An Introduction to the Arduino Solar Tracker

Would you like to build your own Arduino Solar Tracker from scratch? This course will guide you through the process of using Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs), which are light-sensitive devices in your solar tracking project. You will use four LDRs to detect the sunlight and send signals to Arduino, guiding two servo motors to place the solar panels in an optimal position that maximises their efficiency. We will show you how the servo motors move the solar panel towards the LDR where resistance is low. This resistance decreases as light falls on the LDR. When the light falls equally on both resistors, the solar panel doesn't move, which will be optimal. Throughout this course, you will learn more about Arduino, an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.

At first, we will introduce you to the hardware requirements that you will need to design your Arduino solar tracker. The Arduino board is critical in this project since it can read inputs and turn them into outputs such as activating a motor. Using the Arduino programming language and the Arduino software, you can send a set of instructions to the microcontroller via the board. The other necessary hardware that you will use is the photoresistor. The resistance on this resistor varies depending on the intensity of the light. It is made of a high resistance semiconductor that absorbs photons. You will learn that depending on the quantity and frequency of these absorbed photons. The semiconductor material gives the bound electrons enough energy to jump into the conduction band. As a result, the free electrons will conduct electricity which will lower the photoresistors' resistance.

The course will demonstrate how the solar panels move to the optimal position because the Arduino code sends LDR readings to the Arduino board to control the two servo motors. But where is the solar tracker program written? The Arduino IDE is used to program your solar tracker, and you will master the two main methods of creating a new file in this software: void loop and void setup. We will explore the interface of the Fritzing software and see how one can use the Arduino web editor without downloading and installing any software, depending on your preference. Finally, we will study light-sensitive sensors, schematic wiring diagrams, circuit design and loop coding. This course will interest electronic circuit experts or anyone passionate about designing a solar tracker. Don't delay! Sign up for this course today and learn how to create your first Arduino solar tracker.