This solar powering unit is a time switching battery powered solar charged circuit, used to power an Arduino Uno and some peripherals. The solar powering unit presented here is energy efficient. When we talk about Arduino, it consumes lots of energy in displays and other work that are not important. The solar powering unit presented here has a timer which turns on the Arduino in regular intervals. When you have a project like weather station, remote data logger, etc. or applications like this, you do not have to keep your Arduino on all the time. And of course in all this applications, powering is the major issue. If you turn on the Arduino in 1 minute or any interval, it can save a lot energy. This unit is variable i.e. you can decide the time delay! The unit can also power your Arduino when there is no sunlight(at night) as it has a rechargeable battery inside.

It’s not just a solar powering unit and not just a timer. It’s a combination of both of them!

Features:
Time switching device
Variable i.e. you can change the time delay
Can also work without sunlight!
Easy to use
Switch for using power from batteries
Highly compatible with Arduino and its peripherals
Long battery life
Detachable solar panel
Less charging time
Portable
Clean energy

Night mode:
In night mode, the unit powers your device in absence of sunlight. Based on the applications, there are two types of unit:

1. With timer in night mode:

It is ideal for applications like weather station, data loggers, leakage detection, etc.

2. Without timer in night mode:

It is ideal for applications like theft detection where probability of theft is high at night.

The unit actually contains a timer which is variable and the time delay can be adjusted by Potentiometer. The maximum time delay you can set is 5 minutes. The minimum time delay is 30 seconds. If there is no proper sunlight, a switch is provided to run your Arduino on Batteries! The port for this is different.

Battery Life Calculation:
Arduino ON time: 1 seconds
Arduino OFF time: 1 min. = 60 seconds
Power(when ON) = 1/3600 x 3mA = 0.0042 mWh
Power(when OFF)= 1/60 x 0.2mA = 0.167mWh
Operating Voltage: 5V
Power(ON+OFF): 0.17mWh
Li-Ion Battery: 2100mAh
Battery Voltage: 2.4V
Power: 2100 x 2.4 = 5040mWh
Battery Life: 5040/0.17 = 30k cycles

Note: Power consumed by power booster is not calculated here.

About me:
I am an 18 y/o inventor, innovator and tinkerer currently pursuing my BE in India.