Nichols Tracking Solar Cooker

The Nichols Tracking Solar Cooker was designed by Al Nichols, an engineer formally living in Tucson,, USA, who is now deceased. The solar box cooker incorporates a tracking system using the popular PV imbalance approach. Once the PV panel is exposed to the sun from behind a shade panel it activates an electric motor, which rotates the cooker towards the sun. With the PV panel back in the shade the rotation stops.
* As explained in the video below, when Luther Krueger interviewed Al Nichols in 2022, Al has updated his approach to his tracking system. Instead of using the popular PV imbalance of panels approach to power the motor, he figured out, if the PV panels experienced any shading they would cease producing electricity, and the motor for rotation would stop. He created an adjustable shading side panel, which will deliberately shade the panels. As the sun moves, the motor turns the cooker. When the position is reached creating a shadow, the motor stops again. Al claims this system will track the sun throughout the best cooking portion of the day. His goal was to simplify the electronics required. This approach is explained, with better audio, at 5:50 in on the video.
The cooker has a chamber to promote air convection to increase the temperature in the cooking chamber. It also has a metal plate under the cook pot to add heat through direct conduction. The access to the cooking chamber is at a convenient working height.
Read the published document about the cooker at: 
==Audio and video==
*February 2023:
::400px|thumb|none|Al is interviewed by Luther Krueger from the Big Blue Sun Museum of Solar Cooking. He explains his simplified approach to tracking. (Better audio at 5:50 into the video, the beginning of the description)
==See also==
*Solar tracking
Category:Solar cooker designs
Category:Solar box cooker designs
Category:Tracking systems