1.

Solar Panel
Characteristic:
· High-efficiency encapsulated solar panel, providing enough power for DIY

· Solar panel kit with battery, power small motors or other loads; perfect devices
for science project

· Portable, compact & stylish size with solid attractive casing

· UV treated surface and durable weatherproof PCB board

· Package contents: 1x 12V 3W solar panel

Specifications:

Power:3W

Size: 40 x 33 cm approx

Output voltage:12V

Open circuit voltage:13.2V

Output current:250mA

Short-circuit current:300mA

Material:polysilicon
 2. Photovoltaic Effect of Solar Panels

Solar panels generate DC electricity when exposed to sunlight via the Photovoltaic Effect, first
observed by a French physicist in 1839. A simple explanation is that the photons from sunlight
are absorbed by a semiconductor material, generally silicon. The negatively charged electrons
are knocked loose from their atoms, and flow from the negative side to the positive side to
recombine with available holes there. This creates a direct current flow. This flow of electrons
can then be used to either directly power a DC device, like a pump or a fan, it can be used to
charge a battery bank, or it can be inverted to AC power to use in your home.

Silicon Solar Cell Components

Each one of these sections of a silicon is called a solar cell. A solar cell generates about ½ volt.
That’s not much for practical use. So multiple cells are wired together in series to create higher
voltage, creating a solar module, commonly referred to as a solar panel. A typical 12 Volt (V)
solar panel has 36 cells in series. The larger a solar cell is, the higher the current. So the cells of a
200 Watt (W) panel are generally bigger than a 100W panel. Multiple solar modules wired
together then creates a solar array.

Silicon Cells Combined to Make Solar Module

The more solar cells wired in series, the higher the voltage of the solar panel. You can see the
difference in the look of a 36 cell 12V module compared to a 72 cell 24V module. As with
anything, there are exceptions, but this is a good general rule.

12V Solar Module vs. 24V Solar Module

What are STC Ratings?

Solar panels are tested under Standard Test Conditions (STC). This allows manufacturers to
accurately rate solar panels under the same conditions, including temperature, lighting, humidity,
etc. In general, STC has the solar cell at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25℃), with the sunlight
intensity at 1,000 watts per square meter (about the intensity of the sun at noon), and the air mass
is 1.5 (which has more to do with the angle of the sun hitting the panel straight on). The
following are some of the terms you’ll deal with when selecting your solar panel:

Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) is the voltage you will measure when there is no load on the solar
panel, nothing but a voltmeter is connected to the solar panel and essentially there is no current
flowing. This is the highest voltage the module will output when the solar cell is at STC. The
voltage will be higher when it is colder out, and lower when it is hotter.

Short Circuit Current (Isc) is the amps output with no load on the panel, just an amp meter. It
is the highest current possible at STC. It’s the current you would measure in the wire if the
positive lead of the solar panels was directly shorted out to the negative one.
Voltage at Maximum Power (Vmp) is the voltage the solar panel is at when it is producing the
most power (i.e. the sweet spot where this voltage multiplied by the current produces the
maximum power) it can for the test conditions.

Current at Maximum Power (Imp) is the the current output where the solar panel is producing
the maximum amount of power.

2 . DC Motor works

Geared DC motors can be defined as an extension of DC motor which already had its
Insight details demystified here. A geared DC Motor has a gear assembly attached to the motor.
The speed of motor is counted in terms of rotations of the shaft per minute and is termed as
RPM .The gear assembly helps in increasing the torque and reducing the speed. Using the
correct combination of gears in a gear motor, its speed can be reduced to any desirable figure.
This concept where gears reduce the speed of the vehicle but increase its torque is known as
gear reduction. This Insight will explore all the minor and major details that make the gear head
and hence the working of geared DC motor.

External Structure

At the first sight, the external structure of a DC geared motor looks as a straight
expansion over the simple DC ones.
 Fig. 1: External Structure of DC Geared Motor

The lateral view of the motor shows the outer protrudes of the gear head. A nut is placed
near the shaft which helps in mounting the motor to the other parts of the assembly.

Fig. 2: Lateral View of Parts of Motor

Also, an internally threaded hole is there on the shaft to allow attachments or extensions
such as wheel to be attached to the motor.

Outer Body of Gear Head & Rear View

The outer body of the gear head is made of high density plastic but it is quite easy to
open as only screws are used to attach the outer and the inner structure. The major reason
behind this could be to lubricate gear head from time to time.
 The plastic body has a threading through which nut can be easily mounted and vice
versa from the gear head.

Fig. 3: Outer Structure of Gear Head

Rear View

The rear view of the geared motor is similar to the DC motor and it has two wires
soldered to it.

Fig. 4: Rear View of Parts of DC Motor

 Internal Structure

Internal Structure

On opening the outer plastic casing of the gear head, gear assemblies on the top as well
as on bottom part of the gear head are visible. These gear assemblies are highly lubricated with
grease so as to avoid any sort of wear and tear due to frictional forces. Shown below is the top
part of the gear head. It is connected to rotating shaft and has one gear that allows the rotation.
A strong circular imprint shows the presence of the gear that rotates the gear at the upper
portion.

Fig. 5: Gear Assembly

Connection of the shaft with the gear is shown in the image under.

Fig. 6: Image showing Connection of Shaft with Gear

 The cap that accommodates the gear has an arc cut from its side to avoid frictional
resistance forces with the bottom gear assembly.

