| Project Description: The overall requirement of the project is to recreate the currents and voltages associated with a solar call in orbit given a table of solar power versus time. The fundamental property of the solar cell, needed to simulate the cell, is the I-V curve. The simulator must adjust the parameters of this curve to recreate the operation of a generic solar cell based off parameters entered by the user. A typical I-V curve is shown in Figure 1 and a real solar cell I-V curve is shown in the data sheet in the appendix. The primary adjustments made to the I-V curve by the simulator are the short circuit current (Isc) and the open circuit voltage (Voc). These values will be calculated from data entered from the user. To retrieve this data, the simulator must connect to a computer to upload an excel spreadsheet containing the solar flux data. The simulator must also be adjustable to simulate several different solar cells operating at different conditions. Additionally, the components used to simulate the solar cell must be analog. Although digital methods can be used, the customer requires analog components. Finally, the simulator must have protection, such as isolation, over temperature, and short circuit. |