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Self Sufficient Arduino Board

by p2man on October 24, 2007 Table of Contents Self Sufficient Arduino Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Self Sufficient Arduino Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Setting up the Arduino board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Understanding the components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Getting the power connector ready . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Wiring up the circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 3 4 4 5 5 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Intro: Self Sufficient Arduino Board

This is a self sufficient Arduino board, which is powered by harnessing solar power and using a 9V rechargeable battery. It is perfect for anyone who is interested in doing Arduino projects that do not require a computer or any power supply. You can take this to the most remote places for any project. What you will need: 9V Rechargeable battery Solar cells (About 11V) 1N4001 diode 100uf 10V capacitor Arduino board 9V battery connector Power connector (to connect to the Arduino board)

Image Notes 1. The jumper has to be set to EXT to draw power from an external source

Image Notes 1. Bear in mind that the positive side of the capacitor is the side with the longer leg

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Image Notes 1. The side with a ring should be connected to the positive side of the battery. The other side of the diode should be connected to the positive end of the solar cells

Image Notes 1. The positive (red) wire and the negative (black) wire should be connected as such.

Step 1: Setting up the Arduino board

This is probably the simplest step (please use the schematic as reference for wiring before doing anything else). Change the jumper of the Arduino board to "EXT"

Image Notes 1. The jumper has to be set to EXT to draw power from an external source

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Step 2: Understanding the components

This step would require you to have a basic understanding of the components and their polarities. This is probably the toughest bit of the setup. For easier understanding, I have used red wires for positive and black wires for negative.

Image Notes 1. Bear in mind that the positive side of the capacitor is the side with the longer leg

Image Notes 1. The side with a ring should be connected to the positive side of the battery. The other side of the diode should be connected to the positive end of the solar cells

Step 3: Getting the power connector ready

Solder the positive and negative wires to the power connector as shown in the picture. The power connectors come in different diameters, so do choose the correct size to fit the Arduino board.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Image Notes 1. The positive (red) wire and the negative (black) wire should be connected as such.

Image Notes 1. This is how the power connecter should look when it is connected to the arduino

Step 4: Wiring up the circuit

This shows the circuit I have soldered. I have made it bigger for easier understanding. It can actually be made much much smaller (half the size or even smaller). You can download a more detailed document on this from my website at: http://www.p2man.com/arduino/self_sufficient_arduino.pdf You're done! Now you can break away from power points and even have Arduino projects out in natural environments without a problem.

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Solar Ni-cad or The Forever Ni-mh battery Rechargeable charger. by VARIABLE itsthatsguy Super Capacitor Battery !!! by EngineeringShock

The Easter Solar Engine by TinkerJim

$4 Solar Battery PORTABLE SOLAR AC Charger by JoshuaZimmerman POWER by jackson88

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Comments
48 comments Add Comment

LasVegas says:
Your "Direction of flow of electricity" on your schematic is wrong. Electricity flows from negative to positive.

Oct 24, 2007. 3:11 PM REPLY

bigjeff5 says:
How the electrons move is generally not important at all.

Jul 29, 2010. 4:15 PM REPLY

More important is the movement of energy potential. In an electrical circuit the High energy state to Low energy state moves from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. The electrons flow directly opposite of that to balance the energy between the positive and negative terminals. When talking about flow, it's far more useful to use conventional notation because that is actually how the energy moves, even if it's not how the electrons move. The electrons move in the opposite direction of the electrical energy, which means tracking electron flow is usually pointless. That's why the conventional method is still taught in electrical engineering, and why the vast majority of books on the subject prefer the conventional method.

