Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels
Thanks, Richard for all the great info (and to Mike Lee for the theremon suggestion). I'll have to try all these things! Will report back in a couple of days.Caryl > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 19:59:27 -0400 > Subject: Re: [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels > From: rich...@laptop.org > To: support-g...@lists.laptop.org > CC: cbige...@hotmail.com; support-g...@laptop.org; iaep@lists.sugarlabs.org > > > > > I can assure you that the whine will not damage the panel. > > Oops. Meant to say "will not damage the XO-1." > > > I have a software tool specifically for this purpose. Its called > > olpc-panel-pwr. > > Oops again. should be: "called olpc-panelpwr-log" > > > There is one small detail that I've discovered since then. If the output of > > the panel is 20+ Volts. Then the 1.75 may fail to turn on at all if there > > isn't a battery. Under certain conditions the high voltage makes our power > > supply circuit do some bad things on startup. > > I'll add these bad things are harmless to the XO-1.75. But it won't power on. > > Hope all that info helped. > > -- > Richard A. Smith > One Laptop per Child ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels
When Cici (age 6 at the time) and I first encountered the whining sound from an XO-1.5 powered by a panel, we made electronic music by waving our hands and toys over the panel. We got a theremin for free! http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouslee/5172563580/ Mike On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 1:02 PM, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > Thanks folks for the info now I am wondering... if I were to put the > solar panel in the *shade* on a bright, sunny day would it work on the > XO-1? Also, I still would like to know what the high-pitched whining sound > (guessing it was around 1800cps) was and whether the XO could be damaged? I > won't try it until I have assurance it won't damage the machine. > > Back to the XO-1.75... The sun was really bright yesterday when I was > experimenting, and the panel was tilted at an angle to catch the full sun. > XO-1.75 still wouldn't do anything. I really wanted to replicate Richard's > "show" with the idea of doing it at SCaLE 12X in February. But, then, it is > usually pretty foggy or rainy near LAX in Feb when they have SCaLE. > > Thanks again. More suggestions of fun things to try would be welcome. I > guess I'm in my "second childhood" (or maybe I never left the first one!) > > Caryl (aka GrannieB) > > > > > To: support-g...@laptop.org > > From: p...@laptop.org > > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 08:30:39 -0400 > > Subject: Re: [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels > > > > > james wrote: > > > G'day Caryl, > > > > > > Mike is right, some panels are incompatible with an XO-1. They just > > > won't charge if the sun is too bright. > > > > > > To discharge the batteries, one way is to break into the ok prompt, and > > > leave it on there. > > > > > > To answer your questions though, > > > > > > On Thu, Nov 01, 2012 at 10:27:31PM -0700, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > > > > 1) Why the XO-1.75 would not even complete the start up using the > > > > solar panel with the battery out? > > > > > > Because there was insufficient power from the solar panel. You might > > > fix this by either (a) using a more powerful solar panel, (b) tilting > > > it toward the sun, or (c) wait for midday sun. > > > > and remember, leaving aside richard's starring role in that solar-only > > 1.75 video last year, the laptops aren't really meant to run on just > > solar alone -- the battery provides stability, by making up for small > > dips in solar output from clouds, etc. > > > > it _might_ also be the case that you have early hardware -- we paid > > a lot more attention to solar operation on 1.75 than on the earlier > > laptops, and some of the charging circuitry might have changed early > > on. richard will remember. > > > > paul > > =- > > paul fox, p...@laptop.org > > ___ > > support-gang mailing list > > support-g...@lists.laptop.org > > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang > > ___ > support-gang mailing list > support-g...@lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang > > ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels
Thanks folks for the info now I am wondering... if I were to put the solar panel in the shade on a bright, sunny day would it work on the XO-1? Also, I still would like to know what the high-pitched whining sound (guessing it was around 1800cps) was and whether the XO could be damaged? I won't try it until I have assurance it won't damage the machine. Back to the XO-1.75... The sun was really bright yesterday when I was experimenting, and the panel was tilted at an angle to catch the full sun. XO-1.75 still wouldn't do anything. I really wanted to replicate Richard's "show" with the idea of doing it at SCaLE 12X in February. But, then, it is usually pretty foggy or rainy near LAX in Feb when they have SCaLE. Thanks again. More suggestions of fun things to try would be welcome. I guess I'm in my "second childhood" (or maybe I never left the first one!) Caryl (aka GrannieB) > To: support-g...@laptop.org > From: p...