cyborgrapefruit
New Member
I am a complete novice when it comes to electronics. I can solder and I have a solid science background, but that's about it. That being said, I was hoping you fine folks would lend me some direction regarding a project:
I would like to design a small, standalone, battery-free device which provides a visual feedback of how much solar irradiance it has received that day.
I'm envisioning the "display" as a small strip of paper mounted on a wheel (or slider) facing upwards. So the total distance travelled between a reference point on the wheel and the reading point should be exactly proportional to the total solar irradiance recieved that day (using the measurement of any given wavelength as a proxy), though precision is not terribly important (+/- 10%).
I was initially thinking of using a small PV cell for power, a photoresistor as measurement device, and a piezoelectric motor as the actuator. Now are the questions:
- Are there any other options for the motor? The amount of mechanical work involved is tiny; surely there is a better-suited device for this? DC motors are cheap but also seem like overkill; plus I'd prefer to not have to have any gearing.
- Is it possible to use a small PV cell to power these electronics without a bunch of control/regulation components? I really would prefer to use no battery in this device.
Thanks for your help!
I would like to design a small, standalone, battery-free device which provides a visual feedback of how much solar irradiance it has received that day.
I'm envisioning the "display" as a small strip of paper mounted on a wheel (or slider) facing upwards. So the total distance travelled between a reference point on the wheel and the reading point should be exactly proportional to the total solar irradiance recieved that day (using the measurement of any given wavelength as a proxy), though precision is not terribly important (+/- 10%).
I was initially thinking of using a small PV cell for power, a photoresistor as measurement device, and a piezoelectric motor as the actuator. Now are the questions:
- Are there any other options for the motor? The amount of mechanical work involved is tiny; surely there is a better-suited device for this? DC motors are cheap but also seem like overkill; plus I'd prefer to not have to have any gearing.
- Is it possible to use a small PV cell to power these electronics without a bunch of control/regulation components? I really would prefer to use no battery in this device.
Thanks for your help!
