solarcar manual

7/30/2019 Solarcar Manual

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i n st r u c t i o n

Solar Car


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About KidWindThe KidWind Project is a team o teachers, students, engineers, and prac-

titioners exploring the science behind wind energy in classrooms around

the US. Our goal is to introduce as many people as possible to the

elegance o renewable energy through hands-on science activities which

are challenging, engaging, and teach basic science principles.

While improving science education is our main goal, we also aim to helpschools become important resources or both students and the general

public, to learn about and see renewable energy in action.

Thanks to We would like to thank the Wright Center or Science Education at Tuts

University or giving us the time and space to develop this idea into a use-

ul project or thousands o teachers.

We would also like to thank Trudy Forsyth at the National Wind Technol-

ogy Center and Richard Michaud at the Boston Oce o the Department

o Energy or having the vision and oresight to help establish the Kid-

Wind Project in 2004. Lastly, we would like to thank all the teachers or

their keen insight and eedback on making our kits and materials rst rate!

Wind for AllAt KidWind, we strongly believe that K12 education is an important

oundation or promoting a more robust understanding o the opportuni-

ties and challenges that emerging clean energy technologies present.The Wind or All program seeks to support teachers and students all over

the globe who do not have the nancial capacity to access our training

programs and equipment. We believe that all teachers and studentsre-

gardless o where they live or what school they at tendmust be part o

the clean energy uture.

A Note on ReproductionThis work may not be reproduced by mechanical or electronic means

without written permission rom KidWind, except or educational uses

by teachers in a classroom situation or a teacher training workshop. For

permission to copy portions or all o this material or other purposes, such

as or inclusion in other documents, please contact Michael Arquin at

KidWind: [email protected]

V1.0

Our plastic componeare made from recyclresins.

We source domesticawhenever possible, aassemble and pack okits in St. Paul, MN.

Proceeds from yourpurchase help us trainand supply teachers.


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Solar CarParts List

1 Drivetrain assembly pack

1 Solar panel 2.0V/200mA

1 Motor

1 ALTurbine motor mount

2 Rubber bands

1 Cardstock car topper

2 Eyelet bolt

2 Nut

1 Corrugated plastic chassis

Parts

1

2

1

1

2

2

1

1

1


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How to Build the Solar CarBuilding the Car Chassis

1. Place the blue plastic motor mount over the two pre-drilled holes. Inse

two eyelet bolts through the holes in the motor mount and chassis and

secure with nuts. Use your hand to tighten. Over tightening can dam-

age the chassis and make the car inoperable.

2. Push one o the small pinion gears onto the shat o the motor.

3. To secure the motor to the mount, hook two rubber bands around the

eyelets.

4a. Now let's put the rear wheels together. Rest the large gear with the

fat side up on a hard, fat work surace. Line the axle up with the

hole in the gear and, using a rubber mallet or hammer, tap the axle

into the gear.

4b. Once the end o the axle is protruding slightly rom the gear, you ca

push the gear urther onto the axle with your thumbs. Position your

thumbs close to the center o the gear. Be sure NOT to grab the gearom the outside and push, as this can snap the gear. Stop pushing

when the axle protrudes rom the gear about 1 cm.

5. Tap the axle and gear into one o the wheels using a rubber mallet o

a hammer.

6. Slide the axle through the corrugation o the chassis so the big gear o

the axle aligns with the small gear on the motor. This may take some

trial and error.

7. To complete rear wheel assembly, slide one o the black rubber O-rings onto the other end o the axle. The O-rings will keep your whee

assembly centered. Tap the wheel on using a rubber mallet or ham-

mer.

8a. To assemble the ront wheels, slide an O-ring onto one end o the

other axle. Place a wheel on your work surace and tap the axle int

it.

8b. Slide the axle through one o the corrugations near the ront o the

car. Press on the remaining O-ring, ollowed by the remaining whee

Tap into place.

