- 1). Choose a solar cell with a voltage rating equal to that of the motor. Compare the electrical current ratings (amps) of the motor and cell. If the cell develops adequate current, use one cell. If not, divide the motor's required current by the cell's current, drop the decimals and add one to arrive at the number of cells. For example, if your motor needs 100 milliamps of current and your solar cell delivers 60 milliamps, 100 / 60 = 1.66. Dropping the decimals gives you 1. Adding 1 gives you 2, so you'd need two cells.
- 2). Connect the DC motor's black wire to one lug of the toggle switch. Connect the black wire of one solar cell to the other lug on the switch. Attach the motor's red wire to the red wire on the solar cell.
- 3). Connect the red wire of every additional solar cell to the adjacent cell's red wire, and its black wire to the adjacent cell's black wire. To accomplish this, carefully strip about a half-inch of insulation from the middle of the adjacent cell's red wire to expose the bare metal. Crimp the additional cell's red wire to this bare metal point with long-nose pliers and solder the connection. When the joint is cool, wrap it snugly with electrical tape. Do the same for the black wire.
- 4). Move the motor, cells and switch into bright sunlight. Orient the solar cells so the shiny black surfaces face the sun. Flip the switch to the "on" position to get the motor running.
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