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Forum Index : Solar : solar tracker controller
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| brucedownunder2 Guru  Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
OK, Hi ,, I'm interested in knowing if anyone reading this has a solar tracker controller ... I see there is a "redrock" brand available from America, but am interested in any that are available or a circuit from Australia.. I've 880 watts running 48v and the tracker is a "polar" type with available 3 way tracking , but maybe 2 way is sufficient.. Thanks Bruce. Bushboy |
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yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
this is my all time favorite mainly cos it looks so fricken cool! 
its called the DEGERconecter and I have never seen one for sale so I assume that it can only be bought as part of a tracker array kit. they call it a maximum light detection tetrahedron DEGERconecter If your looking for something Australian Dave still makes a few when he is up to it. microdave55 ebay - daves tracker don't Know how long this link will stay live. Might be worth a look at what Gordon has done. he has posted some good data on the Outback forum but I don't seem to be able to find it. If you want some help with declination and actuator limit switch setting I could belt some rust off a few brain cells and be of assistance, I have built a couple of satellite trackers in the past. yahoo I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Hi Bruce, I am struggling to see from your photos what bits move on the tracker, could you post some details. I can see the elevation and the slew along the right-ascension axis but where is the third movement. Are you turning it on the pole or have you fitted a declination offset under your panels ? If you are not hunting for the brightest patch of sky and just want the panels to track along the path of the sun it is possible to do it with just one motor and a hand screw for seasonal adjustments but without declination angle adjustment there will be two motors going all day and the panels may wander off without a really good sensor. yahoo I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Thanks for the reply Yahoo... On top of the central 4 inch pipe pole there is a car axle,bearing and brake drum fitted ..This turns -lets say we call it the asmuth direction .. The two frames attached to this asmuth turning brake drum are .1, the elevation frame which allows the solar panels to be adjusted for seasonal elevation . 2, a frame on top of this to allow the solar panels to 'follow-the-sun" . Thats about as clear as I can explain it. Because of the 880 watts(4x 220 watt panels),, it's very large and I've made it very strong ,3x3x1/4 inch equal angle gal steel angle.. I'll be concreting in another side or back strut also . I've run the 12 conductor control cable (had it in my toy box ,so why not,some conductors will not get used) plus 2x 16mm square power cables for the feed. run is about 60feet. I'll probably only use one actuator on the follow-the-sun axis. the other two axis can be adjusted seasonally until I want to fiddle a bit more. Bruce. Bushboy |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
thanks Bruce that helps a lot, the " follow the sun " axis is called Right Ascension. You have built something pretty cool here, basically two trackers in one. when you decide to go dual axis you will have to decide to lock one or the other depending on what you chose. The standard small tracker would lock the azimuth turntable (brake drum)at true north and use the elevation and right ascension. Big arrays 10kw + usually lock the right ascension pointing straight up and use elevation and the azimuth turntable, mainly for strength and wind loading. at your latitude you could set the elevation seasonally and make a fair fist of following the sun with an actuator on the right ascension OR a slew ring on the turntable. Solar panels can handle a fair bit of incorrect angle before the power rolls off significantly. Both methods have downsides.Both can use light sensor tracking or some complex electronics to trace the suns path. There is a third option and that is to make it a true polar tracker, that would mean a bit more fabrication. But then it will track the suns path very closely with one motor and some seasonal adjustment and fairly simple electronics. It is hard to describe,weld the turntable at true north, then you lock the elevation to suit your latitude suns angle on the equinox 20th of March and 23rd of September (these are the days that it will track a straight line across the sky)then fabricate a elevation axis ABOVE the right ascension axis that only moves the panel angle 23.5 degrees up and 23.5 degrees down for seasonal correction. This makes the panels trace a curve across the sky. This is called declination. The big advantage is a constant 15 degrees per hour (of right ascension) is all that is needed to trace the suns path, the declination motor only moves once per day to change the curve. I have done a diagram that shows a where a standard single axis tracker (with seasonal elevation adjustment)loses the sun, its mornings and afternoons. You might get the concept quicker than I did. I was trying to track inclined orbit satellites, it is a bit like catching mosquito's in the dark I could tell I missed but that was about it. the summer and winter sun is the coloured lines. Standing facing north and looking up. 
I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| yahoo2 Guru Joined: 05/04/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1166 |
Had a good look around on the internet there is virtually nothing available that can be retrofitted to a DIY tracking frame that does not track light levels. Mono pump have a time derived astronomical positioning system (TDAPS) and so does solar-motors.com but the track controller cant be purchased separately. There used to be heaps of converted telescope trackers around, all GONE! We might have to design something on the forum. I'm confused, no wait... maybe I'm not... |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Thanks for the reply and info Yahoo.. Yesterday ,concreted in a back post for a back stay -don't want this year long project falling over in our sometimes 100 Km winds. I take a very long time to do things these days ,but I'm in no hurry ,just enjoy my hobby of wind gennies and solar,even got the Exmork up on the workbench yesterday .-I have to assembly it to the Yaw /slipring head..very heavy both units would be 20 Kg each ,,so I have to get assistance in lifting. The tracker... I'll be in a situation soon to be wanting one ,in the meantime, I'll manually turn it during the day to become familiar with it's performance. Feel free ,anyone , if you have any plans, Cct's or suggestions.. Thank You All Bruce Bushboy |
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| Stepper121 Newbie  Joined: 22/04/2012 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1 |
Hi guy have found this solar tracker made from an arduino http://www.cerebralmeltdown.com/heliostatprojects I have not built this but hope to. hope this helps in some way.  |
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| brucedownunder2 Guru Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Hi Stepper 121,, Very nice presentation there, Even I can understand most of that ,lol.. Simple, not too many moving parts , thanks for the lead... I,m building in under the house (workshop) right now ,for the coming winter,which I don't like all that much.. So, the solar tracker is sort of on hold for a couple weeks ...Like a lot of my chores around here ...lol.. Thanks again Bruce.. Bushboy |
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| Georgen Guru Joined: 13/09/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 462 |
Looks like nice skylight alternative. As I am not happy to make any holes in the roof. George |
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