SOLAR PANEL TO POWER COMPUTER FAN FOR VENTING (initial testing complete)

[teotwaki]

You don't need a regulator, I'd just put a 14V zener (or whatever the max voltage the fan can tolerate) across the leads and call it good. You'd want the fan to run proportionally all the way up to its max voltage and no reason to throw away energy up to that point in heat.

With only a zener across the panel's leads it will short out the power leads and the fan would stop spinning. You'd want a series resistor too and at that point the simple 3 terminal regulator makes more sense.

 

[dwh]

Dude! A solar powered welding table! This so totally gonna keep your welding table cooled off! And blow the fumes out of your helmet too! Sweet! And I bet the light from the welder will spin that fan up to 22,000 rpm!


But seriously...pretty cool. (Was that a pun?)

 

[teotwaki]

More PUNishing than PUNny?

Solar powered welding helmet