9. Connect the solar panel wires to the motor. Place the car in ull sun a

point the solar panel at the sun. Set the car on a fat, smooth surace,

place the panel on the chassis and make sure it runs. I the gears bind

up and the car will not move, move the rear axle to provide the prope

gear mesh distance, or place thin shims under the motor.

1

2

4a 4b

7

9

6

3

5

8a 8b


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Assembling the Body

1. Fold the cardstock car body in hal lengthwise where indicated (Fig 1).

2. Holding on to the ends o the cardstock, smooth the body back and

orth over the edge o a table, graphic-side up (Fig 2). This will give

the car "roo" a curved shape when you attach it to the chassis and

prevent bubbles rom appearing in the carstock.

3. Fold sharply along the dashed old lines at either end o the body.Lightly crease the remaining dashed line (Fig 3).

4. Attach the pieces o Velcro to the body where indicated by the dashed

squares, then attach Velcro to the back o the solar panel (Fig 4).

5. Wrap the olded ends o the cardstock over the ends o the chassis

and tape in place (Fig 5).

6. In a sunless area, attach the solar panel and the motor in one o two

ways:

Use the alligator clips rom the solar panel to clip to the ends o themotor wires

Loosen the screws on the back o the solar panel. Remove the clip

cords. Insert the ends o the motor wires directly into the terminals and

tighten the screws. You may want to cut and re-strip the motor wires to

make them shorter.

7. Attach the solar panel to any o the Velcro squares on the car body.

The angle o the solar panel can be changed on the fy to adjust or

the suns position.

6. Test the car in ull sun; i it moves backwards, reverse the wires on the

panel.

7. Congratulations, your Solar Car is ready to go!

Fig. 5

Assembled Solar Car

Fig. 1

Fig. 3Fig. 2

Fig. 4


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Experiment Ideas1. You can attach the solar panel to any o the three locations on the ro

Compare the dierence in car speed rom each o the solar panel

locations by marking a 10 oot length area, and timing the car with t

solar panel in each location on the car cover. What are your results?

Why?

2. Is there a time o day when your Solar Car goes the astest?

3. Are there clouds in the sky? Does this make a dierence?

4. Can you increase the car speed by concentrating the sunlight? Try

refecting light onto the solar panel. Is there a change?

5. Try removing the pinion gear on the driveshat and replace with the

second pinion gear. Run the same trails as above and compare your

results. You may have to adjust the clearance between the new gear

by changing the channel that the rear axle goes through; or chang-

ing the shim under the motor. Which gear is aster? Why?

6. The large gear has 64 teeth. How many does each o the pinion

gears have?

7. What is the gear ratio o each gearing setup?

8. What advantages and disadvantages are there or each pinion gea

9. Can you think o a way to store some electricity so your car could dr

through a tunnel or through some shade? What other materials would

you need to do this?

Cloudy day Sunny dayVS

Small gear Large gear

VS

Morning AfternoonVS


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What is Solar energy? How does it work?Every day, the sun sends out an enormous amount o energy. It radiates

more energy in one second than the world has used since time began!

This radiant energy, also known as solar energy, is vital to us because it

provides the world directlyor indirectlywith almost all o its energy.

In addition to providing the energy that sustains the world, solar energy

is stored in ossil uels and biomass, and is responsible or powering the

water cycle and producing wind!Solar energy comes rom within the sun itsel. Like other stars, the sun is a

big ball o gases, mostly hydrogen and helium. The hydrogen atoms in

the sun's core combine to orm helium and radiant energy in a process

called nuclear fusion. This process creates a large amount o radiant

energy, which is emitted into space. Only a small portion o the energy

radiated by the sun into space strikes the earth, one part in two billion.

Yet this amount o energy is enormous. Every day, enough energy strikes

the United States to supply the nation's energy needs or one and a hal

years!

Solar energy is considered a renewable energy source. Renewable

sources o energy are resources that are continually renewed by nature,

and hence will never run out. Solar power is considered renewable

because the nuclear (usion) reactions that power the sun are expected to

keep generating sunlight or many billions o years to come.

