9-V Battery Replacement

This circuit was originally designed to power a motorcycle intercom from the vehicle supply system. This type of intercom, which is used for communication between driver and passenger, generally requires quite a bit of power. In order to improve intelligibility there is often elaborate filtering and a compander is sometimes used as well. The disadvantage is that a battery doesn’t last very long. You could use rechargeable batteries, of course, but that is often rather laborious. It seems much more obvious to use the motorcycle power supply instead.

9-V Battery Replacement Circuit Diagram

A 9-V converter for such an application has to meet a few special requirements. For one, it has to prevent interference from, for example, the ignition system reaching the attached circuit. It is also preferable that the entire circuit fits in the 9-V battery compartment. This circuit meets these requirements quite successfully and the design has nonetheless remained fairly simple. In the schematic we can recognise a filter, followed by a voltage regulator and a voltage indicator. D1, which protects the circuit against reverse polarity, is followed by an LC and an RC filter (C3/L1/L2/C1/R1/C2). This filter excludes various disturbances from the motorcycle power system. Moreover, the design with the 78L08 and D3 ensures that the voltage regulator is operating in the linear region. The nominal sys-tem voltage of 14 V can some-times sag to about 12 V when heavy loads such as the lights are switched on.

Although the circuit is obviously suitable for all kinds of applications, we would like to mention that it has been extensively tested on a Yamaha TRX850. These tests show that the converter functions very well and that the interference suppression is excellent.

Author : Lex de Hoo - Copyright: Elektor

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Particularly LM317 Circuit With 12v Battery Charger Circuit

The LM317 is AN adjustable three terminal transformer that is capable of supply 1.2 to 37 volts with a secure 1.5A output current. The LM317 is prepackaged terribly} normal electronic transistor package that makes it very simple to mount in your circuits.

Schematic

Overview

The LM317 series of adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulators is capable of supply in more than 1.5A over a 1.2V to 37V output vary. they're exceptionally simple to use and need solely 2 external resistors to line the output voltage. Further, each line and cargo regulation square measure higher than normal mounted regulators.

In addition to higher performance than mounted regulators, the LM317 series offers full overload protection out there solely in IC's. enclosed on the chip square measure current limit, thermal overload protection and safe space protection.
The LM317 makes AN particularly easy adjustable change regulator, a programmable output regulator, or by connecting a set electrical device between the adjustment pin and output, the LM317 may be used as a preciseness current regulator. provides with electronic conclusion may be achieved by clamping the adjustment terminal to ground that programs the output to one.2V wherever most masses draw very little current.

Pinout

Options

Specifications

• Guaranteed 1% output voltage tolerance (LM317A)
• Guaranteed max. 0.01%/V line regulation (LM317A)
• Guaranteed max. 0.3% load regulation (LM117)
• Guaranteed 1.5A output current
• Adjustable output down to 1.2V
• Current limit constant with temperature
• P + Product Enhancement tested
• 80 dB ripple rejection
• Output is short-circuit protected

Output Formula

Circuit
Once you have learnt enough you can now put the LM317 into use and make the following circuit:

12v Battery Charger Circuit

The circuit may be accustomed charge 12V lead acid batteries.
Overview
Pin one of the LM317 IC is that the management pin that is employed to manage the charging voltage, Pin a pair of is that the output at that the charging voltage seems, Pin three is that the input to that the regulated DC offer is given.
The charging voltage and current is controlled by the electronic transistor (Q1), electrical device (R1) and POT (VR1). once the battery is 1st connected to the charging terminals, the present through R1 will increase. This successively will increase the present and voltage from LM317. once the battery is totally charged the charger reduces the charging current and also the battery are charged within the trickle charging mode.

