building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger?

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 02:32 PM

this may be a shot in the dark, but has anyone ever tried to build a charge controller for monitoring solar panels out of an old charger? the premise seems sound and i will do my own research as well. just wondering if anyone has already tried it out. all comments are welcome and feel free to call me an idiot if you know something i don't

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 03:49 PM

looks like most timer assy's are built to run on ac voltage. if anyone knows of a timer board built to run dc input voltage let me know

DOOmsman · 12-06-2010, 04:45 PM

Timer(tick tick) or control (voltage)???
I am certain all solid state is dc

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 04:55 PM

im referring to the electronic timer inside modern chargers. they monitor and control dc voltage output for charging the battery pack, but the circuit board itself is powered by the 120 ac input from the wall.

dougmcp · 12-06-2010, 05:02 PM

First some questions:
Is this to recharge the cart or a home solar system?
How many volts/amps does your solar panel generate?
How many batteries and what voltage are you trying to charge?
What area of the country do you live in?

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 05:12 PM

no solar panel yet, just had a customer with a fried transformer ask if it was possible to reuse some of the parts in his lestronic 2 as a charge controller for a solar setup. if my math is right a 15 amp charge on a 36 volt pack should require a 540 solar panel or better. this will be run in north Texas on a 36 volt ezgo series. the problem in looking at is that the solid state timer is powered by 110 ac and would not function on 36volts dc or otherwise.

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 05:21 PM

the wire diagram is on the bottom page of this pdf, but i cant find a schematic of the timer alone. if i knew exactly how the timer worked i might be able to find a way to run it on dc. i know the relay will run with a dc input, but the timer will not know when to turn off the relay without ac voltage applied.... i think...

http://www.lesterelectrical.com/serv...otingguide.pdf

DOOmsman · 12-06-2010, 05:22 PM

A small transformer and inverter??

wesleycox · 12-06-2010, 05:40 PM

that might work just fine. it would definitely supply the necessary voltage to power the circuit. my concern is the power draw to compensate for the inversion from dc to ac. the ac inverter would be a constant drain on the pack without a kill switch.
plus a breadboard is something my customer probably has never seen. although I know we threw simplicity out the window long ago.

dougmcp · 12-06-2010, 06:05 PM

Why worry about a timer etc, just put a simple voltage regulator on it set at 43v, at that voltage it won't overcharge or boil the batteries.

12-06-2010, 02:32 PM	#1
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? this may be a shot in the dark, but has anyone ever tried to build a charge controller for monitoring solar panels out of an old charger? the premise seems sound and i will do my own research as well. just wondering if anyone has already tried it out. all comments are welcome and feel free to call me an idiot if you know something i don't

12-06-2010, 03:49 PM	#2
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? looks like most timer assy's are built to run on ac voltage. if anyone knows of a timer board built to run dc input voltage let me know

12-06-2010, 04:45 PM	#3
DOOmsman Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Reddick IL Posts: 11,220	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? Timer(tick tick) or control (voltage)??? I am certain all solid state is dc

12-06-2010, 04:55 PM	#4
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? im referring to the electronic timer inside modern chargers. they monitor and control dc voltage output for charging the battery pack, but the circuit board itself is powered by the 120 ac input from the wall.

12-06-2010, 05:02 PM	#5
dougmcp Gone Wild Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 2,757	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? First some questions: Is this to recharge the cart or a home solar system? How many volts/amps does your solar panel generate? How many batteries and what voltage are you trying to charge? What area of the country do you live in?

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12-06-2010, 05:12 PM	#6
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? no solar panel yet, just had a customer with a fried transformer ask if it was possible to reuse some of the parts in his lestronic 2 as a charge controller for a solar setup. if my math is right a 15 amp charge on a 36 volt pack should require a 540 solar panel or better. this will be run in north Texas on a 36 volt ezgo series. the problem in looking at is that the solid state timer is powered by 110 ac and would not function on 36volts dc or otherwise.

12-06-2010, 05:21 PM	#7
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? the wire diagram is on the bottom page of this pdf, but i cant find a schematic of the timer alone. if i knew exactly how the timer worked i might be able to find a way to run it on dc. i know the relay will run with a dc input, but the timer will not know when to turn off the relay without ac voltage applied.... i think... http://www.lesterelectrical.com/serv...otingguide.pdf

12-06-2010, 05:22 PM	#8
DOOmsman Gone Wild Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Reddick IL Posts: 11,220	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? A small transformer and inverter??

12-06-2010, 05:40 PM	#9
wesleycox Not Yet Wild Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: denton, tx Posts: 60	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? that might work just fine. it would definitely supply the necessary voltage to power the circuit. my concern is the power draw to compensate for the inversion from dc to ac. the ac inverter would be a constant drain on the pack without a kill switch. plus a breadboard is something my customer probably has never seen. although I know we threw simplicity out the window long ago.

12-06-2010, 06:05 PM	#10
dougmcp Gone Wild Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Roseville, CA Posts: 2,757	Re: building a solar panel charge controller from an old charger? Why worry about a timer etc, just put a simple voltage regulator on it set at 43v, at that voltage it won't overcharge or boil the batteries.

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