Automatic 12V Lead Acid Battery Charger

This charger will charge any 12V lead acid battery including flooded, gel and AGM. It is fully automatic and will charge at a rate up to about 4A until the battery voltage reaches a preset point at which it will switch to a very low current float charge. If the battery voltage drops again the charger will begin charging until the voltage once again reaches the cut off point. In this way it can be left connected to a battery indefinitely to maintain full charge without causing damage. An LED indicates when the battery is fully charged.

Schematic

Parts

Part R1, R3 R2 R4, R5, R7, R8 R6 R9 C1 D1 D2 D3 D4 Q1 Q2 T1 F1 S1 MISC

Total Description Qty. 2 330 Ohm 1/4W Resistor 1 100 Ohm 1/4W Pot 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 82 Ohm 2W Resistor 100 Ohm 1/4W Resistor 1K 1/4W Resistor 220uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor P600 Diode 1N4004 Diode 5.6V Zener Diode LED (Red, Green or Yellow) BT136 TRIAC BRX49 SCR 12V 4A Transformer 3A Fuse SPST Switch, 120VAC 5A Wire, Board, Heatsink For U1, Case, Binding Posts or Alligator Clips For Output, Fuse Holder

Substitutions

Any 50V 5A or greater rectifier diode 1N4002, 1N4007

See Notes

Notes
1. R2 will have to be adjusted to set the proper finish charge voltage. Flooded and gel batteries are generally charged to 13.8V. If you are cycling the battery (AGM or gel) then 14.5V to 14.9V is generally recommended by battery manufacturers. To set up the charger, set the pot to midway, turn on the charger and then connect a battery to it's output. Monitor the charge with a voltmeter until the battery reaches the proper end voltage and then adjust the pot until the LED glows steadily. The charger has now been set. To charge multiple battery types you can mount the pot on the front of the case and have each position marked for the appropriate voltage. 2. Q1 will need a heatsink. If the circuit is mounted in a case then a small fan might be necessary and can generally be powered right off the output of D1. 3. T1 is a transformer with a primary voltage appropriate to your location (120V, 220V, etc.) and a secondary around 12V. Using a higher voltage secondary (16V-18V) will allow you to charge 16V batteries sometimes used in racing applications.

4. If the circuit is powered off, the battery should be disconnected from it's output otherwise the circuit will drain the battery slowly.

Parts
Total Description Qty. 2 330 Ohm 1/4W Resistor 1 100 Ohm 1/4W Pot 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 82 Ohm 2W Resistor 100 Ohm 1/4W Resistor 1K 1/4W Resistor 220uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor P600 Diode 1N4004 Diode 5.6V Zener Diode LED (Red, Green or Yellow) BT136 TRIAC BRX49 SCR 12V 4A Transformer 3A Fuse SPST Switch, 120VAC 5A Wire, Board, Heatsink For U1, Case, Binding Posts or Alligator Clips For Output, Fuse Holder Any 50V 5A or greater rectifier diode 1N4002, 1N4007

Part R1, R3 R2 R4, R5, R7, R8 R6 R9 C1 D1 D2 D3 D4 Q1 Q2 T1 F1 S1 MISC

Substitutions

See Notes

Notes
1. R2 will have to be adjusted to set the proper finish charge voltage. Flooded and gel batteries are generally charged to 13.8V. If you are cycling the battery (AGM or gel) then 14.5V to 14.9V is generally recommended by battery manufacturers. To set up the charger, set the pot to midway, turn on the charger and then connect a battery to it's output. Monitor the charge with a voltmeter until the battery reaches the proper end voltage and then adjust the pot until the LED glows steadily. The charger has now been set. To charge multiple battery types you can mount the pot on the front of the case and have each position marked for the appropriate voltage.

2. Q1 will need a heatsink. If the circuit is mounted in a case then a small fan might be necessary and can generally be powered right off the output of D1. 3. T1 is a transformer with a primary voltage appropriate to your location (120V, 220V, etc.) and a secondary around 12V. Using a higher voltage secondary (16V-18V) will allow you to charge 16V batteries sometimes used in racing applications. 4. If the circuit is powered off, the battery should be disconnected from it's output otherwise the circuit will drain the battery slowly.

Fixed Voltage Power Supply

The fixed voltage power supply is useful in applications where an adjustable output is not required. This supply is simple, but very flexable as the voltage it outputs is dependant only on the regulator and transformer you choose. The maximum output current is 1.5A.

