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Week 11 - Networking and Communication

This week I successfully set up a microcontroller board as SDI-12 Host and connected a sensor to it and prompted and received measurments from it.

I also set up a microcontroller board as SDI-12 client and used an industrial datalogger to prompt the board to measure and I2C sensor and send the data to the logger.

New idea for final project

My team leader approached me recently and mentioned an idea for the final project, that I find very interesting.

Also my impression is, that I might produce a more meaningful result in the given time frame (at least full working and deployed prototype), which is propably more then I would expect from the anemometer project.

Introduction

The new idea is to build a suntracker for irradiance measurment.

A suntracker is used to block the direct sun radiation on the dome of a pyranometer, a sensor which measures the global short wave radiation. It provides therefore a baseline measurement for indirect solar irradiance, by casting a shadow on the dome of an irradiance meter. The object used for casting the shadow moves along the actual sun path with high accuracy to shade only the sensor itself and not it's surroundings.

A typical design consists of a two axis controlled arm with a circular plate or sphere mounted to the end. It is placed in a fixed distance to the pyranometer and adjusts itself to the azimuth and elevation of the sun.

The exact location and time needs to be known to move the axes into the correct position.

Below is a screenshot of an industrial sun tracker.

Sun Tracker

Main Components

  • hollow endless rotary drive with slip ring for data and power (azimuth)
  • drive for elevation/zenith
  • gps module for latitude, longitude and time
  • absolute rotary encoders for both axes

Decision

After discussing this idea with my instructor, we decided to go for the new final project. After the machine week I will make a new project plan and put more power into it, but we are both confident, that this can be a completed as a final project, meeting the requirements and within the time frame.