Solar Night Light Assembly

What is Solar Energy

Solar energy is energy provided by the sun. It is energy
in the form of solar radiation that makes solar
electricity production possible.
Solar power is the direct or indirect conversion of
sunlight into electricity. Direct conversions are done
through the use of photovoltaics (PV) while indirect
conversions are done using concentrated solar power
(CSP).
Photovoltaic, which means “light” and “electric”, (PV) cells are used to directly
produce electricity through solar energy. These are cells made from materials
that exhibit “photovoltaic effect” or when sunlight hits the cell, the photons of
light excite the electrons in the cell, causing them to flow thus generating
electricity.
In photovoltaic system, solar cells produce direct current (DC) power which
change with the sunlight’s intensity. For practical use, it usually requires
conversion to certain desired voltages or alternating current (AC), through the
use of inverters.
Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or
mirrors and tracking system to focus a large
area of sunlight into a small beam.

Determining Power Consumption

Demands
In determining the power consumption
demands, you will be able to estimate the
amount of energy needed to be supplied by the
solar PV system.

1. Calculate the total Watt-hours per

day for each appliance used.

o Make a list of all the appliance

and/or loads that you are going
to run using the PV system. To
determine the wattage, most appliances have a label on the back that
indicates the wattage. Specification sheets, local appliance dealers, and the
product manufacturers can also be used as reference.
 o Add the Watt-hours needed for all appliances together to get the total Watt-hours
per day which must be delivered to the appliances.
 Calculate total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules

o After determining the total watt-hours per day, multiply it by 1.3 (the energy lost
in the system). In doing so, you’ll be able to get the total Watt-hours per day that
needs to be provided by the panels.
Sizing the PV modules
Sizing the PV modules will help you find out the appropriate size of PV module
that will produce an amount of power suitable for your daily consumption.
To find out the sizing of the PV module, you need the total peak watt produced
needs. The peak watt (Wp) produced depends on the size of the PV module and
climate of the site location.
1. Calculate the Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules
o To get the total Watt-peak rating needed for the PV
panels needed to operate the appliances, you will
need to divide the total Watt-hours per day needed
from the PV modules by 3.43.
 Calculate the number of PV panels for the
system
o After getting the Watt-peak rating needed for PV
modules, divide it by the rated output Watt-peak of
the PV modules available to you. If the answer
resulted to any fractional part, just increase it to the next highest
whole number. The answer you got will be the number of PV
modules required.

Battery sizing
A deep cycle battery is recommended to be used in PV systems.
It is specifically designed to be discharged to low energy level
and rapid recharged or cycle charged and discharged day after
day for years. Make sure that the battery is large enough to
store enough energy to operate the appliances even at night
and cloudy days.
Follow these steps to find out the size of the battery:
1. Calculate the total Watt-hours per day used by
appliances.
 2. Divide the total Watt-hours per day used by 0.85 for battery loss.
3. Divide your answer from the previous step by 0.6 for depth of discharge.
4. Divide your answer from the previous step by the nominal battery
voltage.
5. Multiply your answer from the previous step with days of autonomy or
the number of days that you need the system to operate when there is no
power produced by PV panels. In doing do, you’ll get the required
Ampere-hour capacity of the deep cycle battery.
Solar charge controller sizing
The solar charge controller is used to maintain the proper charging voltage on
the batteries. It is typically rated against Amperage and Voltage capacities. In
selecting the solar charge controller, it should match the
voltage of PV array and batteries and then identify which
type of solar charge controller is suitable for your
system. You have to make sure that the solar charge
controller has sufficient capacity to handle the current
from the PV array.

Lesson 1: Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law is a very simple and practical tool in
understanding electric circuits. It simply states that “in metallic conductors at
a constant temperature and in a zero magnetic field, the current flowing is
proportional to the voltage across the ends of the conductor, and is inversely
proportional to the resistance of the conductor.
By using the letters V, I and R to express the relationships defined in Ohms
Law gives three simple formulae:

V = IR or I = V/R or R = V/I
Each of which shows how to find the value of any one of these quantities in a
circuit, provided the other two are known. For example, to find the voltage V (in
Volts) across a resistor, simply multiply the current I (in Amperes) through the
resistor by the value of the resistor R (in Ohms).
Using these formulae the values of V I and R written into the formula must be
in its BASIC UNIT i.e. VOLTS (not millivolts) Ohms (not kilohms) and
AMPERES (not micro Amperes )etc.