Circuit Diagram

Notes

• The input voltage to the circuit should be a minimum of 3V more than the expected output voltage. luminous flux unit 317 dissipates around 3V throughout its operation. Here I used 18V DC because the input.
• The charging voltage may be set by victimization the POT (VR1).
• The luminous flux unit 317 should be mounted on a sink.
• All capacitors should be rated a minimum of 25V.
• You'll be able to use crocodilian clips for connecting the battery to the charger.

 

Source: StreamPowers

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Balancing LiPo Cells

Things change fast in the electronics world, and that’s also true for recharge- able batteries. The rate of development of new types of rechargeable batteries has been accelerated by the steadily increasing miniaturisation of electronic equipment. LiPo cells have conquered the market in a relatively short time. Their price and availability have now reached a level that makes them attractive for use in DIY circuits.

Circuit diagram

Balancing LiPo Cells Circuit diagram

Unlike its competitors Elektor Electronics has already published several articles about the advantages and disadvantages of LiPo batteries. One of the somewhat less well-known properties of this type of rechargeable battery is that the cells must be regularly ‘balanced’ if they are connected in series. This is because no two cells are exactly the same, and they may not all have the same temperature. For instance, consider a battery consisting of a block of three cells. In this case the outer cells will cool faster than the cell in the middle. Over the long term, the net result is that the cells will have different charge states. It is thus certainly possible for an individual cell to be excessively discharged even when the total voltage gives the impression that the battery is not fully discharged. That requires action – if only to prolong the useful life of the battery, since LiPo batteries are still not all that inexpensive.

One way to ensure that all of the cells have approximately the same charge state is limit the voltage of each cell to 4.1 V during charging. Most chargers switch over to a constant voltage when the voltage across the batter terminals is 4.2 V per cell. If we instead ensure that the maximum voltage of each cell is 4.1 V, the charger can always operate in constant-current mode.

When the voltage of a particular cell reaches 4.1 V, that cell can be discharged until its voltage is a bit less than 4.1 V. After a short while, all of the cells will have a voltage of 4.1 V, with each cell thus having approximately the same amount of charge. That means that the battery pack has been rebalanced.

The circuit (Figure 1) uses an IC that is actually designed for monitoring the supply voltage of a microcontroller circuit. The IC (IC1) normally ensures that the microcontroller receives an active-high reset signal whenever the supply voltage drops below 4.1 V. By contrast, the out-put goes low when the voltage is 4.1 V or higher. In this circuit the output is used to discharge a LiPo cell as soon as the voltage rises above 4.1 V.

When that happens, the push-pull output of IC1 goes low, which in turn causes transistor T1 to con-duct. A current of approximately 1 A then flows via resistor R1. LED D2 will also shine as a sign that the cell has reached a voltage of 4.1 V. The function of IC2 requires a bit of explanation. The circuit built around the four NAND gates extends the ‘low’ interval of the signal generated by IC1. That acts as a sort of hysteresis, in order to prevent IC1 from immediately switching off again when the voltage drops due the internal resistance of the cell and the resistance of the wiring between the cell and the circuit. The circuitry around IC2 extends the duration of the discharge pulse to at least 1 s.

Figure 2 shows how several circuits of this type can be connected to a LiPo battery. Such batteries usually have a connector for a balancing device. If a suit-able connector is not available, you will have to open the battery pack and make your own connections for it. The figure also clearly shows that a separate circuit is necessary for each cell.

Author :Paul Goossens - Copyright : Elektor

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Lead Acid Battery Protector

The circuit described here can be used to  ensure  that  a  12 V  sealed  lead  acid  (SLA)  gel battery isn’t discharged too deeply. The  principal part of the circuit is a bistable relay,  which is driven by the output of an op amp.

Circuit diagram :

Lead Acid Battery Protector Circuit Diagram

The battery voltage is first reduced via D1, R1,  P1 and R2, and then continuously compared  with a reference voltage set up by diode D2.  When the battery discharges too much and  its terminal voltage drops below the level  set by P1, the output of the opamp becomes  High, which causes the relay to toggle. This  in turn isolates the load from the battery. The  battery can be reconnected via S1 once the  battery has been replaced or recharged.

