Hi all
I am trying to build the worlds simplest, cheapest solar tracker. Basically I am using a pi pico, a servo which rotates an LED mounted on the side of the vertical part of a "sundial". The servo rotates the sundial and when the LED moves into the shadow of the sundial upright, its voltage drops from say 1.2V to 0.2V. This voltage I read on pin 26 of the pico, an ADC pin. When the voltage suddenly drops I know the LED has passed into the shade thus with the LED readings, I know the direction of the sun.
So the servo turns through 160 degrees and at some point the voltage drops and the ADC measures 0 for about 4 seconds, but then it starts to rise again. Does anyone know why it drops to 0 (surely even in the shade there should be some voltage generated by the LED) and why it rises again? The only component I am using besides the servo is a LED with one leg on ground and the other leg to pin 26 which reads ADC.
Thanks for your help.
I am trying to build the worlds simplest, cheapest solar tracker. Basically I am using a pi pico, a servo which rotates an LED mounted on the side of the vertical part of a "sundial". The servo rotates the sundial and when the LED moves into the shadow of the sundial upright, its voltage drops from say 1.2V to 0.2V. This voltage I read on pin 26 of the pico, an ADC pin. When the voltage suddenly drops I know the LED has passed into the shade thus with the LED readings, I know the direction of the sun.
So the servo turns through 160 degrees and at some point the voltage drops and the ADC measures 0 for about 4 seconds, but then it starts to rise again. Does anyone know why it drops to 0 (surely even in the shade there should be some voltage generated by the LED) and why it rises again? The only component I am using besides the servo is a LED with one leg on ground and the other leg to pin 26 which reads ADC.
Thanks for your help.