Solar charging regulator
for panels up to 53 watts
Published in issue 286, March 2000
 A small solar power installation consists of at least three components, namely a solar panel, a storage battery and a charging regulator. The charging regulator limits the final charging voltage and also protects against reverse current flow.If you were thinking that nothing new has appeared in Elektor Electronics in the last ten years regarding solar power technology, this article is the proof!In a self-contained solar power installation that can provide electrical energy even when the weather is bad or it’s dark outside, an energy reservoir in the form of a lead-acid battery is indispensable. In order to prevent the battery from being discharged via the solar panel when the terminal voltage of the panel drops below the actual level of the battery voltage, reversecurrent protection is necessary. In its most rudimentary form, such a ‘solar current valve’ is just a simple diode. A Schottky diode, which has a low forward voltage drop, is normally used to minimise losses.
Resistors:
R1,R2 = 150kΩ
R3,R4 = 4kΩ7
R5 = 100kΩ
P1 = preset 500kΩ
Capacitors:
C1 = 2µF2 25V radial
C2 = 100nF
C3 = 10nF
C4 = 100µF 25V radial
Semiconductors:
D1 = LED, red, high efficiency
D2 = 1N4148
D3,D4 = PBYR745 (Philips)
T1 = BF256B
T2 = BUZ100* (Siemens)
IC1 = TL071CP or TL081
Miscellaneous:
K1,K2 = 2-way PCB terminal block, raster 5mm
Enclosure: Hammond 1590LB (50x50x32 mm)
PCB, order code 000016-1
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Click below to download a PDF copy of this article from Elektor magazine. Please note. In view of the complexity of international markets, Elektor cannot guarantee the availability of components for this project.
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