Solar panel experiment

Paso 1: Preparación

¿Qué es?

Use your BBC micro:bit to decide where to put a solar panel by measuring light on different sides of a building.

This project is developed in partnership with White Rose Science for science teachers and allows students to use a data logger, report and present findings from enquiries, and learn more about renewable energy sources. Students can also work with variables and various forms of input and output in a computer program.

This video explains how to do the experiment.

Cómo funciona

You will need four micro:bits, each with the sunlight data logger hex file on.
Each micro:bit is attached to a battery pack and put into a sealed plastic bag.
One bag is attached to the north, south, east, and west sides of a building, or as many sides as you can access.
You log information about light levels on all four micro:bits for 24 hours.
Download and compare the data to discover the best placement for a solar panel.

Lo que necesitas

micro:bits
clear plastic bags
battery packs with new batteries in them
cadena
ordenador/portátil/tablet y cable USB para permitir la visualización de los datos

Paso 2: Investigar

Download the sunlight data logger hex file and put it on your micro:bits. You do not need to write the code for this project yourself to do the experiment. If you are interested in coding it, visit the Step 4: Code it section below.
Attach your battery packs and put each micro:bit into a sealed plastic bag to prevent them from getting wet.
Mark each plastic bag so you can identify its location when analysing the data.
Fix your bags to the sides of your building, ensuring there is nothing casting a shadow over the bags.
Press button A on each micro:bit to start data logging. When you start logging, a tick appears on the micro:bit’s LED display for two seconds. Following that, one LED lights up in the top-left corner of the display to show you that the micro:bit is in logging mode. A heart also appears on the display once per hour when data is being logged.
Return after 24 hours and press button B on each micro:bit to stop logging. A cross appears on each micro:bit’s LED display.

Tips

To be more accurate, angle each micro:bit at 45 degrees from a wall, using a small stone as a weight to keep it in place.
If you need to conduct the experiment again, delete the data by pressing buttons A and B together. A skull will appear on the LED display. Press the reset button on the back of the micro:bit to set the time back to 0.

Paso 3: Análisis

To look at the data logged, disconnect the battery pack and plug the micro:bit into a computer. El micro:bit aparece como una unidad USB llamada MICROBIT. Busca en la unidad MICROBIT y abre el archivo MY_DATA para ver una tabla de tus datos en un navegador web:

Table of data from the micro:bit's data logger.

Las marcas de tiempo en el registro representan la cantidad de tiempo que ha transcurrido desde que comenzó el registro de datos.
Click on Visual preview to see a graph of your data:

You can click on Copy and then paste your data into a spreadsheet. If you collect all your data into one spreadsheet, it is easier to compare information from the different sides of the building.