Lesson 2: Power Law

The Power Law states that the power dispersed in a device is inversely
proportional to the squared value of the voltage across it:
P = V2 / R [2]
It can also be stated as the power dispersed in a device is directly proportional
to the squared value of the current going through it:
P = I2 x R [2]
Power law can be simply stated as:
P = V x I [2]

Lesson 3: Electronic Components

LED Lamp
For the solar night light, you will be using a lamp that is a
single high power 1W LED with an operating voltage of 3.2
V to 3.6V and a maximum current rating of 350mA.
A 10 ohms resistor as the current limiter is used in the
prototype to reduce the current draw to 100mA when drawing power from the
3.7V lithium battery. The LED heat sink temperature is observed to remain
stable at 30 degree Celsius at this current.

Lithium-ion Battery
You will be using a 3.7V 220mA rechargeable lithium-
ion battery that is commonly used as cells for laptops
and camera battery packs. It was chosen due to its
longer service life and higher power density.
The high cell voltage makes it possible to power the LED
using a single cell thus making the light simple, easy
and cost effective to build. At 100mA current, the
battery will have storage of 20 hours for the LED lamp
at full charge. At 12 hours of operation, the daily depth
of the discharge is 60%.
An overcharging controller will not be used since the solar module to be used is
too small to overcharge the battery under daily use. Since the
lithium battery can tolerate deep discharge, no over-discharge
controller is needed. Elimination of the overcharge and over-
discharge controllers simplifies the design of the lamp.

Solar / Photovoltiac Module

The solar module delivers a daily energy requirement for 12 hours of LED light
consuming 100mA will require 1.2AH. At a voltage of 3.7 with 80% charging
efficiency an average of 3.28 effective sun hours per day (Philippine setting),
the required solar module is 1.7Wp.
The locally available solar module used is 1W module with 10 poly crystalline
cells that is ideal for charging the 3.7V lithium-ion battery.

Master Switch
To disconnect the battery from the circuit, a separate manual
3P slide switch is added. The addition of the switch will prevent
the lamp from turning on in its dark container during storage
and transport. It is also a safety requirement when shipping the
equipment.

Resistors
Resistors are one of the most commonly used electronic components that
create specified values of current and voltage in a circuit.
Basically the function of a resistor is always to be against
the flow of current through it and the strength of this
opposition is called as its resistance. There are different
kinds of resistors that vary in size and color depending on
the power that they carry.
For the solar night limp, you will be using three types of
resistors in varying power:
1. 2 pieces of 1 k ohm ¼ W resistor
2. 1 piece of 10 k ohm ¼ W resistor
3. 1 piece of 2W 10 ohm resistor

Diodes
A diode is an electronic component that is used to direct flow of electricity into
one direction and blocks the flow in the opposite direction.
They can also be considered as one-way valves used in
various circuits as a form of protection. For the solar night
lamp you will be using the 1N5819 Schottky barrier
diode.
The Schottky barrier diode is commonly used in electronics.
Its unique properties enable it to be used in a number of
ways. Schottky diodes are used in many applications where
other types of diode will not perform as well. It has a low turn on voltage, a fast
recovery time because of the small amount of stored charged which means it
can be used in high speed switching function and a low junction capacitance.

Transistors
Transistors can be considered as a type of switch or gate for electronic signals
and also regulates the current or voltage flow. They can be used as amplifiers
or switching devices. As amplifiers, they are used in high and low frequency
stages, oscillators, modulators, detectors and in any circuit needing to perform
a function. In digital circuits they are used as
switches. For the solar night lamp, you will be using:
1. IRF510 transistor
2. General purpose transistor 9014.

Lesson 4:Testing Instruments

Testing instruments lets you assess the product even
before construction is complete.
There are different types of testers but for the constructions of solar night
lamps, you will only need a multitester or also known as a voltmeter.

Multitester
Multitester or also called as a multimeter is a device that can be used to gather
data about electrical circuits. It combines several measurement functions in
one unit. It may include several features like the ability to measure voltage,
current, and resistance.
Multitesters can use analog or digital circuits. They are usually
used in basic fault finding and basic field service work. They can
also be used to troubleshoot electrical problems in assortment of
industrial and household devices.
The most basic measurement provided by a multitester is
continuity that determines whether a circuit is complete or not. For
this type of test, the device is set to “ohms” and AC or DC
depending on the current to be measured, before the probes on the device are
inserted into the circuit. It will read out 0 and 0.05 ohms if the circuit is
complete. If a measure of infinity is revealed, it indicates that the circuit is
open and can be considered a problem.

Lesson 5: Basic Soldering Procedure

 1. Clean the surface of the PCB
o A clean surface is very important for a strong, low resistance solder
joint.

 Component Placement
o In general it is best to start with the smallest and flattest
components (resistors, ICs, signal diodes) and then work up to the
larger components (capacitors, power transistors, transformers)
after the small parts are done.

 Apply Heat
o Apply a very small amount of solder to the tip of the iron. This
helps conduct the heat to the component and board, but it is not
the solder that will make up the joint.

