DIY Solar Tracking System Inspired by NASA (Parker Solar Probe)

[@AndrewGilpatric662]

To see something used by NASA and have the insight to change it into something people can use everyday is a gift in itself great video thanks

[@joewoodchuck3824]

The fact is that NASA has invented all sorts of things for public use. Nothing new. I used to receive their periodical which served to publish many inventions.

[@cornpop7805]

I design machines for a living and I often design low budget scale prototypes like this for proof of concept. In that vein, think what you've done here is excellent!

[@johnkulpowich5260]

Keep it simple

[@bobsaturday4273]

sure , and think ; it only cost nasa $500 million to figure it out !

[@vet137]

@@bobsaturday4273 And you are here benefiting from science how cool!

[@buffplums]

It’s great to see someone who finds a solution that doesn’t require a flipping arduino … can’t beat good old fashioned analogue and op amps

[@bobsnabby2298]

Arduino could make the design much more "intelligent", flexible and adjustable. You think NASA is using tracking systems without computers LOL

[@alec4672]

Honestly, I'm not comfortable putting an Arduino outside and trusting it with hundreds of dollars worth of panels. This is dead simple and as far as I can tell unless a kid with a laser pointer gets clever it's fail safe too. I just trust this analog solution in the weather and elements more

[@buffplums]

@@alec4672 the trouble we have today is people don’t understand analogue electronics … it’s either a microcontroller (usually an Arduino) or a bloody 555 and everyone copies everyone else’s ideas from the internet …. Nothing wrong at all but come on people start learning about other ways of doing things… play with some OP Amps get your hands dirty and learn about analogue electronics come on guys you’ll feel great when you can build a flashing led with only 2 transistors 4 resistors and 2 capacitors … as opposed to a microcontroller that could land a vehicle on the moon. Hahah

[@buffplums]

@@bobsnabby2298 actually they do there is much more to,electronics than using an arduino … you should try learning about electronics it’s fun

[@TheDaspiffy]

@@alec4672 or at night if a near by street lamp or other lighting causes the panel to rotate such that the sun won't hit the trackers in the morning or if light is reflecting off of a nearby surface, etc, but if you can control the nearby environment then this should be a cheap reliable method.

[@joea1433]

This is NOT a "crazy" invention. It is practical, simple and elegant.

[@DIYPerks]

Very cool! I enjoyed following your thought process on this one. Such a clever idea!

[@somewhatobsessedwithgaming9862]

I totally had a similar idea, but this is a far better implementation. Totally impressed!

[@cmawhz]

I just watched like 10 of your videos yesterday funny seeing you here. I'll be using one of your ideas to make a light panel with led strips so thanks!

[@maticsnoj5959]

Nice man i folow you to :)

[@ReanimatedItachi]

The god of diy is here

[@flitehacks9604]

Hatss off to this mann...damn ....

[@SaltGrains_Fready]

Congratulations !!!! You've done it dude !!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You Get The Preppers Nobel Prize !!! 100% SIMPLE and Minimalist !! LESS IS MORE !! You have created the total OFF GRID simple control of all time. There's no limit to the way this can be built out with motors, bearings, and components !!

[@FrnnkEducation]

I am DISGUSTED at how amazingly brilliant and simple this is. This is exactly what I needed for my own system. And it uses the age old crankshaft rotor system from automobiles. Lol I'm blown away.

[@RightOne1]

Disgusted! I am appalled and horrified!! Also thinking about how much customers are ripped off by these solar companies.

[@wolfmane8839]

Why you think the Democrats push solar so hard they all have ther hands in the pot I love solar but self made systems is only way to go. never buy full turn key your paying 3 times or more and are mostly stuck with there parts and service people

[@gabe20244]

@@wolfmane8839 Wait, how is this remotely related to politics? Do you have proof Dems have their hands in solar and would make money on it? If so is it more so than Repubs? You made a really cool video, some creative comments, into an unnecessary political stunt? That's lame dude.

[@gabe20244]

@ no one brought it up in this thread. Go away .

[@therdubya]

@@wolfmane8839 Democrats also push hard for education, to include continuing education like 4 years of college at a min, available to all who want to pursue, without leaving kids in crippling student debt. Judging from your horrendous spelling and grammar issues, and a complete lack of basic understanding of the environment, I'd say you could benefit greatly from that. Or, to put it in terms your uneducated brain can understand, you're (YOU'RE = YOU ARE. "YOUR" = ownership. dumbass) STUPID.

[@carll2339]

I built a single axis solar tracker in college in 1980 that used an op amp and a couple of transistors to move a detector wheel. My device balanced the light hitting four 1 x 2 cm cells and it would set toward the west at night and spin to the east in the morning. It always found the sun from every possible position. Good work Night Hawk.

[@snap-off5383]

Yeah in 1997 a solar tracker was our assigned freshman project.

[@ajarivas72]

@@snap-off5383 Make a video 🎥 of your devices

[@snap-off5383]

@@ajarivas72 You think I still have it from 25 years ago?

[@ajarivas72]

@@snap-off5383 It would be a home-run with full bases if you had it.

[@agabaronald4830]

Can you please tell me more on this

[@hu5116]

Great video! I had seen a one axis version of this in other videos, but they all had the problem of the solar cells being in the light all the time, and therefore always fighting each other to drive the motor in opposite directions. This ended up causing very jerky motion, because there was not enough current to drive the motor until the sun had moved substantially, and then the stall torque finally let loose and let it move, resulting in a jerk motion. Yours is smooth as butter because all the cells are shielded from the sun until the sun has moved, and then only one in that axis gets the light. Absolutely one should baffle it the way you showed, because that will further block light from undesirable direction. Bravo, on a wonderful design!

