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Solar Panels for Mayfly

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    • 2021-04-13 at 8:39 PM #15384
      James_NZ
      Participant

        Hi,

        This might be a stupid question but what solar panels are compatible with the Mayfly? I understand it takes up to 6V input, but am I constrained by wattage as well? Would I risk damaging the system if I installed a 6V 6W panel like this:

        https://www.banggood.com/6W-6V-266+175+17mm-Polysilicon-Solar-Panel-with-Cable-and-Border-p-1348207.html?cur_warehouse=CN&rmmds=search

        Of course I would have to modify the output to a JST connector.

        Thanks in advance,
        James

      • 2021-04-13 at 9:19 PM #15385
        Shannon Hicks
        Moderator

          That panel wouldn’t be a problem.  Any panel that produces 6v will be safe for the Mayfly, but some cheap 6v panels actually produce higher than 6v in direct sun, so you should measure it (under load) in full sun to make sure it won’t output higher than the max input voltage of the MCP73831 (7 volts).  The solar charger on the Mayfly boards v0.5b and earlier will limit the charging current to 500ma output to the battery no matter what the solar panel power output is, so you won’t damage the battery.

        • 2021-04-13 at 9:22 PM #15386
          James_NZ
          Participant

            Thanks @shicks. COVID has meant that not everything is available at my end of the world, so I need to compromise sometimes!

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