This hopefully will the be last solar test. Based on the previous 10 tests I think I have a good mix of Panels, Batteries and Technology. The key was the Arduino shutting down the Pi at night. for #11 I have the following hardware:
- (3) 5v 2.5w solar panels
- (4) 18650 batteries
- (4) TP4056 Charging / Protection Modules
- (4) 18650 battery holders, with replacement wire installed
- (1) Raspberry Pi Zero W (if this if your first Pi Zero W, get that kit)
- Pimoroni Zero LipoShim
- (1) Adafruit Trinket M0
- (1) DHT22 sensor
- White PLA tubs printed on XYZ Da Vinci Pro 3d printer
- (4) Schottky diodes
- Raspberry Pi camera v2
Solar test 9 was the most successful and was only called off by rain soaking and letting the smoke out of the chargers and the Pi.
For this test, the only thing I was not able to get working was the M0 connection to the Pi for over-the-air programming. I will work on that in the sandbox. I wanted to get the testing working again to ensure I have a working model. Once I get the test unit doing over-the-air programming, I will move to the sandbox -> rover method of updating.
Why the M0 over the Mini Pro from before? The M0 allows me to program it in CircuitPython, and it’s much easier and faster to program than Arduino IDE. You edit a text file on the M0s drive and save it. The M0 will reload the code automatically, and your are off to the races. Also, the M0 should allow me to connect it to the Pi USB port and reprogram the M0 over the air.
Updated rover code to record uptime and temp to photo:
code here