[@billganas467]

pup , u only need to control i side of each axis...5116 , did you do a build ?

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

The simplicity of this makes it a brilliant concept design

[@bobsaturday4273]

sure , and think ; it only cost nasa $500 million to figure it out !

[@dixiemine5556]

Exactly, we dont need arduino to track the sun

[@donm1547]

Very awesome and simple. For the Sunrise reset issue, inside of the East panel, mount 1 or 2 mirrors or more panels at around 45° each to form a 90°or so that will catch the rising sun and deflect it to down to the East panel causing it to rotate back to sunrise. I love this one, thanks, I'm going to build it, or multiple ones.

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

Update: for the problem of the sunrise vs the sunset position: place vertical shades on the east sides of the solar panels to block any morning sun on the west and top/bottom solar panels, with a mirror inboard on the east panel that can reflect the morning sun onto that panel, which would kick start it moving back to the east, until the acute rays became more direct.

[@ejrupp9555]

Just angle the east panel more eastward. In practice, it will only turn east all in one motion in the am, and west, slowly through the day.

[@Alliendo]

​@@ejrupp9555exactly my thoughts. Basically it's starts with east side. Then don't use it until next day. Maybe with some kind of sprinkler system might not even need to east panel.

[@dcf476]

​@@Alliendoduno because any return mechanism would require a trigger, if it goes cloudy in the arvo, the trigger might not activate the return. I think the eastern panel should have another panel facing 90° to it. Once the day is done, the 90° panel would catch the morning shine, rotate the assembly to the east, ast it gets there the flat east panel takes over for proper alignment which then renders the 90° east panel inactive till the next morning.

[@Shallnot]

@@dcf476that’s exactly what I was thinking, add another panel to do the reset and everything else would work appropriately after reset, only thing would have to put into consideration is what input can the motor handle so you don’t accidentally fry the system

[@FelonyVideos]

My ego is always boosted when I hear people say "What I realized is that..." and then say "(something I actually did 35 years ago)". 😂

[@igornoga5362]

Adding aditional pannel facing backwards wired to the latteral motor should flip it in the morning. Angling your pannels outwards a bit will reduce deadzones. Also don't forget some diodes, pannels get damaged by reverse current.

[@MrRasZee]

solar panels are diodes and diodes wont allow reverse current

[@AZOffRoadster]

I was thinking just a slightly concave (on vert axis) mirror beside one of the horiz panels that would reflect light from behind.

[@kidharris]

a simple light sensor (to little light situation ) could also be used to "flip" it back around. Cloudiness could be determined by all pv panels having the same production while the light sensor still senses light but this would be getting more complicated and probably require some logic

[@uweschroeder]

@@kidharris If you want to go that sophisticated: nothing a little arduino or raspberry pi couldn't handle...

[@stephanweinberger]

MrRasZe true, but they aren't very good diodes and can easily break down in reverse polarity (multicrystaline cells can break down at reverse voltages as low as ~12-13V). That's why many panels come with builtin bypass diodes to prevent damage (because even in a normal setup, where you have multiple cells in series, single panels or cells might be in the shade while others continue to push current through them). If you happen to have solar panels with builtin bypass diodes, the proposed design will not even work (as the bypass diode of the shaded panel will short-circuit the motor). Adding a simple blocking diode for each panel doesn't hurt...

[@rodkirt9273]

Adding a tracking system only increases the power of the power by only 33% using a directional system; electronic directional aiming circuit. I get it! My system has 170 “static” 225 to 300 watt panels, that can produce about 29 kilowatts per hour With your suggestive control system, the expensive unpractical controller electronic controller would increase my system’s by 10 kilowatts per hour: = to 39 kilowatts per hour. Yeappers, a very nice increase. My system cost me about $40.000. A 33% increase would definitely be worth the small cost of your basic sensor. Bravo to you. !👍

[@danstrayer111]

Rod-----What do you do with all that power?

[@SteampunkSammy]

@@danstrayer111 Use it, sell the excess id assume

[@thehotwombat]

Did you ever set this up?

[@paulcartwright8777]

This is a perfect example of the design philosophy of Colin Chapman, the legend behind Lotus Cars, with his remark that to make the car faster "you need to add lightness". Simplify it. With the deluge of content on YT it's become a rare thing to be truly impressed by anything anymore. Hats off to you Sir, I'm impressed. 👍

[@Bicyclehub]

That's not a crazy invention. It's just about the most sensible and brilliantly simple solution to this problem! You have done something wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing it.

[@joemccormick1660]

Brilliant. The concept is so simple, yet perfect in its simplicity. The presentation is 10/10!

[@vovanikotin]

Simplest solution is using table of analemma, no need any sensors

[@TimeSurfer206]

Thank you, I am stealing this. And going to Up-Size it using a bike wheel and such.

[@magisterchief]

This is without a doubt the smartest thing I've seen in a long time! So simple yet so brilliant.

[@SeanFarbolin]

I saw a guy at the Bay Area Maker Faire this year that had an electric assist bike that he made a solar panel trailer for. The panel could only tilt left to right, but the tracking method he used was really clever. It was two photoresistors mounted on the side of the panel, each pointing about, say 20-30 degrees off perpendicular in the axis of movement. These ran to a mini arduino which controlled a tiny linear actuator. It didn't use the shade. Instead, it took the analog input from the to photoresistors and tried to move the panel so that they would equal out. Similar in concept to how yours works, but I'm extremely impressed with the simplicity of your design. I spent the first half of the video looking for where the arduino!

