Solar power merit badge

Adafruit has been busy creating a nifty line of "merit" badges to encourage folks to learn new DIY skills:

http://www.adafruit.com/educators

While the embroidering looks beautiful on the other badges, I thought the solar badge was particularly cool:

Round Solar Panel Skill Badge – 5V / 40mA

http://www.adafruit.com/blog/2012/01/27/new-product-round-solar-panel-skill-badge-5v-40ma/

Of course, it also is a perfectly functional solar panel. There are 10 slivers of solar cell inside for a 5V rated voltage in sun. The output is about 40mA when in bright sun, less in shade or cloudy weather. You can use this to power small, low power projects with a small low power microcontroller or chip and maybe an LED.

Cheers,

Drew

http://twitter.com/pdp7