New consulting relationship with GreenTecAuto begins
What actually goes wrong with the batteries????
A look at todays Hybrid and EV battery packs
Battery packs exposed
Keeping Warm In New England
Plugging into the SUN
Making a small solar concentrator
Building MIMA and the plug in adapters
Converting a telephone truck to electric
DIY dual pulse Capacitor Discharge Spotwelder
Chevy Bolt EV joins the family
Getting in shape while making electricity
Retirement
Replacing gasoline with solar electric lawn equipment
What is Genesis One?
How to stop the aging process DIY
MIMA Install Day 2005 a Big Success!
Building a hybrid car grid charger
Tapping into the Wind
Expanding MIMA with the Distribution board ( users projects )

New tracking amplifier

New tracking amplifier
Trailer tracker is working

Went to do the first smoke test of the tracking system after I put it back together, and the magic smoke came out with a bang. Two of the power transistors blew their cases, so what to do.
I pulled out and connected one of the small IC trackers, and after one try it went bang also.
The problem seems to be the back emf on the trailer wheel, as the tracker reverses direction when at the null point, the transistors can take a good surge of current. I made a dual full bridge from 10A power darlingtons and drove it with the IC tracker board. Works well, and the heat sink hardly gets warm.
I found that we needed better pointing accuracy so I made two shade mask to partially shade the sun sensors so even the slightest angle will cause the signal to be large enough to run the tracking wheel.
Next for the grill mount and first cooking trial.
Will look into a better power amp for that axis.