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A Tracking Solar Concentrator for the home experimenter, Electronic Solar Tracker- Alignment, page 70, 10/14/99

A TRACKING SOLAR CONCENTRATOR -70ELECTRONIC SOLAR TRACKER- ALIGNMENT With all wiring installed, determine that the WEST-HOME switch S2 will control the TRACK motor when the AUTO-MANUAL switch S1 is in the MANUAL position. If it doesn't, the most likely problem is an error in connecting the motor wires to TB-4. To sort them out is easy. Remove the wires from TB4-5, TB4-6 & TB4-7 leaving the wire on TB4-8. S1 in MANUAL & S2 in WEST positions. Take any one of the loose three wires and touch it to TB4-5. The one that sparks is the mate to the one still connected- hook it to TB4-7. The other two go on TB4-5 and TB4-6. It doesn't matter one bit which is the field pair and which is the armature pair. It should work now, but if the directions are backward, simply turn over the pair on TB4-5 and TB4-6. While you're at it, check out the TILT motor in a similiar way. Manually steer the array WEST of the focus so that both PC 1 and PC2 are fully illuminated by the sun. Now if you've got a cloudy overcast where the shadows are barely perceptible, we have it made. Of course this isn't likely, so assuming the sun is shining, simulate the marginal condition by placing two layers of common window screen a few inchs in front of the PC1 and PC2 sensors. The window screen makes a fine, non-selective filter to simulate cloudy conditions. Adjust R14, REFcalibration and R22, VAR calibration alternately to first turn on the LED and then to just barely turn it off. Go slowly ! It should turn on with about 3-1/2 volts and off with about 6 volts on TB2-1 or TB2-3. Notice the logic here: either control can turn it on, but it takes both of them to turn it off! When you are done, you should have about 6 volts DC above ground at both terminals. If the LED won't light, the WEST limit switch may be open. put a temporary jumper on TB2-4 and TB2-5. The controls should be within about 45 degrees of each other. Further suggests a very bad match in the photo- transistors. In this case it would be wise to buy a third one and match it up with one of the other two. Remove the window screen. Move:the array back a bit EAST of the sun so that the shadow vane casts a shadow on PC2. The REF voltage at TB2-1 should be very low and the LED should be on. The PUMP relay should be closed. The VAR voltage at TB2-3 should be high and the TRACK relay should be pulsing every few seconds. Check the pulse control R28 and deter- mine that it varies the length of the pulses. Set it for about one second pulses. With the switch S1 in the AUTO position, the array should step ahead to track the sun. Now we'll get it right on target.

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