[@argellaguardia9390]

Wow! Pretty awesome. I was planning to make a manual adjuster to focus my solar panels towards the sun. I know i cant afford the current solar trackers sold online. This invention is so simple and very affordable and can be replicated by me or anybody else. Thank you so much.

[@josepeixoto3384]

You need *one more solar panel* in the back of the large shade panel, to catch the morning sun and return the array back from its night position; so,one motor will have 6 wires going to it; you can use diodes on the wires to avoid discharge from panel to panel.

[@mytube001]

Was about to suggest the same thing, but checked the comments first to avoid repeating the same idea, and sure enough. :)

[@ivanlawrence2]

instead of another panel, could you just angle the lateral eastern panel so it could catch the light? Or maybe the "optional" shade wall could instead be a mirror to reflect the light to the eastern panel? Just some brainstorming... this is so amazingly simple!

[@G-ra-ha-m]

A mirror or foil on the back of the panel may do the job.

[@QuantumRift]

a rechargeale battery could power it to move back to retrack the sun in the morning.

[@ivanlawrence2]

@@QuantumRift But how to trigger it in a computer-less setup? I guess a "dumb" timer to just turn on lateral movement for n sec at midnight?

[@guestchannel3080]

I clicked on the video, I Instantly understood what it was. Simple. Smart. Impressive. Subbed.

[@PMGTV.]

Bro, thank you for the love of God. You literally did a step by step in how to get to this video from your short. I seriously wouldn’t have gotten here without the baby steps. No sarcasm, just not familiar with the platform anymore. Please continue to look out for the little guys.

[@eadams5037]

Outstanding in its simplicity. Nice job of getting to the heart of the science.

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

yes scientists didnt know this until a youtuber made the video

[@vocalpatriot]

"science"?!? oy!

[@vocalpatriot]

@@GamingAmbienceLive I designed one (on paper) when I was a boy. Using a paper towel tube and photo resistors instead of panels..mine would've needed power...I like this idea better..photovoltaics was still in it's infantile stage then..

[@vocalpatriot]

@UCvmT0yBXzuQcSclDDTaPChA No I didn't know of KREOSAN...but thanks to some smart dude, I now do! I wouldn't call this a "complete fail", it was presented as a beta version...in a way. But yes, digital is now the way.. I will be doing some solar setups for my modest RV..some on its roof and some for the spot next to wherever we choose to park. Tiny is the buzz word for that project. lol Thanks for the tip..and love your channel, been watching for years..

[@szankony6276]

Yep, good to work in... clear sky days, but... hopeless solution eg. winter snow conditions. It is much better predict sun position using btw. also NASA toolkit for this.

[@BayouAlex111]

Wow! This is brilliant. Not only with the idea but with the simplicity and cost effectiveness as well. Something I would of never even thought of. Thanks for sharing this information and idea with us. :)

[@bettingru]

Simple yet genius invention. Thank you for sharing publicly before a big company claims patent rights.

[@vincenthenry3102]

Superb concept. One possible adaptation that would overcome the problem of opposite horizon sunrise would be to slightly angle each of the smaller panels outward. They could still be completely in the shadow of the large panel when it the sun is up, but when it rises or comes out from behind a cloud, having them at an angle will allow them to still catch a little sun. The angle would make them slightly less effective, but those motors wouldn't need to turn quickly anyway.

[@OdysseyWestra]

What cool with this is once you get the kinks figured out, you can use this guy as the main tracker and tell the other panels where to point.

[@frankreid8624]

I am installing a solar aerator for my pond and want it to be as efficient as possible. I think I've found the answer in first video I watched. Thank you sir, this is a very elegant solution to the problem.

[@denooos]

@Frank, didi it work for you?

[@bootyholeman5659]

Great idea! Here's an improvement. When one of the solar panels is generating current the shaded/reverse polarity one is burning some of that current along with the motor. if each panel had a blocking diode in series with its positive lead then this would solve that problem.

[@AverageWorkshop]

newbie here! How would you calculate the value for the diode?

[@victordonchenko4837]

@@AverageWorkshop The only pertinent value a diode has is its voltage drop, and I doubt that would matter much in this case.

[@TimeSurfer206]

@@victordonchenko4837 Well, another number that matters is its Ampacity. How much current can it block, and/or carry, before it lets the Magic Blue Smoke out?

[@matthewmaxwell-burton4549]

@@TimeSurfer206 it's a linear device pretty much so P=UI. You know the voltage drop so you must look at how much power it can displace. If it has a heat-sink you be good for hundreds of amps. 0.7*100 ... Again the datasheet is the only reference you need

[@shannondwhite]

I would not recommend a diode. In this setup, the energy is only for and going to the motors, and if they do their job, leave it. The voltage drop on typical diodes is around half a volt. At the size of the panels and motors used here, that half volt may cause it to not work or be slow to respond (behind the sun). If the panel is 5 volts at peak sun, and its a little cloudy, that drop may prevent detection. The energy wasted in the other motor does not hurt anything (won't overheat), and the system works. Even in a larger setup, a diode could be added, but wouldn't be needed (an extra expense and effort). --- Typically you would use a diode with a solar panel, some have them installed already, but in this case I do not believe it is needed.

[@dalsio]

You could try angling the panels away from each other. That would reduce the potential for the sun to hit all of them while increasing the potential for them to catch the sun when it is facing the absolute wrong direction (such as at dawn or after a storm).

[@hasangedikoglu3126]

That is what I call a real ingenuity ! You solved a quite complicated problem with a very simple solution. Congratulations.

[@abh-itsanamazingworld6283]

I was thinking about your design and had an idea to make it even more simple. If you wire the panels so when a panel receives light, it moves towards the light source and angle the panels somewhat away from each other, the device will move until all the panels are equally receiving sunlight at which point they will counterbalance each other and no current will flow to the motors. The sun shade would not be needed. This may also solve the next day problem. Try it out and see if it works!

