linear actuator for solar tracker

0000024083 00000 n Hi justin, I have a 4 panel array that lays on a sloped roof. But I didnt do it that way. After months of tribulation I am closed to finishing. Without seeing your exact circuit and code, its difficult to try and pinpoint a problem. This variable is just used to provide travel limits for the actuator. Display the readings from your analogue inputs to your Arduino IDE Serial Monitor, they should be values between 0 and 1023. Everything else works great from tracking to stopping at end limit both East and West. I am confused concerning the Tracker Position. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Some of our actuators are available with onboard RS-485 or TTL/PWM communications protocol. Applications: Agricultural, construction and automotive technology, Facade architecture, Industrial use, Solar tracking systems. I use a small solar panel to keep it charge up. You can build the h bridge for free if you have no good power tool lithium packs around. 0000019905 00000 n I doubt that the majority will do this way. The linear actuator is represented by a DC motor in the above circuit diagram, a DC motor drives the actuating arm in your assembly. Could you post your code? The module originally linked to was a relay similar to this on a single board. The difference between the two with equal light on both LDRs is what you should change your error to. I use a separate 12V battery because my storage battery is in the house too long of a wire to run. Thanks for the clarification. For me easiest, simplest, best is to use the ldr value sketch and a simple spread sheet to know exactly what i am getting with a given light. Thanks for the feedback. I have bought the relays you linked. Whether your application is on-shore oroff-shore,get reliable,precise,and smooth adjustment thatwontagitate the blades. So it may be the case that your measured light level is not dropping to below 350 and triggering the return to East function. Trust me I had been through hell until i had written m y own sketch of getting the LDRs reading. Also remember that many actuators have duty cycles and could burn up if they are operated without the proper amount of rest. 0000021705 00000 n Hi. After the original raising of the panels at 5:30AM, the timer will turn on the controller for 2 minutes every hour and a half starting at 10:30AM untill they are completely down at around 3PM. I presume if you put your finger over one LDR then the motor should turn one way and the other LDR, then it should turn the other way. 1/ The relay board will chatter not engage because battery is low on juice due to many factors. i am using 9v servo motor is it sufficient for the panel to rotate. Even being energized for 10 hours would only draw 1.5Ah from the battery, which from a 100 200Ah battery is fairly insignificant although wasteful. The linear actuators Insolis have been specially developed for solar photovoltaic systems (Elevation and Azimuth). We have multiple customization options available to suit your actuators mounting requirements. However I figured out that there should be code also to stop turning if switch are activated while turning. Include is the sketch and i cant get it to do what i want it to do. That will suck the juice out of the battery in a day. My panels do not raise back up to face the west until morning. So the second input pin terminal is unused? Solution is to use big car battery for now until i have all working then i deal with it, 2/ I finally got it to track after changing some codes (change the reverse to high, light to 450), 3/ It would not rotate back to East when night falls, 4/ Build the sensor correctly and make it adjustable, 5/ This thing is not stable and works erratically (that is sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt, drive me nut!).