Schematic

Parts
Part C1 C2, C4 C3 D1, D2 Total Qty. Description 1 2200uF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor 2 0.1uF Ceramic Disc Capacitor 1 10uF 35V Electrolytic Capacitor 2 1N4007 Silicon Diode Substitutions

BR1 U1 T1 S1 F1 MISC

1 1 1 1 1 1

2A 30V Bridge Rectifier Regulator (See Notes) Transformer (See Notes) SPST 2 Amp Switch 2A 250V Fuse and Holder Heatsink For U1, Line Cord, Case, Wire

Notes
1. Since this project operates from 120 (or 220, or 240, etc.) volts AC, it MUST be built inside a case. 2. U1 will reauire a heatsink. 3. You will need to choose T1 and U1 to match the voltage you want. Use the table below as a reference. Output Voltage T1 5V 6V, 1.5A 6V 6V, 1.5A 9V 12V, 1.5A 12V 12V, 1.5A 15V 24V, 1.5A 18V 24V, 1.5A U1 7805 7806 7809 7812 7815 7818

Portable CD Player Adapter For Car

Whenever I'm in the car listening to my favourite CD, it always happens-my batteries go dead. To solve that problem, I built this extremely simple regulator circuit. It steps down the 12V from the lighter socket to 9V which is used by the CD player. Different CD players (I have a Sony Discman) may require different voltages, so just use the correct regulator. All the 78xx series regulators have the same pin out, so the circuit is universal.

Schematic

Parts
Total Qty. 1 1 1 1 1

Part C1 C2 C3 C4 U1

Description 1000uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor 10uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor 1uF 15V Elextrolytic Capacitor 0.1uF 15V Electrolytic Capacitor 7809 Or Other Regulator (See "Notes") Cigarette Lighter Plug, Plug For CD Player (See "Notes"), Heat Sink For U1, Wire, Case.

Substitutions

See Notes

MISC 1

Notes
1. The voltage your CD player needs will determine which regulator you use. For 9V, use the 7809. For 6V, use the 7806. For the unlikely 5V use the 7805. Remember that whatever regulator you use, you will need to heat sink it. The metal case or metal cover on the case makes a great heat sink. 2. I built the circuit in a small case with the long wire to the cigaratte lighter plug coming out one end, then another, slightly shorter wire going out the other end to the CD player. 3. Triple check your wiring. You would hate to ruin an expensive CD player because you reversed one of the connections or hooked the regulator up backwards.......

Sound Level Meter

This nifty sound level meter is a perfect one chip replacement for the standard analog meters. It is completely solid state and will never wear out. The whole circuit is based on the LM3915 audio level IC and uses only a few external components. This circuit can also be integrated into audio amp projects.

Schematic

Parts
Total Qty. Description Substitutions C1 1 2.2uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor R1 1 1K 1/4W Resistor D1 1 1N4002 Silicon Diode LED1-LED10 10 Standard LED or LED Array U1 1 LM3915 Audio Level IC MISC 1 Board, Wire, Socket For U1 Part

Notes
1. V+ can be anywhere from 3V to 20V. 2. The input is designed for standard audio line voltage (1V P-P) and has a maximum input voltage of 1.3V.

3. Pin 9 can be disconnected from +V to make the circuit use a moving dot display instead of a bar graph display.

Automatic Headlight Brightness Switch

Driving the highway with your high-beam headlights can really increase your visibility, but can he a blinding hazard for other drivers. This simple circuit can be wired into your headlight switch to provide automatic switching between high and low beam headlights when there is oncoming traffic. It does this by sensing the lights of that traffic. In this way, you can drive safely with your high-beams on without blinding other drivers.

Schematic

Parts:

Total Qty. Description Substitutions R1 1 5K 1/4W Resistor R2, R3, R4 3 5K Pot Q1 1 NPN Phototransistor Q2 1 2N3906 PNP Transistor K1 1 Low Current 12V SPST Relay K2 1 High Current 12V SPDT Relay S1 1 SPST Switch B1 1 Car Battery MISC 1 Case, wire, board, knobs for pots

Part

Notes:
1. Q1 should me mounted in such a way so it points toward the front of the car with a clear line of site. Suitable places are on the dashboard, in the front grill, etc. 2. Adjust all the pots for proper response by testing on a deserted road. 3. S1 enables and disables the circuit. 4. B1 is, obviously, in the car already. 5. Before you try to connect this circuit, get a wiring diagram for your car. Some auto manufacturers do weird things with wiring. 6. Connection A goes to the high beam circuit, B goes to the headlight switch common and C connects to the low beam circuit.