[@dustinshort6207]

Wouldn't that short out the solar panels? After some amount of time they would probably fail.

[@cerebral3591]

I like this idea. Might have to try it. Maybe add some diodes to protect the panels.

[@kwippl4207]

I also like this idea, but there is an added benefit which should be tested. By angling the pannels away from each other, you are also increasing some of the light catching perameters, thus making the morning light easier to catch and cause the panel to return to the Sun. I have not done the math but I would start with them at 30 degrees and run some testing.

[@RobertShaverOfAustin]

Great idea. It triggered the following thoughts ... Scaling it up will take some thought. The weight of a substantial solar panel will require a much heaver structure. To use such small motors means that the moving structure will have to be well balanced. This balance will require consideration of wind load as well or the torque of the small motors will not be sufficient to contract the wind (not a problem in space :). Gearing the motors down more would give them more torque. The question is, how slow is okay for the tracker to acquire the sun? I think the sun moves about a quarter of a degree per minute. [360 degrees per 24 hour day / (24 hours * 60 minutes/hour) = 0.25] So maybe the tracker could move one degree per minute. Another possible simplification would be to eliminate the elevation axis. Just have a polar aligned mount that presents the panel at the average elevation based on the latitude of the installation. I think the loss of power generation would be negotiable at most populated latitudes.

[@NoxmilesDe]

TRIGGERED

[@michaeltempsch5282]

Instead of solar panels driving motors directly, I've seen it done with light dependent resistors as inputs to a microcontroller that in turn controls motors through appropriately sized motor drivers. Saw one with a roughly 4" diameter setup with about 6" tall shade cross (as he suggested to use the cardboard), all mounted on the front of the structure next to the solar panel

[@UpcycleElectronics]

Or you could miniaturize this system and use it as a directional guide for more robust mechanics ;) -Jake

[@halted_code]

there are a few ways you could scale this up, one is to put this on a 2 axis solar panel, and have this power relays to move larger motors. Or another option is to put this tracker off the solar panel assembly and to make it so 1 degree of motion of this tracker is 1 degree of motion of any solar panel motors to move large solar panels, and so you basically have the other solar panels just mimicking the tracker.

[@thebge1237]

Maybe instead of using the energy generated by the small solar to power the motor use it as a switch instead . This would enable us to use a stonger motor

[@NemonicanatLarge]

Wow...the simplicity of this design is awesome. A most elegant device. You must be congratulated!!!

[@Sturb100]

Love this. An even simpler version is just to have a fulcrum over which a panel lies and adjust elevation manually as the seasons change, as the east to west change is much more prominent than elevation change. This would make it stronger too.

[@badw01f23]

Would love to see a time lapse of this to see how sensitive and precise it is.

[@TheRealzPope]

I think it would be very precise because once the sun hits a panel it will not take long for that to create enough power to drive the dc motor

[@waitemc]

Me to

[@N4ppul4]

For a solar system, I think its accurate enough. I dont think there is enough to fuss about such a small angle difference to a perfect angle than a simple experiment like this gives. Also added bonus, if you attach those vertical shields then you maximize the power output even between trees and other shadowy areas or mirror like lakes and such.

[@bpark10001]

It doesn't need to be precise at all. As the drop off in solar efficiency is cosine function (which "stays near one" over broad angle) and sensor signal is sine function (which changes rapidly with angle), even the crudest system with 10 degree tracking error will result in little degradation (98.4%). One motor/sensor can be eliminated by setting its axis parallel to earth polar axis (like equatorial telescope mount).

[@yusufpraditya4421]

@@TheRealzPope what happen if the weather is cloudy?

[@QUAKE-IT]

it's been almost 4 years ago.. you made this nasa inspired solar tracker and still the best concept..

[@Shalexios]

Love it. Very simple and elegant. Keep creating, man!

[@bigtexuntex7825]

So it is simpler and more elegant than the one I designed using a raspberry pi. And the sun shade at the end was the answer I was looking for with regard to the sunset/sunrise transition. Well done! I still prefer my aoftware automation as the cost if very low, and I can aim through the clouds. This was not my first tracker, back in 1978 I wrote software for star tracking for telescope use, and that implementation was very much a clock-like function based on sidereal time. It was a go-to system with a database of celestial objects, so it was very similar to a modern goto telescope. One sensor I made for the sun tracker was solar cells arranged on the inside wall and bottom of a short shadow tube. It was effective and compact, but it's role was as a alarm for a failure of the raspberri pi... In practice the aim alarm never fired, but it was tested to work. In the end I decided that aiming a large array wasn't practical, instead I opted for manual seasonal configuration of the panel elevation with a fixed azimuth. After all the aiming work, I decided not to do the aiming... But it was fun to revisit my old ideas from the 1970's.

[@relaxaredormir9694]

Amazing, simple ideas that made the changes. It blow my mind with new ideas. Congratulations.

[@USWaterRockets]

I love the simplicity of this design. I have a suggestion if you ever revisit this project, which would be to do a time lapse video of the tracker in operation. I'd love to see how it behaves over time and what happens in the morning the next day. Keep these videos coming!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

I'd like to have done that, but I only had the one sunny day to film in the last three weeks. I picked a bad time of year in Michigan to film a solar project. Might try a timelapse when the days get longer again

[@pleasecho2]

I would imagine you'd see it moving in steps due to overcoming the deadzones

[@Crucifixionmachinemusic]

I really enjoy when someone simplifies something to it's component elements. You're exactly right not to use a computer to do all this, What you have is a little neural network.