The relay used in the prototype is a 5 V bistable type made by Omron (G6AK-234P-ST-US  5 VDC). The two windings of the relay each  have a resistance of 139 Ω (for the RAL-D 5  W-K made by Fujitsu this is 167 Ω). When the  battery voltage starts to become too low and  the relay is being reset the current consumption of the circuit is about 45 mA. Shortly  after the load has been disconnected, when the battery voltage rises above the reference  voltage again, the reset coil will no longer be  powered and the current consumption drops  back to about 2.5 mA.

The range of P1 has intentionally been kept  small. With a reference voltage of 5.6 V (D2)  and a voltage drop of 0.64 V across D1, the circuit reacts within a voltage span of 11.5 V and  11.8 V. This range is obviously dependent on the zener diode used and the tolerance.

For a greater span you can use a larger value  for P1 without any problems. With the potentiometer at its mid setting the circuit switches  at about 11.6 V.

Author : Jürgen Stannieder –copyright : Elektor

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Voltage Tester for Model Batteries

With a suitable load, the terminal voltage of a NiCd or lithium-ion battery is proportional to the amount of stored energy. This relationship, which is linear over a wide range, can be used to build a simple battery capacity meter.

Circuit Image :

 

Voltage Tester for Model Batteries Circuit Image 

This model battery tester has two functions: it provides a load for the battery, and at the same time it measures the terminal voltage. In addition, both functions can be switched on or off via a model remote-control receiver, to avoid draining the battery when it is not necessary to make a measurement. The load network, which consists of a BC517 Darlington transistor (T2) and load resistor R11 (15 Ω /5 W), is readily evident. When the load is active, the base of T1 lies practically at ground level. Consequently, T1 conducts and allows one of the LEDs to be illuminated.

Circuit Diagram :

Voltage Tester for Model Batteries Circuit Diagram

The thoroughly familiar voltmeter circuit, which is based on the LM3914 LED driver, determines which LED is lit. The values of R6 and R7 depend on the type and number of cells in the battery. The objective here is not to measure the entire voltage range from 0 V, but rather to display the portion of the range between the fully charged voltage and the fully discharged voltage. Since a total of ten LEDs are used, the display is very precise. For a NiCd battery with four cells, the scale runs from 4.8 V to 5.5 V when R6 = R7 = 2 kΩ. The measurement scale for a lithium-ion battery with two cells ranges from 7.2 V to 8.0 V if R6 = 2 kΩ and R7 = 1 kΩ.

For remote-control operation, both jumpers should be placed in the upper position (between pin 1 and the middle pin). In this configuration, either a positive or negative signal edge will start the measurement process. A positive edge triggers IC1a, whose output goes High and triggers IC1b. A negative edge has no effect on IC1a, but it triggers IC1b directly. In any case, the load will be activated for the duration of the pulse from monostable IC1b. Use P12 to set the pulse width of IC1a to an adequate value, taking care that it is shorter than the pulse width of IC1b.

If the voltage tester is fitted into a remote-controlled model, you can replace the jumpers with simple wire bridges. However, if you want to use it for other purposes, such as measuring the amount of charge left in a video camera battery, it is recommended to connect double-throw push-button switches in place of JP1 and JP2. The normally closed contact corresponds to the upper jumper position,while the normally open contact corresponds to the lower position.

