SUN ROLLER MkIII

Page 11

A single-motor sun-powered Robot
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P12
This is a single-motor Sun-powered robot for those who do not have access to solar panels and
1.5v pager motors. It uses readily-available components and a brilliant piece of circuit-design to
covert very a low voltage from a set of solar cells into a voltage for a 3v to 12v motor.
This circuit will generate voltages up to 12v for any type of motor. Any number of solar cells can
be used (from 3 - 8)and obviously the effectiveness of this project will not match the efficiency
of the BEAM designs but it allows a wide range of easy-to-obtain components to be used.
The project is called SUN ROLLER MkIII. It is a copy of some of the magnificent designs
already shown on the BEAM sites. We don't pretend to have invented anything, just combined
a few building blocks of electronics to allow "surplus" items to be used. Nothing beats the
pager motor for size and efficiency but this type of motor is not available in many countries. In
other countries it can only be purchased as a replacement part for a pager and the cost is
astronomical.
Solar panels fall into the same category. They either don't exist or can only be purchased as a
replacement part. Again, the price is over the top.
The only solution is to slide around the issue and tackle the problem from another direction.
Solar cells have always been available as a hobby item and although they are not very popular,
they can be wired in series to achieve a reasonable output voltage.
Cells would have gained a lot more popularity if they had been pre-wired in groups to create a
2v "cell" but we have to accept the fact that they come in 0.45v cells.
With these two main parts catered for, the rest of the electronics is standard and we can go
ahead and create one of the simplest designs, a single motor Sun Roller.

THE CIRCUIT
The circuit for the Sun Roller is shown below. It consists of a Solar Engine Circuit and a
voltage-multiplying circuit. The circuit does not need to have a flashing LED as the trigger, if you
are using it in a well-lit area. The main purpose of the flashing LED is to ensure triggering every
time the electrolytic reaches a suitable point for powering the motor. This can be between 8v
and 20v for a 12v motor and the flashing LED can be substituted for an ordinary LED or by a
single zener diode, as shown in the diagrams below.
We have chosen a high-power transistor for the motor driver as some of the low-voltage
devices (such as BC338) were instantly destroyed as soon as the voltage rose to 30v.
The circuit is capable of delivering voltages in excess of 30v in full sunlight as the flashing LED
fails to trigger when it receives a bright light and the voltage across the electrolytic keeps rising
and rising.
The other reason for the high power transistor is the instantaneous current taken by the motor
at high voltages. The stalled resistance of the winding of our motor was measured at 15 ohms
and this represents over 1.3 amps when the main electro is charged to 20v.
In all, the high power transistor will prevent the circuit "blowing up." If you don't have a BD 679,
any standard transistor can be fitted and the trigger voltage does not seem to alter.
Two things that need consideration are the number of cells you will be fitting and the voltage of
the motor. This will determine the voltage of the trigger-zener and the value of the main
electrolytic. The kit comes with 2200u however the circuit will accept higher values. 2200u
provides a pulse of energy to drive the Robot about 1cm per burst.
A larger value will take longer to charge however the motor will produce a longer burst.
Smaller solar cells are available (rated at 100mA) and although they are cheaper and smaller in
size, the charge-time will be longer. It's all a matter of adjusting for the best performance with
the items you have on-hand and the amount of money you wish to allocate to the project.
HOW THE CIRCUIT WORKS
The circuit derives its power from a set of 4 solar cells and under good lighting conditions they
produce approx 1.8v and 200mA. The cells charge a 100u electrolytic and this capacitor
provides the high spikes of current needed by the voltage multiplying circuit.
provides the high spikes of current needed by the voltage multiplying circuit.
Transistor Q3 is connected in a positive feedback arrangement that causes it to oscillate and
produce a voltage across its main winding consisting of 100 turns.
This voltage is produced when the transistor turns off and the collapsing magnetic flux induces
a voltage in the winding that is considerably higher than the applied voltage. The circuit
oscillates at about 20kHz and the voltage spikes are passed through the high speed diode and
charge a high-value electrolytic.
When the voltage across this electrolytic reaches a "trigger value", the Solar Engine Circuit
turns on and delivers the energy from the electrolytic to the motor.
The "trigger voltage" is detected by the flashing LED and zener. These components exhibit an
infinite resistance until a particular voltage called a "characteristic voltage" appears across
them.
At this point current flows through them. The characteristic voltage for the zener diode is known
(6v2) and the voltage for the flashing LED is about 2v. This gives a trigger voltage of about
8.2v
What actually happens is this: The voltage across the combination rises until 8.2v is reached.
At this point the chip inside the flashing LED begins to operate and creates a delay-time of
about 0.5seconds. The voltage across the main electrolytic keeps rising and and after 0.5s it
will be about 9v.
At this point, transistors Q1 and Q2 are turned off and the only path for the very small current-
flow is the motor, 33k, flashing LED and zener. Since the current-flow is very small, the voltage
on both ends of the motor will be 9v and we can say this voltage will be on both ends of the
3k3, 1u and 33k.
The flashing LED "fires" and the voltage across the "trigger components" drops to 8v2. The 1u
will be uncharged and since the negative end drops from 9v to 8v2, the positive end will fall by
the same amount. This means the base of Q1 will fall and this effect will turn on the transistor.
The base can only fall 0.6v as this is the maximum voltage drop that can occur between the
base and emitter leads.
The other 0.2v will appear across the 1u.
The PNP transistor is now turned on and this causes the voltage on the collector lead to rise.
This voltage is passed to Q2 and the motor is activated.
The motor now has a voltage across it and this voltage is passed to Q1 to keep it turned on.
The two transistors are kept turned on while the energy from the main electrolytic is delivered to
the motor. Eventually the voltage falls to a low value and Q1 cannot be kept on. The circuit
turns off and the cycle repeats.