ReCreate says:
oh here we go again with the "Electricity flows from negative to positive." speech <_<

Jun 25, 2009. 3:09 PM REPLY

p2man says:

Oct 24, 2007. 6:07 PM REPLY What I was intending to show was that electricity flows from the solar cells to the battery. I have mentioned earlier that I will update and improve on the current schematic. Wouldn't want to confuse anyone who reads it. Thanks for the feedback though :)

prutschman says:
The author is using Conventional current convention

Oct 24, 2007. 3:20 PM REPLY

LasVegas says:

Oct 24, 2007. 4:03 PM REPLY With the advent of the transistor, this theory was proven wrong and has since been replaced. BTW: I have an old electronics textbook that teaches using this theory. Including the now outdated Fleming's Right-Hand Rule.

pythoncoder says:

Jan 24, 2011. 10:01 AM REPLY The realisation that conventional current was "wrong" long predated the invention of the transistor - dating to the discovery of the electron. However engineers had been using conventional current for so long that they decided to continue to use the existing convention. Note the direction of the arrow on the transistor symbol, and also that of the diode: all these symbols are designed around the concept of conventional current. In semiconductor devices current isn't always carried by electrons - it can be carried by holes which have positive charge so the notion of a "correct" direction independent of the type of carrier is rather weak. Engineers always use conventional current. I write as a retired electronics design engineer with a lifetime's experience. Regards, Pete

prutschman says:
Electrons flow from negative to positive, true.

Oct 24, 2007. 4:37 PM REPLY

The direction of the "flow of electricity," however, is an essentially arbitrary convention. Depending on the medium in question it may be most appropriate to understand what is going on in terms of electron flow (negative to positive) or "hole" flow (positive to negative) in, say, p-type semiconductors. In electrochemical circuits, the interesting portions of the circuit involve ion transport, not bare electron transport, in both directions at once, even for DC. Conventional current, the flow of positive charge, is not an "incorrect" theory about which directions electrons flow. It is a very well established convention in electrical engineering. It is not wrong to use it. See this page , for example, for more details.

LasVegas says:

Oct 24, 2007. 4:55 PM REPLY I'm sure you're arguing just for the sake of arguing. You can call up as many pages as you wish and it still won't change the fact that electricity moves from negative to positive. As quoted from the first page you provided: Conventional Current assumes that current flows out of the positive terminal, through the circuit and into the negative terminal of the source. This was the convention chosen during the discovery of electricity. They were wrong!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

pythoncoder says:

Jan 25, 2011. 2:51 AM REPLY Every electronics engineer is aware that current in wires is carried by electrons, and also that there are various situations in which it is carried by positively charged objects. The notion of "conventional current" is just that - a convention. This is surely elementary stuff taught, if not at school, certainly in the first year of a degree course. It's a convention which is so universally employed that producing a circuit diagram with the arrows reversed would cause confusion rather than enlightenment. Regards, Pete

grownupclothes says:

Feb 1, 2008. 3:30 PM REPLY I agree that there is not a right or wrong flow. If I make a circuit that is built around either flow, either will work as long as you are consistent. Oct 24, 2007. 4:59 PM REPLY I believe that the hyperphysics web site I linked to second is a quite reputable source. You are, of course, free to disagree. You sound like you already have your mind made up that I am wrong, which is fine, but I want other readers to have the chance to make up their own minds. Just be clear that the flow of electricity is not the same thing as the flow of electrons, as my examples pointed out. Apr 1, 2010. 7:49 AM REPLY

prutschman says:

konto89 says:
hi, would a 12v 200mA solar panel be enough? konto89

krowney says:

Oct 24, 2007. 1:05 PM REPLY Very cool project. I've been wanting to use this myself for some time. What's the capacitor for? Is it to even out fluctuations in the voltage? I'm new to electronics and am just trying to understand stuff that doesn't make sense. I'm sure its correct, just trying to "get it".

p2man says:
Hi,

Oct 22, 2009. 7:05 PM REPLY

Yes it does "smoothen" the flow of electricity to the batteries, as the electric output from a solar cell is not always constant. Here is a link that might help you understand more on capacitors :)

p2man says:
The capacitor is to "smoothen" out the current. It is quite useful to have one in the circuit. :)

Oct 24, 2007. 6:09 PM REPLY

Lenny24 says:
Good Project. I Think you dont need the Cap. My Arduino (Duemilanove) Has Smoothing-Capacitors "On Board". Greets

Feb 6, 2010. 12:02 PM REPLY

Spritegeezer says:
Great project. This was part of project I'm working on and now it's done. Many thanks.

