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Solar Energy Circuits

Solar Energy Circuits:   #'s - R      S - Z

 

Last Updated: November 22, 2021 02:42 PM

Circuits Designed by Dave Johnson, P.E. :
Improved Solar Path Light -  The circuit below was designed to replace the guts of an existing path light assembly with one which has a much better performance.  I suggest using a quality 10 cell solar panel with at least a 4 square inch area.  Buy a panel with solar panels that fills . . . Hobby Circuit designed by David Johnson P.E.-March, 2011

Capacitance Proximity Switch
Draws very low power - Ideal for battery-powered applications
6 Models Available - Call 806-778-8407




Links to electronic circuits, electronic schematics and designs for engineers, hobbyists, students & inventors:

1A Solar Panel Powered 3-Stage 12V Lead-Acid Charger -  1A Solar Panel Powered 3-Stage 12V Lead-Acid Fast/Float Charger; 1A Charger Fast Charges with CC/CV characteristics Up to 14.4V; When Charge Current Falls to 0.1A Charger Switches to 13.5V Float Charge Mode; Charger Re-initiates 14.4V Fast Charge Mode if Battery Voltage Falls Below 13.2V and Trickle Charges at 0.15A if Battery__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Jun 15th 2010

2.2V/3.3V/3.3V Peltier-Powered (TEG) Energy Harvester for Wireless Remote Sensor Application -  The LTC3108 is a highly integrated DC/DC converter ideal for harvesting and managing surplus energy from extremely low input voltage sources such as TEGs (thermoelectric generators) , thermopiles and small solar cells.  The step-up topology operates from input voltages as low as 20mV.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

2.35V/2.2V Peltier-Powered (TEG) Energy Harvester for Remote Sensor Application -  The LTC3108 is a highly integrated DC/DC converter ideal for harvesting and managing surplus energy from extremely low input voltage sources such as TEGs (thermoelectric generators) , thermopiles and small solar cells.  The step-up topology operates from input voltages as low as 20mV.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

2A Solar Panel Power Manager with 7.2V LiFePO4 Battery & 17V Peak Power Tracking -  The LT3652 is a complete monolithic step-down battery charger that operates over a 4.95V to 32V input voltage range.  The LT3652 provides a constant-current/ constant-voltage charge characteristic, with maximum charge current externally programmable up to 2A.  The charger employs a 3.3 V fl oat voltage feedback reference, so any__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Jun 15th 2010

2-Cell Solar Panel Li-Ion Battery Charger -  This circuit shows a compact solar-powered battery charger using a LTC3105 as a boost converter and a LTC4071 as Li-ion shunt charger.  A 2-cell 400mW solar panel provides the input power to the LTC3105 to produce over 60mA of charge current in full sunlight.  Maximum power point control prevents the solar panel voltage from__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Jul 1, 2011

3.3V Fluorescent (Electric Field) Energy Harvester -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

3.3V from Multiple Stacked-Cell Photovoltaic with Source Temperature Tracking -  The LTC3105 is a high efficiency step-up DC/DC converter that can operate from input voltages as low as 200mV.  A 250mV start-up capability and integrated maximum power point controller (MPPC) enable operation directly from low voltage, high impedance alternative power sources such as photovoltaic cells, TEGs (thermoelectric__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Oct 26th 2010

3.3V Piezo Energy Harvester with 9V Battery Backup -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

5.4V to 2.5V Thermoelectric Energy Harvester -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

5V to 16V Solar-Powered 2.5V Supply with Supercapacitor for Increased Output Energy Storage & Battery Backup -  5V to 16V Solar-Powered 2.5V Supply with Supercapacitor for increased Output Energy Storage and Battery Backup__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

70W, Solar Energy Harvester with Maximum Power Point Regulation -  The LT3763 is a fixed frequency, synchronous, step-down DC/DC controller designed to accurately regulate output currents up to 20A.  The average current mode controller will maintain inductor current regulation over a wide output voltage range from 0V to 55V.  Output current is set by analog voltages on the CTRL pins and an external__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Oct 10th 2012

