Heliostat Project

H1 Prototype

Download Files

Mechanicals

Electronics

Software

This site is intended as a resource for the Heliostat Project. The aim of the Heliostat Project is to make a practical heliostat, and associated supporting technologies that will allow heliostats to be deployed for residential and small business applications (since industrial scale heliostat solutions are already on the market). Having successfully developed a prototype heliostat, and unsuccessfully attempted to get venture capital in order to fund further development, I have decided to release the bulk of my research and development efforts into the public domain under the terms of the GNU Public License.

A couple years ago I was looking at a pile of old bicycles and trying to think of something cool to make from them. The idea of a rickshaw evolved into an idea for an electric tadpole trike. While searching the internet to research motor controllers, I happened upon some basic robotics electronics, and suddenly the idea of a heliostat was born.

Key features:

  • ATMEGA128 Arduino based MCU for easy development
  • Inexpensive satellite dish linear actuators
  • Re-purposed bicycle frame support
  • Multi-target and scheduled event autonomous capability
  • Also works as a dual axis solar tracker

Latest News

Oct 6, 2010. This website is still just taking shape. I'm working on a lot of documentation after the fact. There are so many pieces to this project! The TRIAD algorithm needs to be tested for attitude determination still. Lots more to come.