Solar Cell setup

[Loster]

Hey .

Take a look at this : http://www.overunity.com/index.php/topic,311.0.html

I'm doing that today .. .

Briefly : Remove the Cap of a 2N3055 Transistor, with a magnifying glass focus sun on the silicon part of the transistor ..

Should generate 5 Amps at 0.5 Volts !!!! ..
Impressing stuff if it works ..

Now, put 3 of these in series .. and you have 1.5 Volts 5 Amps ..
Now, put some more in parallel and get more amps . .

Now, put your electrolyser on this thing in the sun and get H2 ..

[Bob Boyce]

Yes, you can also use LEDs as solar cells. The voltages tend to be higher, although they don't deliver much current each. They can also be used as sun location sensors to control aiming of solar panel trackers. A good use for used or surplus LEDs that would otherwise find their way into landfills.

I hear that green LEDs typically have higher output than the other colors. I have not done comparisons so don't know for sure.

Bob

[Loster]

You tried that !? ..

I tride and I get 0.5-0.6 volts at 20 Milliamps in short circuit ..

I have a 4 inches magnifier .. Might be the problem . ..

I'll try camera lens . .

[Loster]

Well, my magnifier is actually 6.5 cms so I need a bigger magnifier something like 150 mm mentionned on the site ..

[Loster]

Found a 100 mm Magnifying glass, which give me 30 milliamps and cool skin burning .. 8]

But nowhere near 5 Amps !!

[Loster]

Maybe I should build this :

http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/lig ... ooker.html

8]

[Loster]

Err what a Ripoff, I opened up another 2N3055 and this one had about less than half the Silicon size of the other . .!?? .. And it is architecturally different and it is the same company : SMT with the same number etc .. ??

Now I don't get it.. And the values are the same ... !???

[Bob Boyce]

I've not tried the cutting open the transistor, but I have heard of it before. I have done the LED as a solar cell test.

Probably a newer transistor from the same manufacturer. As electronics progress, they keep making the silicon fabs thinner and weaker. After all, why sell a transistor that has enough silicon to last for 50 years when they can use a smaller silicon fab, save on material, and then keep selling replacements every couple of years due to quicker electron erosion failure of the silicon. It's the same thing they've done with microprocessors. Speed them up and thin down the silicon fabs so they erode and burn out quicker.

Bob

[Loster]

Tried it again at 3 oclock, no clouds pretty strong sun ..

100 ma Peak 0.6 Volts ..

[Chris]

Please get some pictures of these tests online. I'd like to see this for myself though I don't have time at the moment to play with it. I had never even heard of doing that before today. Same with the LED's ...that sounds really neat.

[Loster]

Okidoo ..

I tried the Led too, it sucks, almost no power at all . .

[Loster]

A 2N3055 with it's Cap



A 2N3055 Without CAP

(- Use your Dremel to cut it off, and let some time to cool between cuts, at 35000 RPM it will be very hot in seconds -)



A 2N3055 of the same company, the silicon die is half the size



The 4" Len I used to Focus the Sun



A Camera Len I tried without success




Results :

Milliamps when focused in Sun (- Picture blurry because It's hard to focus the lens and get a picture with the other hand -) ; 28.1 mA, the sun at 10:00 oclock seems less powerfull..



Voltage without focus len, which is about the same with focus ..




Amps without focus len, which is 0.45 mA



[/img]

[Chris]

[Loster]

[arronbond]

The energy generated by solar panel is directly transmitted to electrical appliances or get stored in battery for future use. Solar panels Massachusetts are installed on the roof top of homes.