A Solar Cell Battery Charger -  A Simple Regulator for Charging Lead Acid Batteries from a Solar Cell.   __ Designed by G.L. Chemelec

A Solar or Wind Charger/Dump -  Solid State design, No Relays.  This is just a Preliminary design.   __ Designed by G.L. Chemelec

AA Battery Solar Charger -  This almost trivial circuit may be used to charge a pair of AA or AAA sized cells insun __ Designed by G. Forrest Cook

AC Line Powered 3.6V Buck Regulator with Large Output Capacitor to Support Heavy Loads  -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

Analog Shunt-mode Solar Charge Controller -  This circuit is an analog alternative to the switching Shunt-mode Solar/Wind Charge Controller.  it is one of the simplest ways to regulate the solar charging of a rechargeable battery, using about a dozen parts.  Despite its simplicity, the circuit is relatively efficient.  Unlike the all-or-nothing switching shunt-mode controller, this circuit gradually diverts solar power from the battery to the dump load resistor as the battery reaches the preset battery float voltage __ Designed by G. Forrest Cook

Buck Mode Switching Regulator for Solar Applications -  The purpose of a voltage regulator circuit is to take a variable input voltage and produce a steady output voltage.  Two common regulator types are linear and switch-mode.  Linear regulators are simple, but waste a lot of power in the process of regulating the voltage.  Linear regulators can be thought of as self adjusting series resistors.  Switch-mode regulators such as this one are much more efficient.  Switch-mode regulators convert DC input voltages to pulses of high voltage DC.  The DC pulses are used to charge a storage capacitor to the desired output voltage.  The voltage is regulated by varying the width of the DC pulse __ Designed by G. Forrest Cook

Build a DIY solar iPod charger -  Making a solar charger for an iPod is no more difficult than making our Solar battery charger.  Built in iPod batteries are 3.7 Volts with the capacity (measured in mAh) dependent on the type of iPod – e.g.1, 200mAh for a 2nd Gen, 850mAh for a 3rd Gen, 500mAh for the MinI iPod, and 400mAh for the Nano. __ Designed by Renewable Energy-UK

Controller for Hybrid (Photovoltaic-Wind Turbine & Diesel Engine) Power Plant -  Figure 1 shows the block diagram of the HPP, comprised of 440 Wp photovoltaic modules, 1 kW wind turbine and 5 kW diesel engine as a back- up. 
HPP is a centralized PV and wind power generation plant, using battery to store the produced dc current electricity.  To cater for emergencies, a
conventional diesel generator is also provided.  The main component on HPP is the controller, an electronic device which automatically control when the
back- up diesel engine shall start assisting with producing electricity __ Designed by Didik Rostyono rostyono @ webmail.bppt.go.id

Dual (3.6V/1.8V) Rail Power Supply with Single Piezo & Automatic Supply Sequencing -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

Dual TEG Energy Harvester (3.3V/2.2V) Operates from Temperature Differentials of Either Polarity  -  The LTC3108 is a highly integrated DC/DC converter ideal for harvesting and managing surplus energy from extremely low input voltage sources such as TEGs (thermoelectric generators) , thermopiles and small solar cells.  The step-up topology operates from input voltages as low as 20mV.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

Energy Harvester Operates from Small Temperature Differentials of Either Polarity -  The LTC3109 is a highly integrated DC/DC converter ideal for harvesting surplus energy from extremely low input voltage sources such as TEGs (thermoelectric generators) and thermopiles.  its unique, proprietary autopolarity topology allows it to operate from input voltages as low as 30mV, regardless of polarity.  in this circuit, __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Jul 8th 2010

Energy Harvesting Converter Operates from a Variety of Weak Sources -  The LTC3129 is a high efficiency, 200mA buck-boost DC/DC converter with a wide ViN and VOUT range.  it includes an accurate RUN pin threshold to allow predictable regulator turn-on and a maximum power point control (MPPC) capability that ensures maximum power extraction from non-ideal power sources such as photovoltaic panels.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Feb 15th 2013

