Automated tilting racks

Solaryellow
Solaryellow Registered Users Posts: 10
Anyone know any brands of these types of racks?

I know there are manual adjusted types for later in the season when the sun gets lower for the higher or lower than equator latitudes.
But how about a dc powered daily tilter?

As an astronomer Having programs that track in solar rate wouldnt be to hard to implememt here.
Set mins and maxes and then resets for the morning sun
Just curious.

Forgot to add, a 1 axis rotator would be fine.

But if there is an alt/az that would be neat too

Comments

  • dwh
    dwh Solar Expert Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Here's a start:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_tracker
  • Solaryellow
    Solaryellow Registered Users Posts: 10
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Well, I have seen Heliostats, but I was thinking something a little less elaborate.

    Heck a small rotation of 25 degrees +/- would be ideal..
    A simple worm gear driven armature on the racks.

    1 axis, positioned to the summer sun angle......
    make an adjustment in Fall for the different angle. or vice versa depending on where you are..

    Maybe I will design something:)

    It's rather simple for a telescope to track, don't see why a metal rack couldn't.
  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Not hard to build them....I have about $600 in each of mine. ( single axis )

    Construction is a pc of 40" x 2" x 8"wide channel with the flat face up, welded to a 6" steel pole at angle of laditude here ( about 37 degrees ).....then two 2" pillow block greasable bearings mounted on the flat face with a pc of 2" round shaft sticking off the ends of the channel. "H" looking frame ( black ) of 1.5" square tubing welded to the ends of the shaft so it rotates east-west. Then electrical unistrut was welded to the square tubing to mount the panels.

    Whole thing is driven east-west by a 36" 30vdc linear actuator, controled by a circuit board and sensor made by The Analog Guy ( no need to reinvent the wheel.....he has it figured out.)

    Two arrays:

    7882_p125114.jpeg

    Back of one array:

    7882_p124855.jpeg

    Motor end of actuator....tube clamp bolted to a stud welded to the pipe mounting.

    7882_p125116.jpeg

    Control board ( on right ) from Analog Guy.....pair of relays ( on left ) I added so I can control both arrays with one control board. Relays have a push button feature also so you can manually move the arrays full east to west and back if desired.

    7882_p125115.jpeg
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Hi TnAndy, what is the strongest wind force you have been through with these mounts? any problems?


    ps very interesting install,:cool:, did you have to beef things up for the 10 panel mount?

    Eric
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada
  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Wind basically isn't a problem here....we are tucked under the leeward side of the mountain that deflects all the prevailing west winds.....we get a breeze down here, but never more than that in the 25 years we've been here.

    IF wind was a problem, I'd probably beef up the design more, and maybe add couple steering damper type shock absorbers...but it just isn't an issue 'right here'....

    The only thing I did to go from the orginal 6 panel arrays to the current 8 and 10 is add some more Unistrut on the sides of the original. I started to weld more on the ends, but it seemed like a lot of work to get up in the air with the welder leads and get the extension pc good and straight, so in the end, I simply bolted an extension on the sides of the original.
  • rplarry
    rplarry Solar Expert Posts: 203 ✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Solaryellow
    Here is a site you might find interesting: http://www.redrok.com/electron.htm#led3x
    I bought the solar sensors from Duane and made mounts very similar to tnandys, only here we do get some pretty good winds so I made my mounts as a 2 axis, the east west axis is controlled automatically by the controller from Redrok (it even automatically returns the array to the east after the sun goes down in the west) and the tilt axis is manually controlled with a toggle switch. If the winds get too strong I can lay the panels flat or during normal operation I can set any angle I want to match the sun angle for that month. I used sattelite dish actuators that I find on e-bay, and to power the actuators I use a 24v power supply that gets its power from my inverter. Over all I couldn't be happier with the system, I figure I get about a 40% increasse in power production by tracking the sun compared to what I used to get from a fixed array. Also I like to fabricate things so if I have to fiddle with the tracker occasionally I don't mind. I'll be the first to say that trackers are not for everyone.
    If you are just looking to change the tilt angle then I would suggest a linear actuator motor and a toggle switch.
    Hope this helps,
    Larry
  • Solaryellow
    Solaryellow Registered Users Posts: 10
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    TnAndy that is a thing of beauty right there!