 Apply Solder To The Joint

o Once the component lead and solder pad have heated up, you are
ready to apply solder.
o Touch the tip of the strand of solder to the component lead and
solder pad, but not the tip of the iron. If everything is hot enough,
the solder should flow freely around the lead and pad. You will see
the flux melt liquify as well, bubble around the joint (this is part of
its cleaning action), flow out and release smoke.
o Continue to add solder to the joint until the pad is completely
coated and the solder forms a small mound with slightly concave
sides. If it starts to ball up, you have used too much solder or the
pad on the board is not hot enough.

 Inspect The Joint and Cleanup

o Once the joint is made, you should inspect it. Check for shorts
with adjacent pads or poor flow. If the joint checks out, move on to
the next.

Lesson 6: Assembly of Solar Night Light

1. Snug fit the solar module PVC pipe into the PVC coupling.
2. Attach the solar module assembly to the soda bottle to put together the
whole lamp.
 3. Cover the solar module or bring the lamp into a dark room to test if the
solar night light is properly working. Refer to the testing module for the
proper procedure.

Lesson 1: Printed Circuit Board Preparation

Safety in Preparing the Etching Solution
Etching Solution or ferric chloride is a very dangerous solution and should be
handled properly. Make sure that in preparing the etching solution, you are
wearing the proper personal protective equipment such as gloves and a face
mask.
The etching solution should be placed in a plastic container rather that
metallic so that no chemical reactions will take place.
It would be recommended if you do the etching process in a well ventilated
place so that possible suffocation from the odour of the solution will be
avoided.

Printed Circuit Board Preparation

Printing
Printing is the technique used in transferring the design to be followed to the
actual PCB wherein the other electronic components will be assembled.
1. Cut printed circuit board (PCB) based to the required size of 1 inch by 3
inches.
2. Cover the copper side of the board with a layer of masking tape.
3. With a printed copy of the PCB layout, copy the black lines on the
diagram representing the non conductive line onto side of the board
covered in masking tape using a marker and ruler.
4. Using a cutter and ruler, cut out the lines drawn with a marker that will
later serve as the non conductive lines in the design.
Etching
By etching, you’ll be removing the unnecessary copper particles from the PCB
thus permanently transferring the design on the board. You’ll be using a
dangerous etching solution or ferric chloride so it is important to follow the
proper personal protective equipment. After using the etching solutions (ferric
chloride) please dispose the used solution and empty bottles properly and wash
your hands thoroughly.
1. Use gloves before using the etching solution (ferric chloride).
 2. Using tape, attached the PCB at the bottom of the plastic container
copper side up.
3. Pour the required quantity of the etching solution in a plastic container.
4. Soak the designed PCB into the etching solution for about 10 to 20
minutes.
5. Through visual inspection, check if the etching is completed. The
exposed copper parts of the board should be matte in color signifying
that the copper is removed from the board and the plastic part is
exposed.
Cleaning
Cleaning is very important in completing the etching process and making sure
that it is successful. Proper cleaning of the PCB ensures you that no etching
solution is left on the board that could damage the followed design.
1. Fill another plastic container with clean water.
2. In the container, soak the etched PCB in the water for a minute. It is
recommended that you clean the board under running water for better
results but cleaning it as mentioned can also be done.
3. Using the tweezers, remove the soaked PCB and dry it with a clean dry
cloth or tissue.
4. Remove the remaining masking tape on the board.
5. If there are still some parts of copper bridging to the other sides, you
might have to redo or re-etch that part.
Testing
You may use tools such as voltmeters with continuity testers to ensure that the
etching and boundaries are properly done.
1. A reading should not register to the tester to make sure that the etching
process is properly done. If a reading is registered in the tester, it means
that the islands are connected.
2. As an alternative, you may position the PCB in front of ample light to see
if the etching is done correctly.

Lesson 2: Soldering Electronic Components

Occupational Health and Safety
It is important to follow necessary steps that ensure your safety while
constructing the solar night lamp. For each step, make sure that you are
wearing the required protective equipment and following the proper usage of
the tools.
In the process of mounting and soldering, you must wear a face mask to avoid
inhaling the fumes that is produced by the soldering iron. It is also suggested
that you wear protective gloves during the soldering process but it may make it
a bit difficult for you to have a feel on the soldering and harder to handle the
different components due to their small sizes.

