3D Printer Makes Solar Tracker Functional Again

3D Printer Makes Solar Tracker Functional Again COMPUTERS Tom Farrell routinely uses solar panels to generate electricity on his farm When Ken a friend and “solar buddy ” had trouble with his Wattsun solar tracker system Farrell stepped in to help Ken’s system uses a solar eye and small plastic gears to track the sun and rotate his solar panels but after a small 1 1/2-in straight-cut gear broke he discovered the unit was obsolete and couldn’t find a replacement Farrell owned a 3D printer to make random parts for his home and side-by-side vehicle so he attempted to build a replacement gear for his friend He found an internet site to pick the gear drive size diameter and thread pitch and downloaded the software program for free “It wasn’t foolproof and took about 10 tries and three different materials to get it right ” Farrell says “Some were too rigid and kept breaking the teeth but after experimenting with some nylon-impregnated plastic I printed off a set which worked well for him making his obsolete tracker functional again ” Farrell estimates the total cost of the build to be about $40 with the most expensive part being the purchase of an entire roll of filament when needing only about 1/50th for the small gear Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Dave Adams 2305 Robert Street Irwin Penn 15642

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