Parts :

Resistors:
R1,R2 = 47kΩ
R3 = 100kΩ
R4 = 500kΩ
R5 = 1kΩ
R6,R7 = see text (1% resistors!)
R8 = 1kΩ5
R9 = 1kΩ2
R10 = 330Ω
R11 = 15Ω 5W
R12 = 15kΩ
P1 = 100kΩ preset

Capacitors:
C1 = 10nF
C2 = 100nF

Semiconductors:
D1-D10 = LED, red, high effi-ciency
T1 = BC557
T2 = BC517
IC1 = 74HC123
IC2 = LM3914AN

Miscellaneous:
PC1,PC2,PC3 = solder pin
JP1,JP2 = jumper or pushbutton

PCB Layout :

Voltage Tester for Model Batteries PCB Layout

Copyright : Elektor

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High Voltage Generator

This high voltage generator was designed  with the aim of testing the electrical break-down protection used on the railways. These  protection measures are used to ensure that  any external metal parts will never be at a  high voltage. If that were about to happen,  a very large current would flow (in the order  of kilo-amps), which causes the protection  to operate, creating a short circuit to ground effectively earthing the metal parts. This hap-pens when, for example, a lightning strike hits  the overhead line (or their supports) on the  railways.

This generator generates a high voltage of  1,000 V, but with an output current that is limited to few milliamps. This permits the electrical breakdown protection to be tested with-out it going into a short circuit state. The circuit uses common parts throughout: a  TL494 pulse-width modulator, several FETs or  bipolar switching transistors, a simple 1.4 VA  mains transformer and a discrete voltage multiplier. P1 is used to set the maximum current  and P2 sets the output voltage.

Circuit diagram :

High Voltage Generator Circuit Diagram

The use of a voltage multiplier has the advantage that the working voltage of the smoothing capacitors can be lower, which makes them easier to obtain. The TL494 was chosen  because it can still operate at a voltage of  about 7 V, which means it can keep on working even when the batteries are nearly empty.  The power is provided by six C-type batteries, which keeps the total weight at a reason-able level.

The 2x4 V secondary of AC power transformer  (Tr1) is used back to front. It does mean that  the 4 V winding has double the rated voltage  across it, but that is acceptable because the  frequency is a lot higher (several kilo-Hertz)  than the 50 Hz (60 Hz) the transformer is  designed for. The final version also includes a display of the  output voltage so that the breakdown volt-age can be read.

From a historical perspective there follows a  bit of background information. In the past a different system was worked  out. Every high-voltage support post has a  protection system, and it isn’t clear when  the protection had operated and went into  a short-circuit state due to a large current  discharge.

Since very large currents were involved, a certain Mr. Van Ark figured out a solution for this.  He used a glass tube filled with a liquid containing a red pigment and a metal ball. When  a large current discharge occurred the metal  ball shot up due to the strong magnetic field,  which caused the pigment to mix with the liquid. This could be seen for a good 24 hours after the event. After a thunder storm it was  easy to see where a discharge current took  place: one only had to walk past the tubes  and have a good look at them.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as  expected. Since it often took a very long  time before a discharge occurred, the pigment settled down too much. When a dis-charge finally did occur the pigment no  longer mixed with the liquid and nothing was  visible. This system was therefore sidelined,  but it found its place in the (railway) history  books as the ‘balls of Van Ark’.

Author : By Jac Hettema – Copyright : Elektor

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Battery Juicer

More and more electronic devices are portable and run off batteries. It is no surprise, then, that so many flat batteries find their way into the bin and often far too early. When a set of batteries can no longer run some device for example, a flashgun the cells are not necessarily completely discharged. If you put an apparently unserviceable AA-size cell into a radio-controlled clock with an LCD display it will run for months if not years. Of course not every partially discharged cell can be put in a clock. The circuit presented here lets you squeeze the last Watt-second out of your batteries, providing a bright ‘night light’ - for free! The circuit features a TBA820M, a cheap audio power amplifier capable of operating from a very low supply voltage. Here it is connected as an astable multivibrator running at a frequency of around 13 kHz. Together with the two diodes and electrolytic capacitor this forms a DC-DC converter which can almost double the voltage from between four and eight series-connected AA-, C- or D-size cells, or from a PP3-style battery.

