{"id":74,"date":"2023-10-09T12:23:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T12:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/?p=74"},"modified":"2023-10-09T12:23:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T12:23:28","slug":"build-a-simple-solar-battery-charger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/build-a-simple-solar-battery-charger\/","title":{"rendered":"Build a simple solar battery charger"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to environmentally recharge 3V batteries? All you need to do is read this article to find the solution!!! This article presents a low-cost way to design a solar battery charger.<\/p>\n<p>The setup is centered around a solar panel. This panel should provide a voltage close to 3.6V, which is the sole requirement.<\/p>\n<p>To locate such a solar panel, you can salvage cells from small garden lights. However, a single one of these cells won&#8217;t suffice. Therefore, it&#8217;s necessary to connect several of them in series to create a voltage as close as possible to 3.6V.<\/p>\n<p>In a series configuration, voltages add up, and the current passing through the circuit remains consistent throughout.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, in a parallel arrangement, voltages remain the same, but currents add up at the junction nodes.<\/p>\n<h2>Electrical diagram for mounting a solar battery charger<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-75\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/solar-battery-charger-electronic-diagram.jpg\" alt=\"solar cherger battery\" width=\"300\" height=\"183\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>List of components and theoretical cost<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-76\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Chargeur2.gif\" alt=\"chargeur batterie\" width=\"384\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Component details<\/h2>\n<p>Terminals facilitate easy wire connections but are not essential.<br \/>\nA battery holder is also recommended for easy battery connection.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, if you cannot create a printed circuit board (the PCB design will arrive one day), purchase a perforated board to serve as a support. Given the complexity of the assembly, this will be more than sufficient.<\/p>\n<h2>Functioning<\/h2>\n<p>The functioning principle is quite straightforward: we continuously monitor the voltage across the batteries. Once it reaches a specific threshold, the current is redirected away from the batteries and directed toward a power resistor.<\/p>\n<p>This uncomplicated setup doesn&#8217;t necessitate expensive components (except for the solar panel) or the need for programming microcontrollers. Furthermore, the assembly&#8217;s simplicity enables adaptation to different battery types. All that&#8217;s required is adjusting the output voltage of the solar cells to match the battery capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Increasing the number of solar cells also reduces battery charging time. As a rough estimate, it typically takes around 12 to 14 hours to fully charge 1400 mAh batteries.<\/p>\n<h2>Initialization<\/h2>\n<p>To make the charger operational, a minor adjustment is necessary, which is where potentiometer P1 comes into play. The values marked on the components carry a margin of error, and the procedure is quite straightforward.<\/p>\n<p>Begin by sourcing a constant voltage power supply and set it to a slightly lower voltage than the sum of the battery voltages. As a reference, a 1.5V battery is considered fully charged when its terminal voltage reaches 1.44V. Following the article&#8217;s instructions, you should adjust the power supply to 2.88V.<\/p>\n<p>The objective of this process is to determine the switching point between charging and discontinuing the charge. The power supply simulates the presence of charged batteries.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 Next, place a voltmeter (a device for measuring voltage) across the terminals of R7.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 Set the potentiometer to its maximum value.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 Connect the power supply outputs in place of the battery outputs.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 Position the solar cells in direct sunlight.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 In theory, the voltage across R7 should be close to zero as the batteries charge. Gradually reduce the potentiometer value.<\/p>\n<p>.\u00a0 As soon as the voltage across the potentiometer terminals abruptly increases, cease adjusting the potentiometer. T1 has just switched, interrupting the battery charging process.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it&#8217;s calibrated and ready to charge batteries.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>Source: energies2demain.com\u00a0 Creative Commons<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to environmentally recharge 3V batteries? All you need to do is read this article to find the solution!!! This article presents a low-cost way to design a solar battery charger. The setup is centered around a solar panel. This panel should provide a voltage close to 3.6V, which is the sole requirement.&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/build-a-simple-solar-battery-charger\/\" rel=\"bookmark\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Build a simple solar battery charger<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","iawp_total_views":23,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/78"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zonetronik.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}