Solar Empire – Endless War

1. 

   billrussell42April 6, 2010 - 6:23 pm #1

   USB specification is 5 volts ± 0.25 volts, at up to 1 amp.

   Pin 1 is +5v, pin 4 is ground.

   You need a 5 volt regulator, such as a LM7805, to regulate the voltage, which means you need the solar panel to supply 7 volts at 1 amp. The regulator will need a heat sink.

   .
   References :

2. 

   AJApril 6, 2010 - 6:59 pm #2

   Your phone expects the voltage range/current capabilities of USB interface. Chances are, it will not be happy with an unregulated voltage coming from solar panels directly. If you exceed USB max voltage of 5.25V, you may damage the phone. If the voltage is too low, the charging circuitry of the phone will not work properly with unpredictable consequences.

   You need to build a power conditioner circuit that would include a temporary storage (ultracapacitors may do the job), a high efficiency DC-DC converter (a simple regulator IC will work, but you’ll waste a ton of power into the heatsink) and some thresholding/power ON/OFF logic.

   Most modern phones are designed to fast charge the battery, meaning that they will demand all the power available from USB, or close to 5W. So, unless you can guarantee that the output of solar panels is at least 5W at all times, this may not work very well.
   References :

No trackbacks yet.

No post with similar tags yet.

Posts in similar categories

1. What do I attach my solar panel to so that I can read how much energy it was generated?

   This is for my science fair project, I'm comparing the energy gained with Wind and Solar. I have a solar panel but it didn't come with anything but alligator clips. What is something I can buy that would tell me how much Energy the panel has harvested? I was thinking something like a 12 volt...

2. How much energy can solar panel produce?

   I am doing a project on solar panels. All information given has to be accurate. May I know how much energy can monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, vaporware solar panel produce? I also want to know more about solar panels. For example, how did Americans use solar panels during autumn and winter? Is the solar panel used...

3. How would I run a light bulb off a solar panel?

   I am looking to make a demonstration using a large amorphous solar panel that I have lying around. I want to keep this as simple as possible. The solar panel that I have is a 96 Watt 12V solar panel. Thanks for any help or suggestions you can give me. Good for you...

4. How to use solar panel to generate electricity?

   Hi, I want to generate electricity using solar panel at home and I want to follow a simple tutorial. Could you recommend me a good tutorial? Photovoltaics are best known as a method for generating electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into a flow of electrons. The photovoltaic effect refers to...

5. If I had a solar panel hooked into the electricity grid and there was a blackout during the day?

   where would the electricity from the solar panel go? would it just heat up the solar panel until it explodes? That's a good question. When a grid goes down, and you're system is still supplying power to it, it creates what is called "islanding." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islanding Very dangerous. That's why inverters today are wired up with automatic anti-islanding circuitry built into them. It shuts down the...

6. How can I connect a solar panel to a power outlet to help power my house?

   I Have a small solar panel and Im not so sure about its voltage, so how can I connect it to some power outlet? And no; I am not thinking about using it to recharge batteries or directly powering appliances. This is done through the use of a grid tie inverter. The inverter turns the...

7. How would you connect a solar panel to a fan?

   I would like to connect a solar panel to a small fan. I am not sure as to what is needed to actually "connect" the two together. Any help is appreciated. Panels are rated nominally, and you can look at your fan to see what the ratings for the fam are to determine sizing of the...

8. How many watt solar panel do I need to charge a 12v battery that wont be using much electricity?

   1. The 12v battery will only be turning a small 12v motor that will be turning very slowly yet possibly or a long time. 2. 1-2 hours max per day it will be running 3. I want it to be fully sufficient on solar power once the energy in the battery runs out. What specifications for...

9. How to make a solar panel for my house?

   I want to learn how to make a solar panel to help lower my energy costs. Any recommendations on where I can start on my solar panel project? Thanks! Yes, it is possible to learn how to make a solar panel for your house. I was skeptical with all these claims about making your own energy,...

10. How to prevent shorting out solar panel?

    I have a solar panel I bought for a diy project and it has a small plug on the end of it, but I need to remove this plug to expose the positive and return wires so I can solder a bunch of stuff together. How do I cut off the plug without shorting out...