 

Circuit diagram:

Battery Juicer Circuit Diagram

 

The DC-DC converter is followed by a constant current source which drives the LED. This protects the expensive white LED: the voltages obtained from old batteries can vary considerably. With the use of the DC-DC converter and 20 mA constant current source a much greater range of usable input voltages is achieved, particularly helpful at the lower end of the range when old batteries are used. With the constant current source on its own the white LED would not be adequately bright when run from low voltages. An additional feature is the ‘automatic eye’. The LDR detects when the normal room lighting is switched on or when the room is lit by sunlight: its resistance decreases. This reduces the UBE of the transistor below 0.7 V, the BC337 turns off and deactivates the LED. This prolongs further the life of the old batteries. A further LDR across capacitor C reduces the quiescent current of the circuit to just 4mA (at 4V). Light from the white LED must of course not fall on the LDR, or the current saving function will not work.

 

Author : W. Zeiller - Copyright : Elektor Electronics

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Car Battery 12v Charger

The usual chargers of battery automotive, are simple and cheap appliances that charge continuously the battery, with a rythm of few amperes, for the time where the appliance is ON. If the holder do not close in time the charger, the battery will overcharge and her electrolytic faculty are lost with evaporation or likely exists destruction of her elements. The charger of circuit exceeds these faults. It checks electronic the situation of charge of battery and it has circuit of control with retroaction, that forces the battery charge with biggest rythm until charge completely.

Circuit diagram:

Car Battery 12v Charger Circuit Diaram

When charge completely, it turns on one RED led (LD2). The charger has been drawn in order to charge batteries of 12V, ONLY. What should watch it from what it manufactures the circuit, they are the cables that connect the transformer with the circuit and in the continuity the battery, should they are big cross-section, so that heat when it passes from in them the current of charge and also they do not cause fall of voltage at the way of current through them.

Adjustment

After assembling of the circuit, adjust TR1 to null value, power-up and make the following adjustments :-

1. Without connecting the battery check that the 2 LED?s are turned on.
2. Connect a car battery to the circuit and check that LD2 is OFF and a current (normally 2A to 4A) is flowing to the battery.
3. Adjust TR1 until LD2 turns ON and the charge current is cut.
4. Adjust TR1 to null value and charge the battery using the hydrometer technique (if you do not have or do not know how to use a hydrometer, then use a good condition battery and charge).

 

Carefully adjust TR1 so that LD2 begins to turn ON and the charge current falls to a few hundred milliamps (mA). If TR1 is set correctly then in the next round of charging you will noticed LD2 begin to flicker as the battery is being charged. When battery is completely charged, LD2 turns ON completely.TR1 does not need further adjustment anymore. Q1 is connected in line with the battery and is fired by R3, R4 and LD2. The R2, C1, TR1 and D2 sense the voltage of the battery terminal and activate Q2 when the voltage of the battery terminal exceeds the value predetermined by TR1.

 

When an uncharged battery is connected, the terminal voltage is low. Under this circumstance, Q2 is turned OFF and Q1 is fired in each half cycle by R3, R4 and LD2. The Q1 functions as a simple rectifier and charges the battery. If the battery terminal voltage is increased above the level that had been fixed by TR1, then Q2 shifts the control of Q1 gate. This deactivates Q1 and cuts off the current supply to the battery and turns LD2 ON indicating that the charge has been completed. Q1 and bridge rectifier GR1 should be mounted on heatsinks to prevent overheating. M1 is a 5A DC ammeter to measure the charge current.

Source :users.otenet.gr

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Solar Powered SLA Battery Maintenance

This circuit was designed to ‘baby-sit’ SLA (sealed lead-acid or ‘gel’) batteries using freely available solar power. SLA batteries suffer from relatively high internal energy loss which is not normally a problem until you go on holidays and disconnect them from their trickle current charger. In some cases, the absence of trickle charging current may cause SLA batteries to go completely flat within a few weeks. The circuit shown here is intended to prevent this from happening. Two 3-volt solar panels, each shunted by a diode to bypass them when no electricity is generated, power a MAX762 step-up voltage converter IC.

