GadgetPower GP1200 User guide

WARNING
Strong magnets - keep away from sensitive equipment
Moving parts - unsuitable for small children
Robotic Solar Generator
Owner’s Handbook
1
Model GP1200 (C)
GadgetPowerTM
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CONTENTS
Quick Start ................. 3
User Guide ................. 4
Battery Test ................ 4
Assembly ................... 4
Test/Demo .................. 6
Deployment ............... 6
‘Polarity’ .................. 6
Auto Mode ................. 7
Indicator Light ............. 7
Function Button .......... 7
Flat Battery Detection 7
How It Works ............... 8
Feature Summary ........ 11
Terms Of Use ............... 12
2
Head Magnet
Bracket
Connector
Tail + Plug
Connector
Socket
Function Button
Polarity Switch
REAR
FRONT
HEAD
BASE
Trigger
Power Switch
Indicator Light
Base Magnet
Alignment Stripe
Output Socket
|
0
||
| = Manual
Solar Panel
0 = O
|| = Auto

QUICK START
1. With the Power Switch switched to ‘O’ (‘0’) attach the Head to the Base.
2. Place the device in a suitable location (see ‘POSITIONING’ below).
3. Switch the Power Switch to ‘Auto’ (‘||’). In ‘Auto’ mode the device electronics con-
sume power only when the device is running. When the device is not running, the elec-
tronics are completely disconnected from the internal battery.
4. Move away from the device so the solar panel has an unobstructed view of the sky.
In SUNSHINE - after a period determined by battery condition - the device will automati-
cally ‘wake-up’ (power itself and start running), ‘calibrate’ (locate the sun) and begin
tracking the sun. To hasten the power-up procedure, press the Trigger button (note that
the Trigger button will only power-up the device when it is in Auto mode and when suf-
cient light is available).
While the device is running, the Indicator Light will blink once or twice every 10 seconds
(see page 7, ‘Indicator Light’).
5. At sunset - or should the weather deteriorate, causing cloud to obscure the sun - the
device will return the Head to its Standby Position and, when appropriate, switch-o its
own power.
3
PERFORMANCE
Graph comparing % performance
of tracking and stationary solar
panels on a sunny day.
Keeping a solar panel correctly
aligned increases its performance
threefold on sunny days, and can
increase it further on cloudy days,
when cloud at the ‘wrong’ time
can deprive stationary panels
of their main chance to harvest
energy.
POSITIONING
If the sun at midday is to the
south of you, then for best results
face the device SOUTH. If the sun
faces north, then face the device
NORTH and ADJUST THE POLAR-
ITY SWITCH (failure to do this
will cause the device to function
incorrectly).
To help you locate south and
north, your package includes a
compass, although please note
that magnetic north and south are
not the same as ‘true’ north and
south, and the dierence between
them can be signicant.
Stationary panelTracking panel
N
S
Sunrise Noon Sunset

4
USER GUIDE
BATTERY TEST
The condition of the battery can be tested while the device is not operating, by momen-
tarily switching the Power Switch to Manual (‘|’), this will cause the Indicator Light to
illuminate briey, coloured either red, blue or green according to the amount of charge
stored in the battery (see page 7, ‘Indicator Light’).
ASSEMBLY
Place the Base onto a at, level surface:
Rotate if necessary the Base Magnet until the Alignment Stripe faces the Front of the
unit and is centred - you can achieve this either by momentarily switching the Power
Switch to Manual (‘|’) or you can simply rotate it with your ngers:
Base Magnet
Alignment Stripe
facing front &
centred

5
Ensure the Connector Tail is free and hanging loose from the Bracket attached to the
rear of the Solar Panel. Note the position of the Magnet attached to the underside of
the Bracket:
With your thumb and forenger, grip the Bracket and lower the Head onto the Base as
shown below, until the magnets 'grab' each other. Then plug-in the Connector:
Magnet
Connector Tail
Bracket
Connector Plug
2
1
Insert Connector Plug
rmly into the Con-
nector Socket at the
rear of the Base.

