This term the lab activities will be constructed around the following circuit which is intended to control two motors which drive your solar panels or trough so that the sun shines directly on it. Like all my projects we'll all learn about the behavior of this circuit as we build it. My thanks to Richard Gideon of the Phoenix Turbine Builders Club for posting this circuit on their open source page.
This circuit uses two photoconductors (PC1,PC2) to sense the light intensity in different directions and then engages the appropriate motor until they both sense the same amount of light. There are also a number of other useful features built into this circuit which we may have time to explore. This circuit could be used to monitor fluid level and keep the tank full or keep pressures in two locations balanced. Many possibilities.
Some of these parts can be salvaged from our box of computer mice which would make this a highly PC (yuck yuck:) and green project.
