After receiving Julian’s comment on my first Arduino solar charge controller Youtube video I’ve been thinking of ways to reduce the power consumption, but after a fair bit of reading (and a bit of guessing) I’ve been able to come up with a working prototype. In the video below I look at the code, how to program ATTinys and the trade offs that come with reducing power consumption.
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I attempted to build a fairly simple electronics kit to decorate the solar shed for Christmas. It’s a simple Astable Multivibrator based circuit which I couldn’t manage to get working as it should. Never fear – add a microcontroller and we’ll get those leds to flash! The code for this project is further down the page:
After building the Arduino based solar charge controller designed bu Julian Ilett of 256.uk and laid out by the person behind arduined.eu I thought I’d like to look again at this project.
I’d had comments from people nervous about the soldering – which I too struggled with. So many components in such a small space made it tricky. I wondered if I could redesign the circuit board to make it a little easier. I also wondered if I could reduce the number of components used in the design.
I came up with this version:
As soon as a saw other peoples versions of this clock I knew I wanted to make my own. Using a Arduino Pro Mini (clone) a DS1307 RTC module and three 5 volt voltmeters I was able to complete the following project in an afternoon.
I now just need to build it into a suitable enclosure.
The latest version of my Arduino based automatic grid tie switch is now finished. This improved version includes a new screen which displays more information and now uses an Arduino Nano (clone). Further more I’ve created my own voltage divider to increase the voltmeter resolution. Continue Reading →
I’ve been working on a new version of my automatic grid tie switch. If you haven’t seen my previous post or video it’s a device which will switch my sheds solar panels from the battery charge controller to a micro grid tie converter depending on the battery voltage. The idea is I want my solar panels to deliver everything they’ve got for as long as they can each day. Continue Reading →
My solar shed now generates more power than I can regularly use. I wanted a way to use that excess energy, but ensure my battery was kept fully charged.
I’ve recently bought a couple of Arduinos to have a play with. They fit this purpose perfectly. They can run from the battery, but use very little power. Using a voltage sensor (which is a simple, pre-built voltage divider) and a relay board, I can easily change the relay based on the voltage input.
This is my first project, so please be kind on the code. I’m still learning!