TEST/DEMO
Note the location of the Power Switch and its three positions '0' (O) '|' (Manual) '||'
(Auto) and also the position of the black Function Button.
With the front of the device facing towards you, press and HOLD the Function Button
with your left hand, with your right hand switch the Power Switch from '0' to '|' (Manual).
The device will power-up in Demo Mode. You will see the Indicator Light sequence red-
blue-green and hear musical tones. Release the Function Button and move-away from the
device.
The Demo will continue with a brief initial pan and tilt followed by a calibration run – pan-
ning and tilting motions to locate the optimal energy-sourcing 'lock' – after which it will
enter an accelerated version of its normal tracking operation. Indoors, where light levels
are low, the Demo will conclude quickly, with the device returning to its Standby Position
before attempting to automatically shut-o its own power, which it will do after a ten-
second countdown, as indicated by ten sets of red ashes from the Indicator Light.
Switch-o the Device (Power Switch to '0') once the Demo is complete.
DEPLOYMENT
Begin by identifying a suitable location for your device. The location should be at, level,
with a wide, uninterrupted view of the sun's path.
‘POLARITY’ - IMPORTANT
Although the sun – as viewed from earth - always travels from east to west, your loca-
tion, and possibly also the time of year, will make its motion appear as either a left-to-
right motion (if the sun at midday is to the south of you) or a right-to-left motion (if at
midday it is to the north of you) therefore your device needs to be congured and po-
sitioned accordingly. By default, the unit is congured – using the Polarity Switch on the
side of the unit – to track the sun from left-to-right (for locations/times of year where/
when the sun is to the south). If the sun where you are is to the north, simply alter the
position of the Polarity Switch. This will reverse the direction of horizontal tracking.
CAUTION: DO NOT ALTER THIS SWITCH FOR ANY OTHER REASON – the incorrect setting
of this switch will make the device ‘track’ in the wrong direction, resulting in malfunction:
6
REAR
Function Button
Position for
‘southern’ sun
Position for
‘northern’ sun
Polarity Switch

AUTO MODE
The device has been designed with Auto Mode to provide complete 'deploy-leave-return'
functionality, including overnight and in wet weather. In Auto Mode the device will
power-up at dawn (or when weather conditions favour its operation) and power-down at
dusk (or when weather conditions deteriorate) and consume no power outside of these
parameters.
Standing so as not to obscure the panel's view of the sun, switch the Power Switch to
its Auto position '||'. In full sunshine the device will power-up and perform its functions. If
the device does not power-up, you may simply leave the device: it will power-up auto-
matically when sucient sunshine becomes available. Alternatively, you may press the
red Trigger button: if the sunshine is suciently bright, the device will power-up and
continue in Auto Mode.
INDICATOR LIGHT
The multi-purpose Indicator Light illuminates at power-up, and ashes every ten seconds
thereafter. The Light indicates:
(a) whether the device is powered
(b) the charge state or condition of the internal battery
(c) whether the device is calibrated or uncalibrated
The battery voltage/charge state is sampled every 4 minutes. The approximate % of full
charge is indicated by colour:
RED = less than 25% (‘discharged)
BLUE = 25% - 75% (‘partly charged’)
GREEN = more than 75% (‘mostly charged’)
CONTINUOUS GREEN = 100% (‘fully charged’)
Device calibration (correct lock) is indicated by ONE or TWO ashes:
ONE FLASH = UNCALIBRATED
TWO FLASHES = CALIBRATED
MULTIPLE RED FLASHES at one-second intervals indicates that the device is preparing to
power-down, which it will do at sunset, or if weather conditions deteriorate.
FUNCTION BUTTON
Pressing the Function Button during normal operation illuminates the Indicator Light for
several seconds. It also forces the battery voltage to be resampled.
FLAT BATTERY DETECTION/INDICATION
If – when power is applied – three short bursts of a low-frequency tone are heard, and
the Indicator Light ashes red three times, this is a warning that the device’s batteries
are depleted. Under such circumstances the device’s motors are automatically disabled
until sucient charge has been obtained to operate them correctly.
7

8
HOW IT WORKS - PLEASE READ
An understanding of how your device works will enable you to get the most from it.
OPERATING CONDITIONS
When the sun is SHINING, a solar panel (cell, PV) benets signicantly from being correct-
ly aligned. So signicant is the benet, that a proportion of the extra energy obtained
may be used to keep the panel aligned, if a properly-designed, energy-ecient alignment
mechanism is employed. This is the principle underpinning your device.
This device’s dynamics are designed to operate in SUNSHINE: on a cloudy day there is
little benet in maintaining an ‘astronomically’ correct panel alignment (an alignment with
a sun which cannot be seen) as the variation in energy levels across the sky on such a
day is small, and maintaining a ‘track’ would therefore be futile, as a greater amount of
energy would be expended by operating the tracking mechanism than would be yielded
by so doing – we would refer to this as ‘futile tracking’.
BATTERY MONITORING
When the device ‘awakes’, it rst checks the condition of its battery. If there is insu-
cient charge available to safely operate its motors, the device waits – charging the while
in its Standby Position – until sucient charge becomes available. Similarly, the device
monitors the battery while the motors are running: should the battery condition ‘droop’
below a certain threshold while the motors are running, then the panel is returned to its
Standby Position, where it may obtain more charge before attempting to operate its mo-
tors once more.
CALIBRATION
The device’s dynamic Head has two operational ‘axes’ - a horizontal ‘pan’ axis driven by a
motor in the Base, and a semi-vertical ‘tilt’ axis driven by a motor in the Head.
When it is rst activated, the device attempts to ‘calibrate’ itself (locate the position of
the sun). It does this by propelling the solar panel attached to its Head, rst rotating or
‘panning’ on its horizontal axis, then tilting down-and-up on its semi-vertical axis.
No sensors other than the panel itself are used to locate the sun.
If the sun occupies a position within the device’s operational ‘axes’, then it can properly
calibrate itself: the Indicator Light will reect this by providing two blinks at ten-second
intervals, and normal tracking will commence.
If, however, the sun occupies a position beyond the device’s axes, such that while
attempting to calibrate itself, the Head reaches the full limit of its traverse - either
horizontally or vertically - then the device will ‘approximate’ a calibration, and re-run the
procedure at intervals, until a satisfactory calibration is obtained. In this condition the
Indicator Light will blink just once at ten-second intervals.

