Best light bulb to test a solar circuit

Community General Discussions
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1

I have been building a few solar powered dudes lately and I constantly run into the same problem. Since I mostly work on them at night I find myself in dire need of sunlight. My work bench is lit with a neon desk lamp and it is utterly useless to test any solar circuit. 

Can someone help me find the best possible artificial light source I could use to test my circuits?

I usually end up in the hallway, holding up my breadboard to catch the hallway lamp but that is far from ideal. I intend to make a lamp specificaly for that purpose but would like some advice on which kind of bulb to use.

2

Maybe something …

here?

3

Of all visible light (the

Of all visible light (the energy PV cells use) violets and blues respectively have the most energy per wave. Birdmuns suggestion is a good one as grow-lights tend to emit a broader spectrum of light than standard bulbs. The box should say what range of the spectrum the bulb is good for. Red light is the lowest energy (which is why it is easy on your eyes at night).

4

Thanks a lot! That’s

Thanks a lot!

 

That’s exactly what I needed.