[@JamesBiggar]

...until you have an overcast day and the tracker is wandering all over the place constantly, trying to find the sun through varying cloud densities (which could cause it to use more energy than what the array above it can harness during these conditions), or a wind storm happens on a sunny winter day when the panels are at an extreme angle - then it becomes a sail. Not a big deal for a tiny model like this, but if you've got a couple thousand watts of panels to worry about, you'll wish you spent the $200 on a proper controller that can program an automatic homing position to maximize harvest during overcast conditions, and senses the wind speed with an anemometer and automatically angles the array out of potentially damaging winds, which are becoming increasingly extreme as time passes...at least here in Atlantic Canada anyway. A very small price to pay to protect a serious investment.

[@JamesBiggar]

...and just an FYI, this isn't a new concept. A friend of mine built something very similar a few years ago. It's here on KZbin. My commercial controller uses a similar sensing system too. Very simple. But it does employ a controller for the sole purpose of providing the aforementioned efficiency and safety features.

[@trevor5290]

@@parishna4882 Yup.. James STFU!

[@sven-olavnoren1149]

@@parishna4882 7! :) 11 or 1111 etc = "laughter", I think most people don't read Age of Empires II jargon.

[@callistusjoseph6388]

Great, fantastic idea, I always was trying to find a system like this, without complicated electronics. When it goes to the west limit let it activate a limit switch and a timer and turn it back to the east for the next day to re start the cycle.

[@Freizeitflugsphaere]

Wow! Very simple and effective👍🏼 Love it!

[@locouk]

Mounting the panels at a 20-45 degree angle to the front board would help find the new day’s sun first thing in the morning, the solar cell would seater its own shadow on one side, the opposite side would be better angled for the new sun.

[@MascottDeepfriar]

I was thinking the same thing. The sun blocks would add weight and more dangerously surfaces for wind to catch on.

[@charleslyell3748]

Simple and probably an effective solution.

[@jamesbradley3291]

I have been researching what you solved here. However, in my research I have come across another solution to have the tracker follow the sun without gps or computer. It requires 4 sun sensor chips each separated by a an “X” wall. A chip sits in each quadrant. If the sun shifts one of the chips is blocked. This then activates the motor so all 4 chips face the sun. This 4 sun chip set up sits centered in all solar panels. This eliminates your shadow issues in the morning and evenings.

[@ExperimentalFun]

Really awesome, I wonder if you could use this design to keep a bunch of mirrors automatically reflecting sunlight in the same spot all day for a mini concentrated solar power plant? :)

[@Nighthawkinlight]

That's a really interesting idea

[@tp6335]

This could then power a wood gasifier

[@Emma_9999_]

Or just a parabola to reflect light from all directions all day long

[@SamaritanElad]

How can this work with all the chemtrails blocking the sun? grrrrrr!

[@H3xx99]

SamaritanElad Go outside at 12:00pm and look straight up. Locate the big bright circle and stare at it for about half an hour. Then come back and tell us how many chemtrails you counted.

[@WilliamRossi]

Dude, you should work for NASA, awesome job. Greetings from Brasil!

[@bobsnabby2298]

NASA made this design, so why would they hire him to invent the wheel again ?

[@charleslyell3748]

Na verdade ele utilizou a ideia da NASA.

[@brookestephen]

nicely done! If you angle the smaller solar cells away from the center line, then morning sun will only shine on one panel.

[@platypusrex2287]

I love the going back to how things were done before digital electronics and computers... Analog Tech!!

[@SuperMapupa]

all computers are analog by design, we just call saturated output as "1"

[@bobsaturday4273]

sure , and think ; it only cost nasa $500 million to figure it out !

[@oremooremo5075]

When you scale up the project you can still use the small solar panels to operate a system of relays so as to control the larger motors which themselves are operated by part of the power harvested by the main panel

[@MrRasZee]

oremo, and then you could use smaller panels like the panels you get on garden lights

[@psychollek]

to scale up you only need more gearing - up to the point where even when working full time, motors can't move the panel fast enough

[@chriswisselo4329]

@@psychollek If you use this smaller setup as a controller, you can gear up and use the power from the main array to swivel it around. What you mean, not fast enough? The motors should be capable of moving 0.25 degrees/ minute (aka 15 degrees per hour), if you assume 180 agrees of panning over 12 hours. And yes, I know that is not quite accurate based on geographical location etc.If your motor can't turn 0.25 degrees/ minute something is not working the way it is supposed to Instead of increasing the gearing to create a crazy amount of torque, you should divide your array in smaller arrays, so the weight doesn't become an obstacle

[@psychollek]

@@chriswisselo4329 obviously. You loose simplicity of the design in the process. By this time you can just as well use a raspberry pi.

[@HopWorksET]

BRILLIANT! Being a skilled fan of MCU controlled devices, you would think I would hate this approach, but on the contrary. It's terrifically simple!! I LOVE IT! I am curious how this would work on overcast days, but then I also wonder how much that would matter to the main solar panel. Thank you sir for your contribution!!

[@realazliving]

This is great, thanks. There’s another type of simple solar tracker that several of my neighbors use. It uses horizontal pipes filled with oil. When the sun hits one side of the pipe the metal expands. More oil fits in it and the weight tips the panel. I think they might be one axis trackers but I’ll have to go inspect some. There are no moving parts. Maybe it’s another fun project to play with.

[@nemac23]

He mentions that type of design in this video. The problem with those is that if it is cloudy in the morning it will fail to start it's motion.

[@kentofmississippi]

You could put a "reverse" panel facing the back to catch the morning sun. It could connect to the reversing motor, and swing it around enough to catch the main panels.