9
TRACKING
Once calibrated, the device follows the sun – or ‘tracks’ it – using two dierent meth-
ods: one to track the sun’s horizontal position, and another to track its semi-vertical.
Two methods are required because the sun behaves dierently on each axis. The sun’s
horizontal motion is in one direction only, and it is identical every day – it appears to
move from east to west at a rate of 1 degree every 4 minutes – therefore the sun’s
motion on this axis is tracked by simply rotating the device’s panel westward at a
matching rate (and not, it should be noted, by continually monitoring the sun’s position
and manoeuvring the panel accordingly, as this is unnecessary once the mechanism has
been calibrated). However – and although the sun’s semi-vertical motion is somewhat
slower, just one degree every 7.5 minutes – its motion on this axis is more complex: 1)
it appears to move in two directions in one day, rst up, then down; 2) the extent of
this motion varies throughout the year – in the UK, for example, the sun mid-winter rises
to a maximum height of just 15.5 degrees above the horizon, yet mid-summer it rises
four times higher, to 62.45 degrees above the horizon. To accommodate this complex
behaviour, the sun’s semi-vertical position is tracked by fully recalibrating along this axis
at 60 minute intervals.
ENVIRONMENT MONITORING
The device is designed deliberately not to respond to every individual change in condi-
tions: a cloud, for example, temporarily obscuring the sun will not immediately cause
the device to retreat to its Standby Position. Instead, the device’s behaviour – once
calibrated and while tracking – is determined by measuring the AVERAGE amount of light
falling on its solar panel over a four-minute period (the period between each incremental,
westward ‘tick’ of its rotating Head). By comparing that measurement to a similar meas-
urement performed on the internal battery (a measurement which also determines the
colour displayed by the device’s Indicator Light), the mechanism can decide whether to
continue or to discontinue tracking: if it is anticipated that, by continuing to track, there
will be a benet to the battery – which is all that matters to the device – then it contin-
ues to track, otherwise the device’s panel is returned to its Standby Position, and the
device prepares to switch itself o. (Note that, in order to obtain its measurements, the
device – once every four minutes – momentarily disconnects the panel from the battery:
the ‘clicking’ sound you may hear emanating from the device’s enclosure, is produced by
an electromagnetic relay, operated by the device’s microprocessor, which controls the
connection between the solar panel and the battery it is charging).
The device is also designed to tolerate sudden reductions in light levels, such as may be
caused by a person walking past the device and temporarily shading it from the sun.
STANDBY POSITION
The Standby Position of the Head is an important operational feature which – when the
device is positioned as advised facing south (or north) – serves multiple purposes: 1) by
returning the panel to a south (or north) -facing orientation from its west-facing orienta-
tion at sunset, the device – which is activated by light falling on its panel – is better
situated for re-activation the following morning by the sun as it rises in the east (if the
device remained facing west when de-activated at sunset, if would be facing in a direc-
tion poorly-suited for activation at sunrise); 2) the device’s automatic de-activation at
sunset is assisted by the panel rotating away from the setting sun, back to its Standby
Continued on page 10 ...

