Design and development of automatic battery charger with controller for battery charging station

Abstract

The study aimed to design and construct a locally-made battery charge controller for the Battery Charging Station (BCS) project implemented by Central Philippine University-Affiliated Non-conventional Energy Center (CPU-ANEC). The battery charge controller was designed only to protect the battery from over-charging. The functionality of the charge-controller was tested using a solar panel and a battery. The charging current was controlled by the PWM circuit. During charging, the output of the PWM circuit was both set approximately to ten percent (10%) duty cycle for charging ninety percent (90%) duty cycle for trickle charging. The output waveform and the duty cycle of the PWM circuit were checked using the oscilloscope. Testing of the charge-controller was done for four days of continuous operation to ensure the reliability of the system. Based on the test results, when the duty cycle was ten percent (10%), the green LED lighted-up and the ammeter indicated maximum charging current, while for the ninety percent (90%) duty cycle, a yellow LED light-up indicating minimum current. The red LED light-up when the polarity of the battery was reversed, while the orange LED lightedup only when the battery state of charge was empty. These test results show that the battery charge-controller worked as expected by meeting the required design parameters. The unit is now ready for use.