Specifications

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2.2.5 Simultaneous operation
Per specification the design of the generator is to facilitate simultaneous operation of
the power sources. This being that no matter what conditions are present the generator
is to be able to generate power without any external input or maintenance from a user
and both sources are to supply power to the battery simultaneously or independently
depending on the external conditions. If it is night out but there is a breeze blowing the
owner should not have to go outside and set a mode for just wind generation. The same
goes for if there is no breeze but it is a sunny day outside, the generator should still
operate the same way but only getting power from the solar panels.
The owner should also be able to have both the laptop and the projector plugged into
the generator at the same time as to allow both loads to be drawing power
simultaneously. The owner does not have to rely on the battery of the laptop to run for a
while and charge it only when the projector is not in use. The owner will be able to have
a laptop and a projector being powered by the generator simultaneously.
2.2.6 Efficiency
Because the generator is being powered by elements outside the control of the owner
steps must be taken to conserve as much of the captured power as possible to allow it
to be available to the load. It is also one of the main goals of this project to find what
simple ways would be available to conserve power in a system such as this in order to
facilitate ease of maintenance and reliability for the owner. From future research we
hope to find ways of adding and orienting parts to the system so that as much power as
possible can be retained for as little cost and future maintenance as possible. There are
a multitude of various efficiency methods available to the generator however cost and
simplicity will be the main deciding criteria as to which ones will be chosen for the
project.
2.2.7 Modularity/Portability
In order to facilitate the ease of transportation for the generator for testing and
presentation the generator needed to be portable and to make construction and
deconstruction easier it was determined that a modular approach would be best in order
to be able to assemble and disassemble the project quickly and easily. The modular
approach will also allow the different sections of the generator to be constructed and
tested separately before final construction. This will allow detection of simple problems
to be spotted earlier in order for the correction of said problem to be done so in an
efficient manner. This will avoid the scenario of when final testing does come around the
generator is not being continually deconstructed and constructed again to fix individual
problems multiple times over.
2.2.8 Electronics Enclosure
To provide protection from the elements the electronics in the system will need to be
enclosed to prevent moisture from interfering with the electronic circuitry. Since the
design is only a prototype and its‟ main purpose is to facilitate testing of methods and