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helpmonkey
Joined: 27 Apr 2008
Posts: 1
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:19 am Post subject: Solar Tracker |
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| I know this is a bit off topic as far as robotics but i need some help.... I am building a solar tracker mount for a 80watt solar panel 3ftx5ft... the tracker will be hooked up to a PC running openservo ... I need a stepper or servo to control 1 axis ... any advice on servo or stepper motors , control boards or code would be appreciated ... keep in mind that the tracker is very simplistic and cheap... i require enough torque to resist wind forces... accuracy can be sacrificed for simplicity.... |
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robotjay
co-admin
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Posts: 225
Location: Nebraska, USA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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Monkey,
I will assume that your solar panel is large enough that a hobby servo is out of the question. The easiest way to deal with the wind forces is to use a worm geared motor. Stepper motors are the most appropriate for this type of application, and Ginge has helped Anarchy_UK develop a simple OpenServo based stepper control circuit to control his robotic arm. I suggest contacting both of these guys for guidance.
Both of them will probably want to know the weight of the solar panel, and how you plan to mount/move the panel. I look forward to seeing where you're going with this. Talk to you soon.
-Jay
_________________
"Nothing is fool-proof; For we fools are ingenious and will find a way." |
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