[@johnbeaumont1563]

Maybe add a capacitor to drive it beyond perpendicular to the sunrise so the other panels can pick up before it looses power

[@paulhenry8174]

I’m very impressed. That’s elegant.

[@FakeReclaimer]

As soon as I saw the solar panels I understand how it worked. Brilliant idea!

[@FloatingOrbProductions]

Dude, really smart. I was just thinking about this the other day. Thank you.

[@blacktridentgoods]

This would be great for an auto-tracking beach umbrella 🏖️

[@wyattfisher8760]

We designed a system that was exactly this for a class in college (18ish years ago). We realized that we could do it with one pair instead of 2 as long as we were willing to make weekly elevation adjustments manually. We also built a system that was time-based with a wind-up alarm clock. It worked surprisingly well for having zero feedback.

[@Kahsimiah]

You know what? I LOVE that you're not 3D printing this! You're a craftsman, I respect that! Plus, printing all the parts would take way more time than just putting in a bit of elbow grease! Nice!

[@CurtisDrew1]

So just add a 5th panel reversed to the east on the backside, tied to the horizontal drive motor that will only see the morning sun. That will turn that array back around to face the morning sun. And once it moves back far enough, the other 4 can take over as it goes into the shadow. It will be in the shade all day this way and only see the sun when it comes back up in the east.

[@markusaltendorff]

That is awesome! Another improvement might be to angle the solar cells outwards (45 degrees maybe?), so incoming sun from the side does hit one panel more perpendicular (and the other possibly not at all). Edit: possibly the eastward-facing solar cell should be 90 degrees off, while the westward-driving one could be facing the same direction as the main surface. Since the device just needs to "return to start" in the morning, then just follow the sun over the day)

[@edwardfrench475]

Adding a mirror, on the "east" side would do the same thing

[@gabegaming558]

A mirror between the small panels you mean? So there is a reflection?

[@barkingsquirrel2082]

Or maybe add a second (5th total) mini panel (wired in parallel) at 90 degrees to the east one for a return to start

[@MakerFabio]

Good idea

[@oremooremo5075]

And people say spending money on space programs is a waste. Yet we can learn so much from them.

[@nathandean1687]

well alot of tech has come from nasa . that we use every day.

[@eggaweb]

The microprocessors in our computers are a result of the Apollo program for example.

[@danstrayer111]

"People say" a lot of stupid things. This is America, so we have a lot of that.

[@grokitall]

people say spending money on any form of blue skies research is a waste, but they don't know what they are talking about. such research acts as a driving problem, and even if the eventual outcome is impractical, the commercialisation of the resultant technology to get to that point usually returns 7 times more than was put in to get there, so even if you had not got satelites and launchers, the return from things like teflon and the improvements in computer reliability would have been worth it by themselves. this is backed up by hard data from tracking the return on the money spent for the apollo program and many other examles.

[@rationalicthus]

Dude, you have continued where TKOR deviated. I cannot tell u how many times I’ve rewatched your videos. Clear, easy to understand, educational AND just fun.

[@prairiecracker214]

I always try to design and refine my projects to their simplest form. I think this is brilliant and I thank you for sharing your insight into this method.

[@fusion2x]

Such a simple ingenious design!

[@KellyTribble]

Sorry if some have already said this: For the problem of sunrise, I was thinking of one of those little $2 solar path lights. Configure one to charge during the day, then it will turn itself on at night. If 'aimed' at the correct sun-sensor panel, it would drive it in the correct direction. Would need some type of shutoff at the correct point. Your idea is amazing and brilliant. I'm kind of surprised that you didn't patent this!

[@odbo_One]

Use diodes for better efficiency, great video. When I was a child I used photocells and controller to move my solar cells and then an automatic return to east function at midnight. Your idea is clever and I'm looking forward to building one too.

[@isimarkhor5096]

BlackStorm66 plzz do share ur project...

[@periperi2151]

@@isimarkhor5096 pliz do share. and what type of diodes?

[@hheg2727]

Actually the solar cell on its own acts as a diode, so no extra diode needed

[@FrancisR420]

@@hheg2727 a diode instead of a solar cell.

[@109Rage]

I dunno much about diodes, but would they even generate enough current to run the motors? I get the idea that they might be more efficient, but they'd end up adding complexity to the design.

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

Make this with calculator solar panels to shrink it. With a 12V panel powering the motors on the front. Feed the data to your row of panels so all the motors run the same. This way you only have to make one.

[@TechyBen]

You might be able to do it with capacitors/diodes/resistors, so while not "a microcontroller", you could use the main panel to power the motors, but as you say, tiny little panels for "control".

[@j.rivermartin3412]

I adore the elegant simplicity of this basic design concept. The system can rather easily be modified using compact LDRs (light-dependent resistors in the place of tiny pv panels, thus signaling (off and on) to a larger, but equally graceful, load / weight bearing apparatus for moving various kinds of solar collectors, be they a pv system, a parabolic mirror collector, a Fresnel lens, etc. (I have found that I can easily purchase 30 LDRs for around 5 US dollars. I'm sure that if you purchase hundreds or thousands of these that their price would go down to maybe a few pennies a piece or less.) LDR's are mass produced very cheaply, and these combined with the elegance of the design in this video would render all other solar trackers utterly obsolete on the basis of cost and plain clunky over-design and stupidity.

[@KerryWongBlog]

I like the simplicity! One main disadvantage of your approach is the "deadzone". while lights on both panels (e.g. either for panning or tilting) are near identical the motor might not receive sufficient current to rotate and thus the positioning would not be accurate. The big advantage of adding more circuitry to this simple design is to increase sensitivity and reduce "deadzone".

