MPPT in iNav software
Solar panels produce the most watts when operated at some ideal voltage called Vmppt. Normally people use special hardware called an MPPT controller to draw power from the solar at that voltage and then convert it to the right voltage for a battery. We have worked out a program for iNav so that this extra hardware and weight won't be needed. The idea is to adjust the throttle higher if the voltage is higher than ideal and to lower it if the voltage is lower than idea. Since we already have a computer onboard that knows the battery voltage and controls the motors, we can get things operating at the ideal voltage just using some software. This will help keep weight down on solar airplanes we make. We also save any conversion losses or power limitations of the MPPT hardware. You can see this in the video and the picture after that. Here is a shot of the program: A shot of the supercapacitor, flight controller, volt meter: ...
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