Fig. 7: Shape of Cap that Accomodates Gear

The bottom houses the gear mechanism which is connected to the DC motor through
screws. This mechanism rotates the gear at the top which is connected to the rotating shaft.

Bottom Gear Assembly

A closer look at the bottom gear assembly shows the structure and connection with other
gears.
 Fig. 8: Shape of Bottom Gear Assembly

Gear assembly’s association with the motor (bottom gear assembly) can be understood
with the help of the image shown below.

Fig. 9: Parts of Bottom Gear Assembly

The gear assembly is set up on two metallic cylinders whose working can be called as
similar to that of an axle. A total of three gears combine on these two cylinders to form the
bottom gear assembly out of which two gears share the same axle while one gear comes in
between them and takes a separate axle.

Fig. 10: Figure Indicating the Types of Gears

 The gears are basically in form of a small sprocket but since they are not connected by a
chain, they can be termed as duplex gears in terms of a second cog arrangement coaxially over
the base. Among the three gears, two are exactly same while the third one is bigger in terms of
the number of teeth at the upper layer of the duplex gear. The third gear is connected to the
gear at the upper portion of the gear head. The manner in which they are located near the
upper part of the gear head can be seen through the image shown below.

The combination of bottom gear assembly with the upper one can be seen down under.

Fig. 11: Combination of Bottom Gear Assembly

Combination of Gear Assemblies

 Fig. 12: Gears Shown Separately

After the gear assembly is removed, gear head’s connection to the DC motor and its
gear can be easily seen. The machine has a smaller gear in comparison to the gear head’s gear
assembly.

Fig. 13: Gear Head and its Parts

Working
Working of the DC Geared Motor

The DC motor works over a fair range of voltage. The higher the input voltage more is
the RPM (rotations per minute) of the motor. For example, if the motor works in the range of 6-
12V, it will have the least RPM at 6V and maximum at 12 V.

In terms of voltage, we can put the equation as:

RPM= K1 * V, where,

K1= induced voltage constant

V=voltage applied
 Fig. 14: Functional Mechanism of Gear Assembly

The working of the gears is very interesting to know. It can be explained by the principle
of conservation of angular momentum. The gear having smaller radius will cover more RPM
than the one with larger radius. However, the larger gear will give more torque to the smaller
gear than vice versa. The comparison of angular velocity between input gear (the one that
transfers energy) to output gear gives the gear ratio. When multiple gears are connected
together, conservation of energy is also followed. The direction in which the other gear rotates
is always the opposite of the gear adjacent to it.

In any DC motor, RPM and torque are inversely proportional. Hence the gear having
more torque will provide a lesser RPM and converse. In a geared DC motor, the concept of
pulse width modulation is applied. The equations detailing the working and torque transfer of
gears are shown below:
 Fig. 15: Gear Assembly Placed in Gear Head

In a geared DC motor, the gear connecting the motor and the gear head is quite small,
hence it transfers more speed to the larger teeth part of the gear head and makes it rotate. The
larger part of the gear further turns the smaller duplex part. The small duplex part receives the
torque but not the speed from its predecessor which it transfers to larger part of other gear and
so on. The third gear’s duplex part has more teeth than others and hence it transfers more
torque to the gear that is connected to the shaft.

3. Battery
Product Overview

This is a rechargeable 12volt 1.2AH Sealed Lead Acid Battery Our Power-Sonic or
Equivalent valve regulated sealed lead acid batteries are maintenance free, easy to handle,
rugged and economical. It has a characteristic of high discharge rate, wide operating
temperature, long service life and deep discharge recover. This product has Absorbent
Glass Mat (AGM) technology for superior performance. This product is valve regulated
and spill proof construction allows safe operation in any position and the power/ volume
ratio yields unrivaled energy density. This product is approved for transport by air.

Product Information

• Battery Type: SLA (Sealed Lead Acid)

 • Voltage: 12 volts

• AH Rating: 1.2 AH

• Meets or Exceeds Original Battery Specifications

• Non-spillable Valve Regulated Lead Acid (V.R.L.A.) Design.

• Advanced absorbed glass mat technology

• Sealed construction for operation in any position except upside down.

• Wide operating temperature range.

• High discharge rates and low self discharge rates.

• Available in VO Flame Retardant Material.

How do batteries work?

Electricity, as you probably already know, is the flow of electrons through a conductive path like
a wire. This path is called a circuit.

Batteries have three parts, an anode (-), a cathode (+), and the electrolyte. The cathode and anode
(the positive and negative sides at either end of a traditional battery) are hooked up to an
electrical circuit.
The chemical reactions in the battery causes a build up of electrons at the anode. This results in
an electrical difference between the anode and the cathode. You can think of this difference as an
unstable build-up of the electrons. The electrons wants to rearrange themselves to get rid of this
difference. But they do this in a certain way. Electrons repel each other and try to go to a place
with fewer electrons.

In a battery, the only place to go is to the cathode. But, the electrolyte keeps the electrons from
going straight from the anode to the cathode within the battery. When the circuit is closed (a wire
connects the cathode and the anode) the electrons will be able to get to the cathode. In the picture
above, the electrons go through the wire, lighting the light bulb along the way. This is one way
of describing how electrical potential causes electrons to flow through the circuit.

However, these electrochemical processes change the chemicals in anode and cathode to make
them stop supplying electrons. So there is a limited amount of power available in a battery.

When you recharge a battery, you change the direction of the flow of electrons using another
power source, such as solar panels. The electrochemical processes happen in reverse, and the
anode and cathode are restored to their original state and can again provide full power.