Wow thanks for taking the time for the write up! The MPPT controllers are significantly more pricey, are they that much more efficient? I'm going to absorb as much as this as I can and see if I can come up with a project.

Can I ask what you use your microcontrollers for?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No worries :)

Personally, unless you were thinking about quite a serious setup (DIY home solar for example), especially for a first project I would get a PWM Charge Controller. Looking online, it seems the differences aren't big enough to warrant the jump in price.

The latest project I was working on was my own take on a "Smart" Greenhouse. The microcontroller takes in readings from a few different sensors, and controls fans, watering, opening/closing windows. I haven't played around with it in a while, but I hope to revive it once we move into our new place :)

Feel free to reply here or message me if you have any other questions later on. I can't guarantee I'll have an answer, but I might? :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks, that sounds like a cool project! I was thinking of something to control a drip watering system for the raised beds, but then I haven't actually needed to water them for about 6 months now haha

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah tell me about it haha, hopefully El Nino doesn't completely flip it the other way and we have another drought.

Were you wanting to add sensors or anything to control the drip watering system? The easiest way I can think of would be to buy one of those drip timers that runs off the tap (mains water). Not too sure how they are powered, but I guess you could run it off Solar?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

From what I can tell most digital ones are battery powered and the ones made for solar are pretty pricey. You think it's possible to retrofit a battery one for solar? Sensors are probably a good idea, but I haven't thought that far ahead.. or at least some way to connect it to Home Assistant so it can use weather forecasts or just remotely turn it off and on.

Now that you mention El Nino, I'm thinking of getting some kind of rain water collection though 🤔

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same. I've been wanting to get some sort of rain water collection system going. The new place we're moving into has sort of a raised garden bed in between two retaining walls - maybe something could be buried there in the future.

I don't have any experience doing anything like that, but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. Depending on what type of battery it takes, there will be a voltage that the whole thing is designed to work with. It's would then be a matter of setting up a small solar panel -> Charge Controller -> Battery System, and then making sure the output voltage from your battery is near enough what the unit requires. This can be done using voltage regulators to bring the voltage you are supplying, up or down to the required level.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

An example I just found of someone doing just that online

https://www.hardware.engineering/blog/water-hose-timer-conversion-to-solar