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Making a solar powered fan

  • 06-06-2006 11:41am
    #1
    Wavey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 861 ✭✭✭


    Afternoon all.
    After the scorcher of a weekend at Emo I want to make a solar powered fan for the dog crate.

    I'would want a 6" fan or maybe two 4" fans.
    Ive been googling but no joy.

    All I can find are solar kits for recharging batteries.

    Maybe this would be the way to go? Just power the fans from a 9Volt battery and have the solar cells trickle charging?

    Anybody got any good resources for this type of electronic project?

    thanks
    Wavey.


Comments

  • #2
    cargrouch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 314 ✭✭cargrouch


    I've just had a play with a 120mm 12V 0.57A Multicomp fan. Looks just like a big version of a computer type fan.

    Depending on the size of the crate this would freeze the poor dogs! Running at 10V plus you would have to diffuse the airflow, it would be too much of a concentrated draught in a small place.

    It only starts moving at about 7V, although once moving it will continue to rotate if the voltage drops a bit. The current it took was all over the place even at 12V, anywhere between 300mA and 600mA.

    I had a look at a random battery charger, sanyo brand I think. It claimed (I was looking on Ebay) to give up to 1.5W at 17.5V. To drive a 6W fan you would need 4 solar cells in belting sunshine.

    If I was building it my initial shopping list would be:
    4 battery chargers
    1 120mm fan
    If not using a battery - some big capacitors to deal with the sudden surges and drops in current.
    With battery - maybe a voltage regulator?

    I'd probably ask myself was there an easier/cheaper way, but I'd probably go ahead just to have a play with the solar cells to see how much I could get out of them in Ireland.

    Any help Wavey? Other tinkerers - any thoughts?


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