Build a 10 Amp Solar Charge Controller SCC2 Circuit

The SCC2 is a solar charge controller, it’s function is to regulate the power flowing from a photovoltaic panel into a rechargeable battery. It features easy setup with one potentiometer for the float voltage adjustment, an equalize function for periodic overcharging, and automatic temperature compensation for better charging over a range of temperatures.

10 Amp Solar Charge Controller Circuit Diagram With Parts List

The goal of the circuit design was to make a charge controller with analog simplicity, high efficiency, and reliability. A medium power solar system can be built with a 12V solar panel up to 10 amps, the SCC2, and a lead acid or other rechargeable up to a few hundred amp hour capacity. The SCC2 can be operated at battery voltages other than 12V, it can work at 6V and 24V by changing a few parts. Operation at voltages between 6V and 24V is also possible.

Specifications

Maximum solar panel current: 10 Amps
Night time battery drain current: approximately 1ma
Nominal battery voltage: 6V, 12V or 24V.

Theory

The SCC2 acts as a medium power DC current switch between the + terminals of the PV and battery. Diode D1 prevents reverse night time current flow from the battery back to the PV panel.

When the PV voltage is high enough to charge the battery, zener diode D2 conducts and turns on transistor Q2. Q2 switches the power for the rest of the circuit on. The circuit is switched off at night. IC2 provides a 5 volt regulated voltage to power the comparator circuits, it also provides a reference voltage for comparator IC1a.

When the battery voltage is below the desired full voltage and needs charging, comparator IC1a turns on and activates Q1 and Q3, this allows the solar charging current to flow into the battery. Note that Q3 is a P-channel mosfet, this allows the circuit to be wired with a common ground for the solar panel and battery. The solar current loop is drawn in heavy lines on the schematic.

When the battery reaches the full charge point, IC1a operates as a comparator based schmidt trigger oscillator, it switches the solar current off and on. The switching causes the battery voltage to oscillate a few tens of millivolts above and below the desired set point. A rail-to-rail op-amp is required for proper operation, 741 style op-amps will not work in this circuit.

The red/green charging/full LED is driven between the output of IC1a and IC1b. IC1b has an inverted version of the IC1a signal. Pin 5 of IC1b only needs an approximate center point to work as an on-off comparator, it is connected to the varying IC1a pin 2 so that it does not require another reference divider circuit.

The resistors and thermistor on the input side of IC1a form a resistive bridge circuit that is used to compare the battery voltage to a reference voltage coming from IC2/R8/R9. The potentiometer adjusts the voltage point around which the circuit will oscillate on full charge. Resistor R7 adds positive feedback to IC1a for a schmidt trigger characteristic. The thermistor provides thermal compensation, as the temperature goes down, the full voltage goes up.

The equalize switch, S1a, forces the circuit on for intentional overcharging. Switch S1b and R1 can be used to select a different float voltage range, you can experiment with this by using different values of R1, typically R1 should be greater than 1M.

Alignment

    Start with a charged battery, connect the solar panel directly to the
    battery until the battery voltage is at or above the desired full setting,
    this also that the panel is capable of charging the battery.
    While measuring the battery voltage, adjust VR1 clockwise to align the
    float voltage set point.  If the LED turns red before it reaches the
    desired float voltage, the battery will need to charge for a while.
    When the battery is fully charged, it should be at the float voltage and
    the led should show alternating colors.

    The float voltage should be set when the board and battery are at room
    temperature. Typical 12V set points are 13.8V for a gell cell and 14.5V
    for a wet cell.  For 6V, divide those by two, for 24V, multiply by 2.
    Follow your battery manufacturers recommendations for the best settings.
    Readjust the float voltage after the battery has reached a full charge.The float voltage should be set when the circuit is at room temperature.

Use

Connect the solar panel to the SCC2 solar panel input connectors, connect the battery to the SCC2 output connectors. Put the solar panel in the sun, and watch the battery charge up. Systems where the battery is frequently discharged way down should occasionally be run in equalize mode for a few hours or a full day. It is best to monitor the battery voltage during this operation, disable equalization if the battery voltage goes above 16V (12V version).

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Build an op amp with three Discrete Transistors

You can use three discrete transistors to build an operational amplifier with an open-loop gain greater than 1 million (Figure 1). You bias the output at approximately one-half the supply voltage using the combined voltage drops across zener diode D₁, the emitter-base voltage of input transistor Q₁, and the 1V drop across 1-MΩ feed-back resistor R₂.

Figure 1.	This ac-coupled inverting op amp has an open-loop gain of 1 million. R1 and R2 set a closed-loop gain of −10.

Resistor R₃ and capacitor C₁ form a compensation network that prevents the circuit from oscillating. The values in the figure still provide a good square-wave response. The ratio of R₂ to R₁ determines the inverting gain, which is −10 in this example.

You can configure this op amp as an active filter or as an oscillator. It drives a load of 1 kΩ. The square-wave response is good at 10 kHz, and the output reduces by 3 dB at 50 kHz. Set the 50-Hz low-frequency response with the values of the input and the output capacitors. You can raise the high-frequency response by using faster transistors and doing careful layout. Link

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11 W Stereo or 22 W Mono Power Amp

Integrated AF power amps have seen great improvements in recent years offering improved power and easier use. The TDA1519C from Philips contains two power amplifiers providing 11 W per channel stereo or 22 W mono when the two channels are connected in a bridge configuration. The special in-line SIL9P package outline allows the chip to be conveniently bolted to a suitable heatsink. The TDA1519CSP is the SMD version, in this case the heat sink is mounted over, and in contact with, the top surface of the chip.

11W Stereo Amplifier Circuit Diagram

The operating voltage of this device is from +6V to +17.5V. The two channels of the amplifier are different in that one channel, between pins 1 and 4, is a non-inverting amplifier, while the other between pins 9 and 6 is an inverting amplifier. It is therefore necessary in stereo operation, to wire the speakers so that one of them has its polarity reversed. Each amplifier has an input impedance of 60kΩ and a voltage gain of 40dB, i.e. 100 times. When both amplifier are used in a bridge configuration, the inputs are in parallel so that the input impedance will be 30kΩ.

22W Stereo Amplifier Circuit Diagram

A combined mute/standby function is provided on pin 8. In its simplest form this can be connected to the positive rail via a switch. When the switch is open the amplifier will be in standby mode and current consumption is less than 100µA. When the switch is closed, the amplifier will be operational. A circuit is also shown that uses the mute input to prevent the annoying switch-on plop heard when power amps are first switched on This is caused by the rush of current to charge capacitors C1 and C2.

Mute/Standby Switch Circuit Diagram

The circuit shown generates a ramp voltage, which is applied to pin 8. At switch on, as the voltage rises from 3.3 V to 6.4 V, the amplifier will switch out of standby mode and into mute mode allowing C1 and C2 to charge. Only when the ramp voltage on pin 8 reaches 8.5V will the amplifier switch into active mode. Protection built into the TDA1519C would seem to make it almost foolproof. The two outputs can be shorted to either of the supply rails and to each other. A thermal shutdown will prevent overloading and the power supply input is protected against accidental reversal of the supply leads up to 6V.

Source: http://www.ecircuitslab.com/2011/07/11-w-stereo-or-22-w-mono-power-amp.html

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