I’m trying to build a prototype that is solar powered that can charge a LiPo. The only thing on the ESP32 at this point is an uptime counter to test things.
I put the solar panel in full sun, but the ESP32 died after about 26 hours (which suggests the Sunny Buddy isn’t actually charging things).
From https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/su … troduction it talks about a new guide that is a 404. On the next page, the link is correct for the new tutorial.
I soldered a JST on the load part, and when I have a battery with a charge connected, the ESP32 with the oled display outputs the current uptime in seconds. However, even in full sunlight, where the solar panel is producing voltage (as witnessed on the LED on a PRT-12711 when plugged into the solar panel), I’m at a loss.
Since the battery is powering the ESP 32, the load connection is valid, but, I don’t understand why the LiPo isn’t actually being charged.
void loop() {
display.clearDisplay();
display.setTextSize(2); // Draw 2X-scale text
display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
display.setCursor(10, 0);
display.println(millis()/1000);
display.display(); // Show initial text
delay(1000);
}
How do I troubleshoot this further?
The LiPo and setup that was outside in full sun most of the day:
The setup using a battery that has a charge (note the OLED says the system has been up for 6 seconds):
Charging the dead LiPo that ran for 26 hours:
