Learning Goals:

1. Students will create a solar tracker with two degrees of freedom.

Handouts

• DC Motors Student Handout
• Laboratory 7: DC Motor Driver, Matrix Keypad, and Liquid Crystal Display Student Handout
• BASIC Stamp Laboratory, Part 1 Student Handout
• DC Motors Direction and Speed Student Handout

Group Supplies

• 1 Basic stamp homework board
• 1 DC gearhead servo motor
• 2 Photoresistors
• 2 5k Potentiometer
• 2 220 Ohm resistor
• 2 440 Ohm resistor
• 2 2k Ohm resistor
• 2 10K Ohm resistor
• 2 0.01 uF Capacitor
• Jumper wires

Important Links

• Lesson Plan
• BASIC Stamp Software
• Sample Pics

Next Generation Science Standards

• HS-PS3-1. Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
• HS-PS3-3. Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
• HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
• HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
• HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem-based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.