Solar Power

[FastFranz]

Ciao,

 

This Japanese micro-layout appeared (March 2013) on Carl Arendt site (www.carent.com)  and remained untouched since then, after having moved (October 2013) to Ivory Coast where now we happen to live, his turn for a revamping has arrived …

 

The layout (a simply “oval-pizza” of cm 60x30) is already crammed with all the goodies to be found on a Japanese layout. So I had to “think different”, and, in the end, so I did.

 

Here are available – Ivory Coast, as I said - small solar panels with (size is, roughly, 25x25 cm), sold at a cheap price (a few tens of euro) as(a sort of emergency kit. These "toys" have an output of 4W, enough to power on three LED bulbs (3x1 W) or recharge a cell phone: for the first option I checked in person, for the second I made a leap of faith. The technical data, which to me are clear as Mandarin Chinese, are as follow:

• Pmax = 4W
• Tolerance = +/-5%
• Vmp = 11V
• Imp = 0,36 A
  Voc = 13,2V
• Isc = 0.4 A
• Maximum system voltage = 600 V
• Size = MM 195x225x18
• Test condition = 1000W/m2, AM 1,5, 25° C.

The kit consists of the actual panel itself, connected to a small battery (hidden in a sort of "black-box” carrying the sockets for the led lamps and the USB socket as well). A fully charged battery should ensure - according to manufacturer's statements - eight hours of life with three led lamps connected: for my forecasted use thirty minutes will be more than enough.

 

After a long think - my fear was to "fry" engines - I decided to try using as connection port the USB socket (as a standard, it provides a 5V output): at this purpose I modified a USB cable isolating the two wires of the "data bus" and modifying the two others (electrical) to connect the layout socket to the battery

 

Luckily, and happily, in the end everything went the way I was expecting. ;).

 

Francesco

 

PS: it is possible to attach small videoclips to posted messages?

 

 

 

 

[katoftw]

I've been looking into this also. But using a 12V 100Ah battery.

[kvp]

Nice layout and nice power pack. Now it's fully portable. 5V should give a nice speed for your trams. You could add a small 2 pole, 3 position on-off-on direction switch to make it controllable.

[FastFranz]

@kvp: with 5v supply the Kato Hamburg-Hiroshima tram is even too fast while the Tomytec Portram are OK!

 

At the moment there's, only, on the "black-box" an ON/OFF switch but the upgrade you suggest is in my plans. When? AH!!! This is the usual one million dollar question ... Probably next (european) autumn, once back again from Italy ... ;)

 

Francesco

[kvp]

Cheap hacks:

-you can control the voltage by adding common silicon diodes in series (connected back to back in pairs) and selecting the amount of diodes in the circuit

-this can be done manually, with a rotary switch or with a bunch of on-off switches, each switch bypassing one diode pair

-if you can't get diodes, a small matched resistor in series could help (matched means matched to each tram in question)

-a 2 pole on-off-on switch can be sourced from almost anywhere or replaced with a 2 pole double throw switch (on-on) and any on-off switch (which you already have)

 

I think most cities have at least a shop that sells electronic junk, like car dashboard switches. Some of them can be used to jury rig a speed and direction controller.

[FastFranz]

YEP! Probably it's right! But then you're going too far for my electric/electronic (just in case ....) knowledge!

 

Francesco

Edited February 11, 2015 by FastFranz

[Guest ___]

Well, as a former engineering tech for bp solar, I've amassed a few solar panel from engineering and reliability depts. I never thought about using it to power my layout. Now, I'm debating seeing how much train I can power with my main panel...

 

BTW: The image looks like a slight blue color of the cells. Doubt by chance those would by polycrystalline cells would they?

[FastFranz]

Ciao,

 

To be honest it could simply be the light (environment where I took the pic) or something like that (i.e. small difference in overall colour happened while downsizing image and the rest).

 

Should I actually describe the "real" colour I'd say a sort of, slightly glittering and striped, grey.

 

Francesco