Category: How to

How to build a solar powered camera

Everyone’s dream is a solar powered camera. The best way a camera has continuous electric supply is with solar panels, harnessing uninterrupted wireless data support.

Difficulty level: Moderate

Time Required: At least 5 to 6 hours

Resources required
1. Webcam
2. Wires
3. 12V rechargeable battery
4. Hammer
5. Drill
6. Screw and Screw driver
7. Solar Panel
8. Central hub/ Computer

Estimate cost: $100 to $500

Instructions

1. You can choose any wireless camera that you may find, powered by 12-volt battery.

2. An important criterion is the battery selection. You need to buy a long storage battery to make the operation continued in long wintery nights with reduced daylight. If the camera consumes  60 watts per day then you need to have at least 6 Amp-hours of backup from your 12 V battery.

3. The third step is to chose the solar panel. The power captured by solar panel will be used to recharge the battery. Buy the solar panel according to your light conditions. In open space with lot of sunlight hours, you can buy a solar panel of 5-10 W or you have to purchase a solar panel with high power capturing facilities.

4. Now you can start assembly the battery. You need to connect the  battery to the webcam. You can use the drill, hammer and screws to fix the whole assembly. If you are assembling it in rainforest, it is better to have solar panel mounted above the canopy of the forest. In ranches, a place above camera or anywhere inside your property is good enough as long as it is getting enough sunlight.

5. Next – mount the camera on either a tree or a pole with help of metal L brackets. You also need to mount the control box and battery in such a way that it do not get wet.

6. Connect the webcam wirelessly with your computer or central monitoring facility. When everything is ready, let the battery charge for day before the whole assembly starts working with your battery with limited charging.

How to make a solar powered charger

To build a solar powered charger you need to follow a few steps and to use some basic equipment.

Solar panels are available at affordable prices and in all possible sizes.

It’s not complicated to build a solar powered charger. You’ll see in the next steps:

1.Collect the required tools
To make a solar powered charger you will need tools like: AA batteries, Battery holders, a USB extension a/a cable, electrical tape, glue gun or tape to hold the pieces in place,terminal strip or soldering iron, blocking diode, a drill, a 6 volt solar panel.

2.Select the diode
Standard diodes drop the voltage by 0.6 V, while the Schottky diode drops it by 0.2 V which can be a deciding factor in whether the charger works or not. So it’s better to choose a standard diode which will ensure quality of the functioning of the charger.

3.Cutting the USB cable
To build the kit, you have to cut the USB cable at the end which has the jack and remove everything except the red and black wire. This cable will be used in constructing the circuit.

4. Test the solar panel
To be sure that is working, check the solar panel before connecting it to the circuit.
It should yield the output of 2 volt inside the room and 2.5 volt in bright sunlight.

5.Sticking
The next step is to stick the pieces to make a circuit. Solder the red wire of the cable to the diode and then the diode to the red wire from the solar panel. In the next step solder the black wire from the solar panel to the cable. This completes the step of soldering. Soldering creates a serial connection which adds the voltages together, giving an output between 4 and 5 V, which is the required voltage for operation of a standard charger.

6.Drilling
You need to drill a hole for the cables to make it pass through the solar panel.

7.Setup
This step involves the fitting of the components of the solar charger into the project box.

8.Tested the completed solar charger
All you have to do now is to connect any one of the gadgets with minimal power requirement to the finalized solar charger to test it out. The solar panels need to be exposed to bright light. If the solar panel does not get ample light, it will not function appropriately. It’s better to turn off the gadget while charging; it will increase the life of the solar panel.

How to convert a pizza box into a solar-powered oven?

A good way to beat global warming is to give free rein to imagination and create ecological things.

Can you imagine combining a free pizza party with solar cooking?

A group of students from New York City have found an environmentally friendly way of cooking.

The group of students from Brooklyn’s James Madison and Edward R. Murrow high schools have designed a greener mode of making your own pizza not in an electric oven but in solar-powered pizza boxes.

These green ovens can heat up to 200-degrees on a hot day which is more than required to cook a pizza.

These pizza boxes are covered with tin foil and are completely safe for the food to get cooked evenly with no fear of getting burnt.

It is generally observed that young minds with their purchasing patterns, life-style choices and networks with schools, universities, clubs, and sports can influence a wider world and influence communities, companies and countries to a greater cause that needs immediate attention and significance.

Homemade solar panels

There are a lot of benefits to build your own solar panel.

You can save a ton of money being your own installer, renewable energy is a future field and you can help the planet at the same time.

The first thing you must do is find a good guide even if it cost more it can also save you a lot of money in the long run.

Also you can find online a lot of free information about building solar panels.

You shouldn’t buy broken solar cells, choose a high quality backing material given that your solar panels are expected to last 25-40 years, you want to make sure your backing material lasts that long as well.

The final wiring can be tricky and you’ll need a professional electrician.

You have to  keep your system charged if you use batteries.

Keeping your batteries 50-80% charged will give them longer lives.