Position: this deliberate repositioning of the panel away from the sun further reduces
the light falling on it, allowing the mechanism to be deactivated condently and with a
reduced risk of possible ‘accidental’ re-activation by the residual sunlight; 3) the Standby
Position provides a ‘fail-safe’ orientation for solar harvesting, should the device require
more charge than is available in its battery to operate its motors.
BEHAVIOUR
Although the device has been designed to be more reliable than the weather, it may
occasionally behave in unexpected ways. For example, in temperate locations, on
bright, windy days, the sky is often lled with small, fast-moving clouds. On such days,
the device – while performing its initial calibration run – may be confused by the rapid
changes in light caused by the passing clouds, and may therefore mis-calibrate, causing
its panel to face in a sub-optimal direction. Should this occur, simply repower the device
by switching it o and then back to ‘Auto’: this will cause the device to perform a new
calibration.
The amount of light required to activate the device is inversely proportional to the
amount of charge it has in its battery: less charge requires more light, and vice versa.
This is convenient because it allows the device to perform according to its capabilities:
for example, with more charge in its battery, the device can ‘aord’ to engage in more
‘speculative’ attempts to track the sun. However, these speculative attempts may cause
the panel to face in ‘unusual’ directions. For example, on an overcast day when the sun
is not actually visible, the device may nonetheless power-up and subsequently calibrate
according to the brightest part of the sky, which could simply be the location of the thin-
nest cloud or the largest ‘gap’. When this occurs, the device will likely and quickly shut
itself down again, as there will almost certainly be insucient solar energy available to
warrant its operation. On such days you may choose to disable the device to conserve
energy.
HINTS, TIPS, TROUBLESHOOTING
• If the device is used to power other equipment while it is charging and the power
consumption exceeds the device’s power capacity, the device will eventually and as a
precaution cause its Head to retreat to its Standby Position in order to prevent possible
motor malfunctions. If this occurs, simply disconnect the equipment being powered. This
will allow the device to recover and subsequently it will begin to function normally once
more.
• When assembled, the device’s solar panel is always connected to the internal battery,
therefore the device can obtain and store solar energy even when the device itself is
deactivated. This feature can be exploited to recover the device in the event that the
internal battery has become so depleted that it is unable to deliver even the very small
amount of power required to operate the device’s microprocessor. In this unlikely event,
just a few minutes exposure to sunshine with the device switched ‘O’ (‘0’) will be su-
cient to provide the device with the power it needs to function normally when activated.
... Continued from page 9 ...
10

FEATURE SUMMARY
• Fast & ecient solar harvesting: by automatically locating and tracking the sun -
horizontally and vertically - with its robotic solar panel, the device can harvest as much
energy in a day as may otherwise require several days or more to accumulate.
• Versatile: by storing the energy it harvests as 12V DC inside a removable base tted
with the popular ‘car accessory’ style socket, the device makes it easy to use the energy
it harvests, either in situ or by taking the base to where the energy is needed.
• User-friendly: a high-brightness, three-colour LED lets the user know how the device
is performing: whether it is activated, whether it is ‘calibrated’ and, by blinking red thru
blue to green – glowing continuous green when full – how much charge it has in its bat-
tery.
• Easy assembly and deployment: attach panel magnetically to the base, insert a plug to
make the electrical connection, enable the unit.
• Robotics activated automatically in sunshine, deactivated in poor weather & at sunset.
• Weather-resistant design: allows the device to be positioned at night, ready for sunrise
the next day; automatic recovery from panel misalignment caused by wind.
• 7hrs approx. in sunshine to fully charge.
• Overcharge-protection automatically disconnects panel from battery when full, auto-
matically reconnects to maintain fully-charged state.
• ‘Polarity switch’ permits direction of tracking to be reversed, allowing it to be used
anywhere on earth.
• Audio tones on power-up/auto power-down/at battery.
• Swapable base units: charge one, swap and charge another.
• Tracking automatically recovers from at battery.
• Two modes of operation:
‘Auto’ for overnight/multiday/continuous working
‘Manual’ for test/demonstration purposes
• Dual-Purpose Battery: 12V 1.2AHr/20Hr deep-discharge SLA technology, stores the
harvested energy and also powers the robotics. More than 1,000 charge/discharge
cycles (depending on average depth of discharge). 5 year expected service life in oat
standby applications.
• Fused output: 10A internal Polyfuse
• Panel power rating (full sunshine, XY aligned): 2.5W
• Power consumption (when active): 0.5W
* Net power gain (full sunshine, XY aligned): 2W
• Dimensions (assembled, overall):
height 200mm
width 200mm
depth 140mm
• Weight:
complete 1300gm
Base 1100gm
Head 200gm
• Created and made in the UK
11

TERMS OF USE
The use of this equipment is entirely at the owner’s risk. The maker accepts no responsi-
bilty for damage or injury caused by or resulting from its use.
COPYRIGHT
© Jamie Clary 2013. All rights reserved.
Enquiries: [email protected]
Website: www.gadgetpower.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/solartracker
HANDBOOK VERSION 1.2 2014
12
Correct Disposal of this product: According to the European Directive 2002 / 96 / EC
all electrical and electronic products must be collected separately by a local collec-
tion system. Please act according to your local rules and do not dispose of your old
products with your normal household waste. This product should not be disposed
of with other household waste in the UK or throughout the EU. To prevent possible
harm to the environment or human health from uncontrolled waste disposal, recycle it
responsibly to promote the sustainable reuse of material resources.
GadgetPowerTM
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