Alternative energy (what to do now?)

[Tom]

well as far as i know of no one has done this , i powered a little 6v solar panel in the dark(no ididnt turn on a light , incandescent bulbs only put out 2v and LEDS are only .5v) and it puts out 5.5v at best which i think is pretty good, dont wanna disclose any info yet .If someone has done this already feel free to make me feel dumb. Working on a self powering battery using a series of diodes and capacitors but probally won't be able to get anything acomplished until sunday because i got no real power , or fast internet for that matter.( the snow storm here in new jersey gave us over a foot cuz we're up on a mountain and only have a generator but it won't power my soldering iron where i use it) no school tommorrow so i'll be on here all day most likely. But my question is, if this is origanalish , what should i do?lol

 

[Tom]

bump .... seriously i have no clue what to do

 

[FAST6191]

I did some work recently with portable solar panels (granted 12V ones about the size of two DVD cases)- at 12V I could barely get 100ma out of it angling it properly at the sun around lunchtime on a clear day (average was more like 70ma).

This makes powering things directly from solar difficult (on a small scale I mainly see them used for trickle charging or to lessen the effects of self discharge or small current draws) so you need some energy storage. Capacitors are not typically viewed as good energy storage devices for a multitude of reasons (high discharge currents and inconsistent voltages- see basic capacitor discharge) although I have seen them up in the Farads range in shops these days (varying models- some cheaper ones are rated for extremely low voltages, as in less than 5V, although I guess you can always stick a couple in series and some more expensive ones doing pretty good). You can use them to charge batteries but batteries are both heavy and have interesting charge cycles if you are heading down the rechargeable path.

You say diodes- is this purely for protection or Zener diodes for Voltage regulation/conversion? If the latter do consider a proper regulator or something even better as things are getting pretty efficient these days.

Also if you are going to be stuck with dodgy power you might wish to know you can get gas powered (usually lighter gas/fluid) soldering irons.

 

[Tom]

I did some work recently with portable solar panels (granted 12V ones about the size of two DVD cases)- at 12V I could barely get 100ma out of it angling it properly at the sun around lunchtime on a clear day (average was more like 70ma).

Also if you are going to be stuck with dodgy power you might wish to know you can get gas powered (usually lighter gas/fluid) soldering irons

forgot to check ma. will do , can't go out and a gas one roads were pretty bad, if everything stays together and in place it holds 5.5v though

 

[Tom]

one more question idk if i should do youtube video or not , i feel dumb saying this but i dont want people to take my idea

 

[FAST6191]

Solar power is nothing new, using solar to augment energy storage is definitely nothing new (it is about the sole use of it outside of power plants).
Capacitors as energy storage is under heavy development (batteries are horrible compared to everything else that provides energy) for practical use but still nothing new (capacitors are one of the four fundamental electronics components and energy storage device is in the definition).

I certainly encourage you to tinker but to call this a new idea would be a stretch.

 

[Tom]

Solar power is nothing new, using solar to augment energy storage is definitely nothing new (it is about the sole use of it outside of power plants).
Capacitors as energy storage is under heavy development (batteries are horrible compared to everything else that provides energy) for practical use but still nothing new (capacitors are one of the four fundamental electronics components and energy storage device is in the definition).

I certainly encourage you to tinker but to call this a new idea would be a stretch.

well what i am hoping to do is use it instead of a battery ,the solar panel puts out the energy like a generator the cao just stores it and im gonna add a v regulator too the idea is a battery that will last for up to 10yrs\

i think if i told you the entire idea it would sound better lol remember i;m using a solar panel in the dark

 

[yuyuyup]

I wanna get a bike powered generator (about $500) and put that motherfucker in an RV and live in the god damn RV

 

[MADKATZ99]

well as far as i know of no one has done this , i powered a little 6v solar panel in the dark(no ididnt turn on a light , incandescent bulbs only put out 2v and LEDS are only .5v) and it puts out 5.5v at best which i think is pretty good

You powered a solar panel? Solar panels produce power, you can't power a panel! You power a light or some other electrical appliance, WITH the power from produced through the panel. Besides, it's not solar power if it's in the dark! Geez!

In other words, I don't believe you.

I thought the thread was going to be on self-powered motors or using the earth's rotation for unlimited power or something.

 

[Tom]

well as far as i know of no one has done this , i powered a little 6v solar panel in the dark(no ididnt turn on a light , incandescent bulbs only put out 2v and LEDS are only .5v) and it puts out 5.5v at best which i think is pretty good

You powered a solar panel? Solar panels produce power, you can't power a panel! You power a light or some other electrical appliance, WITH the power from produced through the panel. Besides, it's not solar power if it's in the dark! Geez!

In other words, I don't believe you.

I thought the thread was going to be on self-powered motors or using the earth's rotation for unlimited power or something.

im working on a video ...........any ideas on making a webcam work as night vision ?lol