I currently have the delay within the loop set at 10000, that keeps the actuator running for ten seconds, and 5000 at the end of the loop, that causes a five second delay before the actuator runs again to drive the panels in the desired direction. Best part i did not buy anything as i recycle parts from bad lithium packs. Hi Akash, 2/ actuator burns up; NOT apply as i build my own linear actuator; as a matter of fact multiple times it reached the end of the shaft could not turn any more and stuck there grinding away until i found out still did not burn it up, another instance it felt out of the screw shaft and just kept turning still did not burn up. Go read the long reply i sent to Albert. I cant see it for some reason. My question is the double relay output terminals are COM and NO or COM and NC ? Subscribe! b/ move E. again for 8 seconds second time then delay multiple minutes Hi, All is good now, hlo sir Thanks Diy Life,Michael Klements on an excellent project. Amazing thank you for checking I thought I was going crazy! Hi Albert, You have misunderstood me on battery. The breadboard diagram for this circuit is shown below: The design and code are both slightly more complex with a linear actuator as the Arduino needs to control the actuators movement duration and the direction. In code there are condition that it wont do turning sequence if switch is activated. Your existing code does not work! Hi Tomi, Oscillating could be caused by an insufficient amount of delay at the end of the loop. I've been using my Raspberry Pi in this case that I 3D printed almost two years ago. I mentioned the duty cycle because that was a warning that came with the actuator I purchased. /* xxxxxxx*/ is your best friend. I dont know about you but whenever i build something it never works the first time, NEVER! %PDF-1.4 % The Arduino code has light levels and position dectection. The way the code is currently written, it will only stop the next movement from starting. Yep from bad power tool lithium packs. I just wondered if you had any thoughts. This position tracking by counting from 0 to 180 is not clear at all. Hi Bambang, We dont have access to the Autodesk link with the electronic scheme, could you please re-send the link? 0000022184 00000 n Our extensive range offers both single and dual axis options. Ive found it to be uneconomical to build a dual axis tracker as you get most of the benefit from just using a single axis tracker and the complexity of a second axis is not worth the extra power you are able to get out. Hi, my name is Michael and I started this blog in 2016 to share my DIY journey with you. In the download section you can find instructions, brochures, flyers and everything to download, Linear actuators for agricultural technology, Linear actuators for solar tracking systems. Hi Peter,

0000021340 00000 n That would be one solution for this thing. 0000010901 00000 n I had and have and will continue build up my solar power storage lithium packs. Hi John, Let this be a warning to those that want to do the solar tracker from me as i did it to save you some grieves.

Thing I cant get my head around does the array need to rotate or just tilt as a lot of folks seem to do? So there would be no harm with removing any reference to TrackerPos? I have set this up as I had mentioned and it is working great. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How much torque can the servo motor produce? Use our product configurator to find the right solution in just a few quick steps. You essentially need to connect the double relay to reverse the positive and negative wires going to the linear actuator and the single pole relay to simply make or break the connection so that the actuator is powered or not powered. And if the calibration is out then it would likely move all the way in one direction as soon as you turn it on. Does this make sense? Our solar tracking actuators have extreme force capacity with unparalleled ruggedness to give you the ultimate reliability that you need. 0000023444 00000 n The double relay you linked above has 6 output pins and on the other side there is two choices you of input set you can place either 4 pins input (Vcc, grnd, in1, in2) or 2 pin input (VCC and RY-VCC). The position counter coding sucks. 0000015043 00000 n We have detected your location to be from outside of the US, would you like to go to our Canadian Store? Hi, Hi John, I am not proficient yet to figure out what i want it to do on reset to East in multiple stages and slow down at the last stage but i will eventually figure it out. There is lots of information online on how to program Arduinos and how they work. trailer The calibration of the sensor error, the tracker stand and the tracker in operation details and videos can also be found on ourArduino Solar Trackerproject. You can still use a two relay board and supply the signal to both inputs, the only issue is that if one signal doesnt make it to the relay and one turns on and the other doesnt then you will short circuit your supply (and likely blow the relay and/or the supply). You didnt have the adjustment description and that was critical to get this to work. Without understanding it is a struggle and time wasting with code trying to figure out how to make it work. The double relay outputs are all used to reverse the polarity to the motor. End result way way way better than the original toy sketch. If youre not sure then you should mount your servo motor onto a small stand and do some tests to figure out how much load it can drive. I cant copy and paste part of my own sketch to get your assistance. I agree with you, it would be best to switch the relay off after the movement has been completed as leaving it on just wastes energy. Opt for maintenance-free linear motion that keeps ongoing and never compromises on performance. The only thing I could recommend would be to increase the delay time between the next movement and investigate how to use the Serial Monitor to show you the actual sensor values being produced, something I myself need to learn. They are used for complex solar tracking systems with Elevation and Azimuth movements. This suggests that youve got a wiring or code problem. Now I need your help on this only thing left. Especially with a big system. Since writing up ourproject on how to make an Arduino Solar Trackerwhich makes use of a single or multiple PWM servo(s)to actuate the panel, we have had a number of requests to modify the design and code to allow for a linear actuator to be used to move a heavier load; a large panel or array of panels. Hi JohnV, I had the same problem, was driving me nuts, see my comments above. Thanks for sharing. 0000001331 00000 n

