Solar Tracker Project

Designed to achieve maximum output of solar panels by ensuring that the sun is always pointing directly at the solar panels in both planes.  This can result in an additional 50% or more output.

The tracking motor is a Jaeger SMR-1224EL horizon to horizon motor with a linear actuator for elevation adjustment.

I started to design the electronics myself but during research found I could obtain it all from Redrok.com in the USA.  Many thanks Duane

My colleague Pete was the main workhorse, as can be seen from the pictures.  Thanks Pete

My thanks to Southampton Engineering Training Association for the use of the workshop facilities and to my fellow instructors and apprentices that helped on this project.

To start with we require a sturdy tripod mount. here is my colleague Pete cutting up the 2" angle iron for the legs.	Must admit it's been a while since I did this sort of thing.  Working out which way round to make the cut caused the brain to overheat	Here we have the main mast with the satellite tracker arrangement on the bench	Jager 1224 supposed to be good for a 2 metre dish
Pete drilling the fixing brackets for the tripod legs which will be welded to the main support tube	Pete checking the bend angle of the brackets which Andy had bent up	Post angle checking - a slight adjustment called for	This is Harry, one of our welding apprentices,  practicing his telekinetic power of levitation
The main mast support tube ready to have the brackets welded on	Pete bolting on the legs to the new brackets	As it can get quite windy in Cyprus we decided to add some braces	Brace being drilled
and ready for bolting up	Tripod and main mast with dual axis motor and the main stays of the solar panel frame	Pete fitting together the main solar panel frame	Wow, it does look big !
Main frame stays being tested	Final drilling	and fixing	prior to fixing to the motor mount
Who's a happy bunny - First test	OK, so we've got the main metal bashing done.  Time for the control bits.  This is the main control panel being marked out	and drilled	for the control switches
and this is how Pete made the hole for the ammeter	Saved us buying a hole saw	and was fun to watch as well	The panel was then scanned to enable lettering to be produced
Panel with controls fitted	Template of front panel graphics	Diagram of control panel	Panel complete with controls and markings
Back to the kitchen table for the control panel wiring	To stop getting bored we like to swap jobs a bit.  Here we are fitting the rear strengthening stays to the main frame	I thought cutting the angle iron for the feet was mind boggling.  These angles did my head in	But we managed it
The frame tilted back to track the sun at midday	Time to swap jobs again. These two pcb's control the two motors that move the frame	I wanted to mount them properly so Pete made up a little nylon block	What a mess it made
Fit the first pcb	then the second. Very pleased with this.	Back to the control box and time to do some more metal bashing making holes for the flexible conduits	All holes in place(!!) and component chassis mounted
Another HXT birds nest but it will look good with the door closed	Time to fit the conduits	and run in the cables	for both control and solar power
and start connecting it all together	Not bad although not finished	This box carries the main solar power cables and the sun sensor cables	Part of the sun sensor arrangement under construction
This is the mounting block for the solar sensor dome being milled	This made more mess than the pcb mount	The sun sensor	Mounting block being machined
to provide a hole for the sensor cables	and an undercut for the dome	Here is the dome. Bought on ebay	and glued into the recess in the mounting block
and with the senor array fitted	and mounted to the adjustable aluminium plate	that then fixes to the main mounting plate.	This provides fine alignment of the sensor to the solar panels
The sun sensor arrangement fitted to the main solar panel framework	with adjusting bolts	NICE	March 2011 France AT LAST  Time to put this thing back together again and put it to work
Some concrete blocks for foundations	to reduce the chance of it blowing over in the wind	Fit the tracker motors	then the solar panel framework
and the bracing legs	the control box and sensor array	Wire up the control box	Hated doing this bit but was well worth doing
So, after the desktop planning fit the lower solar panels	Easy	The top panels were harder to do as I couldn't reach them !!!	Mechanically complete with sandbags as extra ballast
Wire up the solar panels	Check the control box functions	Connect the array to the battery cables	And one fully functioning solar tracker
