How to Make a Portable Solar Panel Light Torch

June 26, 2009 - PRLog -- Making a portable solar panel light torch is an easy task plus it can be an interesting experience for you as well. Here's the question, what use is there for something that produces light that is powered by light? Until you realize that we can use batteries to store the energy, this is a crucial leap in understanding.

To make a portable solar panel light torch you'll need:

• 4 x 1.5 V Solar Cells
• 1 x AA 600 mAh NiCad battery
• 1N5817 Zener diode
• Carbon film resistor - 220 k ¼ W, 100 k ¼ W, 91 k ¼ W, 10 k ¼, 560 R ¼, 560 R ¼ and 2 x 3.3 R ¼ W
• NPN transistor - C9013, C9014 and C9015
• 300 pF ceramic capacitor
• 100 nF ceramic capacitor
• 1 nF ceramic capacitor
• 82 µH inductor
• CdS photocell 47 k @ 10 lux
• 2 x LEDs

A portable solar panel light torch is an extremely useful device to make and then leave on a sunny window sill. In the event of a power cut (don't assume that it won't happen, accidents do happen sometimes), you know that you can go to your trusty solar touch to provide you a light of hope in the darkness.

One of the things you need to think about if you are going to house your project in a round torch case, is that you will need to ensure that:

• The torch is weighted so that it rolls in such a way that the solar cell points upwards.
• There is a flat machined into the case, which ensures that the solar cell points upwards when the flat in the case rests on a level surface.

If you are interested to learn more on building a solar panel, check out our website at:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com
http://www.earthenergyguide.com

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Andy O Silliven is an engineer and author in the fields of electrical engineering. He enjoys writing about the topic and keeping up with current events and research in the area of renewable energy sources.
http://www.greenearth4energy.com