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Kitronik Solar Power Starter Kit plus multi-stranded wire
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Kitronik Solar Power Starter Kit plus multi-stranded wire and FM radio kit
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Description
Learn how to harness the energy of the sun in your Electronics and Design and Technology projects with our new Solar Power Starter Kit. With this kit it is possible to build a simple solar charging and power supply system for a variety of useful low power devices.
As of 2017, renewable energy accounted for more than 25% of energy produced in the UK for the year. Environmental targets are such that this is set to increase year on year. Solar power is already a key player in the renewable energy market and there is the potential for it to grow much larger still. It has been estimated that covering just a fraction of the Sahara Desert in solar panels would provide enough electricity to power the energy needs of the whole world!
The Solar Power Starter kit itself is a simple kit to build and understand. Once the kit has been set up and placed in direct sunlight the batteries will begin to charge. If the light level is insufficient to facilitate charging, the diode prevents any of the charge held in the batteries from discharging back through the solar cell. The supplied switch enables you cut power to the kit that you are powering for greater recharging efficiency.
If used with the included Kitronik LED Desk Lamp Kit, for example, fully charged batteries will provide light for up to 17 hours, more than enough for a little light reading.
Note:
- This kit requires assembly and some soldering.
- The kit does not contain any connecting wire, you will need to use wire like Multi-stranded Wire.
Features:
- Harness the energy of the sun and add simple solar charging and power supply to your low power devices.
- Learn about renewable energy and how simple it can be incorporate into your designs.
- A Small Signal Schottky Diode is supplied to protect against accidental discharging of the batteries through the solar cell.
- Examples of Kitronik kits that can be used in conjunction with the Solar Power kit are;
- 2155 5V LED Desk Lamp Kit-Included with the Solar Power Starter Kit.
- 2157 FM Radio Kit V2.0.
- 2165 Mono Amplifier Version 3.0.
- 2162 USB Fan Kit.
Contents:
- 1 x 5.0V 130mA Polycrystalline Solar Cell.
- 1 x BAT41 Signal Diode.
- 1 x SPST Toggle Switch.
- 1 x 5V LED Desk Lamp Kit.
- 1 x 3x AA Battery Holder with Flying Leads.
- 3 x Rechargeable AA Battery (1300mA/h).
Solar Cell Dimensions:
- Length: 58mm.
- Width: 110mm.
- Height: 3mm.
Video:
Requires:
Buy British:
This product is designed and manufactured in the UK by Kitronik.
| Attribute | Value |
| Voltage Nominal | 5V. |
| Solar Cell Output Current | Nominal |
| Battery Nominal Voltage | 3.6V. |
| Battery Capacity | 1300mAh. |
| Charging Time (Flat to Full Capacity) Min. | 10 hours (UK Full Sun in June for 12 hours) |
| Lamp Kit Supply Voltage Range | 2.5V - 5.5V. |
| Lamp Kit Nominal Voltage | 5.0V. |
| Max. Current at Nominal Voltage | 175mA. |
| Max Current at 3.6V (Nominal Battery Voltage) | 75mA. |
| Estimated Light Running Time (Fully Charged Battery To Flat) | 17 Hours. |
Same Day Dispatch
- Orders placed online before 3:00pm Monday - Friday (excluding public holidays and our Christmas shutdown period) are always dispatched the same day provided the goods are in stock. If the goods are not in stock we will endeavour to contact you as soon as possible to discuss a dispatch date.
UK Deliveries
- If you live on the UK mainland and don't have any large materials or lithium batteries in your order it will cost £3.95 (£4.74 including VAT) if you spend less than £40 (£48 including VAT).
- If you spend between £40 and £200 (£48 - £240.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) delivery is free to most locations, £12 (£14.40 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) to Northern Ireland and £15 (£18.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) to UK remote locations. For a list of postcodes that will be charged the remote location rate: remote area list.
- If you spend over £200 (£240.00 including VAT, excluding large materials or lithium batteries) delivery is free within the UK.
Rest of the world
- These orders are sent via UPS, and the cost is dependant on the service you choose at checkout. Alternatively you can choose the free collection option and have your own courier collect it from us. International orders can only be shipped to the registered card address. Please note: International orders may be charged import duty dependant on local import laws and duty rates. These charges are usually billed to you directly from UPS.
