My fascination with Solar power has gotten the best of me, and while sitting in a hotel room at the moment, I decided to put an illustration demo together. The calculations are not really that tough and are not out of the scope of using the BS2's ATN and HYP functions. Once you decide a focal distance and a focal point, then as it has been indicated by a few other posts.... ALL of the mirrors for practical purposes considering the distance of the source can be moved synchronous to each other with the same incremental unit, but as your energy source gets closer this is not so much the case, each mirror needs to move independently. The DEMO that I created only shows 3 mirrors, and a 2D representation, however the same principle should be applied to the Z axis as well.
Note:
The attached file is a Visual Basic 4 exe application with source code. If you unzip the file and run it within the unzipped directory, it should run just fine..
Move the mouse around, it's the energy source. The fixed red circle in the center of the screen is the focal point. Esc will EXIT the program.
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IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 6/25/2007 7:44:21 AM GMT
That's really neat !· (Double-click on Solar (Parallax) to run it...)· I had no idea that an amateur (like me) sitting in a motel room could make a graphics demo like that...· or, perhaps - use simple tools inside your house to creatively show how your equipment outside is operating...·· Thank you for showing us that...
my first computer was a Radio Shack (1980) TRS-80...·· we've come a long way - and we're only just beginning...
tommy
william chan:· "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" (Wizard of Oz) -- sun's rays are effectively parallel.
each of us is made so wonderfully different from each other - isn't that astounding ! ! ? --- more so when a few of us find that we find a·couple of·things in common.
How are the PICs powered? By wires or a small photovoltaic panel?
Tommy,
I know how to program the SX to control steppers and I can also make my own PCB.
I will start the schematic design right away based on the Parallax 433Mhz Transmitter and Receiver.
I have not seen any reference to the type of mirrors used for this type of energy source. I would imagine a first surface mirror would give the best reflection but they are very expensive. How much difference in power is there using a first surface mirror vs. a standard cheap mirror, are the cheaper mirrors with thinner glass better than thicker glass mirrors? Can you give an Idea of the power in watts one can expect to get per sq foot of the different types of mirrors. I am thinking of the typical mirror tile people in the 70s used to make a mirrored wall for example.
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Think Inside the box first and if that doesn't work..
Re-arrange what's inside the box then...
Think outside the BOX!
Comments
Note:
The attached file is a Visual Basic 4 exe application with source code. If you unzip the file and run it within the unzipped directory, it should run just fine..
Move the mouse around, it's the energy source. The fixed red circle in the center of the screen is the focal point. Esc will EXIT the program.
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 6/25/2007 7:44:21 AM GMT
my first computer was a Radio Shack (1980) TRS-80...·· we've come a long way - and we're only just beginning...
tommy
william chan:· "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" (Wizard of Oz) -- sun's rays are effectively parallel.
each of us is made so wonderfully different from each other - isn't that astounding ! ! ? --- more so when a few of us find that we find a·couple of·things in common.
Post Edited (tommy) : 6/25/2007 8:05:06 AM GMT
You guys are really genius !
Gonzo,
How are the PICs powered? By wires or a small photovoltaic panel?
Tommy,
I know how to program the SX to control steppers and I can also make my own PCB.
I will start the schematic design right away based on the Parallax 433Mhz Transmitter and Receiver.
See
www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28180
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www.fd.com.my
www.mercedes.com.my
Post Edited (william chan) : 6/26/2007 12:58:27 AM GMT
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Think Inside the box first and if that doesn't work..
Re-arrange what's inside the box then...
Think outside the BOX!
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15426
Has nothing to do with solar tracking, but it is interesting device for aiming lots of mirrors.
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Tracy Allen
www.emesystems.com