Oct 24, 2007. 9:51 AM REPLY

p2man says:
Thanks :) Glad it helped

Oct 22, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY

zerOne says:
Hi Nice Project. But one question, how big should the Solar-Panel be to charge the battery ? Can it also be to big and overcharge? zerOne

Oct 18, 2009. 3:46 AM REPLY

p2man says:
Thanks for the comment :)

Oct 22, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY

It really depends on the voltage of your battery. Different solar cells have different ampere rating and voltage, so you would not something that is too powerful or too weak in comparison to your battery.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

booyaa says:

Jan 9, 2008. 3:29 AM REPLY I can't access the PDF on your website, I keep getting the following error: HTTP Error 401.2 - Unauthorized: Access is denied due to server configuration. Internet Information Services (IIS)

p2man says:

Jul 30, 2009. 11:58 PM REPLY Hi sorry for the late reply. My website was down but it's up and running again! :) You can now access the website as well as the file. p2man

p2man says:
It seems alright to me. I think there might have been a problem with my hosting company, but I just checked and it's fine :)

Jan 10, 2008. 3:40 AM REPLY

andresleon says:

Jul 29, 2009. 6:40 PM REPLY Hello... i am also getting the same IIS error... it seems that permissions for that file, or folder, have been set to deny access to anonymous user. The whole site, for that matter, appears to have been set this way. Any chance you could repost this document again? Thanks again! Wonderful project!

fishhead455 says:

Oct 24, 2007. 6:34 AM REPLY Just a quick question(s): Are you sure the flow of electricity is in the direction you indicated? Is the diode oriented correctly? Electrons flow from negative to positive while holes flow from positive to negative...looks like you are using both theories, which makes it a bit confusing to a person who does not study electron/hole flow. Great project though...not knocking a thing, just looking for a bit of clarification. Keep up the great work and thanks.

p2man says:

Oct 24, 2007. 8:08 AM REPLY Thanks for bringing that up, I might revise the circuit diagram a little. The electricity flows from the solar cell to the 9V battery to charge it. The diode prevents flow in the opposite direction. Great feedback :)

iwansuryo says:

Jul 3, 2009. 10:09 PM REPLY Can you recommend which solar panel that can be used for this appliction? Maybe one from Solarbotics? I need it to make sure. Thanks

Kiteman says:
Oh, serendipity! This Instructable has arrived in perfect time to help with my latest project. So, I have questions: The only programmable chip I have any experience with is the picaxe system. Will this 'ible work for a picaxe board as well?

Oct 24, 2007. 5:55 AM REPLY

The one I own runs off 4.5V (3xAA batteries in a pack), so would I be correct to assume that I should replace the 9V cell in your circuit with 3 rechargeable AA cells?

p2man says:

Oct 24, 2007. 8:04 AM REPLY Yes you can just replace it. You may not need 11V of solar power however, probably slightly less. I just had a look at picaxe it should most definitely work :) Good luck on your project, seems really interesting.

iwansuryo says:

Jul 3, 2009. 9:52 PM REPLY Can you recommend to me, where can I buy the solar panel at online shop, which exactly match to your specification? Maybe you can choose one from SolarBotics store, http://www.solarbotics.com/solar_cells/ Thank you very much. It is very useful.

acidhax says:
Where is a good place to pick up solar sells for cheap? :)

Feb 1, 2009. 9:52 AM REPLY

amando96 says:
the neighbours solar garden lamps :) it's free!

Feb 6, 2009. 2:03 PM REPLY

ReCreate says:
Laugh out loud! ;)

Jun 25, 2009. 3:07 PM REPLY

phillipt says:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com

Feb 5, 2009. 11:55 AM REPLY

I have been recently searching for the same and out of a number of different electronics sales sites, this seems to have the better prices on solar cells... at least, that I have found so far.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

mathman47 says:

May 14, 2009. 3:35 AM REPLY 1. "Conventional" current flow is from + to - due to Ben Franklin. Physicist Joseph Thomson found that old Ben F. was wrong. Electron flow is - to +. Source: Practical Electronics for Inventors , pg. 6, Paul Scherz, McGraw-Hill, New York, New York, 2000. 2. The solar cells I've found put out .5v. 10/.5=20 cells. That is anywhere from $60 - $100 just for the cells! Where did I go wrong?

