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  • Wiring help??

    I bought 2 small (3"x4") solar panels for a model satellite project, in hopes to power a couple little LED's on it. The solar panels were extremely cheap, but I figured it was worth the chance. I've measured the voltage and amperage output at 5V and 160mA and .8 W each, but every time I try wiring it up to a light (or anything electric for that matter), it won't do anything. The panels didn't come with any wiring, just 2 spots on the back to solder on wires. Do I need an inverter? And if so, what size? I'm new to solar power, so trying to figure out how to make this thing work. Help!!

  • #2
    Solar panels are typically used in the sun, is this what you plan to do and would you still be able to see an LED in the sun? Or are you planning to charge an internal battery in the sun and bring it inside to run an LED?

    Or are you planning to keep it inside and shine a light on it to simulate the sun?

    It sounds like a fun project, especially for teaching kids a little about solar and satellites. It sounds similar to a solar pathway light, maybe you could rob some parts from one, or at least see how they are made and copy the design with a lower-power LED. A typical small LED would take around 5-20 mA.

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    • #3
      I plan on having it inside with a light powering it. The power output readings I referenced were taken inside with the same lighting. Would it be better to wire them to charge a battery/batteries vs. just wiring them up directly to the LED?

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      • #4
        Originally posted by cenny657 View Post
        I plan on having it inside with a light powering it. The power output readings I referenced were taken inside with the same lighting. Would it be better to wire them to charge a battery/batteries vs. just wiring them up directly to the LED?
        I think that would be cool, because you could move it behind the "earth" and still have power.

        If you're using a typical small LED like you might find on a PC board or as an indicator lamp, you could probably run it with a couple of rechargeable AA batteries in series, along with about a 100-200 ohm resistor. I just tried an LED with 3V and 200 ohms in series, and that gave about 5 mA through the LED with around 1.7 volts drop across the LED. 100 ohms would have been a little brighter and looked better but 200 ohms was adequate light. IIRC the batteries are around 1.25V each, so 100 ohms might be better.

        I THINK the 5 Voc solar panel would be a good match for that, putting it right across the batteries (maybe with a series diode to keep the batteries from discharging backwards through the panel). Interested in what others think though, I haven't actually built anything using a small panel.

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