Circuit diagrams for car batteries. Homemade car charger from parts from old devices

Charger for car batteries.

It’s not new to anyone if I say that any motorist should have a charger in the garage for battery. Of course, you can buy it in a store, but when faced with this question, I came to the conclusion that it is obviously not very good device I don't want to buy it at a reasonable price. There are those in which the charge current is regulated powerful switch, which adds or reduces the number of turns in the secondary winding of the transformer, thereby increasing or decreasing the charging current, while there is basically no current monitoring device. This is probably the cheapest option for a factory-made charger, but a smart device is not that cheap, the price is really steep, so I decided to find a circuit on the Internet and assemble it myself. The selection criteria were as follows:

A simple scheme, without unnecessary bells and whistles;
- availability of radio components;
- smooth adjustment charging current from 1 to 10 amperes;
- it is desirable that this is a diagram of a charging and training device;
- easy setup;
- stability of operation (according to reviews of those who have already done this scheme).

Searching the Internet, I came across industrial scheme charger with regulating thyristors.

Everything is typical: a transformer, a bridge (VD8, VD9, VD13, VD14), a pulse generator with adjustable duty cycle (VT1, VT2), thyristors as switches (VD11, VD12), a charge control unit. Simplifying this design somewhat, we get a simpler diagram:

There is no charge control unit in this diagram, and the rest is almost the same: trans, bridge, generator, one thyristor, measuring heads and fuse. Please note that the circuit contains a KU202 thyristor; it is a little weak, so in order to prevent breakdown by high current pulses, it must be installed on a radiator. The transformer is 150 watt, or you can use a TS-180 from an old tube TV.

Adjustable charger with a charge current of 10A on the KU202 thyristor.

And one more device that does not contain scarce parts, with a charging current of up to 10 amperes. It is a simple thyristor power regulator with phase-pulse control.

The thyristor control unit is assembled on two transistors. The time during which capacitor C1 will charge before switching the transistor is set by variable resistor R7, which, in fact, sets the value of the battery charging current. Diode VD1 serves to protect the thyristor control circuit from reverse voltage. The thyristor, as in the previous schemes, is placed on a good radiator, or on a small one with a cooling fan. The printed circuit board of the control unit looks like this:

The scheme is not bad, but it has some disadvantages:
- fluctuations in supply voltage lead to fluctuations in the charging current;
- no protection against short circuit except for the fuse;
- the device interferes with the network (can be treated with an LC filter).

Charging and restoring device for rechargeable batteries.

This pulse device can charge and restore almost any type of battery. The charging time depends on the condition of the battery and ranges from 4 to 6 hours. Due to the pulsed charging current, the battery plates are desulfated. See the diagram below.

In this scheme, the generator is assembled on a microcircuit, which ensures more stable operation. Instead of NE555 you can use the Russian analogue - timer 1006VI1. If anyone doesn’t like the KREN142 for powering the timer, it can be replaced with a conventional parametric stabilizer, i.e. resistor and zener diode with the required stabilization voltage, and reduce resistor R5 to 200 Ohm. Transistor VT1- on the radiator in mandatory, gets very hot. The circuit uses a transformer with a 24 volt secondary winding. A diode bridge can be assembled from diodes like D242. For better cooling of the transistor heatsink VT1 you can use a fan from computer unit power supply or cooling of the system unit.

Restoring and charging the battery.

As a result of improper use of car batteries, their plates can become sulfated and the battery fails.
There is a known method for restoring such batteries when charging them with an “asymmetrical” current. In this case, the ratio of charging and discharging current is chosen to be 10:1 ( optimal mode). This mode allows you not only to restore sulfated batteries, but also to carry out preventive treatment of serviceable ones.

Rice. 1. Electrical circuit of the charger

In Fig. 1 shows a simple charger designed to use the method described above. The circuit provides a pulse charging current of up to 10 A (used for accelerated charging). To restore and train batteries, it is better to set the pulse charging current to 5 A. In this case, the discharge current will be 0.5 A. The discharge current is determined by the value of the resistor R4.
The circuit is designed in such a way that the battery is charged by current pulses during one half of the period of the mains voltage, when the voltage at the output of the circuit exceeds the voltage at the battery. During the second half-cycle, diodes VD1, VD2 are closed and the battery is discharged through load resistance R4.

