Little battery charger PV.. On Ebay..
 

New UL approved 5 watt(10 watt max) Solar panel - eBay (item 160394724942 end time Feb-12-10 06:14:44 PST)

I ordered one and it looks like there are 2 left..

Since they are 36 cell PVs, I think they will be good for charging 12V packs.

Not sure about the wattage. Judging from the size, they could be 10W.
But 5W should work for my app..

I'm buying this little PV to charge a battery that I plan to use with
a solar tracker on my old sat dish mount..

Once I have the charger working, I'll order a tracker kit.. :)

Edit:
The panel came in and it looks like good quality. Posted at http://ecorenovator.org/forum/projec...r-project.html

At first I thought it was for charging automotive batteries, but it has an alu frame, so it's probably for stationary mounting. I believe some solar installations use small PVs to run the circulation pump (so no sun = no circulation). But 5W is awful small for running a pump motor.

I used the dimensions 13.5"x 11.5" and found a panel that's used for a gate opener.
Solar Panel 10 Watt

I guess it could be used for a small attic fan too..

Edit:

I think maybe I have found the source. The back of the panel is marked UL-Solar.
I found the company and what looks like a newer version of the panel I've ordered..
10 Watt 12 Volt Multicrystalline PV Solar Panel - SPM010P-R

I found some examples of the tracker application.
http://www.redrok.com/images/volvo12.jpg

The 5-10W fixed panel is orientated to the south, so it charges up the jack-motor battery, mostly during midday.

I've been thinking that the 5W panel could be angled so that it provides
just enough charging to keep the lead-acid topped off.. But not over-charged..

Here's one that I think is using one of those inside-the-car PVs that plugs into the cigar lighter..

http://www.redrok.com/images/mcintyre2.jpg
http://www.redrok.com/images/mcintyre1.jpg

I like the way his array rack is set up. That's about what I'm shooting for..

I've been looking at the "The new SOLAR TRACKER 2 CIRCUIT KIT" at
Solar Tracker Circuit Kit
since it seems to have neat terminal strip for easy install..
But, I wonder about the tracking reliability of such a simple circuit.

I was surfing the other day on youtube looking at arduino stuff. I found a pretty neat little solar tracker that a guy had setup. He used three photo-resistors. One was perpendicular to the panel, one was angled to the right, and one to the left. The program simply adjusted position based on the resistance from the photo-resistors. Pretty neat. I'd find it and give you a link, but youtube is blocked at work.

I've seen some of those youtube vids with Arduinos, and I have a similar
micro-controller that I could use. But, I don't want to program if there
is a product available off-the-shelf.

http://www.mtmscientific.com/trak2a.jpg

This one looks really quick and easy to install.. My only qualm is, how to implement
the limit switches. (My dish Actuator does not have built-in limit switches).

Plus, just looking at the picture doesn't help me understand how
something so simple could perform the end-of-day return East function.?.

Hahah.. I wonder if any of these gadgets every get confused and follow the moon across the sky on a summers night?? :rolleyes:

end-of-day return East function.?.
 

Found out how the reset works..

When it gets real dark, the reference voltage into the comparator is biased
to trick the board into believing there is some sun shine from the east.
This fake sun shine runs the motor east, to the stop.. And waits until morning. Very slick!

I've placed my order.. :)

Wow! That was fast.. My kit came in today (Saturday). Solar Tracker Circuit Kit
Now I've got to dig out my old soldering tools and get to work.

The little 5-10 watt PV was shipped yesterday and should be here by the middle of the week..

I've been looking at this charge controller,
Ramsond Corporation - Sensible Solutions
Since I fear the panel might over-charge the old car battery that I plan to use.
I have a bid in for one on Ebay, but it's a long auction.. :eek:

Let me know how you like the charge controller you get. I've been looking at them lately too, but can't decide.

I got the Ramsond and it seems to work, but I've not left it on long enough to get it up to the 14.2V cut-off.

I'm only charging at 5W.. I may never see that green LED come on! :o

http://www.ramsond.com/solarpanel/ra...llerspecs2.jpg


My little test was posted over at http://ecorenovator.org/forum/projec....html#post5677