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• Broken Solar Panels
  As illustrated below, one way to salvage a large number of broken solar cells is to wire them in parallel, not in the more conventional series connection. Broken cells of various sizes and shapes are grouped together into panels of about one quarter to one full square foot in area. Those panels are then wired in series with other similar panels. The result...

• Ideal Blocking Diode Circuit for Photovoltaic Solar Panels
  Most photovoltaic solar panels are used to charge a battery during the daytime. Nearly all panels come equipped with a blocking diode.  The diode prevents DC current from flowing backwards from the battery bank into the panel at night.  The usual blocking device of choice is a schottky diode with a typical 0.5v voltage drop.  In some large panels, which can often source over 4 amps of current, the power loses due to this voltage drop can add up.  As an example a 4KW solar power system ....

10 Amp Solar Charge Controller:  (electronic circuit (added 11/06)

12 Volt 20 Amp Solar Charge Controller:  (Schematic added 11/06)

12 Volt 6 Amp Solar Power Center:  (Circuit added 11/06)

12 Volt Toilet Tank Refiller:  (circuit design added 8/03)

1381 Solar Engine:  (circuit design added 8/03)

1381-based Solar Engine:  Voltage-Controlled Solar Engine: Two simple solar engine designs using a 1381* voltage discriminator.   (added 11/05)

555-based solar engine:  Time-Controlled Solar Engine: a solar engine design using a 555 timer IC   (added 11/05)

AA Battery Solar Charger:  This almost trivial circuit may be used to charge a pair of AA or AAA sized cells in  sun. I have used it to keep my Palm Pilot and walkman radio running perpetually. This is an unregulated charger, proper charging is achieved by placing  unit in  sun for a known amount of Time, this Time varies according to  battery type. (added 5/02)

AA Battery Solar Charger #2:  (circuit design added 8/03)

Battery Low Voltage Beeper:  This circuit provides an audible and visual low voltage warning for 12V battery powered devices. Idle current: 6ma Low Voltage Warning current: 15ma… (circuit design added 8/03)

Chloroplast Voltage Controlled Solar Engine:  Voltage-Controlled Solar Engine: These designs are based on the Motorola MC34164-* micro power undervoltage sensing ICs. They're pretty efficient, work at higher voltages than most solar engines, and can provide voltages for other logic circuits (say, a microprocessor). This page hosts the original Chloroplast by Craig Maynard, as well as some Chloroplast variants by Wilf Rigter.   (added 11/05)

Converting Light to Digits: LTC1099 Half-Flash 8-Bit A/D Converter Digitizes Photodiode Array:  AN33 Linear Technology This application note describes a Linear Technology "Half-Flash" A/D converter, the LTC1099, being connected to a 256 element line scan photodiode array. This technology adapts itself to handheld (i.e., low power) bar code readers, as well as high resolution automated machine inspection applications.  (app note added 6/06)