krowney says:
Was wondering if you could extend the life of a 9v powered Arduino in this setup using a voltage regulator. Something like: http://www.dimensionengineering.com/DE-SWADJ.htm

Oct 25, 2007. 8:57 PM REPLY

Not sure if this is how it works, but could it be that if you regulate the voltage down to 6v (which is near the minimum for Arduino) that you'd extend the battery life? Some voltage regulators may work by just burning off heat, but I thought there are some that hit the down-regulated voltage with good efficiency. So I'm asking, is it possible that down-regulating a 9v system could given you better battery life (and thus help cut down on the amount of solar energy required to power the system during the day?)

p2man says:

Oct 25, 2007. 9:01 PM REPLY You could use a switch mode power supply, I'm not too sure if it would extend the battery life though. It's definitely worth testing out.

sysadmn says:

Oct 30, 2008. 10:30 AM REPLY dunno, the reference designs for those sorts of power supplies usually claim 85 - 90% efficiency. I don't know if you could have that sort of loss and still extend the battery life. Many of those chips are designed for charging Li batteries or driving LEDs. In those cases carefully regulating current or voltage is worth the loss in efficiency.

action_owl says:
I would love to see this adapted to work with the Minty Boost.

Sep 15, 2008. 9:26 AM REPLY

tassieshack says:

Nov 25, 2007. 1:42 AM REPLY Magic. Just what I need to power a wireless cctv camera. I knew those garden lights would come in useful for something. Thanks for the instructable.

Dr_Acula says:

Oct 24, 2007. 9:57 PM REPLY A lot of little solar cells are 40-50mA - eg the ones used for powering solar garden lights are mass produced so this is a common size. And that pairs quite nicely with a trickle charge into AA nicads or NiMH. A picaxe will run on 3 AAs and draws around 3mA and with solar current being 40mA in peak sun, 10mA near sunrise/sunset, 20mA in cloud (and zero mA all night!), the 3mA works out almost perfect for running 24 hours a day. I think Arduino has a similar current draw.

krowney says:

Oct 28, 2007. 1:16 PM REPLY Arduino does have similar current draw but of course the more you hook up to it, the higher the draw. The best way to design a 24x7 system is to measure the current draw and plan the needed amp-hours accordingly. Also, Arduino voltage requirements are 4AA rechargables (minimum.) In fact, most of the AA rechargables run at around 1.2V and - depending on the brand of the battery - may not deliver enough juice to fully boot up Arduino. For some reason, 4 Duracell's didn't work but 4 Radio Shack AA's worked fine (and went on for days without recharge.) Finally, here's a relevant thread from the Arduino forum: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?action=print;num=1181079252 This thread never got to the conclusion of such a nice simple design as p2man has posted. Cool to see this very low-cost straightforward approach!

p2man says:
That's really detailed, very helpful!

Oct 25, 2007. 12:00 AM REPLY

chuckr44 says:
What's an Arduino board?

Oct 24, 2007. 1:11 PM REPLY

p2man says:
An Arduino board is a micro controller that can be used for hardware projects. It is quite a useful prototyping tool as well. http://www.arduino.cc is the link to the website.

Oct 24, 2007. 6:10 PM REPLY

VIRON says:
wiki arduino Looks USEFUL for controlling DIY stuff with "new" computers, which is usually harder than with older computers (for no good reason). I see it can turn on and off LEDs with Shockwave Applets.

Oct 24, 2007. 2:51 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/

Dr_Acula says:

Oct 24, 2007. 4:50 PM REPLY The solar cell amps should be max 20mA for a 9V battery - any higher risks overcharging the battery. In general terms keep the charge current under 0.1C where C is the amp hour capacity of the battery (9V rechargeables are usually round 250mAH). A few more solar cells will ensure charging in overcast conditions - eg 27 cells add to 13.5V in full sunlight which will still charge a 9V battery when overcast.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Sufficient-Arduino-Board/