@laptop.org > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 08:30:39 -0400 > Subject: Re: [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels > > james wrote: > > G'day Caryl, > > > > Mike is right, some panels are incompatible with an XO-1. They just > > won't charge if the sun is too bright. > > > > To discharge the batteries, one way is to break into the ok prompt, and > > leave it on there. > > > > To answer your questions though, > > > > On Thu, Nov 01, 2012 at 10:27:31PM -0700, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > > > 1) Why the XO-1.75 would not even complete the start up using the > > > solar panel with the battery out? > > > > Because there was insufficient power from the solar panel. You might > > fix this by either (a) using a more powerful solar panel, (b) tilting > > it toward the sun, or (c) wait for midday sun. > > and remember, leaving aside richard's starring role in that solar-only > 1.75 video last year, the laptops aren't really meant to run on just > solar alone -- the battery provides stability, by making up for small > dips in solar output from clouds, etc. > > it _might_ also be the case that you have early hardware -- we paid > a lot more attention to solar operation on 1.75 than on the earlier > laptops, and some of the charging circuitry might have changed early > on. richard will remember. > > paul > =- > paul fox, p...@laptop.org > ___ > support-gang mailing list > support-g...@lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels
G'day Caryl, Mike is right, some panels are incompatible with an XO-1. They just won't charge if the sun is too bright. To discharge the batteries, one way is to break into the ok prompt, and leave it on there. To answer your questions though, On Thu, Nov 01, 2012 at 10:27:31PM -0700, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > 1) Why the XO-1.75 would not even complete the start up using the > solar panel with the battery out? Because there was insufficient power from the solar panel. You might fix this by either (a) using a more powerful solar panel, (b) tilting it toward the sun, or (c) wait for midday sun. > 2) What the high pitched whine on the XO could be when I tried to > charge it and whether it indicates a malfunction that could damage > the machine? It is not a malfunction. It is expected, in that it may occur, or may not. Nothing to worry about. (Unless you have the little black ants that haunt my outback area, which think the high pitched whine sounds just like breakfast ... the same noises are made by dying insects flapping their pathetic wings.) It is called switching noise, and is emitted by components of the switching regulator. I've found it may change pitch as the invisible clouds scud by. -- James Cameron http://quozl.linux.org.au/ ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
Re: [IAEP] [support-gang] Questions About Solar Panels
Great to hear! Our post hurricane clouds aren't supposed to clear until the weekend. In terms of the XO-1, Adam told me emphatically when I bought mine that it doesn't support the XO-1. I'm sure Richard Smith can elaborate if he has time. Did you know there is a very low traffic, high value list for solar and power? http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/Power Mike On Fri, Nov 2, 2012 at 1:27 AM, Caryl Bigenho wrote: > Hi Folks, > > > I have some solar panel questions. Today I started doing some testing of > the solar panel I bought from Adam at the SF Summit. I have access to an > XO, XO-1.5 and XO-1.75 so I wanted to test the performance will all 3 > models. I started by leaving them unplugged and running all night to run > the batteries down. That didn't work too well. They shut themselves down > with power remaining. > > > This morning, after the fog burned off I put the XO-1.75, which I thought > had a drained battery, and the panel outside in very bright sunlight. It > was fully charged within an hour. I suspect that it still had some charge > left when I started, so I will have to test it again. > > > Then I took the battery out and tried to run it with just the solar panel > and no battery. I pressed the on button… it started to boot, but quit after > the second chime. Wouldn't go beyond that. > > > I had planned to take the XO-1.5 out next, but noticed it still had some > charge so I left it for another day. > > > Finally, I went to the XO. Its battery was definitely fully discharged and > the charging light was flashing red and yellow when I tried to turn it on. > I took it outside to the panel and pluged it in. I got a high pitched > whining sound. Unplugged it and tried again, Same thing. Could get it to > begin the start up, but didn't want to risk damaging the machine, so I > decided to wait for advice from you folks. > > > Any suggestions for: > > > > 1) Why the XO-1.75 would not even complete the start up using the solar > panel with the battery out? > > > 2) What the high pitched whine on the XO could be when I tried to charge > it and whether it indicates a malfunction that could damage the machine? > > > Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments and suggestions. > > > Caryl > > ___ > support-gang mailing list > support-g...@lists.laptop.org > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/support-gang > > ___ IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) IAEP@lists.sugarlabs.org http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
