Sun-tracking solar panel

Why it’s here

Change the sun position and compare sensor difference with panel angle.

How it works

Balance two light sensors to aim a servo-mounted panel. A small difference should not move the servo. The deadband prevents jitter near balance. This guided model targets the original ESP32 and Arduino-ESP32 3.x; radio, acoustics, loads and mechanics are simplified.

Try it

1. Open this experiment
2. Change the sun position and compare sensor difference with panel angle.

Connections

• GPIO 34 / 35 — Left / right LDR dividers · 3V3
• GPIO 18 — Panel servo

Example sketch

#include <ESP32Servo.h>
Servo arm;
int angle = 90;

void setup() {
  arm.setPeriodHertz(50);
  arm.attach(18, 500, 2400);
}

void loop() {
  int left = analogRead(34), right = analogRead(35);
  if (abs(left - right) > 100) angle = constrain(angle + (right > left ? 1 : -1), 0, 180);
  arm.write(angle);
  delay(30);
}

Check your understanding

Why add a deadband?