The charging current value is set by regulator R2 using an ammeter. Considering that when charging the battery, part of the current also flows through resistor R4 (10%), the readings of ammeter PA1 should correspond to 1.8 A (for a pulse charging current of 5 A), since the ammeter shows the average value of the current over a period of time, and the charge produced during half the period.

The circuit provides protection for the battery from uncontrolled discharge in the event of an accidental loss of mains voltage. In this case, relay K1 with its contacts will open the battery connection circuit. Relay K1 is used of the RPU-0 type with an operating winding voltage of 24 V or a lower voltage, but in this case a limiting resistor is connected in series with the winding.

For the device, you can use a transformer with a power of at least 150 W with a voltage in the secondary winding of 22...25 V.
The PA1 measuring device is suitable with a scale of 0...5 A (0...3 A), for example M42100. Transistor VT1 is installed on a radiator with an area of ​​at least 200 square meters. cm, for which it is convenient to use the metal case of the charger design.

The circuit uses a transistor with a high gain (1000...18000), which can be replaced with a KT825 when changing the polarity of the diodes and zener diode, since it has a different conductivity (see Fig. 2). The last letter in the transistor designation can be anything.

Rice. 2. Electrical circuit of the charger

To protect the circuit from accidental short circuit, fuse FU2 is installed at the output.
The resistors used are R1 type C2-23, R2 - PPBE-15, R3 - C5-16MB, R4 - PEV-15, the value of R2 can be from 3.3 to 15 kOhm. Any VD3 zener diode is suitable, with a stabilization voltage from 7.5 to 12 V.
reverse voltage.

Which wire is better to use from the charger to the battery.

Of course, it is better to take flexible stranded copper, but the cross-section must be chosen based on what maximum current will pass through these wires, for this we look at the sign:

If you are interested in the circuitry of pulsed charge-recovery devices using the 1006VI1 timer in the master oscillator, read this article:

The vehicle's on-board network is powered by the battery until the power plant starts. But it itself does not generate electrical energy. The battery is simply a container for electricity, which is stored in it and, if necessary, given to consumers. Afterwards, the expended energy is restored due to the operation of the generator, which produces it.

But even constant recharging The battery from the generator is not capable of fully recovering the energy consumed. This requires periodic charging from an external source rather than a generator.

Design and principle of operation of the charger

Chargers are used to produce. These devices operate from a 220 V network. In fact, the charger is a conventional electrical energy converter.

He takes alternating current 220 V network, lowers it and converts it into direct current with a voltage of up to 14 V, that is, to the voltage that the battery itself produces.

Nowadays a large number of all kinds of chargers– from primitive and simple devices to devices with a large number of various additional functions.

Chargers are also sold, which, in addition to possibly recharging the battery installed on the car, can also start the power plant. Such devices are called charging and starting devices.

There are also autonomous charging and starting devices that can recharge the battery or start the engine without connecting the device itself to a 220 V network. Inside such a device, in addition to equipment that converts electrical energy, there is also one, which makes such a device autonomous, although the battery of the device is also After each release of electricity, charging is required.

Video: How to make a simple charger

As for conventional chargers, the simplest of them consists of only a few elements. The main element of such a device is a step-down transformer. It lowers the voltage from 220 V to 13.8 V, which is the most optimal for charging the battery. However, the transformer only lowers the voltage, but converting it from alternating current to direct current is performed by another element of the device - a diode bridge, which rectifies the current and divides it into positive and negative poles.

Behind the diode bridge, an ammeter is usually included in the circuit, which shows the current strength. The simplest device uses a dial ammeter. In more expensive devices, it can be digital; in addition to the ammeter, a voltmeter can also be built-in. Some chargers have the ability to select voltage; for example, they can charge both 12-volt and 6-volt batteries.

Wires with “positive” and “negative” terminals come out of the diode bridge, which connect the device to the battery.