Circuit diagram:

Solar Powered SLA Battery Maintenance Circuit Diagram

The ‘762 is the 15-volt-out version of the perhaps more familiar MAX761 (12 V out) and is used here to boost 6 V to 15 V.C1 and C2 are decoupling capacitors that suppress high and low frequency spurious components produced by the switch-mode regulator IC. Using Schottky diode D3, energy is stored in inductor L1 in the form of a magnetic field. When pin 7 of IC1 is open-circuited by the internal switching signal, the stored energy is diverted to the 15-volt output of the circuit. The V+ (sense) input of the MAX762, pin 8, is used to maintain the output voltage at 15 V. C4 and C5 serve to keep the ripple on the output voltage as small as possible. R1, LED D4 and pushbutton S1 allow you to check the presence of the 15-V output voltage.

D5 and D6 reduce the 15-volts to about 13.6 V which is a frequently quoted nominal standby trickle charging voltage for SLA batteries. This corresponds well with the IC’s maximum, internally limited, output current of about 120 mA. The value of inductor L1 is not critical — 22 µH or 47 µH will also work fine. The coil has to be rated at 1 A though in view of the peak current through it. The switching frequency is about 300 kHz. A suggestion for a practical coil is type M from the WEPD series supplied by Würth (www.we-online.com). Remarkably, Würth supply one-off inductors to individual customers. At the time of writing, it was possible, under certain conditions, to obtain samples, or order small quantities, of the MAX762 IC through the Maxim website at www.maxim-ic.com.

Author : Myo Min - Copyright : Elektor

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Automatic Battery Charger

Normally, chargers available in the market do not have any sort of control except for a ro-tary switch that can select different tap-pings on a rheostat, to vary the charging current. This type of control is not adequate because of the irregular fluctuations in the mains supply, rendering the control ineffective.  A simple circuit intended for automatic charging of lead-acid batteries is presented here. It is flexible enough to be used for large capacity inverter batteries. Only the rating of transformer and power transistor needs to be increased.

Circuit diagram :

Automatic Battery Charger Circuit Diagram

The circuit has been basically designed for a car battery (about 40 Ah rating), which could be used for lighting two 40W tube lights. The circuit includes Schmitt trigger relay driver,float charger,and battery voltage monitor sections.  The Schmitt trigger is incorporated to avoid relay chattering. It is designed for a window of about 1V. During charging, when the battery voltage increases be-yond 13.64V, the relay cuts off and the float charging section continues to work. When battery voltage goes below 11.66V, the relay is turned on and direct (fast) charging of the battery takes place at around 3A.  In the Schmitt trigger circuit, resistors R1 and R2 are used as a simple voltage divider (divide-by-2) to provide battery voltage sample to the inverting input terminal of IC1. The non-invert-ing input terminal of IC1 is used for reference input derived from the output of IC2 (7806), using the potentiometer arrangement of resistors R3 (18 kilo-ohm) and R4 (1 kilo-ohm).

LED1 is connected across relay to indicate fast charging mode. Diodes D3 and D6 in the common leads of IC2 and IC3 respectively provide added protecion to the regulators.  The float charging section, comprising regulator 7812, transistors T3 and T4, and few other discrete components, becomes active when the battery volt-age goes above 13.64V (such that the relay RL1 is deenergised). In the energised state of the relay, the emitter and collector of transistor T4 remain shorted, and hence the float charger is ineffective and direct charging of battery takes place.