In that painful process i damaged multiple Arduino mainly before doing the opti coupler interface. Its not two relays, its a single double pole and double throw relay. The array will lay back down as the sun crosses over to the west. Thanks for the feedback! Thanks to our high IP ratings, choose heat resistant,reliable,and repeatable devices. I only had to change the values for calibration to -10 and the value for (eastLDR<450 && westLDR<450) to get it to work properly. I have 12 of these I want to turn them all with tracker. Maximize the monetization of daylight hours with simple, preciseelevationadjustmentsto follow the sun. Whoever came up with that wrote codes but did not test it. Can someone post a screenshot of the circuit design for this project? Long lifecycle requirements, inclement weather, and massive temperature fluctuations have challenged the ability to build a unit that outlasts expectations. Have you used the exact circuit and code as in this example or modified it? Once i know what those numbers are the rest is a piece of cake to know for sure if the main sketch is working or not. HtTiTSI~Ka|0Vn`-"% "lXd 8lJ`\q9is&LO9|UU}8fj8nB-sL-W(JLNpn)gon$xNKH>-#p|ysJ|Uq$. Thanks again for a great project. In the search, I also found the article https://12vactuators.com/solar-tracker-with-linear-actuator/. I mentioned the duty cycle because that was a warning that came with the actuator I purchased. A 5V DC double pole relay is used to reverse the polarity of the supply to the linear actuator. My panel will just move to the light its tracking and then back and forth a small amount. The measured values from the LDRs depend on the components, the wire resistance and distance from the Arduino etc, they are very sensitive. Yep that is one nice tracking one axis system but man it sure is a lot of work. The circuit for the light detection remains the same as the original solar tracker while the servo is now replaced by a 12V DC linear actuator which is supplied by a 12V battery or power supply and controlled by two relays. In return i will show you how to go all solid state the drivers portion and get rid off the old fashion click clack noisy relays (expensive too). As I mentioned, I rely on the actuator built in limit switches to shut down the motor once the actuator has moved to its extreme position. The difference between summer and winter angle is a lot of power being lost. I mentioned in my previous comments that I use a timer. I only used their code as a starting point to learn how to make something like this work. Thanks for your feedback. 0000001469 00000 n Main reasons are : a/ the photoresistor value in the code Thanks Peter. Changing that setting to 450, as you have, fixed it. 0000001831 00000 n Albert your project sounds interesting. We are working on a solar tracker project to implement on a 12V DC solar panel of 17,4kg. This is the only thing left. One thing you have to take into account is how dark does it get where your sensors are mounted at night? What i did was rewrite the sketch, build and use all solid state power mosfet H bridge along with opti coupler interfaces to Arduino. Yes this exact problem kept happening and I could not figure out why. I figured out how to do this. To save on the life of the cooling fan in the power supply, I use a timer to turn the system on usually four times a day. I dont have pictures of the setup as the moment but Im not sure that they will help as there is a very wide range of different relays available and they have very different connection setups. I raise it in the morning to receive the sun. Take advantage of guaranteed maximumperformance and power output, with an ideal blade pitch for all wind conditions. I will have a look at putting together a dual axis tracker project and sketch. Hi Tommy, I use a 24 vdc power supply off of 120vac to operate the sensor and actuator, 12vdc to the sensor and 24vdc to the actuator. Products can be easily configured and CAD data can be generated and immediately downloaded. Ive had a look at the link and it looks like the store has changed the product (unfortunately this seems to be becoming more and more common with electronics on Amazon). Insolis actuators have been specially developed for solar photovoltaic systems. This draws about 150ma vs 10 ma with relay off. There is a continuing push for higher force but at lower costs. Im doing a similar project and Im having trouble controlling the motor with the relays.

Hello. Im using a 24v 5amp 24 inch actuator to raise my panels up on one end to face east. 0 Hi Michael, I have a problem though, it seems to mainly want to go in one direction, when the LDRs are tested they read comparable voltages, so Im not really sure whats going on. 0000004174 00000 n I would advise you to learn how to use the monitor so you can make the correct corrections and insure your power lead to the sensors is plugged into the 3.5v connection. Sure hell complicated and time consuming.

