Easy and Simple Homemade Sun Tracker

[100roberthenry]

cool, i looked at your parts list...what motor is that though?.

[cabetza1]

Very clever!!! it was your idea or do you see her there?

[AKSoapy29]

@HappymanSeven ,

If the panel hits light, wouldn't the motor go faster?

[GalinaBify]

That's made out of legos.

[llagask]

motor will be a clock?

[lgsr1]

Point of diminishing return. Re: Should I just mount panel flat to roof or would I be able to gain extra power to power up tracker and still have some left over by using tracker compared to mounting direct to roof?

[nicu60]

very yzye

[MekazaBitrusty]

I think I am missing something. In your video, the system turns counter clockwise to point the main cell at the sun. This would be like when the sun rises. But to keep tracking the sun, it now has to turn clockwise in small increments. Given that there is no polarity reversal, how does this happen?

[HappymanSeven]

My theory: The big solar panel doesn't do much, while the small SP powers the motor,causing it to turn.

[SCRTpilot]

It would be nice if you told us how it works, not just how it doesn't work.

If you use the cell output how does the thing know which way to turn?

[funtimeswithflames]

r u using photo cells as sensors

[ASSOCIAZIONEECOBO]

Easy and Simple #Homemade #Sun Tracker

[danluna11]

JosePino@ can i like buy this from you  how much will it cost? sell it on ebay it a good thing to use

[jab0805]

great job! Great idea! Thank you for the post.

[dodgedart74]

not cool unless you upgrade fomr legos to arduino.

unless your mcguyvers son

[JosePino]

@dodgedart74 arduino?

Upgrading LEGOs to Arduino? That sounds like going backwards.

[kiryx7]

@JosePino

Why would you think so ?

[alphaman1101]

@JosePino: dodgedart74.... Going backwards? are you joking? the lego NGE or what ever it is i guarantee has not half the processing power arduino has...

[MekazaBitrusty]

@alphaman1101 Off course it is going backwards. The whole idea of this is to be super simple. Adding a whole lot of electronics makes it complex, ie, backwards.

[FearTriX]

@dodgedart74 Legos to arduino is a downgrade.

[Probewitch]

No circuit? What is it; biological?

[JosePino]

@Probewitch It's PhotoThermoHyperCandleReceptiv­eIndunnoTelurical.

[toodlestech]

@JosePino "PhotoThermoHyperCandleRecepti­v­eIndunnoTelurical" aka bullshit. You people should take a couple hours to read up on some basics. Even if that were a real thing it would be a sensor which he "isn't using" aka this is just a motor that randomly moves and the video is just looped a couple times... how is that impressive? Doesn't track the sun, although you could make it track the sun with less than $1 in components after buying the motor.

[XBENSTARX]

@Probewitch No, it's lego...

[eltunene]

Very clever device, Jose!

[Aqlor]

It's a very nice idea, but the song, really...you should hear the original. Sarah killed it :(

[JosePino]

@Aqlor I would like to hear the original song. Could you provide the song info?

[Aqlor]

@JosePino I was searching for you video again and just noticed I haven't replied :P

the song is Canção do Mar by Dulce Pontes you can hear it here ( watch?v=MSIGWEcR5Dc )

[priyank1010]

can u pls suggest me hw to do with pneumatic

[userxo1]

@priyank1010 the pnumatic motors they sell are better in some way if strong wind hits they will give hopefullt before the rest of it does

[TpointI]

Hey dude very thats cery cool.

What motor did you use?

[JosePino]

It is the Lego RCX motor that works with 6V 100mA

[SpencahD]

Well done.

The moving thingy is a rotor, the base is the stator - yes I know that is an axial term for motors, but it works here too and is used in antannae parts speak

(saw your page... really cool, but ditch the weights idea... waste of energy)

[JosePino]

Great Info, Thanks SpencahD!

[dopplerduck]

Clever. :-)

[mikencarolfrench]

Awesome!!! I have a solar panel and was looking to see how the trackers work. You made this out of Lego's? Cool.

