Solar Panel for Arduino Weather Station

cults3d

Note: Work in progress. Will change significantly over the next few weeks. Note that all STLs are in random orientations, not the suggested print orientation. When I have finalized design, I will orient them properly in the final revision. 1.8W Solar panel holder for my Arduino weather station. https://www.thingiverse.com/SeanTheITGuy/collections/arduino-weather-station This design was created around a 305mm x 100mm x 2.3mm solar panel that was harvested from a automotive 12v solar trickle charger such as this unit: https://sunforceproducts.com/products/1-8-watt-12-volt-solar-battery-maintainer/ These are available under many store brands for around $10-20 when on sale. I had one in which the wires had broken and the plastic cracked, so I removed the glass panel and repurposed it as the power plant for my Arduino weather station. It outputs about 16 volts in moderate light, which is stepped down inside the control box to a voltage suitable for charging the lithium cells.. All components of my Weather Station are designed to be modular, with the same 7 cm mounting flange on all external components. A pair of the front covers are required, and will fit together to complete assembly. There is enough room under where the panel will sit to allow for some double sided tape to ensure the panel doesn't rattle around, and also to use some sort of tape or hot glue to secure the wires to ensure the solder points on the panel aren't stressed.