[@AustinSpafford]

Good point on the deadzone, though a positional bias could be placed on the yaw-panels to help minimize the effect. It might just take nudging the leading-edge panel out a little to add that bias (a set-screw). It does make me wonder if another analog modification could help with the pitch-deadzone, such as an additional small fixed-east panel to assist in rising in the morning, and a bit of weight-bias to help with lowering the afternoon.

[@charleslambert3368]

Also it looks like you'd be shorting the panels, which might damage them.

[@AwsomeVids83]

@@charleslambert3368 with solar panels that small the short circuit current shouldn't be enough to do any damage

[@lancereaudamien]

@@AustinSpafford I agree with you an East facing solar panel is a quick fix to lack returns function at night.

[@namewarvergeben]

I also think that adding some circuitry could allow the use of smaller solar 'panels', like the kind you get essentially for free from pocket calculators; or other small light-sensors. The power for the motors would have to come from elsewhere though.

[@____________________________.x]

Just some points for other designs. Pick slower geared motors for more torque. Attach with cogged rubber belts to avoid wind gusts breaking your motors. Personally I reckon at the point you upscale this to full panels using linear motors, then computer control is more viable and a lot more flexible. Like automatically tipping vertically on winter nights to shed snow.

[@MrRasZee]

in countries where it snows, the panels will be close to verticle and 30 degrees in winter

[@Don-sx5xv]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT...LOVE TO WATCH THIS ONE DEVELOP, IN THE MEAN TIME I AM GOING TO EXPERIMENT ALSO....THIS IS MORE THAN A GREAT START....WELL DONE MY FRIEND

[@aronbraswell1589]

just a timer, a small motor, and a battery to reset it back to morning position should work. the timer is to keep the power on from the sunset position till it reaches morning position then shut off the motor. Two switches would also be involved

[@caseykittel]

Aron Braswell It would be nice to stay away from batteries and extra switches. Read my comment I made in the main stream and tell me what you think. Thanks.

[@aronbraswell1589]

didn't think of that nice idea

[@stevemckewen1046]

You could, but your timing would have to be good, and you need power to run it. Any tracking is way better than no tracking. The movement and mechanism is the biggest cost.

[@charleslittle458]

How about one more solar panel faced a hundred eighty degrees out from the four so that when the morning sun comes up it rotates until the other four are facing the Sun

[@NandR]

Good idea.

[@TheInfectionization]

Or you could have a mirror on the back of the large solarpanel that would reflect the light if it were 180 degrees away. Might give the same results and also be cheaper

[@masterkevinpearson918]

Was thinking the same, wonder it some have attempted a larger scaled tracker

[@emolasher]

Place one additional solar panel on the back of the quad setup facing the rear with a slight angle up. Then when it faces west the next morning from the previous days operation it will get illuminated and feed a motor to rotate the main rig slightly more than perpendicular. Enough that the other motors take over and you have a full reset. Note. If the mirrors where all slightly angled outward it would allow it operate incase it stalled out due to cloud cover

[@ComradePhoenix]

Yeah, I gotta agree with the others, mirrors would be simpler, cheaper, and just as effective.

[@matthewbrown7170]

What?! This is freaking brilliant. Thank you for breaking down exactly how you built this. It’s incredible.

[@mrharvest]

Improvement idea: It will be difficult to mount a large solar panel on the front of the solar tracking array because of the weight / torque requirements. This isn't necessary. Use a small dummy array coupled to potentiometers for sun position and use that information to drive linear actuators for moving the actual large solar panels.

[@astyles51]

until u build one as u stated your comment will mean nothing

[@toamaori]

I was thinking the same thing, using the tracker to control an array of panels

[@IonutJaR]

@@toamaori is much simple to use those solar panels to activate electrical relay used to comand larger motor

[@karlgiel8891]

@@astyles51 pussy

[@haruakatsuki6874]

@@IonutJaR if you use relay or something like that why dont you just use some ldr its way cheaper than solar panels but you use electricity while using motors

[@PartyPilotier]

This is a genius idea and a great build by you. And thank you for sharing this idea as an open source. Hopefully it's not patented and stays in the realm of public domain for everyone to benefit and improve upon its design.

[@isoinsignia7540]

The channel Great Scott came up with a similar idea with four light sensors instead of solar panels.

[@continental_drift]

@@isoinsignia7540 The clever part of this design is that the thing that does the detecting is the thing that supplies the power and is much simpler.

[@HarryVK4TK]

Brilliant, just what I was looking for! Simplicity, but extremely effective. Just saved me $ hundreds $. I will post what I do, it will take a few weeks though. Keep up the good work.

[@plumtiger1]

Great design! If the vertical shade was actually reflective, it could catch the sun at obtuse angles and still keep the panels separate!

[@gregpresnall5732]

I had considered something like that myself as a thought experiment. I also realized the sunset/sunrise problem that you noted. It was VERY satisfying to see you actually construct a working prototype. I wonder if (like an impact head lawn sprinkler) when the array gets to the sunset position, it might automatically reset to the sunrise position using some kind of limit switch. I have wanted to build a tracking solar array for my grandsons' fort, but didn't want to spend much. I think this could make a nice project to build with them, not just for them. Thank you!

[@jt659]

Well now all I'm going to think about is an awesome solar tracking fort.

[@Netherdan]

@@jt659 FIRE THE SUN BEAM!

[@michaelsherrill6561]

What if there were 2 switches . 1 for the sun's position at sunset to return to the position at sunrise. Then use another to start the cycle over again in the morning. Maybe someone with more electrical knowledge could come up with something.

