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Circuits designed by David Johnson, P.E.
Last Updated on:
Thursday, March 22, 2012 04:20 AM
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Solar Circuits,
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SOLAR POWERED PUMP MOTOR CONTROLLER |
A Discover Circuits visitor had
a problem. He needed a simple on/off controller for his solar powered water pump.
His system used two 12v 50 watt solar panels wired in series. The power from the
solar panels drove a submerged water pump. However, during overcast skies the pump
motor did not operate properly due to the lack of power from the panel. He wanted
a circuit which would turn off power to the motor during low sun conditions. The
circuit below performs this function. A small 0.1” x 0.1” photodiode monitors the
sunlight intensity. The current from the diode is proportional to sunlight
intensity. An adjustable load resistor across the diode converts the current into
a voltage and feeds the to a voltage comparator circuit. The output of the
comparator drives a small n-channel MOSFET, which in turn drives a high current
p-channel MOSFET, controlling power to the pump motor. When the sunlight is less
than one fourth of full intensity, power to the motor is turned off. |
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Solar Powered Water Pump |
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Click on
Drawing Below to view PDF version of Schematic |
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