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projects:blinker:work_logs:8_solar_cells [2022/04/17 23:35] tjhowseprojects:blinker:work_logs:8_solar_cells [2022/04/17 23:45] (current) tjhowse
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 ==== Unearned success ==== ==== Unearned success ====
  
-I was at bunnings (a hardware store) for an unrelated reason and I saw some solar-powered garden lights with various configurations of solar cells. They were mostly under AUD$10 so I grabbed an 8-solar-cell LED light on a stake.+I was at Bunnings (a hardware store) for an unrelated reason and I saw some solar-powered garden lights with various configurations of solar cells. They were mostly under AUD$10 so I grabbed an 8-solar-cell LED light on a stake. 
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 +{{:projects:blinker:work_logs:pasted:20220417-233721.png}} 
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 +{{:projects:blinker:work_logs:pasted:20220417-233636.png}} 
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 +{{:projects:blinker:work_logs:pasted:20220417-234440.png}} 
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 +I drilled a small hole in the bezel to make the LED visible from the front. 
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 +I connected the 8 cell panel to a blinker circuit and it generates enough power to overwhelm the voltage limiting zener and the supercap overvolted to 3.1V. I did some experimentation with covering up cells with tape, but quickly realised that dark cells don't pass current. 
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 +{{:projects:blinker:work_logs:pasted:20220417-234033.png}} 
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 +I dug through the polymer coating with a hot air gun and knife to expose a connector and soldered on a wire that bypassed two of the cells. This gave me the following results under direct sun when connected to the blinker: 
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 +{{:projects:blinker:work_logs:pasted:20220417-234304.png}} 
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 +I was pretty happy with that, however it did sneak pretty close to the voltage limit of the supercap. I decided I would go with a 5-cell array for the final version. 
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 +{{ youtube>lZiL-H9wsoI?large }}
  
 ==== Success again ==== ==== Success again ====
projects/blinker/work_logs/8_solar_cells.txt · Last modified: 2022/04/17 23:45 by tjhowse