LEGO® SOLAR ENERGY
Of course there are a variety of ways to transform solar energy into what the pros call "usable energy."
You can build various solar cookers or ovens ( the Corta Madera PCS successfully cooked pizza in
one! ). You can focus the sun's rays onto some tubing to heat water which in
turn can operate a turbine or provide one with a
solar shower!
However, being something of a techno weenie ( OK I admit it I like Dilbert )
I want to play with electricity. By utilizing solar cells ( mine were purchased
at Scientific Wizardry in Boise ) we can produce enough voltage which in turn can run motors!
So how exactly do solar cells work?
Okay, I stole this from a couple of different sources including Mike down at
Scientific Wizardry but I suggest The Way Things Work! David Macaulay
talks about how solar cells are an upper layer of N type silicon and a lower
layer of P type silicon. Ns have an extra electron and Ps are shy one.
Sunlight strikes the cell and breaks off electrons...they flow from the P to the N
and with the aid of a set of contacts and terminals we have current!
Gotta love that semiconductor technology!
Now big puzzle is how to power a LEGO® 4.5 motor with solar cells.
Well I didn't. I powered a 9 volt micromotor ( just to be cool!...I was
talking to Frode Torske, a "construction brick" fan in Norway about the
micro motors at about the time I did this class so said "what the hey!" ).
Still it's a problem...LEGO® motors draw too many amps and with out a gadjillion
solar cells you are not going to be able to run a motor very well! One alternative
is to incorporate other toy motors---the standard is one volt at about 400mA.
( Can someone confirm that please ). I had lots of luck with a
Hasbro Motor out of a toy car. You used to be able to
buy bags of toy motors from Edmund Scientific for you teacher types out there.
Anyhooo...here are some pictures showing off what I did in the
LEGO® SOLAR POWER class!
Catching Some Additional Rays!
Robbie is Appreciating Solar Power!
Wow, a Solar Power Car!
This Car Moves!
Then one of my students came up with the idea of focusing additional light onto the solar cells to get increased umph!
Hey, That's Hot!
Refocusing the Sun's Rays!
Yet Another Try at Intensifying Those Rays!
Get Even Closer!
Go Back to Weird Richard
Copyright© 1996 by Richard Wright for PCS Education Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved
