Mini Project

Name: Harichandra Sagun Gaonkar

Roll No.: 201103022
Subject: Analog Electronics
Class & Div: S.E., E&E-A
Batch: A
Title of project: Car Battery Charger Circuit
Outline
Introduction
Car Battery Charger Circuit Working Principle
Car Battery Charger Circuit Diagram
Car Battery Charger Circuit Design
Power Supply Design Steps
Feedback and Load Section Design
Car Battery Charger Circuit Operation
Applications of Car Battery Charger Circuit
Limitations of this Circuit
Introduction
A car battery is a typical lead acid battery with
about 6 cells, each of 2V such that the total
battery voltage is around 12V. Typical values of
battery ratings range from 20AH to 100AH.
Here we are considering a car battery of rating
40AH such that it’s required charging current
would be around 4A. This article aims to
describe the principle of operation, design and
working of a simple car battery charger from AC
mains supply and a feedback control section to
control the battery charging.

Car Battery Charger Circuit Working Principle:

This is a simple car battery charger circuit with
indication. The battery is charged from a 230V,
50Hz AC mains supply. This AC voltage is
rectified and filtered to obtain an unregulated
DC voltage used to charge the battery through
a relay. This battery voltage is constantly
monitored by a feedback circuitry
compromised of a potential divider, a diode
and a transistor. The relay and the feedback
circuitry are fed by a regulated DC voltage
(obtained using a voltage regulator). As battery
voltage increases beyond maximum, the
feedback circuitry is designed such that the
relay gets switched off and battery charging
ceases.
Car Battery Charger Circuit Diagram:
Car Battery Charger Circuit Design:
To design the entire circuit, we first design
three different modules- the power supply
section, the feedback and the load section.

Power Supply Design Steps:

1. Here the desired load is a car battery
with rating of about 40AH. Since the
charging current of a battery should be 10%
of the battery rating, the required charging
current would be around 4A.
2. Now the required transformer
secondary current would be around 1.8*4,
i.e. approx 8A current. Since required load
voltage is 12V, we can settle for a
transformer with 12V/8A rating. Now the
required RMS value of AC voltage is around
 12V, the peak voltage would be around
14.4V, i.e.15V.
3. Since here we are using a bridge
rectifier, the PIV for each diode should be
more than four times the peak AC voltage,
i.e. more than 90V. Here we select diodes
1N4001 with PIV ratings of about 100V.
4. Since here we are also designing a
regulated power supply, the maximum
allowable ripple would be equal to the
capacitor peak voltage minus the required
minimum input voltage for the regulator.
Here we are using a voltage regulator
LM7812 to provide a regulated 5V supply to
the relay and the 555 Timer. Thereby the
ripple would be around 4V (Peak voltage of
about 15V and input regulator voltage of
around 8V). The filter capacitor value would
thus be calculated to be around 10mF.
Feedback and Load Section Design:
Designing of the feedback and load section
involves selection of resistors for the voltage
divider section. Since the diode will conduct
only when battery voltage reaches 14.4V, the
values of resistors should be such that the
positive voltage fed to the diode is at least 3V
when battery voltage is around its maximum.
Keeping that in mind and with necessary
calculations we select a 100 Ohm
potentiometer and other resistors of 100Ohms
and 820 Ohms each.
Car Battery Charger Circuit Operation:
The circuit operation commences once the
power supply is available. AC power of 230V
RMS is stepped down to a voltage of 15V RMS
by the step down transformer. This low voltage
AC voltage is then rectified by the bridge
rectifier to produce an unregulated DC voltage
with AC ripples. The filter capacitor allows the
AC ripples to pass through it, thus producing an
unregulated and filtered DC voltage across it.
Here two operations take place: – 1. This
unregulated DC voltage is fed directly to the DC
load (The battery in this case) through a relay.
2. This unregulated DC voltage is also fed to the
voltage regulator to produce a regulated 12V
DC supply.
Here the relay is a 1C relay and the common
point is connected to the normally closed
position such that current flows through the
relay to the battery and it gets charged. As
current passes through the LED, it starts
conducting, indicating that the battery is being
charged. A part of the current also flows
through the series resistors such that the
battery voltage is divided using the potential
divider arrangement. Initially the voltage drop
across the potential divider is not enough to
bias the diode. This voltage is equal to the
battery voltage and thus determines the
charging and discharging of the battery. Initially
the potentiometer is adjusted such to its
midpoint. As battery voltage increases
gradually, it reaches a point where the voltage
across the potential divider is enough to
forward bias the diode. As the diode starts
conducting the base emitter junction of the
transistor Q2 is driven to saturation and the
transistor is switched on.
As the transistor collector is connected to one
end of the relay coil, the latter gets energized
and the common contact point moves to the
normally open position. The power supply thus
gets isolated from the battery and charging of
the battery stops. After some time as the
battery starts discharging and the voltage at
the potential divider again comes to a position
such that the diode is reverse biased or in off
condition, the transistor is forced to cut off and
the Timer is now in off position such that there
is no output. The common point of the relay
moves back to its original position i.e. the
normally closed position. Again the battery
starts charging and the whole process repeats.
Applications of Car Battery Charger Circuit:
1. This circuit is portable and can be used
at places where AC voltage supply is
available.
2. It can be used to charge toy automobile
batteries.

Limitations of this Circuit:

1. It is a theoretical circuit and may require
some practical changes.
2. Battery charging and discharging may
take longer time.