Solar Robots Powered By Solar Panels

Solar-powered robots and BEAM robots are very popular for beginning robot builders. DIY solor robots usually fit in the palm of your hand and use pager motors or micro gearhead motors.

You can make a solar robot with:

• A small solar panel constructed of multiple solar cells
• One or two motors
• A large capacitor
• Two transistors (electronic switches)
• Optionally, some photodiodes and a voltage detector

The wonderful thing about solar robots is that there is never a battery to replace. They can start up automatically in the morning and shut themselves off at night. The downside is that they require a lot of light to run continuously, so they usually operate in short bursts.

XS Boost, Chef's Salad Solar Robot
Includes some unusual parts, such as N-size cells, tilt switches, and a finger-friendly dipswitch. It has a very efficient solar engine that uses a Maxim voltage doubler chip to power Maxon motors. As such, this robot runs constantly in moderate sun (no pauses between bursts).

Appetizer Robot
This solar-powered robot is built with a BEAM design. Small dc motors are driven by a capacitor and steered by photodiodes. Photographs, links, a video, and a schematic are provided.

Carefree Robot
A room-exploring robot with a variety of sensors (whiskers, snap-action switches, shadow detectors). It has an unusual serial motor driver and a special image etched into the motherboard PCB.

Solar Soldering
It is actually possible to solder using a magnifying glass. This article shows the desired type of lens, ambient conditions, and setup for joining electronic components with solar energy heat rays.

Solar Recharging
A small solar panel or series of solar cells can power an electronic device during the day, as well as recharge NiMH batteries to power the device at night. This simple recharger uses diodes for reverse-power protection and so that the project can measure the power source voltages. Includes schematics and graphs.