A group from Vanderbilt University, lead by Professor David Cliffel, claims that a protein found in spinach, called PS1, when combined with silicon found in solar panels to form a biohybrid cell, end up being 2.5 times more efficient then cells lacking the protein.
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The Sun Logger is a data logging device that records changes in light-brightness over time. This project will introduce you to the art of making your own Arduino shield, and record data to a SD card that can later be graphed and represented visually.
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Complete instructions for this Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Solar-Joule-Bracelet/22/1
The Solar Joule Bracelet combines two separate projects, a solar battery and a “joule thief,” to build a wearable circuit that powers an LED. Solar energy flows through the photodiodes, building up a supercapacitor, which essentially acts like a battery. This energy is then delivered to the joule thief, where oscillations eventually exceed the LED’s forward voltage, making it light up. Once fully charged, these oscillations will occur so fast that the LED will appear continuously bright, visible even during daytime!
Best of all, this circuit’s design allows you to install it where and how you wish!
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Complete instructions for this episode of Weekend Projects can be found at
http://makeprojects.com/Project/Sun-Logger/2275/1
Our second Arduino project in this series of Weekend Projects, the Sun Logger is a device that gathers data about sunlight. Hack a light-sensitive photoresistor to a homemade “shield” to record data to an SD card, and then examine this data later on your computer to see how light changes in an area over time.
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The winners from Road to Maker Faire Challenge are announced! Look for the winning project next month at Maker Faire Bay Area.
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Tom Buchanan, a retired teacher, emailed to let us know he successfully built Owen Tanner’s solar pendulum, as seen in MAKE: Vol. 28, page 146.
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This time around on “Tiny Yellow House”, Deek decided to mess around with passive solar heat so as to warm the always-cold front foyer of his home. The result: a smallish, closeable, passive solar collector that fits into a window opening. Its not rocket science (and it NEVER will be here on “Tiny Yellow House”) but it does work- even in January, in New England.
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