NITANSH THAKERNT / SYSTEMS
Arduino firmware & electronics
DTU Design Build 3

Solar-Powered Buoy

A team-built autonomous buoy prototype, with my focus on Arduino firmware and electronics for a solar-powered environmental-monitoring system.

All work
SOLAR INPUTWATERLINEPOWER STORAGEPV + BATTERYMY FOCUSARDUINO +ELECTRONICSSYSTEM PURPOSEMONITORINGCONCEPTUAL SYSTEM SECTION · NOT A HARDWARE RENDER
Scroll to inspect the full diagram →
Solar input / battery / controller / sensingArchitecture abstraction

The problem

Build a self-powered environmental-monitoring buoy that can operate in water while balancing available solar energy, storage, and the electronics load.

System architecture

  • A six-person design-build effort combining a 3D-printed buoy prototype, a solar PV–battery power system, electronics, and Arduino control code.
  • My contribution centred on the Arduino firmware and electronic integration within the prototype.
  • The course design process included numerical modelling and energy simulations to size and assess the buoy system.

Engineering decisions

  • Coordinate firmware and electronics as part of the physical power and sensing system, rather than treating code as a standalone deliverable.
  • Keep the prototype's energy budget and in-water operation central to design discussions.

Testing and verification

  • The course required a functional prototype to be tested in a realistic or simulated environment.
  • Its evaluation framework compares energy measurements and environmental performance with model predictions; project-specific results have not been supplied here.

From build to bench

Bench setup with an Arduino board, breadboard wiring, solar panels, multimeter, and laptop.
Electronics bench setupPhoto supplied by Nitansh
Close view of an Arduino Uno, breadboard wiring, connected modules, and a small solar panel on a workbench.
Arduino and wiring detailPhoto supplied by Nitansh

Limitations

  • A course prototype, not a deployed ocean-monitoring installation.
  • No specific sensor readings, autonomy duration, or measured performance figures are published here.

What I would improve next

  • Document the firmware-to-electronics interfaces and repeatable bench tests.
  • Compare measured power use with the energy model over longer operating periods.