Energy-Harvesting Soccer Ball Gets a Kickstart -  14-Mar-13 -Design News:   Elizabeth Montalbano - A New York-based startup is taking the idea of energy harvesting to a more philanthropic level through the use of something that can be found in nearly every country in the world -- a soccer ball.  The founders of Uncharted Play inc.  have developed a prototype soccer ball, called SOCCKET, that __  Gadget Freak

Improved Solar Path Light -  The circuit below was designed to replace the guts of an existing path light assembly with one which has a much better performance.  I suggest using a quality 10 cell solar panel with at least a 4 square inch area.  Buy a panel with solar panels that fills . . . Hobby Circuit designed by David Johnson P.E.-March, 2011

LED7 Solar Tracker -  Schematic only, no circuit description __ Contact Duane C. Johnson

Light-controlled oscillator uses solar cell junction capacitance -  08/08/13  EDN Design Ideas:  Learn how solar cell characteristics can be harnessed for a light-sensitive oscillator.  Any PN junction diode can be used as a variable capacitor in reverse biased mode, as well as in the forward biased mode before the knee voltage.  The capacitance is usually very small as the junction size is small.  Though the varactor diode is specially designed for higher capacitance, it's still limited to a few hundred picofarads.  A solar cell can also be used in some circuits as a variable capacitor.  As its junction size is much larger than the usual diodes, much larger variation of capacitance is expected.   Design by sajjad Haidar

Li-Ion Battery Charger & 2.2V LDO Powered by a Solar Cell with Indoor Lighting -  The LTC3108 is a highly integrated DC/DC converter ideal for harvesting and managing surplus energy from extremely low input voltage sources such as TEGs (thermoelectric generators) , thermopiles and small solar cells.  The step-up topology operates from input voltages as low as 20mV.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

Measure Solar Radiation On an Ubuntu Server -  A device used for measuring daily insolation has been designed using the Ubuntu Server.  The total solar radiation is measured by a Kipp & Zonen CM11 pyranometer.  The EMF output of 5.14 uV/W/m2 is fed to the 24-bit resolution Delta-Sigma A/D converter, LTC2400.  The microcontroller circuit built with a PIC 18F2550 controls the A/D converter and provides one second time base for data sampling period.  The insolation is computed by accumulated summation of the converted data in a whole day __ Designed by Wichit Sirichote

New 17 foot Wind Turbine -  This page is a bit of an update on our 17 foot wind turbine design.  The old page is HERE and explains in some detail how we built our first 17 foot turbine.  This version contains several updates.  We built the first one over 3 years ago.  While the __ Contact OtherPower.com

Peak Power Tracking Buck Solar Charger Maximizes Efficiency -  Solar panels are gaining acceptance as a practical means of electricity generation in remote locations, but despite improvements in the technology, solar panels remain expensive.  Much of the expense is the panel itself, where the size, and thus cost, of the panel rises with required power output.  Maximizing panel performance__ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Jun 15th 2010

Piezoelectric 3.3V Power Supply with LDO Post Regulator for Reduced Output Ripple -  The LTC3588-1 integrates a low-loss full-wave bridge rectifier with a high efficiency buck converter to form a complete energy harvesting solution optimized for high output impedance energy sources such as piezoelectric transducers.  __ Linear Technology/Analog Devices App Note, Mar 23, 2010

Pyranometer to Current Converter -  Simple circuit that enables long cable wiring for pyranometer.  Built with TI rail-to-rail OpAmp, TLV2451.   __ Designed by Wichit Sirichote

Remote Solar LED light -  This circuit was created as an attempt to make the simplest possible solar powered project. it would make an excellent science fair project, and can also serve as a good introduction to solar powered circuitry. The circuit has some practical uses such as shedding some light into a dark part of your house. The idea is simple, the solar panel converts sunlight into a small electric current. The current is sufficient to power a single white LED. __ Designed by G. Forrest Cook

Got Designs?
Please eMail
if you want me to link to and/or post your original design Thanks.


Solar Energy Circuits:   #'s - R      S - Z


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