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Diodes are used to manage the direction of the "flow" of electricity. During the daytime, when Sun shines on the solar panel, electricity flows from the solar panel, across the diode, and into the batteries. At night, the solar panel stops producing electricity. The diode prevents the electricity from flowing out of the batteries and back into the solar panel, where it wouldn't do anything interesting and would be wasted. The diode holds up a stop sign and says, "Hey, this is a one way street!" The 1N001 diode specified in this project has a much higher rating than is needed, but it is a common diode: they are easy to find at Radio Shack. Or they cost about 7 cents each in bulk from All Electronics. |
The silver band end of the diode (cathode) should be on the far side, away from the solar panel. Test Question:
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