Yes, I mean no regulator..
The bottom line is:
The particular PV is a Voc 6.2V, Isc 17.8mA, Vmp 5.38, Imp 16.0mA as rated.
- If the PV is rated at open circuit 6.2V such as this one, and if the PV "breaks": it is not going to break by swinging up to say 7V, charging the caps to 5.5V or higher, right? PVs should ALWAYS break by opening at least part of their circuits and decreasing their rated output, right?
- So, there should be NO NEED, at least in my case, for a pre-regulator such as Zener or oh boy, another IC?
SPICE is giving me some 5.3-5.4V maximum at uAmps across a 1N4148, which is good enough for me, even if I scale this down to 10uF and give it minutes to charge.
- Yes, the IC's inductor is going to drop a lot of the caps voltage, but not before the IC is at least partially switches ON, and the input is already saturated. Am I taking chances here to introduce the IC to higher than the absolute maximum 5.5V?
- Would an xxxK resistor suffice to keep the PV in 'regulation' below 5.5V as it's possible maximum?
A bit more explanation, I have no idea what I am doing, I just need to see and understand the possibilities and the potential failures, and find some simple but efficient solutions. I might wrestle with the final equations later, but for now I see no need for that.
And - this is it, a micro-micro-power solar voltage reference able to put some 7.2V@500uA-1mA for as long as it can, absent of natural light. Efficiency at this point is not even an issue, but it should work and it should not ruin.
I really appreciate your responses, thank you!