Solar Electricity and Photovoltaic SystemsSolar energy can also be used to make electricity. This is done largely

through the use o photovoltaic (or PV) systems. Photovoltaic comes rom

the words photo, meaning light, and volt, a measurement o electricity.

Photovoltaic cells are oten called solar cells. They convert light directly

into electricity.

The photovoltaic eect is the basic physical process through which a PV

cell converts sunlight directly into electricity. PV technology works any time

the sun is shining, but more electricity is produced when the light is more

intense and when it is striking the PV modules directly when the rays o

sunlight are perpendicular to the PV modules.

Sunlight is composed o photons, or bundles o radiant energy. Whenphotons strike a PV cell, they may be refected or absorbed, or transmit-

ted through the cell. Only the absorbed photons generate electricity.

When the photons are absorbed, the energy o the photons is transerred

to electrons in the atoms o the solar cell.

With their newound energy, the electrons are able to escape rom their

normal positions associated with their atoms to become part o the cur-

rent in an electrical circuit. By leaving their positions, the electrons cause

holes to orm in the atomic structure o the cell into which other electrons

can move.

The Greenhouse Effect

Nuclear Fusion

Heat

Atmosphere

Heat

Sun

Eart

Solarenergyrays

He

H H

H HEnergy+


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Solar cells are usually made o two thin pieces o silicon, the substance

that makes up sand and the second most common substance on earth.

Silicon is used because it is a semiconductor, or a solid that is in betwee

a conductor and an insulator o electricity. One piece o silicon has a

small amount o boron added to it, which gives it a tendency to attract

electrons. It is called the P-Layer because o its positive tendency. The

other piece o silicon has a small amount o phosphorous added to it,

giving it an excess o ree electrons. This is called the N-Layer because

has a tendency to give up negatively charged electrons. When the two

pieces o silicon are placed together, some electrons rom the N-Layer

fow to the P-Layer and an electric eld orms between the layers. The P

Layer now has a negative charge and the N-Layer has a positive charg

When the PV cell is placed in the sun, the radiant energy energizes the

ree electrons. I a circuit is made connecting the layers, electrons fow

rom the N-Layer through the wire to the P-Layer. The PV cell is producing

electricitythe fow o electrons. I a load such as a light bulb is placed

along the wire, the electricity will do work as it fows.

Compared to other ways o producing electricity, PV systems are expen

sive. This is mainly because PV cells require silicon that is extremely pure

This level o purity makes the silicon expensive. However, despite the

high cost, PV systems have many useul applications and their demand

growing rapidly.

= protein = tightly-held electron

= can accept an electron= free electron

PHOTOVOLTAICCELLCROSSSECTION

p-layer

n-layer

p-layer

n-layer

Nuclearfusion

Electrons moving fromn-layer to p-layer

Photons

=

=

Solar panel cross section

Excited electrons fow through the silicon semi-conductor rom the N-Layer to the P-Layer. Theyfow out the negative terminal, through the circuit,and back to the positive terminal. When a load isattached, the electrons are orced to do work (i.e.light a bulb).

Solar panel


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ResourcesFor more inormation, check out these great resources on solar energy!

The NEED Project (www.Need.org)

http://www.need.org/needpd/Photovoltaics%20Student%20Guide.pd

http://www.need.org/needpd/ExploringSolarStudent.pd

The United States DOE Ofce o Energy Efciency and Renewable Energyhttp://www1.eere.energy.gov/kids/roous/

http://www.eere.energy.gov/basics/renewable_energy/photovoltaics.html

Other cool sites

www.solarschoolhouse.org/

http://www.solar4rschools.org/

americansolarchallenge.org/

www.worldsolarchallenge.org/http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter15.html

http://science.howstuworks.com/environmental/energy/solar-cell.htm

http://www.schoolgen.co.nz/se/

http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html

Solar Boats

http://original.solar-active.com/boat.htm

http://www.members.iinet.net.au/~gveale/solar/


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Notes


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