I got the tracking sensor for my 10' dish from Duane Johnson, his site is at http://www.redrok.com/main.htm You can read how to make your own, or do the lazy thing and just buy the ready-made module. It would have cost me as much to buy the parts as the ready made one he sells. Then it's just a matter of aligning the module with the dish, run 12-24 V (I think it is, I use 12)into the module, and use the outputs to run to the servo motor that pushes the dish around. And yes the dish will align differently for solar use than it did for satellites. North / south adjustments are done occasionally by hand to keep it within range throughout the year.
doug swanson Zeke Yewdall wrote: > I'm not sure exactly how the satelite dishes are set up mechanically. > Solar tracking is easiest if you have a tilted NS axis, around which > it can rotate. That way the tilt of the NS axis can be adjusted > daily, but during the day, you only have to rotate about that axis > from east to west, rather than controlling two motors throughout the > day. The accuracy you need would vary depending on how tight of focus > you were trying to get with the concentrator. > > On 6/26/06, *Jeromie Reeves* <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: > > Depends on the tracking unit. Most were setup and knew "about" > where the > sat should be located then used a AGC > loop to to fine tracking. A easy sun tracker would do about the same > using some photo diodes or small solar cells at > 4 points on the dish wired to just balance the readings from opposing > units. It is trivial to use a embedded setup to track > the sun. Interfacing that to your tracker could be a issue. If you > send > me specs on what you have I would be happy to see > what could be done. > > > Zeke Yewdall wrote: > > > a little reprogramming of the tracking software should fix that, > right? > > > > On 6/26/06, *Dwight HoganCamp* < [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>> > wrote: > > > > Zeke Yewdall wrote: > > > Yeah, I'd go for a larger one -- more energy collection. I > > think the > > > larger ones are also tracking? wherease the current > generation > > > satellit dishes are fixed. > > > > > Yeah, but they tracked the satellite, not the sun. > > > > > > Dwight > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Biofuel mailing list > > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > <mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> > <mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > <mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org>> > > > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > <http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org> > > > > <http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org> > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives > (50,000 > > messages): > > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Biofuel mailing list > >Biofuel@sustainablelists.org <mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> > > > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > <http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html> > > > >Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives > (50,000 messages): > >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > <http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/> > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org <mailto:Biofuel@sustainablelists.org> > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >Biofuel mailing list >Biofuel@sustainablelists.org >http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): >http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > -- Contentment comes not from having more, but from wanting less. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This email is constructed entirely with OpenSource Software. No Microsoft databits have been incorporated herein. All existing databits have been constructed from recycled databits. _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
