This project was developed by EduGrid e.V., a non-profit initiative creating open and affordable teaching hardware for energy systems education.

The board is a small MPPT converter for a 2–3 W solar panel. Unlike commercial MPPT controllers, it is designed to make the tracking process visible: students can adjust the duty cycle manually, watch panel voltage, current and power change, find the maximum power point themselves, and then implement an algorithm to do it automatically.

The power stage is a non-synchronous buck converter running at 62.5 kHz, using an NTR4171PT1G MOSFET, BC817 gate drive, SS26 Schottky diode and 2.2 mH inductor. Two INA226 sensors with 0.1 Ω shunts measure the panel and load sides, allowing both panel power and converter efficiency to be displayed.

A slide potentiometer controls the duty cycle manually, a push button switches to automatic MPPT, and a 0.96" OLED shows the main values.

The PCB uses the Arduino Nano footprint. With a Nano ESP32, it creates its own WiFi access point and serves a local dashboard with live plots and an I–V sweep. No router, cloud service or account is required, which proved especially useful during workshops where the local WiFi was unreliable.

The goal is to keep the system cheap, open and simple enough that students can work with it directly in pairs or small groups, rather than only watching a demonstration at the front of the room.