- Delivery times vary for international orders depending on the service selected and the destination. You can see the delivery time and cost at the shipping stage, or by using the shipping estimator from within the shipping basket.
Collection
- If you would like to collect your order, or use your own courier then there is an option you can select during checkout. We do not charge a packaging or handling fee for this service, and you will receive an email when your order has been processed, you can collect half an hour after receipt of this email.
Further Information
- For information about all of the delivery options we offer see full delivery details.
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Q:
Does the circuit have to involve the desk lamp kit or will it work without it?
A:
Thank you for your question, it doesn’t have to involve the desk lamp circuit. You could place another circuit there instead or assemble it to just recharge batteries.
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
10-Mar-21
Q:
How much do I save buying the kit rather than the parts separately?
Asked by: Unknown
A:
Hi there,
The products would be £15.53 ex VAT if purchased separately assuming you are after only one kit. The Kit costs £12.85 ex VAT so a difference of £2.68 ex VAT per kit.
The products would be £15.53 ex VAT if purchased separately assuming you are after only one kit. The Kit costs £12.85 ex VAT so a difference of £2.68 ex VAT per kit.
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
11-Jan-21
Q:
Can I leave the solar panel with the bat47 diode connected to the batteries all the time without any over charging problems and have them connected to the fm radio kit via a switch.
Asked by: Dickie
A:
Thank you for your question, you can leave it for quite a while but if you keep overcharging the batteries it will not be good for them and you are likely to damage the batteries or battery cage. If you are discharging the batteries pretty regularly with the radio that should be fine though.
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
22-Jun-20
Q:
When will this product be back in stock
Asked by: Jack
A:
Hi Jack,
Thank you for your question I would expect these to be back in Tuesday / Wednesday next week as we are just awaiting the kit being finished to go back in stock.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
14-Feb-20
Q:
could i replace this solar panel with a smaller one to power the led?
Asked by: dan
A:
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your question, you would need at least a 5V panel to charge the batteries on this kit anything smaller than this would not allow you to charge the kit. If you bypassed the batteries you would be feeding power directly to the LEDs and would probably not get the required current or voltage if you did so. You could potentially use a smaller set of batteries LEDs and Solar panel but it would not work well just changing the solar panel.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
14-Jan-20
Q:
what is the luminous flux and viewing angle on the desk lamp LED.
Asked by: Ellie
A:
Hi Ellie,
The viewing angle is 80 degrees and 1500-2100 mCd for the luminous intensity.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
17-Sep-19
Q:
If I want to power the stereo amp kit can I put 2 of these together? so wire the the solar panel in series and also do this with the batteries? to give me the 9V?
Asked by: Peter
A:
Hi Peter,
Thank you for your question, in theory yes this should work to give you the 9V. The problem you might run into is the current supply to the batteries as this kit normally draws a lot more than the lights that are normally attached so you are likely to run through the battery fairly quickly.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
18-Jun-19
Q:
Hello, Is it possible to replace the lamp kit with the Low Inertia Solar Motor - 2230 RPM to build a solar powered car? Thanks.
Asked by: Kris Petitjean
A:
Hi Kris,
Thank you for your question you could absolutely do this. The motor can run from 0.7V to 5.0V and draws 30mA so should work fine from these panels.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
23-Apr-19
Q:
How long do the solar panel, LEDs and battery pack last when they're in almost constant use.
Asked by: Ray
A:
Hi Ray,
Thank you for your question from full charge the batteries should last 16 hours running constantly.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
18-Mar-19
Q:
I am looking to power a small submersible pump (3.5 - 9V 3W), which at the present has a usb fitting as the power, it has to have a battery back up and an on/off switch, will this kit work if I replace the lamp board with the pump ?. or will the pump need to be protected by a resistor. It is for a small working model of an irrigation system, please help.
Asked by: elizabeth gmir
A:
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your email, this kit should be fine and there should not need to be an extra resistor as the pump can be powered between 3.5V and 9V and the solar panel powered batteries would output 4-4.5V.
Best Regards
Cullen
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
18-Feb-19
Q:
can I use this to charge the battery and then plug it in to the lamp.
Asked by: Haukur
A:
yes of course
Thanks Haukur
Answered by: Cullen Lewis
07-Sep-18
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