CANFIELD — Instructors at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center have designed and built a mobile solar generator / work station that helps students learn the basics.

The collaborative project lasted the school year and helps visually show what most solar generator systems try to hide, said Jessica Cene, MCCTC’s marketing / job placement coordinator.

“This work station best shows students how everything connects in a comprehensive, complete rugged mobile layout unlike any other,” Cene said. “Because it is built on wheels, it can be taken to any classroom in the building, used in the outdoor classroom, on the school farm, and even events.”

Science teacher Seth Basista said the teachers also added a radio for the students’ pleasure.

“What’s the use of having wheels without music?” he said with a laughed.

The work station was designed not only to portray the necessary components of a working solar generator, but double as an adaptable mobile work station.

“It’s equipped with a full tool set for diverse scenarios, cordless drill and impact with charging dock, a mobile jump starter, and air compressor,” Cene said. “It also has a wireless all-in-one integrated weather sensor array that measures wind speed / direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, UV and solar radiation, all displayed on a mounted display monitor.”

Student Austin Ellis, a senior from Jackson-Milton, said he likes to take weather readings from one of the monitors.

“I get into storm watching,” he said.

Instructor Joe Sanders, who helped coach the other other instructors and students in getting the one-of-a-kind model to completion, said the generator already has helped other classes at the technical center.

“The generator has helped to hook up hoses to water the gardens at the farm, and it has recharged batteries for the drone project,” Sanders said.

Each teacher involved in the project had a specialty.

The idea was initiated after MCCTC Superintendent John Zehentbauer encouraged the instructors to consider future needs when developing class content to teach their students.

“Actually this was something that was needed five years ago,” Sanders said.

English teacher Anthony Cycyk designed and built the custom butcher block table top and backboard, with the wood donated by Canfield business Baird Brothers, providing support for all of the electrical components.

Sanders, the custom auto paint and design instructor, was the metal work expert. He designed and fabricated the frame and hinge system to which the panels are mounted.

Welding instructor Denny Naples helped modify the cart frame to add height, while science instructor Basista was in charge of the solar / electrical system, devising a wiring diagram and layout for every component and device.

“We designed it so that all the working components are on the outside, so the students can see how the various systems work,” he said.

Basista said he believes this model is going to really help prepare the students in the upcoming years, and would love to help other technical schools get started on their own mobile solar work station.

“We are in the process of creating lesson plans, guides, and diagrams to go along with this build to not only prepare our students, but help others that would like to bring it into their classrooms, and expand on its potential capabilities,” Basista said.

Various science, mathematical and engineering concepts can be incorporated in the functions / applications of this build, including:

• The properties of wiring solar panels in series versus parallel;

• How to gauge wire appropriately for a 12-volt system;

• How to fuse appliances, solar panels, and chargers appropriately;

• DC (direct current) versus AC (alternating current) energy systems;

• Dynamics in battery chemistry, including weighing the pros and cons to various types;

• How direct versus indirect sunlight affects solar power output;

• How to calculate power needs for off-grid energy setups;

• How to specify components for a solar generator based on power needs;

• Measuring weather variables / units.