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RADIO RECEIVERS
Jerome Kalman, Chief Engineer, Solar Products
Hoffman Electronics Corporation, Evanston, Illinois
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cell and Fig. 3 shows the "Spectral Re-
sponse Characteristic for a Silicon Solar
Cell. " The peak response is in the near
infrared region at approximately 8500
Angstroms. Light energy from a tungsten
20 I v I ffi
I. + IE lm lamp with a color temperature of approxi-
mately 28000 Kelvin is compatible with the
solar cell characteristic as is the spectral
E
2 low
a
I-
.5
C,,
i '2
Nis
z
X .05
U
WAVELENGTH ( ANGSTROMS)
Fig. 3.
.00o
energy distribution from the sun. Fluor-
escent lighting does not contribute suffi-
.002
cient energy to be fully utilized by the
2 5 1p 20 50
solar cell. Consequently, tungsten in-
I 100 ZO 500 1,000
VOLTAGE (millivolts) candescent lamp sources are recommend-
ed, as well as natural sunlight.
Fig. 1. Since the mechanism of the solar cell
concerns the conversion of photon energy
of a light source into hole-electron pairs
within the solar cell, the response time of
IS0 VARIATION OF MAXIMUM POWER the cell is less than twenty (20) micro-
OUTPUT WITH TEMPERATURE FOR
125 __
i _A SILION SOLAR CELL
---t----- _ seconds and can be considered instantane-
ous when used in conjunction with radios.
Protection against normal environmental
conditions is achieved by use of trans-
parent encapsulations of either plastic or
¢7~~~~~~~~
_0 _
glass materials.
_
Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 indicates the "Equivalent Circuit
ofa Solar Cell Assembly and Rechargeable
The silicon material primarily deter- Battery Used to Power a Transistor Radio'.'
mines the spectral sensitivity of the solar The b attery, VBB and its internal resist-
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assembly to be designed so as to deliver
charging current to the battery as well as
load current to the radio. This would
necessitate a fairly large area assembly
and a consequent high price. Therefore,
the design procedure, generally used, is
a design a solar cell assembly which is
is capable of supplying charging current
to the battery when the battery requires
such charge or to contribute some of the
load current in cases of a fully charged
battery.
CHARGING ACTION
Fig. 5 indicates the "Current-Voltage
Fig. 4. Equivalent Circuit of a Silicon Characteristic of a Solar Cell Assembly
Solar Cell Assembly and Rechargeable
Designed for Use With a Transistor Radio."
Battery Used to Power a Transistor The assembly has been designed such that
Radio
sufficient voltage is available in order to
ance, RINT are shown supplying current provide charging current into the battery.
through the radio load impedance, RLOAD. Since the battery essentially places a
The solar cell is represented by an equiva- "Clamp" across the solar cell assembly,
lent diode with the polarity as indicated. the operating point for the solar cells is
When light energy is available, a constant determined by the battery voltage. Note
current generator is shown in parallel that under conditions of full charge, the
with the solar cell equivalent diode. Cur- solar cell assembly, having sufficient
rent flows from the solar cell in the di- illumination, is maintained at a fairly
rection as shown. Since the polarity of high voltage level and a small trickle
the solar cell presents a low impedance charge results. As the charge on the
path across the rechargeable battery, ex- battery decreases, its output voltage is
cessive discharge current can result dur- also reduced, causing the solar cells to
ing periods of non-illumination. Conse- operate about a different load line. At the
.quently, a "protective diode" must be
added in series with the solar cell assem-
bly in order to prevent such discharge
SHORT- CIRCUIT
currents. Note that the contact potential CURRENT
drop across this "protective diode" re- ILC -
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battery voltage point, listed as the low
charge condition, a high component of
charging current results at this lower
voltage. As the battery charge increases,
its voltage increases, causing a corres-
ponding decrease in charging current from
from the solar cell assembly. This phe-
nomenon provides somewhat of an auto-
matic regulating action and has proven
fairly successful. Since nickel-cadmium
batteries are capable of being trickle
charged for long period-s of time with no
"gassing" action, the system seems most
compatible.
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS,
PRESENT AND FUTURE
Fig. 6 indicates several solar packs Fig. 6. Examples of Solar Packs
that have been utilized in commercial resulted in more economical cells. Cur-
radio receivers. The upper unit consists rently, the cost per watt is approximately
of eight (8) cells, wired in series, and $100. The units shown are approximately
occupying a space of approximately 1" X $7 to $10 each in large quantities. The
3" X 1/4". Under conditions of full illumi- cost of the rechargeable battery, in com-
nation, the unit will deliver 3. 2 volts and parable quantities, is approximately
a minimum current of 25 milliamperes. $1. 25. Therefore, a complete four (4)
The larger pack utilizes a more econom- volt power supply can be made for ap:-
ical cell having a different shape. Twelve proximately $10 to $25. The economics
(12) of these pie-shaped cells, wired in of such a system leaves much to be de-
series, deliver 4. 8 volts and a minimum sired. However, considering the watt-
current of 20 milliarnperes under con- hour capacity of such a supply over a
ditions of full illumination. A type "AA" several year period, the cost becomes
nickel-cadmium battery is also shown. more feasible when compared with costs
This unit has a capacity of 450 milliampere of using dry type batteries.
hours and a nominal voltage of 1. 25 volts. With further improvements in the
Combination of these units can be made in manufacturing techniques of the solar
order to develop power supplies capable cell, it is hoped that the cost per watt in
of sufficient load power for long periods the neighborhood of $25 per watt will be
of time. achieved. Coupled with the improve-
At the inception of Solar Cells, the cost ments in rechargeable batteries, to-
per watt of output power was approximate- gether with inherent price reductions,
ly $1000 per watt. Improvement of pro- the use of solar cells in combination with
duction techniques, decreases in the rechargeable batteries for powering
price of raw materials, and general im- transistor radios seems promising
provement of conversion efficiency, have indeed.
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