Using a LED or zener for the trigger voltage.
In place of the flashing LED you can use an ordinary LED and zener diode. Refer to the circuit
above to see how they are connected. The 100n and 33k resistor are removed.
A single 8v5 zener can be used if connected as shown in the diagram above.
There is one more modification that can be done to the circuit. The high-speed diode can be
replaced with a high-speed zener diode with a zener voltage greater than 15v.
This does not change the operation of the circuit in our situation however it does limit the
voltage across the main electrolytic to 15v and if the flashing LED is receiving bright light, it will
not trigger and the circuit will "freeze." When the voltage across the electrolytic gets to 15v, any
higher voltage is leaked back into the Solar Charger circuit and gets wasted across the primary
winding of the transformer when the circuit turns on. The flashing LED must be covered for this
arrangement to work.
This is a feature to remember if you want to provide a regulated output from the Solar Charger
circuit.

BUYING A KIT
The author has made kits available for this project through Talking Electronics. A kit is the
cheapest and best way to go. It provides all the components to get the project "up-and-
running."
That's the advantage of buying a kit. All the hard work has been done for you and the cost is
less than purchasing the components separately. There is not one electronics supplier that can
provide all the components for this project and to buy them separately you would have to work
with more than 20 different part-numbers. Then the problem arises if one component is not
available. You have to start all over again! Just click the button below and the kit will be sent.
CONSTRUCTION
Some of the circuits in this series of Robots have been constructed without the use of a printed
circuit board. Although this has some advantages in reducing the space taken up by the
circuitry, it is not a fundamental of good electronic design. Being an electronics teacher I have
to say the only appropriate way for me to present this project is on a printed circuit board.
Not only is it easier to construct on a printed circuit board but the chances of a mistake is
considerably less. The board adds very little cost to the project but makes it much easier to
assemble and fault-find, should a fault occur.
Lay out all of the components included in the kit. Make sure you can identify each item. Start
with the printed circuit board and make sure you're familiar with the markings, which are
straight forward.
The only item you have to "manufacture" is the transformer. It is wound the core of a 10mH
choke. This provides an ideal bobbin. Take the 10mH choke and remove the blue plastic
covering from the outside. Carefully snip the fine wire from the leads and unwind the coil as it
will not be needed. Don't cut the leads off the ferrite as they are needed to mount the
transformer to the PCB.
Unravel the 3 feet of 0.25 enamelled wire supplied in the kit without kinking it. This prevents the
enamel from falling off the wire.
Scrape one end of the wire and solder it to one of the wires connected to the core. Make this
wire with white-out as the start of the primary winding. Wind the 15 turns of the feedback
winding onto the core and cut the wire. Scrape the end and solder it to the other wire on the
core.
It doesn't matter if the windings are clockwise or anticlockwise, but make sure both windings
It doesn't matter if the windings are clockwise or anticlockwise, but make sure both windings
are wound in the same direction.
Mark the start with white-out and leave at least a couple of centimetres of wire. The main
winding consists of 100 turns. Leave a few centimetres of wire and twist the two wires together
to keep the winding from unravelling.
Leave the completed transformer to the side for the moment and start building the circuit.
Start with the smallest or lowest parts on the PC board, which in this case are the resistors.
There are 4 resistors to insert. Solder them and clip the leads as you go. This prevent the leads
interfering with the other components as you carry out the construction.
The three transistors are next. Be careful with them as they are very heat-sensitive. Make sure
the pin-out of the transistor you are fitting, matches the overlay on the board. The transistor-
types we have chosen are commonly available and you should have no problem with obtaining
