DIY

We are often asked why we use monocrystalline cells instead of some of the newer technologies including amorphous silicon, CIGS and dye-based photovoltaics. The primary answer is that we're interested in...

We met Joel Murphy of Rachel's electronics at Maker Faire New York and liked his use of a tiny solar cell to power a sensor and robotics platform called the Solarduino (Beta). We think remote sensors are...

Our new 2 Watt solar panels have small, embedded screws in each of the four corners and four super-light and low-profile plastic nuts. These allow you to attach them securely to your own...

If you're curious about whether the our small solar panels can take a beating, watch this video of our 2 Watt solar panel below. We use industrial materials for the backing of each panel and...

Smallbean is down in Tanzania kicking off its' Citizen Archivist Project and it seems that our Generator solar panels are working well to charge their electronics. Smallbean trains participants to document...

Adafruit created this tutorial on how to make a charger that will work with iPhone 4, 3GS and others so that you don't get "CHARGING IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THIS ACCESSORY." They also released a new...

Adafruit just released a how-to for building your own solar charger for Li-Polyum batteries using one of our 2.0 Watt panels, a Li-Polymer battery pack, Li-Poly battery charger circuit and of course a...

We advise anyone who is building a solar powered application to test power flow going into your battery system or device. You will get to see whether it is working (LED indicators aren't always reliable)...

Solar trackers can increase power generated by a solar panel by orienting the panel towards the sun throughout the day. This decreases the amount (and cost) of PV required to generate a given amount of...

If you find yourself in Philadelphia, the Schuylkill Environmental Center has a pair of interactive "robotic creatures" designed by artist Mark Malmberg. These use our 15 Watt Generator panels to power...

The team at Sol Design Lab in Austin showed off their retro-modern Solar Pump Station at this year's Maker Faire. The design couples an iconic 1950's gas pump with solar to create a power station for...

This post is out of date. Please head over to our updated Solar for Arduino guide for more information.      We get a lot of questions about how to run an Arduino off of solar panels....

Have a solar panel and are looking to mount it? You have a lot of options, from the standard ground mounts, roof mounts, pole mounts, to RV mounts and a range of solutions that will secure your panel. We...

Make Engineering Intern, Tyler Moskowite, modified the fantastic Minty Boost charger to work from one of our 6Volt solar panels. He's getting some impressive charge times, charging his iPhone in 4-5...

One of the most basic things one needs to know about a panel is how much total power it puts out and at what Voltage and Amps. Even if you don't have the manufacturer specs, you can still figure this out...

One of the most frequent questions we get is "can I plug in to your bag with a standard wall plug?" Based on experimentation, a review of specs and some basic logic, the current answer is no. If you're...

One of our customers was inspired by a previous post on solar panniers to trick out his bicycle with a solar powered trunk bag. He gives detailed instructions on how to construct your own....

I recently purchased two remote control cars for my nephews from a dollar store. The cars came with three rechargeable AA batteries and also a cheap AC charger that connects to the car, but unfortunately...