Are you not familiar with breadboard circuits? Alternatively, for a cost-effective approach, useone actuator with added gear motor. In my instance, the power supply involved, a 24vdc unit, is controlled by a timer. 0000011305 00000 n 0000017866 00000 n I accomplished this using a slightly edited code from the original and a timer. This way we can define limits for the starting position 0, and ending position 180, of the tracker. I should have put a note in the post regarding calibration and setup of the limits. sorry sir, i dont use relay but i use driver motor. I found that when it was foggy in the mornings, the light from the street lights wouldnt allow the tracker to reset to the east. I got rid off the position counter, install end limit switches, eliminate all relays, drastically redo the sketch. Youll then just be running two control loops, one which takes the east-west sensor values and adjusts the east-west actuator and another which takes the north-south sensor values and adjusts the north-south actuator. I changed to 550 nothing! 2022 Progressive Automations Inc. All rights reserved. Fisheye, mounting holes, any clevis type, trunnions, or custom designed solutions are available. JohnV. I spent lot of times scratching my head to figure that part and still not working quite right with tracking, reset to E at night and polarity switch relay turn on in idle! Just wondered if you have any views or could point me in a direction for more info? That was my biggest headache and time waster. If you do too, grab a cup of coffee and settle in, I'm happy to have you here. I got rid off the position counter code, change all relays to home built H bridge with opto coupler interface and drastically redo the main sketch. The voltage of your servo motor is fairly unrelated to whether it can rotate a panel. Keep up with industry growth by working smarter, not harder. How can I add condition that turning stops after time delay OR if switch is activated? Thank you so much for the response and help! Hi Adrian, I opted for the more challenge, much more difficult routes to build a real practical solar trackers NOT a toy one likes i have seen all over the web. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I build the linear actuator and using your Arduino code to track so this project is truly diy. Can you assist? Have a look at this Tutorial on using a VNH2SP30 shield, it takes you through it step by step http://www.instructables.com/id/Monster-Motor-Shield-VNH2SP30/ Exact stroke lengths can be customized down to the millimeter or inch, with maximum strokes of over 1500 millimeter or 60 inches. What you want is equal amount of light thus equal amount of value if you use the ldr value sketch that i mentioned on here with Albert. Getting it to work is something else. Help. That i use a small 12V 5AH and after 1 week struggling this is what i have so far. why does that matter when the E. reset is only done at night to get it ready for the next day? Isnt the Tracker Position redundant in this sketch since there is no Tracker Position pin or any other reference to identify the tracker position? I am not really sure what you are asking. The two projects are essentially the same hardware both based on Arduino controllers and a linear actuator, the software is written a bit differently but they should take the same amount of time to build. Not sure who this is Albert or the original author as it shows anonymous. This way it doesnt really matter if the actuator moves another 1mm or so after the limit switch is triggered. Hi James. The original sketch is for toy play and frankly it will never work with one major flaw the internal position counter. If you are good at coding Arduino i sure can use that help. You should be able to duplicate most of the code for the second axis, youll also need to duplicate the sensors so that youve got a second set across the north-south axis of your panels. but in summary, please reply, because this is for my school project. I want to try it too if there is one. I made this project and managed tomake it work. 0000000016 00000 n My methodology is divide and conquer in fixing the sketch. Its great to receive help so rapidly,I would have been struggling for days. It should be fairly straight forward to duplicate parts of the code to create a dual axis version. I appreciate your help! Essentially the positive and negative supply is connected to the two COMs and then the two NCs and NOs are connected such that they reverse the polarity supplied to the motor when energised. You could do this with limit switches on each end as well. The parts required are as for theArduino Solar Trackerwithout the PWM servo. Now i can enjoy the fruit of my labor as they worked beautifully now. I hope you are not using the position counter on original sketch. With this methodology i was able to get everything to work along with some hardware changes. 0000019205 00000 n There are loads of active forums and repositories for Arduino projects and code. This project is shared under the Creative Commons License: The best resource for tech and electronics projects, tutorials and reviews. You can also avail of plug and play solutions if AC power is required. The additional components required are: Again, the light sensor part of the control system is the same as in theArduino Solar Tracker. I have came to the point to have to put in limit switch for safety cut off and able to reset to East at night. I still dont have it working consistently for tracking and reset to East is not working at all. Hi Albert,

