Overhaul
05-18-2001, 10:09 PM
On a lighter note than my mousish problems, I'm wondering if ya'll will (heh I almost typed ya'll'll Now that is a southern-ism if there is one) If ya'll will ever find a place in your hearts for solar power. It just seems so apt for the area. Well, I shouldn't generalize like that, but it would defiatly incorporate the best of the micro tech ya'll have into a really neat package. It would be bigger than a typical microflyer. It would use the most efficient motors. it would have the cutting edge batteries. Amorphous solar cells (plastic type... the bendy non-fragile solar cells available today.) are getting more efficent. Charging? Just hook your plane up to the sun, the source of all the currently available power on the earth. Faster charge than the abilities of just the plane's solar cells? make a little ground station out of the more efficient silicon wafer cells and hook that up.
Of course, if that doesn't get you, use a standard setup charger and battery, and have a plane that would fly for longer than your attention span.
Oops, forgot to mention my source. Check out Plastecs (http://www.plastecs.com/)under solar panels (http://www.plastecs.com/solar_panels.htm) to see the affordable flexi-solar cells. You can get more efficent ones, but they'll cost more. The trick is to find that balance with cost and availability.
[ 05-18-2001: Message edited by: Overhaul ]
Of course, if that doesn't get you, use a standard setup charger and battery, and have a plane that would fly for longer than your attention span.
Oops, forgot to mention my source. Check out Plastecs (http://www.plastecs.com/)under solar panels (http://www.plastecs.com/solar_panels.htm) to see the affordable flexi-solar cells. You can get more efficent ones, but they'll cost more. The trick is to find that balance with cost and availability.
[ 05-18-2001: Message edited by: Overhaul ]