portable solar auto tracking system - storage battery systems
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Dave WeaverThis building is made of aluminum t. slot extrusion.
I chose this material because it is clean, light and easy to use.
This can be easily built from wood, but it is not very resistant to UV and moisture.
If you would like to see more information about my Solar Building, please subscribe: The Sun tracks the sky from east to west as long as the Earth rotates.
Considering that solar panels produce maximum rated output only at right angles to the sun, this can explain why these same panels only produce very short-lived maximum power today's things
These panels will be more effective if they are opened every few minutes.
I have been looking for a practical, economical car for years
Track solar panels, but they don't really exist.
What does exist is not portable and very expensive.
So I decided to build it myself.
The system I built is with T-
Slot aluminum extrusion, a solid set of wheels, 12 v dc actuator and tilt for manual adjustment.
50 watts of solar panels were used, but with modifications to the design, it can handle up to 100 watts of electricity.
It has a solar charging controller, an affordable solar tracking assembly and an actuator that turns the solar panel.
Just connect the battery to fast
Connect the wire and charge the battery.
If you only need DC power and happen to only use LEDs to provide light throughout the night, you can have everything you need.
However, most active people need AC power for radios, TVs, coffee makers and even refrigerators.
In this case, you will need to purchase additional batteries to create the array and connect it to the down power inverter.
Alternatively, you can purchase any number of portable power packs on the market, combining them in a very compact and lightweight deviceWeight assembly.
Target Zero is the ideal power supply group for the system. List of materials :(1)
50 W solar panels (1)
36" aluminum T-
Slot extrusion 1 "x 1 "(1)
24" aluminum T-
Slot extrusion 1 "x 2 "(2)
10" aluminum T-
Slot extrusion 1 "x 1 "(2)
Lawn mower wheels (8)3)
5 hole T plate (2)Bags 1/4-
20x1/2 screws with/t-nut(1)180 deg. pivot bracket(2)90 deg. nubs(1)
Linear actuator 12 v dc with 12 "stroke (1)
Home CSP (solar tracker)1)
36 "length of 1/2-20 all thread(2)1/2-20 lock nuts(2)
1/2 "SS gasket (1)bag of (10)1/2-20 nuts (1)
3 hole joint strips (1)
36 "length of 1/2 cpvc (1)
"J" box of CPVC36 for CAT 5 cable or any lamp gauge required 4 twisted copper wire tool (1)
11/64 bit (1)1/4-20 tap1/4-
20 hands tap3/16 "T-
Wrenchcrescent wrenchwire stripperswire nutselectrical medomyself tapemore details.
The first step is to install the mast with the base.
The mast is 36 "@ 1" x 1 "T-slot extrusion.
The base is 24 "@ 1" x2 "T-slot extrusion.
They are attached to the 5-hole bracket and are also manufactured by 80/20. Place (4)1/4-
Insert 20 screws into the bottom row of the 5-hole bracket, and (3)screws with t-
The nut on the top row of the same bracket.
Not yet tightened.
Slide the 3-hole side of the bracket onto the mast.
Slide the 4-hole side of the bracket into the base.
Place the bracket in the middle.
Tighten the 4 screws at the bottom and then use the T wrench to firmly lean the mast against the base.
Tighten the remaining 3 screws.
Now put all the parts
Pass it through the center hole of the base.
In order for the wheels to have enough clearance, you need to extend about 4 "from both ends ".
Place a 1/2 washer at each end and then at 1/2-
20 nuts per end.
Tighten completely.
Now take a wheel, as shown in the figure, and put it at the end of the shaft.
Threads on 1/2
20 locking nuts per end.
It's not a Ferrari, the wheels should play a little and they should spin freely.
This completes the foundation.
The bracket at the bottom is made (2)
10 "segments of 1 × 1 extrusion.
One section is attached to the mast and the other is mounted on a 180 pivot bracket to be used as a leg.
This is where you adjust your tilt.
The T stand shown in the photo is no longer used, but instead uses the 5-hole T stand (
Will be installed on the same solar panel).
Mounting screws and t-
As shown in the figure, the nut on the bracket slides down the mast, about 10 "from the ground ".
Tighten 3 screws on the mast side. Now slide (1)
10 "Part 1" x 1 "(2)
The hole side of the bracket and tighten.
Take out the remaining 10 "segments of the extrusion and install the 180 degree pivot bracket as shown in the figure.
Knob and bracket bolts must be removed before installation.
The 10 "part of the leg only needs to be tapped at one end.
The 90 degree nub thread enters the threaded part of the extrusion.
This step requires you to drill holes in the external frame of the solar panel.
Place one of the 5 hole brackets on the top of the solar panel and mark the direction of the hole, which should be in the middle of the panel.
