SOLAR ENGINE

The inspiration for this solar engine came from Mark Tilden, who invented the original solar engine. Mark is a prolific inventor who also began the BEAM tehnology. He is currently designing robots like the Robosapien for WowWee Toycompany. I liked the electrical function of Mark's solar engine so much that I decided to design my own solar engine.
The solar engine is an on board power plant for BEAM type robots, sometimes called living robots. The circuit is simple in function. The main components are a solar cell, main capacitor and a slow oscillating or trigger circuit. The solar cell charges the capacitor, until a predetermined voltage is reached, where the trigger circuit dumps the stored electrical power from the main capacitor through the main load (usually a high efficiency motor). The cycle then repeats..