PV Gap

Christina Said:

i am planning on connecting a solar panel to a 3.6v battery?

We Answered:

Solar panel voltages start at 12 volts, so even the smallest available solar panel will do it.

You will need to put a resistor in series with the battery and the panel. The resistor rating will depend on how fast you want to charge the battery, and how high a charge rate the battery can stand without getting overheated. Without a sophisticated charge regulating device, it will be necessary to disconnect the charging circuit when the battery is fully charged.

Marilyn Said:

What can i run off a 6v 1.5w solar panel?

We Answered:

A 4.8 volt nicad battery, trickle charger. Use a 4001 diode in line to stop the pack discharging through the panel in poor light. It could be left on forever without overcharging the pack.

Valerie Said:

How do I replace batteries in an RC car with a solar panel?

We Answered:

You can do it easily, just connect the positive end of the battery holder of your RC car to the positive end of the solar panel and also connect the negative ends together. You do not need to add any resistors or anything else because the solar panel is only 50 ma and is auto-limited.

I doubt that the power of your solar panel (6V, 50mA) is big enough to move your RC car, but check it out. If it does not move you can add more solar panels in parallel.

Darryl Said:

will a 6v solar panel charge a 12v battery?

We Answered:

It should. I would think it would. But it depends if the 12v battery is a rechargable battery.

Pauline Said:

does anyone know how to drop 6v to 5v... i wanted to get a 6v solar panel to charge my new evo?

We Answered:

Hey Parth, a 6 volt panel is probably appropriate to charge a 5 volt battery, there has to be a small overvoltage for a battery to accept a charge, this is why car alternators are set for 14.5 volts when the car operates on 12 volts. What is more important is that the panels short circuit current rating is not too much for the battery to accept during charge. Forgive me on this, but I don't know what an evo is, so maybe my advice is off the point here.

But, if you do need to drop voltage from a DC source, the easiest way is to use some silicone diodes. A diode is nothing more than an electrical check valve, allowing flow in one direction, but not the other. There are lots of different kinds of diodes, zener, silicone, etc. Like any check valve, a little of the pressure is used up holding the valve open. If you put a check valve on a garden hose, the 40 or so psi that comes out of the spigot would be reduced to 38 or 39 after the check valve. A diode is no different. Silicone diodes are fairly inefficient as diodes go, they use up .7 volts each time you go through one. So if you put one inline in a 6 volt solar panel, you would have 5.3 volts on the other side. Since they are inefficient, they are also inexpensive. You can go into Radio Shack and get 6 amp silicone diodes that can take up to 25 volts for less than a dollar each, maybe 75 cents. Just take one and put it in the line, and if it doesn't work, turn it around, you might have it in backwards. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo

Kirk Said:

How do I replace batteries in a RC car with a solar panel?

We Answered:

You would use a switching buck converter.