    It seems very simple.

    I do like the alt adjust of Redrock but even your design could incorporate an adjustable lat platform.

    Thanks for the pics.
  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    The analog guy's also sells a two axis tracker.

    I bought one from Redrock, and personally thought it was junk.....when he finally sent it....which took months of none response to emails and phone calls. I've got one I'll sell you for just what I paid IF you want to try that route....and I'll actually SHIP THE THING to you. (PM me if interested.) There is no doc with it, you have to make up your own sensor protector ( he suggests a baby food or peanut butter jar ) and the connections for wires are totally mickey mouse.....and if it doesn't work, you're simply out....in short, you get about what you pay for.....

    Whereas the Analog guy got right back to me ( email ) with answers to my questions on hooking it to my actuators, and adjusting the light sensitivity, etc, and he repaired a board at no charge when one of my actuator's limit switches stuck and burned out a power supply on his board, supplied me with a schematic to wire the relays....and is generally all around a good guy to deal with......as I said, you get what you pay for.....


    You set the two units side by side, and the Redrock is a Yugo compared to a Dodge diesel truck. That's my unbiased equipment review, I get nothing from either guy, and don't care which one you use. But I DID spent about 6 months getting controller issues worked out, and feel like I now have a dependable unit.
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks
    TnAndy wrote: »
    The analog guy's also sells a two axis tracker.

    I bought one from Redrock, and personally thought it was junk.....when he finally sent it....which took months of none response to emails and phone calls. I've got one I'll sell you for just what I paid IF you want to try that route....and I'll actually SHIP THE THING to you. (PM me if interested.) There is no doc with it, you have to make up your own sensor protector ( he suggests a baby food or peanut butter jar ) and the connections for wires are totally mickey mouse.....and if it doesn't work, you're simply out....in short, you get about what you pay for.....

    Whereas the Analog guy got right back to me ( email ) with answers to my questions on hooking it to my actuators, and adjusting the light sensitivity, etc, and he repaired a board at no charge when one of my actuator's limit switches stuck and burned out a power supply on his board, supplied me with a schematic to wire the relays....and is generally all around a good guy to deal with......as I said, you get what you pay for.....


    You set the two units side by side, and the Redrock is a Yugo compared to a Dodge diesel truck. That's my unbiased equipment review, I get nothing from either guy, and don't care which one you use. But I DID spent about 6 months getting controller issues worked out, and feel like I now have a dependable unit.

    Info like this is priceless !! Thanks.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • TnAndy
    TnAndy Solar Expert Posts: 249 ✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    Nah, it ain't priceless....it's a couple hundred bucks, and 6 months of frustration/time.....and you just got it for free....ahahahaaaaaaaa

    Here's ANOTHER freebie.....since I built two trackers, I assumed I needed two controllers.....and that's the road I started down.....

    Wrong. With a set of relays, you can control as many actuator motors as the rating of the contacts in the relays will allow. PLUS using relays, you don't connect the output side of the boards directly to the motor limit switches in the acutuators.....and risk ruining a board like I did if the limit switch sticks or pulls a bit too high a current on open/close. The only thing my control board goes to NOW is the coils on the relays ( very low current ) and the relay does the 'heavy lifting'.
  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Automated tilting racks

    TnAndy ... like Mike said .... priceless.

    Yours are the kind of invaluable comments that make this board what it is to all of us, a precious asset! :cool:

    thanks for the info, it will shorten the learning curve immeasurably.

    Eric
     
    KID #51B  4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM
    CL#29032 FW 2126/ 2073/ 2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3 x 4s 140W to 24V 900Ah C&D AGM 
    Cotek ST1500W 24V Inverter,OmniCharge 3024,
    2 x Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr & Bridge,
    Eu3/2/1000i Gens, 1680W & E-Panel/WBjr to come, CL #647 asleep
    West Chilcotin, BC, Canada