Sun Seeker

[osaman]

Hey guys im working on my sun seeker these days.

what it will do is that it will stop when it recieves the maximum light or it fnds the sun...

im using 2 LDRs for this purpose. DC motor will be used.
i have to use comparator for this purpose. but i m still doubtful. cant get the logic.


can anybody help me?

 

[AllVol]

Hey guys im working on my sun seeker these days.

what it will do is that it will stop when it recieves the maximum light or it fnds the sun...

im using 2 LDRs for this purpose. DC motor will be used.
i have to use comparator for this purpose. but i m still doubtful. cant get the logic.


can anybody help me?

Since you are dealing with altitude and azimuth, I would suspect you need two motors to drive your platform.

 

[HarveyH42]

http://www.redrok.com/electron.htm

Huge site with many links and circuits for alternative energy. Most of the tracker circuits are explained well.

Its a good place to find information, whether your project is for solar panels or anything else.

 

[dch222]

Since you are dealing with altitude and azimuth, I would suspect you need two motors to drive your platform.

If you mount the system on an equatorial mount (like astronomocal telescopes use) you could get away with one motor probably, but the azimuth angle would need adjusting occasionally (say once a week) to take account of the sun getting higher or lower in the sky as the seasons progress.

 

[ultimatekiller]

Hi All,
I m a final year student and i m doing the same project too! the only different is I control the solar panel by using PIC microcontroller...
The website that provided by HarveyH42(http://www.redrok.com/electron.htm) contains the title also, but i just cannot view it... It is under "Sun Seeker Project David Carter's PIC based Solar Tracker". After I clicked it, the page cannot be viewed... do you have any other website to recommend?? I really need that badly...

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I think you're missing the point?, it's YOUR final year project, you're supposed to do it, not just copy someone elses work - that's called CHEATING!. The project is to test YOUR abolities, if you can't do it you don't deserve to pass, and you shouldn't do - what good would you be to any employer?.

 

[HarveyH42]

The redrok link had a hundred and more similar projects for you to get ideas from. Hint: some of the links lead to sites with many other related projects. The reason the majority of the redrok projects don't use microcontrollers, is that its not sufficiently complex for most of these guys to learn.

The logic seems pretty simple, compare the photo sensor output, rotate the motor in the direction of the lowest one. When they match, it's locked.

I don't use PIC, but know they can read two analog inputs and control motors. If you want to cheat on the code, try modifying a line following robot code.

 

[redrok]

Hi HarveyH42;

"These guys" is just me.

Actually the reason I don't publish micro designs is it would be illegal for me to sell.
http://www.redrok.com/phrases.txt
|------------------------------------------------------------
|
| FCC or CE Mark testing:
| I make solar trackers but I don't use micros because
| the legal testing costs are quite high, maybe $10,000
| or so. I used to do this testing while I was employed
| by Unisys from about 1980 to 2006. Some of my
| competitors do use micros and they are really taking
| a chance. However, since I'm one of the worlds
| largest manufacturers of solar trackers I just can't
| violate these rules as I would be one of the first to
| get caught if I violate them.
|
| Yes, I have micro designs, but I can only sell these
| designs to people who are OEM manufacturers as they
| are required to undertake the testing anyway.
| It's the law.
|
| An overview:
| eEngineer - Electrical Engineering, EMI/EMC, RFI
| eEngineer -- EMI/EMC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Printer Format
|
| These guys do the tests.
| **broken link removed**
| And others.
|
| Generally you have to satisfy FCC in the US:
| **broken link removed**
|
| You probably fit into one of these categories.
|
| Personal Computers and Personal Computer Peripherals
| for residential use.
| or
| Other ITE and "Digital Devices".
|
| Both of these are governed by "Part 15 Subpart B,15.107,15.109".
| **broken link removed**
|
| And in Europe it is CISPR-22 as I recall.
|
| Let me break it down:
| If the basic clock frequency is greater than 9.6kHz you
| will need to be tested to make sure excessive radio
| emission doesn't exist and must be done at a certified
| testing site. The rule of thumb is this testing costs
| about $10,000 if you pass the first time. That cost
| should cover both the FCC and CISPR requirements along
| with submitting the documents.
|
| An example of this is look at the back of your TV remote
| control and there is an FCC sticker. And virtually
| anything else that has a micro in it.
|
| You may need to be tested even if you don't have a micro.
| A digital device is anything that has a frequency greater
| than 9.6kHz and employs fast switching edges, i.e. digital.
| (Otherwise an analog audio amplifiers would need to be
| tested but they don't because there is no fast switching
| going on.) Things that contain switching mode power
| supplies need to be tested.
|
| Actually it is not to difficult to pass with carefully
| designed circuits and packaging.
| 1. RF tight enclosures so the "bad stuff" is contained.
| 2. Or make sure all switching signals are filtered
| with caps or edge limiting resistors.
| 3. Many times 4 layer PC boards can help with all
| signals on the inner layers.
| 4. Keep fast signals near the center of the board
| and not near the edges of the board.
|
| You have to sell a lot of product to justify the
| expense of this testing. This is why I've decided
| to sell circuits that don't require these tests.
|
|------------------------------------------------------------

Duane

--
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[HarveyH42]

Duane, you realize this thread is nearly 3 years old. I post the like to your site, because it's got a great collection of designs, with build details. When someone ask about solar trackers, yours is the first to come to mind. I'm glad you've kept it up all these years, a fantastic resource. Someday, I'll get around to building a tracker myself, but I'm a little light on the mechanical construction skills, and less than 200 watts of panels.

 

[Boncuk]

If you mount the system on an equatorial mount (like astronomocal telescopes use) you could get away with one motor probably, but the azimuth angle would need adjusting occasionally (say once a week) to take account of the sun getting higher or lower in the sky as the seasons progress.

Taking into account that the solar panel is a fixed geographic position there are maximum angles of azimuth and elevation which should be controlled using limit switches (to protect the mechanical drive from stress).

Other intermediate maximum angle values won't be reached at other times than those at midsummer position.

Of course there are slight inaccuracies due to precession and nutation of the earth, but they might be negligated for a solar tracker.

To have the panel return to sunrise position it is sufficient to have it return 1/2 hour after sunset to the eastern most position (azimuth) at the lowest possible elevation angle for the geographic position.

The panel will adjust itself to the real sunrise angle within short time.

To obtain accurate starting values you might use the Air Almanach to find out midsummer sun angles for your geographic position.

Regards

Boncuk