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Sun Tracker 2 Revision 3 - Software update

A project log for SunTracker 2 Revision 3

A learning platform for optimizing solar systems energy output through alignment to our suns path across the sky.

frankFrank 09/01/2019 at 11:380 Comments

During daytime tracking, I wondered if the display could not just show the sun current position, but also the previous path that has been completed since sunrise. This would visualize the sun's progress. Below picture shows what I mean:

I wrote a new function called "display_mode2", which can be selected with DIP switch 1 in the "ON" position. The previous function of DIP-1, enabling the extended selfest, this function has been moved to push-button 2, which brings it up when pressed during power-up. The light path clears out with sunset, and during nighttime the sun just moves as a single green LED. Its not fully complete yet: the self-align movement of the tracker does not always clear out all LEDs of the light path. Its a bit more tricky to move a group of LEDs around the ring. I also want to let the leading daytime position LED blink in display_mode 2. These things need another quiet afternoon. Turning off DIP-1 returns to the original display mode.

The updated software sketch has been published to the projects github repository "src" folder.

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