a suitable type for each section.
There are two diodes on the board. A high speed diode (such as BY207), and a 6v2 zener
diode. Both diodes have a line marked on their case near one end. This is the cathode. Follow
the overlay on the PCB. An arrow intersects a line. The line corresponds to the cathode lead.
The four electrolytics, (in some cases there may be six electrolytics), are now to be soldered to
the board. Be careful with soldering to prevent overheating.
The transformer can now be added to the board. Insert the leads connected to the core down
the two holes so that the start winding goes down the hole market with a dot.
The wires of the main winding are fitted down two separate holes with the start of the winding
going down the hole marked with a dot.
Insert the Flashing LED so that the shorter lead or the side of the package with a flat cut-out
goes down the hole marked with the letter "k". Do not push the LED all the way down. It can be
kept above the board to prevent it heating up during soldering.
The PC board is now complete. The external parts can now be connected. These include the
solar cells and motor. There are four solar cells for this project and they have a rating of 0.45v
each and an output of 200mA under direct sunlight. You can also use the smaller version, which
is 100mA. When connected in series, the cells produce a maximum of 1.8 volts under direct
sun light and less when the sky is overcast.
The 12v motor is now connected to the Sun Roller MkIII PC board. There is no switch for the
circuit, as the energy is FREE!
The electronics do not do much until you build the body. This is a one motor circuit so there will
be some designing involved for it to be made into a dragster-type vehicle. You will need to get a
front wheel and axle and make sure the wheel spins freely. You will need to fit a small length of
rubber tubing to the end of the motor to provide added friction and thus more traction for the
Robot.
The body is made from a length of PC board. This material is easy to solder and create a
chassis.
PERFORMANCE
Obviously the best performance for the Robot is during periods of bright sunlight. You can
compare the enormous amount of energy delivered during full sunlight with cloud coverage by
noting the pulse-cycles. During sunlight the motor get a pulse of energy every 3-4 seconds
whereas cloud coverage will increase this to more than 12 seconds. Our senses do not make
us fully aware of this difference as our eyes are capable of adapting very quickly to the change
in light-level and compensating for the variation.
Each pulse will drive the vehicle about 1cm (0.5in) and it soon travels the distance of a
driveway.
SOLAR VOLTAGE
If a 4-cell solar panel is changed for 6 smaller cells, the size decreases and the performance
also decreases. This is because the circuit needs the high current for its operation. The
additional voltage provided by the extra 2 cells does not improve the performance.
PARTS LIST
1 - 1R
1 - 220R
1 - 3k3
1 - 33k
1 - BC 557 or 2N2907 or 2N3906
1 - BD 679 or 2N2222 or 2N3904
1 - ZTX851 or BC 337
1 - 1u
1 - 10u
1 - 100u
1 - 100u
1 - 2200u or 3x1000u
1 - BY207 high speed zener diode
3 - 5mm green LED or 1 - 6v2 zener diode
1 - 5mm Red flashing LED
1 - 10mH Choke
1 - 2metres of 0.25mm enamelled wire
1 - Sun-Roller MkIII PC BOARD
EXTRAS
1 - 12v motor
1 - 1cm rubber tubing for motor shaft
1 - front wheel and axle
4 - 0.45v solar panels
1 - Strip of PCB for constructing body
The next project Robo Roller MkII represents a big advancement in capability.
It is a two-motor design and has two flashing LEDs in the trigger sections. We have explained
before that a Flashing LED is light sensitive and when the LEDs are mounted on the front of the
vehicle, the trigger voltage is increased when the LED detects light.
This means the LED getting the greater illumination will inhibit the operation of the motor and
the opposite motor will "fire."
If the LEDs are mounted on the opposite side of the vehicle to the motor it is activating, the
Robot will tend to move in the direction of the light.
See the next page for this interesting feature . . .
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P12

il PCB del prototipo
www.raypcb.com
Low Cost del produttore di PCB Quote Fast, la consegna veloce
Electronic Indicators
www.europacprecision.com
Online Metrology Instruments Shop Tesa Electronic Indicators