[@ZeorGaming]

You could probably put another solar cell facing backwards that will turn the whole thing around until the front facing cells catch enough sun to do their thing

[@ejrupp9555]

Just angle the east panel more eastward. I did it to mine with east and west angled and it worked fine. Then I made one for my friend but the nut and bolt fell out of the west bracket on the way somehow, so it laid parallel with the main panel. I found the nut and bolt in the back of the truck when I got home. So I went back the next morning as the sun was coming up and watched it turn back east with no problem ... It worked just fine. You don't have to angle the west one ... it was a rectangular panel laying horizontal and the west panel didn't see the sun from the east. I put it back with the angle to make it look even. They are sundials ... they don't do good in heavy wind though lol.

[@newchapter6840]

Genius. Exactly what i and I suspect thousands of others are looking for. Get a small factory and start manufacturing these systems. You deserve to be a millionaire from this. Subscribed.- more videos please.

[@coopermor]

GreatScott lab did something similar but using light dependent resistors in his "DIY Solar Tracker" video.

[@tim9464]

Yes i sad that before. But he uses an arduino.

[@mrqthews]

his also requires a 5 volt power source.

[@davidsawicki1498]

Use your small design for your guide and have the small solar panels go to relays controlling larger motor for multiple larger panels with full sized panels. Just raise the guide panel above the large panels and you can have a full tracking set up

[@rangemog21]

Yep, relays and then what ever kind of engines can do the moving. I was thinking myself for some time, how I could do it, but this is great and simpel. I was all the time bussy about finding the light, this works with the oposit.

[@TheAndjelika]

The coolest thing about your device, is that it can work on almost any planet! (:

[@m032682daniel]

that's a fantastic idea. it seems crazy it's not been thought of before. that is the sign of a good invention.

[@relaxnation1773]

Actually a toy kit i have has this system, but only with 1 axis tracking.

[@mrhupen]

That is amazingly simple. Love the project and the smarter every day credit as well. Great video!

[@bobsaturday4273]

sure , and think ; it only cost nasa $500 million to figure it out !

[@leightonwestbury92]

That is a really neat idea, i love the simplicity of it, in fact i cant believe just how simple it is, some of the very best ideas are the simplest ones

[@VincentOak]

I think great Scott built a solar tracker using little solar panels as sensors and a wall cross between them to tell the little brain box where to turn

[@mrqthews]

his requires a 5 volt power source

[@nubrigol]

It would probably work better if the panels were angled some 30-45 degrees away from the center. That would help with the issue of multiple panels being hit at once and give you a wider range that it would be able to sense and adjust for. It does seem like you'd still have to turn it around each morning. Especially during the longer summer days.

[@hassanmorad7376]

Outstanding..Amazing..I am speechless!!

[@rastislavdibala1442]

Let`s say that after sunset the panel is facing west and over night it stays in that position and when the sunrise starts the light will shine from the east and in that angle it cant triger the solar panels so it whoun`t work until the sun is high enough to shine on the panels . Sorry for my bad english

[@vitorstreetboys]

Pelo sorry deve ser Brasileiro

[@danstrayer111]

Rasto....True. The panel array may require a manual reset to the east once every day

[@foolo1]

One improvement could be to take advantage of the fact that the panel does not need to move fast. The sun moves over the sky very slowly, so it could be enough with something way smaller and simpler than a motor. (the more mechanics, the more problems with wear and tear). Maybe some vibrating piece (piezo element + oscillating circuit ?), making a reallty small vibration that pushes the construction in the correct direction.

[@MarcNosrednug]

WOW! MY NEW FAVOURITE CHANNEL! EXCELLENT WORK!

[@Specter0420]

The number one challenge that most people forget is that this thing must be strong enough to withstand 60+ MPH wind gusts. You will need larger solar panels and stronger motors for the heavier frame and beefier tracking system. Not really a concern in space but something you will need to consider. You will probably need to run the motors off of the main solar panel power and just use the little ones to control switches for the motors... You would need a battery to turn it all the way around when the rear solar panels trigger but the main panels are facing the wrong way.

[@mikeguitar9769]

A fine-pitched leadscrew might work (a worm gear using a threaded screw or rod and a nut).

[@hu5116]

I thought of the weather robustness as well. However, there is an advantage that can be taken here, and that the motor does not need to be high power at all. That is, because the sun moves so slowly a very tiny motor can be matched to a high reduction gear, resulting in a high leverage to prevent the solar panels from moving in the wind. It would be a little bit like having an electric brake. the gearing has to be robust on the solar panel end, but you could literally have a watch motor driving the theme from the other of the gear reduction.

[@marthijnvanhattem7351]

You could add 4 more "sensor" solar panels to the back of the other panels and angle all of them at about 45 degrees so that the ones on the back can sense the sun rising in the morning or when the machine is just really misaligned.

[@birdy_coolbeans]

would you even need to add more? a shallower angle on the main panels could do that and still preserve functionality

[@marthijnvanhattem7351]

@@birdy_coolbeans yeah i guess but im not sure if that would still work when the sun is on the exact opposite side of the tracker but that doesnt happen very often. And if the angle of the panels is too shallow they might not provide enough power to run the motors when the tracker is almost aligned.

[@KenBuscho42]

I came up with my own version of this in maybe 2008 using solar walkway lights. What I could never to work well was what to do when you lost the sun (end of day) and to get it to turn around 180 degrees to get the morning sun. I tried a mirror on the back of the panel to ping the mirrors and get things started, but I never could get the bugs/logic to settle down and reliable, it would get confused and oscillate back and forth,

[@Diprotic]

I've always thought of a system like this but never really thought it out completely, thanks for the video/idea.