[Fenixs11]

perdona... ¿cual es la cancion del video?

[JosePino]

Harem. Sarah Brightman.

[MrStealth4]

Very clever. congratulations. many things can be done without micro or transistors

[heidebill]

Very Clever and Simple, Still having dificulty with the sun in the shadow of the Solar cell that runs the motor.

Good Job

[migpics11]

How do you make this? Do you have instructions for this?

[akylesmx]

I saw some details on his website. read the description, even the video indicates the website address.

[natureboy121600]

can you please let me know how you did that thank you so much

[nahilim]

brilliant, want learn how to make it from you

[johniesmite]

Nice. How did you make it?

[DeanC993]

good idea with the lego

[lucasmontec]

r u using the solar panel as a sensor?

[JosePino]

basically, Yes. The small solar cell powers the motor and acts like a sensor.

[holm79]

Question!

Do you have any specs on the small cell?

Volt, amps, Watt...???

Have one on 4.0V, 85mA, 0.34W.

But it wont power my motor??

A simple 1.5V AA battteri is enough to drive it, but not the 4.0V solar????????

[JosePino]

The small cell is a 4V 60mA.

Using gears will slow the speed but little energy is needed, that is why a tiny solar cell can move a 6V motor.

[holm79]

thanks so much..

better late than never ;)

next was the motor but i know now ..

Thanks

[JosePino]

@lucasmontec Correct.

[kricotoy]

who made that?

[lucasmontec]

you might don't know but if its tracking the sun it have sensors...

nice job anyway!

[JosePino]

No, No sensor at all.

[svesolar]

check out svesolar tracker

[Borlach12]

it´s nice but, look " buscador de luz para panel solar"

[ronaldmcrae]

Nice.

[prnkstr]

Cool:) What music was that btw?

[JosePino]

Harem - Sarah Brightman

[joenpamtorres]

very nice

how do i make one of these

[sgbr101]

damn thats nice the wonders of lego... and (Cough) solar cells

[zeroni13]

how to make the sun tracker??

[phdecora]

sorry, i dont understand. do you have a circuit diagram?

[RHEAD100]

That is Kick Ass; 5 stars;;;

I hope you don't mined if I use your idea. I am prepairing to go totaly off the grid. mainly solar with a little wind backup.

[JosePino]

I don't mind. I can provide some space if you want to post your project online.

[RHEAD100]

Thanks;; Your the greatest

[JosePino]

Not really, but thanks.

[ncbookz]

what does it use to line up with the sun? brightest spot some how?

[chickenpoper]

probably which position the most electricity is made

[ncbookz]

@chickenpoper nand or nor gate?

[alienpatentoffice]

@RHEAD100 he he he are you gonna use lego blocks too?

[1990suzuki]

@RHEAD100

o yea lets just let legos move your solar panels around one day your gunna come home from work and see them on the ground.... jkjkjkjk

[RHEAD100]

@1990suzuki You are a dipstick . A FUNNY DIPSTICK , HA HA HA BUT nun the less a DIPSTICK.

[jakegoakes]

how did u make that

[mabauti]

Interesting. Where can I get one?

[JosePino]

No idea. I built one for myself.

[mindbeast]

it is a sun detector, not a tracker.

[JosePino]

I believe you are right.

[mindbeast]

its still pretty good. :)

if you do two cells, one on each side, you just reverse the motor and then it will track the sun.

i think there is a circuit where you put two photo-sensors and when they are even, no motor movement. if one is greater than the other, then the motor moves in the direction of the one with more sun until they are even.

[JosePino]

That is a great idea! A simple comparator will do the job.

[avlewis]

This is all very cool!

Thanks for the posts; now I just have to try some of these ideas.

[alexkittybag]

a very clever device!

[222Doc]

thats is very good ,so are you tracking the energy output of the sun? and then stop at highest peak?

[JosePino]

Actually, it stops when it the small cell doesn't get sunlight exactly where the big cell receives the highest peak.