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Solar Panel Testing
Several simple tests were performed on the photovoltaic cell. The testing that was performed was done to verify that the cell worked and also to test how light intensity affected the amount of voltage generated. The photo voltaic cell is a key component in the resurfacing system. Without the photocell there is no way for the microcontroller to know when the solenoid valve needs to open to allow the CO2 to flow into the bladder. The team conducted two simple tests. The first test was checking the amount of voltage generated in a poorly lit room. With no direct light acting on the photo cell the cell generated 2.54 volts of electricity. This is not the requirement of 5 volts needed for the microcontroller to operate but it showed the team that the cell can generate voltage in low light areas such as in a poorly lit cave system. The next test was done while applying high intensity light directly unto the photo voltaic cell. The second test showed an output of 8.1 volts. This was very significant, in that the photo cell is only supposed to have an output of 7.2 volts and also verifies that the cell is capable of the output required to power the microcontroller. These tests do not conclude that the photo cell will work underwater in a poorly lit area, but it does show that it is possible for the photo cell to produce electricity is less than ideal areas. One of the main problems surrounding the resurfacing system is that the robot is required to reach an area within the cave system that provides sunlight that can be used to generate electricity. The resurfacing system the team has developed requires that the robot rise in elevation once it comes to the end of a cave system due to water current. Along with water current the team has designed for a system that will cause the robot to increase in buoyancy over time. In using an expendable gas the submersible robot increases in buoyancy until all the CO2 has been exhausted to the environment. In doing this the robot is more likely to rise in elevation high enough for sunlight to reach the cell and release enough CO2 to inflate the resurfacing bladder hopefully before all the CO2 has been exhausted. |
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