Manufacturing high-quality products is part of our philosophy. As for why, because theyre open source and widely supported online. That is the part i do not understand of the code. Hi Michael, In the same light, one LDR reads 1174 Ohms and the other 1093, doesnt this mean I change my error to 81 and it should be focus? I havent got to implementing it yet, but I have discovered a problem with the original circuit that I missed previously. ive been tinkering with it and making some progress but, its just getting frustrating. From 7.4V DC to 48V DC, we have a wide range to fit your needs. The first time is at 5:15 AM and at that time the panels will reset to the East, in my case raise since my four panel array is hinged on the top and the acatuator lifts from about mid panels. I have made the circuit and all is in place. Will be grateful for your opinion. I made while command which calculates the LDR sensors difference and continues after calculation reaches limit which is added there. a/ move E. at end of day for 8 seconds one time then delay multiple minutes You have entered an incorrect email address! This project is not a stand alone project but is meant to supplement our originalArduino Solar Trackerproject. You will need to follow this guide in conjunction with the original guide in order to produce the linear actuator solar tracker. Analog or digital, we offer a variety of feedback options such as hall effect sensors, potentiometers, reed switches and limit switch feedback. After changing the values to >450 instead of >350, it works like a charm. I had too many problems with relays also as burned contact, click clack noise. That thing sucked never worked for me until i get rid off the codes. Good luck with your project, it sounds great! Do you ever have the reset to work on full size panels? Insolis 2 actuators are dedicated for photovoltaic systems up to a static load peak of 15,000 N. Download technical information and brochures in our Download Center. thanks for sharing your tutor. Are you doing the real solar tracker or the toy one? I am doing this for a school project but having trouble with imitating the wire diagram to the actual circuit.

There is also one condition which follows that limit switch in while command. Once you have these values then youll be able to properly set the night time limit and the error margin before the actuator is triggered. Salt-spray and anti-corrosive coatings may be the way to go. What i want it to do is: This combination signicantly increases the efciency of complex solar tracking systems and ensures a quicker amortisation of investment costs. 9 kw system. Our actuators generally come with either tinned wires or Mini Fit Jr Molex Connectors pre-installed, but the choice is yours. I want it to rotate slowly to follow the sun but it rotates pretty fast and Im not sure if its reading my LDRs correctly. Our precision solar linear actuators offer accurate positioning to get optimal exposure of the sun. With windand solar energies predicted to grow more than 22% annually, the world is transitioning fromconventional to renewable energy sources. Can we do p.m? Have you sketch for dual axis actuator, Hi Tom Ho, My system is different from that published in DIY. 0000021122 00000 n Im an old electrician new to this environment and trying to learn,I have this set up as a bench test and it works perfectly,but when the time comes to put it in use Ill need to drive a larger DC Motor, I have been trying to incorporate a single VNH2SP30 Motor shield and include PWM speed control,but Im not having a lot of success,any hints or help much appreciated. I have 30 315watt panels. Hi Michael, Hi Tom Ho. The power supply will direct 24vdc to the actuator and 12vdc to the actuator relays and the Arduino unit. Build or slap together purchase is easy. Using this shield should make your motor quite easy to control, you just need to make sure everything is wired correctly and then learn the programming controls. I use an internal delay of 10000, keeps the actuator running for 10 seconds, and an end of loop delay of 5000, causes a 5 second delay before the actuator runs again in the desired direction. 0000022822 00000 n Hi Chris, Hi Tom Ho, you are right to think the tracker position is useless. 0000018522 00000 n 0000011486 00000 n I love tinkering with electronics, making, fixing, and building - I'm always looking for new projects and exciting DIY ideas. Thinking of using you excellent work to make a single axis tracker for my 5 panels. How and when do you charge this battery then? I do a real thing total of 12 full sizes 60-72 cells panels.

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linear actuator for solar tracker