The reference terminal of regulator (IC3) is kept at 3.9V using LED2, LED3, and diode D6 in the common lead of IC3 to obtain the required regulated output (15.9V), in excess of its rated output, which is needed for proper operation of the circuit. This output voltage is fed to the base of transistor T3 (BC548), which along with transistor T4 (2N3055) forms a Darlington pair. You get 14.5V output at the emitter of transistor T4, but because of a drop in diode D7 you effectively get 13.8V at the positive terminal of the battery. When Schmitt trigger switches ‘on’ relay RL1, charging is at high current rate (boost mode). The fast charging path, starting from transformer X2, comprises diode D5, N/O contacts of relay RL1, and diode D7.

The circuit built around IC4 and IC5 is the voltage monitoring section that provides visual display of battery voltage level in bar graph like fashion. Regulator 7805 is used for generating reference voltage. Preset VR1 (20 kilo-ohm) can be used to adjust voltage levels as indicated in the circuit. Here also a pot meter arrangement using resistors R7, R8, and R9 is used as ‘divide by 3’ circuit to sample the battery voltage. When voltage is below 10V, the buzzer sounds to indicate that the safe dis-charge limit has been exceeded.

Author : Yash Deep - Copyright : EFY Mag

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High Power Car Battary Eliminator

To operate car audio (or video) system from household 230V AC mains supply, you need a DC adaptor. DC adaptors available in the market are generally costly and supply an unregulated DC. To overcome these problems, an economical and reliable circuit of a high-power, regulated DC adaptor using reasonably low number of components is presented here.  Transformer X1 steps down 230V AC mains supply to around 30V AC, which is then rectified by a bridge rectifier comprising 5406 rectifier diodes D1 through D4. The rectified pulsating DC is smoothed by two 4700μF filter capacitors C1 and C2. The next part of the circuit is a seriestransistor regulator circuit realised using high-power transistor 2N3773 (T1).

 

Fixed-base reference for the transistor is taken from the output pin of 3-pin regulator IC1 (LM 7806). The normal output of IC1 is raised to about 13.8 volts by suitably biasing its common terminal by components ZD1 and LED1. This simple arrangement provides good, stable voltcuit age reference at a low cost. LED1 also works as an output indicator.Finally, a crowbar-type protection circuit is added. If the output voltage exceeds 15V due to some reason such as component failure, the SCR fires because of the breakdown of zener ZD2. Once SCR fires, it presents a short-circuit across the unregulated DC supply, resulting in the blowing of fuse F1 instantly. This offers guaranteed protection to the equipment connected and to the circuit itself.

 

This circuit can be assembled using a small general-purpose PCB. A goodquality heat-sink is required for transistor T1. Enclose the complete circuit in a readymade big adaptor cabinet as shown in the figure.

Author : T.K. Hareendran - Copyright : Electronics for  You June 2001

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Low Cost Universal Battery Charger Schematic

Low cost solution for charging of both NiCd and NiMh batteries

Here is the circuit diagram of a low cost universal charger for NiCD - NiMH batteries. This circuit is Ideal for car use. It has ability to transform a mains adapter in to a charger . This one can be used to charge cellular phone, toys, portables, video batteries, MP3 players, ... and has selectable charge current. An LED is located in circuit to indicate charging. Can be built on a general purpose PCB or a veroboard. I hope you really like it.

Picture of the circuit: 

 A Low Cost Universal Charger Circuit Schematic

Circuit diagram:

A Low Cost Universal Charger Circuit Diagram

Parts:

R1 = 120R-0...5W
R2 = See Diagram
C1 = 220uF-35V
D1 = 1N4007
D2 = 3mm. LED
Q1 = BD135
J1 = DC Input Socket

Specifications:

• Ideal for in car use.
• LED charge indication.
• Selectable charge current.
• Charges Ni Cd or NiMH batteries.
• Transforms a mains adapter into a charger.
• Charge cellular phone, toys, portables, video batteries …

Features:

• LED function indication.
• Power supply polarity protected.
• Supply current: same as charge current.
• Supply voltage: from 6.5VDC to 21VDC (depending on used battery)
• Charge current (±20%): 50mA, 100mA, 200mA, 300mA, 400mA. (selectable)

Determining the supply voltage:

This table indicates the minimum and maximum voltages to supply the charger. See supply voltage selection chart below.

