Power & IC
- Solar panel (energy source)
- 555 Timer
- Op-amps
Overview
The Solar Weathering Station integrates solar energy harvesting, sensor data acquisition, and circuit components like op-amps and filters. It continuously monitors environmental factors like temperature, humidity, light intensity, and UV exposure to study material weathering effects in outdoor conditions.
Demo
Equipment & Tools
Sensors & Output
- Photoresistors
- Humidity sensor
- Thermistor
- Buzzer
Components
- Resistors
- Capacitor
- Inductors
- Wires
Tools
- M1K
- LTSpice (power simulation)
Test Equipment
- Multimeter
- Oscilloscope
- Lab power supply
Technical Breakdown
Power Management
Designed a solar harvesting circuit with regulator stages to ensure stable 5V/3.3V operation. Energy stored in a capacitor or battery provides power during cloudy periods, verified via LTSpice efficiency analysis.
Data Acquisition
Sensors continuously sampled by Op-Amps. Thresholds set for each nature's exposure for allowing certain information to be pass thru via their designed filters. Data shown on LTspice and logged via serial for long-term studies.
System Operation
- Idle: Low power mode when sunlight is weak. Use energy from solar panel.
- Active: Solar harvesting energy from capacitor to power sensors.
Challenges & Trade-offs
- Ensuring energy balance between harvesting and load.
- Choosing storage capacity for cloudy conditions.
- Calibrating sensors to handle real-world fluctuations.
- Managing solar panel to sensor with necessarily power consumption
Future Improvements
- Wireless communication (LoRa/Wi-Fi) for remote data upload.
- Upgrade to low-power MCUs (Arduino, ESP32-S2, STM32L series).
- Data logging to SD card for extended studies.
- Use larger solar arrays or supercapacitors for reliability.
What I Learned
- Practical solar energy harvesting and regulation techniques.
- Integration of multiple sensors via analog persective.
- Uses of op-amps and 1st/2nd order filters.
- Designing for outdoor reliability and environmental resilience.
References
Full documentation, schematics, and test results are available in the project report.