3 ms·

How much efficiency improvement over calculator solar-cells are we talking about? It's not like we couldn't power basic electronics (like solar powered calculat

by 627467 9y ago

How much efficiency improvement over calculator solar-cells are we talking about? It's not like we couldn't power basic electronics (like solar powered calculators) indoor before.

bArray 9y ago
Apparently solar cells larger than a calculator one can give about 30mA, 5V at peak power output [1]. We really need to know surface area and lumen to know how good this thing performs. [1] https://www.amazon.com/53X30mm-Micro-Power-Solar-Panels/dp/B01BFX65YK/ https://www.amazon.com/53X30mm-Micro-Power-Solar-Panels/dp/B...
- wlesieutre 9y ago
  Units point of interest, the luminous flux per area is called "illuminance" and measured in lux (lumens per square meter) or footcandles (lumens per square foot)
  - roesel 9y ago
    `footcandle` is a ridiculous name for a unit.
    - ouid 9y ago
      it's not even the right dimension.
      - contingencies 9y ago
        Catchy though. Same style: Toebright?[0] Fingerbling? Nosefire? This sort of fundamentally physical compound noun has a sort of medieval ring to it. [0] In homage to Madeleine
      - wlesieutre 9y ago
        Originally comes from 1 fc being the illuminance on a surface 1 foot away from a 1 candela light source. A candela being roughly the intensity of light from a candle. Intensity (candelas) breaking down to lumens per steradian. They're a measure of how bright a light is in a particular direction, rather than its total light output (which is lumens). And steradians, for the unfamiliar, being a measure of "solid angle". Steradians are to 3D angles as radians are to 2D angles. A 1 steradian solid angle projects out to an area of 1 unit^2 on the surface of a unit sphere. Fun stuff!
        wlesieutre 9y ago
        Other fun fact, 1 fc = 10.7639 lux, because that's how many square feet make up a square meter. But in the lighting industry we just pretend 1 fc = 1 lux for most conversions, because eh, close enough.
_pmf_ 9y ago
Welcome to Silicon Valley. > It's not like we couldn't power basic electronics (like solar powered calculators) indoor before. Yes, but could we do it in a disruptive way that changes the way we work and live (and incidentally generates a multi-billion card house) and has it been presented using slightly blurry ("authentic") stock imagery of beautiful people interacting with it in an engaging manner? That's what I thought.
Doxin 9y ago
Interesting side note: A lot of those calculators have a fake solar panel and just run for years and years on a single battery.

by 627467 9y ago

How much efficiency improvement over calculator solar-cells are we talking about? It's not like we couldn't power basic electronics (like solar powered calculators) indoor before.

bArray 9y ago

Apparently solar cells larger than a calculator one can give about 30mA, 5V at peak power output [1]. We really need to know surface area and lumen to know how good this thing performs. [1] https://www.amazon.com/53X30mm-Micro-Power-Solar-Panels/dp/B01BFX65YK/ https://www.amazon.com/53X30mm-Micro-Power-Solar-Panels/dp/B...

wlesieutre 9y ago
Units point of interest, the luminous flux per area is called "illuminance" and measured in lux (lumens per square meter) or footcandles (lumens per square foot)
- roesel 9y ago
  `footcandle` is a ridiculous name for a unit.
  - ouid 9y ago
    it's not even the right dimension.
    - contingencies 9y ago
      Catchy though. Same style: Toebright?[0] Fingerbling? Nosefire? This sort of fundamentally physical compound noun has a sort of medieval ring to it. [0] In homage to Madeleine
    - wlesieutre 9y ago
      Originally comes from 1 fc being the illuminance on a surface 1 foot away from a 1 candela light source. A candela being roughly the intensity of light from a candle. Intensity (candelas) breaking down to lumens per steradian. They're a measure of how bright a light is in a particular direction, rather than its total light output (which is lumens). And steradians, for the unfamiliar, being a measure of "solid angle". Steradians are to 3D angles as radians are to 2D angles. A 1 steradian solid angle projects out to an area of 1 unit^2 on the surface of a unit sphere. Fun stuff!
      - wlesieutre 9y ago
        Other fun fact, 1 fc = 10.7639 lux, because that's how many square feet make up a square meter. But in the lighting industry we just pretend 1 fc = 1 lux for most conversions, because eh, close enough.

_pmf_ 9y ago

Welcome to Silicon Valley. > It's not like we couldn't power basic electronics (like solar powered calculators) indoor before. Yes, but could we do it in a disruptive way that changes the way we work and live (and incidentally generates a multi-billion card house) and has it been presented using slightly blurry ("authentic") stock imagery of beautiful people interacting with it in an engaging manner? That's what I thought.

Doxin 9y ago

Interesting side note: A lot of those calculators have a fake solar panel and just run for years and years on a single battery.