Soldering Resistors
Resistors are one of the most commonly used electronic components that
create specified values of current and voltage in a circuit. There are different
kinds of resistors that vary in size and color depending on the power that they
carry.
Materials Needed:
1. Soldering iron
2. Soldering lead
3. Long nose plier
4. Wire cutter
5. Etched PCB board
6. 1 pc. 2W 10 ohm resistor
7. 1 pc. 1/4W 10k ohm resistor
8. 2 pcs. 1/4W 1k ohm resistor
Procedure:
1. Cut the terminals of resistors to required size (refer to sample). Make
sure that you cut enough of the resistor for it to have a feet-like
structure.
2. Each resistor has designated islands to connect on the PCB. Refer to the
diagram for the proper positioning of each resistor.
3. Solder the 2W10 ohm resistor (brown) followed by the 2 1kohm resistors
(red) and lastly the 10k ohm resistor (red).
4. The resistors should be slightly elevated from the PCB having at least 1-
2mm space between the body of the resistor and the board.
Soldering Diode
A diode is an electronic component that is used to direct flow of electricity into
one direction and blocks the flow in the opposite direction. They can also be
considered as one-way valves used in various circuits as a form of protection.
Materials Needed:
1. Soldering iron
2. Soldering lead
3. Long nose plier
4. Wire cutter
5. 1 pc. 1N5819 diode
Procedure:
1. Cut terminals of diode into size enough for it to have a feet-like
structure.
2. Refer to the diagram for the proper position of the diode on the PCB.
3. When soldering, make sure that the white strip/line on the body of the
diode is following the proper body orientation (refer to diagram).
4. Solder the terminals of the diode.
5. Check if the diode is properly attached on the PCB by gently pushing it
side to side.

Soldering Transistors
Transistors can be considered as a type of switch or gate for electronic signals
and also regulates the current or voltage flow.
Materials Needed:
1. Soldering iron
2. Soldering lead
3. Long nose plier
4. Wire cutter
5. 1 pc. S9014 transistor
6. 1 pc. IRF510 transistor
Procedure:
 1. Solder general purpose 9014 transistor (Bipolar Junction Transistor)
upright onto the board. The flat side of the transistor should be facing
the IRF510 transistor and will be facing the board when bended.
2. Solder IRF510 transistor (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect
Transistor). Refer to the diagram for the proper orientation of the
transistor. Make sure that you follow the proper soldering technique to
properly attach the transistor.

Soldering the Switch

Materials Needed:
1. Soldering iron
2. Soldering lead
3. 1 pc. 3 pin switch
Procedure:
1. Refer to the diagram for the proper position of the switch on the PCB.
2. Solder the switch to the PCB taking note of the place of the terminals.

Mounting the Battery

Materials Needed:
1. Soldering iron
2. Soldering lead
3. Wire cutter
4. 1 pc. lithium-ion 3.7v 2200mAH battery
5. 2 inches of black and red stranded wire
Procedure:
1. Place the battery on top of the plastic side of the PCB.
2. Using the glue gun, attach the battery to the board by applying glue to
the sides of the battery.
3. Solder a black stranded wire to the negative end of the battery and red
stranded wire to the positive end.
4. Solder the other ends of the wire to the designated island on the PCB.

Lesson 3: Wirings
Wiring the LED Module to the PCB
1. Solder the positive terminal of the LED to the PCB where the 10ohm
resistor is connected.
2. Solder the negative terminal of the LED to the designated island on the
PCB.
Wiring the Solar Module to the PCB
1. Solder the positive terminal of the solar module to the anode of the diode
and the negative wire to the negative foil of the board.
2. Slowly insert the board into the pipe leaving the switch and lamp
terminals exposed

Lesson 1: Testing the Solar Night Light

Test the solar night lamp if it works to make sure that you properly assembled
the components together.
Procedure:
1. Make sure that the solar night light is switched on
2. Cover the solar module or bring the lamp into a dark room. The LED
should light up when the solar module is covered or is in a dark room
3. Uncover the solar module in a well lit/lighted room or outdoor during
daylight. The lamp should automatically turn off in doing so.

Lesson 2: Troubleshooting the Solar Night Light

Troubleshooting
The light does not turn ON when the solar module is covered or the lamp
is in the dark.
 Check if the switch is ON. Check if the switch has poor connection or
soldered points.

 Check the voltage on the terminals of the LED, it should register at least
3 volts. Check the connection if there is a very low voltage. Fix possible
open or shorted connections and solder points.
 If there is 3V or more at the LED terminal, it is possible that the LED
lamp is busted. Replace the LED.
  Check if the battery voltage is still above 3V. Allow the battery to charge
of the voltage is low.
The light turns on but does not turn off when the solar module is exposed
to light
 Check the PCB of possible short circuits of open connections.

 Check if the voltage between the solar module connection points

increases if the solar module is exposed to strong light and decreases if
the solar module is covered from light. If not, the solar module may be
defective. Replace the solar module.

 The voltage between the negative and Collector of the transistor should
be zero when the solar module is exposed to light and goes low when the
solar module is covered. If not, transistor may be defective. Replace the
transistor.