Also do this for the bottom. Drill (2)
Hole, 2 holes outside, with a drill bit of 11/64.
After drilling, replace the drill bit with 1/4-
Tap and tap the hole.
There is no need for lubricants for these taps. Take the (2)
The remaining 90 degree nubs is installed on the mast as shown in the figure.
To match the distance between the two brackets, these should be spaced.
At this point, you have two options for inserting 1/4-
20 hex head screws are inserted into the solar panel stand and nub.
You can do this at the top and bottom.
Another way is to put 1/4-20 all-Thread, about 1.
5 "long belt lock nut a plastic gasket enters nub.
This allows you to easily open and close the panel.
Now, install 3-hole connecting strips at the end of 10 "extrusion extending from the mast.
Install 2 button head screws and 2 t-
But the last hole is empty.
The actuator is equipped with mounting hardware.
The inclined cylinder holder should be installed on the left side of the solar panel, as shown in the figure, the solar panel holder uses the same technique.
There is a wing nut at one end and the other end is fixed.
1/4 long in 2-
20 bolts and through the empty holes and 1/4-on the connecting strip-
Fix it with 20 nuts.
Place a 1/4 high nylon gasket on the bolt, which will reduce friction.
1/4 on the thread now-
There are 20 wing nuts on the bolt to fix the actuator at one end.
Install the actuator bracket on the solar panel and fix the stroke rd of the actuator.
The actuator cannot be bound and it must go through the complete arc.
This will be tested later.
The sensor is mounted at the end of the 1/2 CPVC pipe.
There are sensors (4)
Wires, battery additions, battery reductions, CW and CCW for the actuator.
The small junction box is installed at 3/4 below the CPVC, and the other small segment of the CPVC extends to the bottom of the junction box, enough to reach the bottom of the outer frame of the solar panel.
The assembly is fixed on a solar panel using a pipe clamp.
The Wire will enter from the bottom and exit from the side to the top of the controller and sensor.
The solar tracker I use is made by the home CSP.
I have used the micro tracker with all the systems I have built and I have never had a problem.
Of course I would recommend using one for your system.
As for connecting the solar tracker, you have several options.
If you are using a 50 watt solar panel and your purpose is to charge a large deep-cycle battery in a power pack like Xantrex, or charge it yourself, then simply as shown in the figure
The Anderson Express connector is used to connect all devices.
Because it's just a 50 watt solar panel, it doesn't generate much current (< 3 amps)
So a small 7 amp charging controller is fine.
I chose to install it on the back of the solar panel with silicon, but it would be better to use a charging controller built into some of the more common power packs.
The power pack in the photo is just something I put together.
I want a lighter power pack that can be daisy.
Link to other battery packs to increase storage capacity.
I used a battery box with LED charging indicator.
Instead of using a heavy lead-acid battery, I used the life420ah battery instead.
I put a 800 watt refitting power inverter on the bottom and the remote control was installed on the front of the box.
It weighs only about 15 pounds.
In the adjacent photos, you will notice that I am converting to anderson connector using a 12 vdc cigarette power outlet.
I also use the "wattage" meter to measure the charging current. . . nice to have.
When the first power is on, the actuator will jog west and then east, and it will start looking for the sun in a few minutes.
Starting from this point, the tracker will sample the light every 3 minutes or so.
The process will be repeated until sunset.
In the evening, it will go back to the east and set it up.
Installation long turn-knob w/ 1/4-20 stud.
To install this, you need to click on the end of the mast.
The bracket does not have a limit switch and the linear actuator has a limit switch built in, which is why when facing the south you have to make sure that the solar panels can move about 180 degrees from east to west.
Release 1/4 if the panel is not bound or the itinerary is not enough-
20 hex screws for fixing the 3-hole connection belt and sliding in or out to increase or decrease the stroke. Retighten.
Operation for safe transportation, the bottom of the bracket needs to be folded up.
To do this, loosen the black turn
Knob, fold the 10 "lower leg in the direction of the mast. Re-
Tighten the knob.
Move the Sun Mountain to a clear area of the southern sky.
Put the handle on the mast to face south.
Connect the power supply assembly to the solar mount.
Loosen the bottom knob and tilt the bracket to match the approximate angle of the sun. Tighten knob.
Soon, your panel will start tracking itself.
For more details and other builds: www.
Bugoutpowerpacks. comwww. medomyself. com -Coming in Jan. 2016 -
In the first week of January 2016, we will launch a complete solar tracking system for those who do not want to build a solar tracking system from scratch.
We will launch a single axis solar tracker that will handle solar panels up to 100 watts.
It will include: 50 W solar panel solar charging controller
Handle panels up to 100 watts)
Portable Single shaft wheel (azimuth)Mechanical (inclination)