Results:  The array amounts to about 300 watts of panels collected from various sources over the years.  Some panels are only 10 watts.  The latest top big ones are 80 watts each.	I have seen this array charging the battery pack at 18.5 amps.  As the panels track the sun this output is sustainable for most of the day.	NEXT: Modify the inclination mechanical arrangement as this does not function correctly when the panels are East or West.  It just skews the panels sideways.	This is due to the original task of the motor arrangement, tracking satellites.
16 December 2011 and a violent storm rips through the Vienne toppling over the tripod which had 3*40kg bags of sand sat on the base cross members and each leg was attached to a concrete building block buried in the ground. You can see one of the blocks hanging from the top leg.	All that was damaged was one 15watt solar panel and the dome covering the sun detector was smashed. Could have been a lot worse and very much more expensive if more panels had required replacing.	Temporary placement of solar panels to at least catch some solar power and keep my battery bank topped up whilst I decided what to do with the damaged tracker	As previously mentioned, the inclination part of the tracker did not function correctly when pointing East or West and it took me ages thinking about what I could do to correct this problem. 16th November 2013 and I've worked it out and worked up my enthusiasm so
16 November 2013 - back to the garage with the tracker where I can work on it in the dry with all the tools close by	The idea is to use a new top plate on the motor and hinge this to the solar panel frame old head plate.  Two old plates from the pellet boiler installation will form the new head plate.  Grind off the hinges	26 Nov - Mark and drill holes in new top head plate to fix it to the motor head plate	Spot and drill holes in the second plate. I'm hoping two plates will be strong enough
Check both plates fit correctly	Centre punch hinge holes in head plate	Time for a rest! Bake the sun sensor mounting block in the oven @ 235 degrees C to	soften the araldite so that the broken glass from the old dome can be removed
Yeah!! It worked	27 Nov - Back to real work - fit hinges to new head plate	Cut to length new angle iron side bars for head plate ( I do miss the power hacksaw at SETA)	Spot and drill bars
Fit new side bars	28 Nov - Remove original head plate from solar panel frame	Measure, drill and fit new inclination fixed bar replacing the screw jack.  Keeps the motor unit level	Spot and drill hinges in old head plate
14 Dec - Bolt old head plate to hinges	Fit side stays between top and bottom head plates and weld cross stay	Move the whole lot outside because there is not enough head room in the garage to fit the solar panel frame	Refit old head plate to solar panel frame
Now the elevation bit should work correctly. It's not looked like this for 2 years!!	15 December - Another bloody sacred cat thingy, the second one I've bought from e-bay	I only require the dome bit	but at least it's a purffect fit!!
18 Dec - Sun detector wired up and dome hot glued into position	19 Dec - New Screwjack for elevation.  I could not work out how to do this with a 4.5 inch jack s ordered a 24 inch one	Marking screwjack mounting holes in solar panel framework	Drilling holes for Screwjack mounting on head plate angle iron
Drill the holes	and hey presto!! vertical for sun rise and sun set	and 70 degrees elevation for summer mid day	21 Dec - Marking sun detector mounting holes
Drilling detector mounting holes	Adjusting azimuth limit switches	adjusting elevation limit switches	Cutting some spare iron that was laying around
to weld to the tripod so that I can add extra ballast to	try and stop it blowing over in the wind	1st Jan 2014 - fit a wooden base for me to sit on and to hold the building blocks	2 Jan - Trailer and Maverick
and take the tripod base up the field	to it's final resting place	load up the solar panel frame and motor units	God knows how I would have managed without the 4*4
2 Jan @ 17:35 and it's back in place	5 Jan - wire up the the two motor cables	and check it moves east and west when it should do	and up and down when it should
Only managed to get one concrete block up the field in the wheel barrow.	So much for the hot glue gun. Dome has come away from the base.	So, back to good old Araldite	Let's hope this holds
6 Jan - New junction box for solar panel cables	7 Jan - Connect control box to junction box	and then junction box to 12 volt main battery feed	Fit new solar panel junction box
and start fitting the solar panels	10 Jan - and then connect them up	I had to redesign the fixed inclination arrangement as the bolts were bending.  2 bars and bigger studding.	Concrete blocks as ballast to try and prevent the tripod being blown over by the wind.
All panels fitted	and wired up	All controls operational	and, most important, charging at 10 amps.