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A new pump and new mount, battery and actuator and an adafruit order.

A project log for SAM - Solar Automation Machine.

Sun Tracking, Charging, Cooling , Monitoring, Relay control. for my small solar panel installation.

emericaEmerica 06/20/2014 at 15:330 Comments

Went to Princess Auto (Harbour Freight) after work and found a couple small 12V water pumps on sale, $4.99.

Some more tubing, and a few other things that were on sale ;)
The pumps have two ports, I closed one off with some hose crimped at one end.
These pumps are very quiet, move much more water than the used wiper fluid pump, they are  cheaper, and more hackable, say if I wanted to change the motor.

I will now have to work on a reservoir system that can be sunk into the ground, to keep the water chilled. I'll also have to contain the pump to keep the motor from the elements.
A head to spray the panel, and a way to mount that head.
A catch system to recycle the water, probably going to need some filtration here. 
All while still allowing the panel to move in a tracking situation.  Which I still have to build :)


Once I have something I think I'll be able to move onto monitoring the panel's temp and then  give it a bath when it's crossed a threshold.


I also went over to the garbage bins and found a 1m dish and stand, I got the truck and carted it home, to be my new solar panel mount.  I kinda want to try getting C band with it.

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