Example:

To charge a 6V battery a minimum supply voltage of 12V is needed, the maximum voltage is then 15V.

Voltage selection:

Voltage Selection Chart For Low Cost Universal Battery Charger

Determining the charge current:

Before building the circuit, you must determinate how much current will be used to charge the battery or battery pack. It is advisable to charge the battery with a current that is 10 times smaller then the battery capacity, and to charge it for about 15 hours. If you double the charge current , then you can charge the battery in half the time. Charge current selection chart is located in diagram.

Example:

A battery pack of 6V / 1000mAh can be charged with 100mA during 15 hours. If you want to charge faster, then a charge current of 200mA can be used for about 7 hours.

Caution:

The higher charge current, the more critical the charge time must be checked. When faster charging is used, it is advisable to discharge the battery completely before charging. Using a charge current of 1/10 of the capacity will expand the lifetime of the battery. The charge time can easily be doubled without damaging the battery.

Note:

• Mount the transistor together with the heatsink on the PCB, bend the leads as necessary. Take care that the metal back of the transistor touches the heatsink. Check that the leads of the transistor do not touch the heatsink.

Source : extremecircuits.net

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Motorcycle Battery Monitor Circuit Diagram

A circuit for monitoring the status of the battery and generator is undoubtedly a good idea for motorcyclists, as for other motorists. However, not every biker is willing to drill the necessary holes in the cockpit for the usual LED lamps, or to screw on an analogue accessory instrument. The circuit shown here manages to do its job with a single 5-mm LED, which can indicate a total of six different conditions of the onboard electrical system. This is done using a dual LED that can be operated in pulsed or continuous mode (even in daylight). Built on a small piece of prototyping board and fitted in a mini-enclosure, the complete circuit can be tucked inside the headlamp housing or hidden underneath the tank.

 

The heart of the circuit is IC2, a dual comparator. The comparator circuit is built without using any feedback resistors, with the indication being stabilised by capacitors C4 and C5 instead of hysteresis. Small 10-µF tantalum capacitors work well here; 220-µF ‘standard’ electrolytic capacitors are only necessary with poorly regulated generators. Voltage regulator IC1 provides the reference voltage for IC2 via voltage divider R2/R3. The onboard voltage is compared with the reference voltage via voltage dividers R4 /R5 and R6/R7, which are connected to the inverting and non-inverting comparator sections, respectively.

Using separate dividers allows the threshold levels to be easily modified by adjusting the values of the lower resistors. IC2a drives the anode of the red diode of LED D4 via pull-up resistor R10. The anode of the green diode is driven by IC2b and R11. T2 pulls R11 to ground, thereby diverting the operating current of the green diode of the LED, if the voltage of the electrical system exceeds a threshold level of 15 V (provided by Zener diode D3). The paralleled gate outputs on pins 10 and 11 of IC3 perform a similar task. However, these gates have internal current limiting, so they can only divert a portion of the current from the red diode of the LED.

The amount of current diverted depends on the battery voltage. The two gates are driven by an oscillator built around IC3a, which is enabled via voltage divider R14/R15 and transistor T1 when the battery voltage is sufficiently high. Depending on the state of IC3a, the red diode of the LED blinks or pulses. The circuit is connected to the electrical system via fuse F1 and a low-pass filter formed by L1 and C1. If you cannot obtain a low-resistance choke, a 1-Ω resistor can be used instead. In this case, the values of C3, C4 and C5 should be increased some-what, in order to help stabilise the indication. D1 protects the circuit against negative voltage spikes, as well as offering protection against reverse-polarity connection. Due to its low current consumption (less than 30 mA), the circuit could be connected directly to the battery, but it is better to power it from the switched positive voltage.

Source : www.extremecircuits.net

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