[gallery] Wearable technology designer Meg Grant is experimenting with solar energy. Inspired by a "Kitchen Science" DIY project, she has been exploring how naked diodes can generate and capture energy. She will be testing the circuits with rechargeable batteries and how to optimize it in July. In the meantime, here are her initial findings so far:
- it's very easy to snap the naked diodes in half where the white blob is, either while removing the casing or while preparing for sewing
- you have to connect them in series to build up enough voltage (duh!)
- not all black plastic diodes work, but most of the ones I used did
- not all "naked diodes" are equal. I had to remove one from the beaded panel in order to maximise the current
- if using salvaged diodes with short legs, solder a wire onto the leg before crushing the plastic
Continue reading on her project site. Photos from meggrant.com.