia] |
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Solar sun tracker - Schematic only, no circuit description
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Solar Tracker - I wanted to come up with a simple design that
would be durable, cheap and easy to make. If you have enough carpentry
skills to make a bird house, you can build this tracker ….. [Rich Demartile] |
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Solar Tracker Concept - Make a very simple sun tracker to maximise
electricity generation from a PV solar panel…. [REUK - Renewable Energy UK
website] |
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Solar Tracking Control System - Schematic only, no circuit description
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Solar-array controller needs no multiplier to maximize power - 5-Dec-08
Issue of EDN Relying on the logarithmic behavior of transistor junctions to
calculate power, this controller operates a photovoltaic array at its maximum power
point.... [Design Idea by W Stephen Woodward, Chapel Hill, NC] |
Solarbotics NV-Based Circuit - uses a single IC (and it's a common one, too
-the 74AC240) to give you motor drive in a single direction
(added 6/06) |
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Solar-Powered Pump Motor Controller - A Discover Circuits visitor had a
problem. He needed a simple on/off controller for his solar powered water pump.
His system used two 12v 50 watt solar panels wired in series. The power from the
solar panels drove a submerged water pump. However, during overcast skies the
pump motor did not operate properly due to the lack of power from the panel. He
wanted a circuit which would turn off power to the motor during low sun conditions.
The circuit below performs this function. A small 0.1” x 0.1” photodiode
monitors the sunlight intensity. The current from the diode is proportional to
sunlight intensity. An adjustable load resistor across the diode converts the
current into ...[Circuit designed by David A. Johnson, P.E.] |
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Solar-powered motor runs on 10 nA - 18-Mar-04 Issue of EDN Designs for
solar-powered applications with low-duty-cycle requirements can often rely on
capacitors for energy storage in place of less reliable batteries. Typical
applications include solar positioning, telemetry transmitters, chemical pumps, data
loggers, and solar-powered toys. The circuit in Figure 1 can run a small pager motor
from the output of a small calculator-type solar cell in near.... [Design Idea by
Stepan Novotill, Victoria, BC, Canada] |
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Solar-powered sensor controls traffic - 26-Nov-09 Issue of EDN A
traffic-sensor post measures vehicle location and speed at an intersection, providing
an accurate, effective, inexpensive approach to monitoring traffic flow.... [Design
Idea by Larry K Baxter, Capsense, Lexington, MA] |
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SPC1 Solar Charge Controller / Low Voltage Disconnect Circuit - The charge
controller is used to connect a solar panel to a 12 volt lead acid battery, it
regulates the charging of the battery and allows the battery to be charged up to a
preset voltage. This prevents the battery from over-charging and boiling off
electrolyte. The low voltage disconnect is used to connect a load to the same 12 volt
lead acid battery, the LVD acts as a smart switch, it auto disconnects the load if the
battery voltage falls below a set point. When used together, these circuits keep the
battery operating within normal voltage limits which greatly extends the life of the
battery.... [G. Forrest Cook] |
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SPC2 6A 12V Solar Power Center - The SPC2 is a solar power center, it can be
used to handle all of the power functions for small 12 Volt solar powered devices. It
contains a photovoltaic charge controller and a low voltage load disconnect circuit.
The low voltage disconnect has a load on-off switch, and a battery low voltage
indicator. By using the SPC2 as the center of a solar powered device, long battery
life is assured. The SPC2 can be used for powered lighting systems, radios, and other
12 Volt devices.... [Circuit Designer is Forrest Cook] |
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SPC3 9A-in,10A-out/12V Solar Power Center - The SPC3 is a solar power
center, it can handle all of the power functions for a solar charged 12 Volt DC
system. The SPC3 contains a 9 amp photovoltaic charge controller, a 10 amp low voltage
load disconnect circuit and a built-in white LED array for area illumination. The low
voltage disconnect circuit has a load on-off switch, and a battery low voltage
indicator. By using the SPC3 as the center of a solar powered device, long battery
life is assured.... [G. Forrest Cook] |
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Switching Shunt-mode Solar/Wind Charge Controller - This circuit is for a
switching shunt-mode charge controller. In a shunt-mode circuit, the solar panel is
permanently connected to the battery via a series diode. When the solar panel charges
the battery up to the desired full voltage, the shunt circuit connects a resistive
load across the battery to absorb the excess power from the solar panel.... [G.
Forrest Cook] |
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