All this is enclosed in a housing, from which comes a wire with a plug for connecting to the network, and wires with terminals. To protect the entire circuit from possible damage, it contains a fuse.

In general, this is the entire circuit of a simple charger. Charging the battery is relatively simple. The terminals of the device are connected to the discharged battery, but it is important not to mix up the poles. The device is then connected to the network.

At the very beginning of charging, the device will supply voltage with a current of 6-8 amperes, but as charging progresses, the current will decrease. All this will be displayed on the ammeter. If the battery is fully charged, the ammeter needle will drop to zero. This is the entire process of charging the battery.

The simplicity of the charger circuit makes it possible to manufacture it yourself.

Making your own car charger

Now let's look at the simplest chargers that you can make yourself. The first will be a device that schematic diagram very similar to what was described.

The diagram shows:
S1 - power switch (toggle switch);
FU1 - 1A fuse;
T1 - transformer TN44;
D1-D4 - diodes D242;
C1 - capacitor 4000 uF, 25 V;
A - 10A ammeter.

So, to make a homemade charger you will need a step-down transformer TS-180-2. Such transformers were used on old tube TVs. Its feature is the presence of two primary and secondary windings. Moreover, each of the secondary output windings has 6.4 V and 4.7 A. Therefore, in order to achieve the 12.8 V required for charging the battery, which this transformer is capable of, you need to connect these windings in series. For this, a short wire with a cross-section of at least 2.5 mm is used. sq. The jumper connects not only the secondary windings, but also the primary ones.

Video: The simplest battery charger

Next, you will need a diode bridge. To create it, 4 diodes are taken, designed for a current of at least 10 A. These diodes can be fixed on a textolite plate, and then they can be connected correctly. Wires are connected to the output diodes, which the device will connect to the battery. At this point, the assembly of the device can be considered complete.

Now about the correctness of the charging process. When connecting a device to a battery, do not reverse the polarity, otherwise you can damage both the battery and the device.

When connecting to a battery, the device must be completely de-energized. You can turn it on only after connecting it to the battery. It should also be disconnected from the battery after disconnecting from the network.

A heavily discharged battery cannot be connected to the device without a means that reduces the voltage and current, otherwise the device will supply a high current to the battery, which can damage the battery. An ordinary 12-volt lamp, which is connected to the output terminals in front of the battery, can act as a reducing agent. The lamp will light up when the device is operating, thereby partially absorbing the voltage and current. Over time, after the battery is partially charged, the lamp can be removed from the circuit.

When charging, you need to periodically check the state of charge of the battery, for which you can use a multimeter, voltmeter or load plug.

A fully charged battery, when checking its voltage, should show at least 12.8 V; if the value is lower, further charging is required to bring this indicator to the desired level.

Video: DIY car battery charger

Since this circuit does not have a protective housing, you should not leave the device unattended during operation.

And even if this device does not provide the optimal 13.8 V output, it is quite suitable for recharging the battery, although after about two years of using the battery, you will still need to charge it with a factory device that provides all the optimal parameters for charging the battery.

Transformerless charger

The design is interesting in design homemade device, which does not have a transformer. Its role in this device is played by a set of capacitors designed for a voltage of 250 V. There must be at least 4 such capacitors. The capacitors themselves are connected in parallel.

A resistor is connected in parallel to the set of capacitors, designed to suppress the residual voltage after disconnecting the device from the network.

Next you will need diode bridge for operation with a permissible current of at least 6 A. It is connected to the circuit after a set of capacitors. And then the wires that will connect the device to the battery are connected to it.

Car enthusiasts who do not change their cars every 2 years will sooner or later encounter a discharged battery. This happens both due to its wear and the fault of other elements of the on-board electrical network. To continue to use the battery, you need to constantly recharge it. There are two options here: buy a factory-made device for this purpose or assemble a charger for the car with your own hands.

Briefly about factory charger models

The retail chain sells 3 types of devices designed to restore car power supplies:

• pulse;
• automatic;
• transformer charging and starting devices.

The first type of charger is capable of fully charging batteries using pulses in two modes - first at a constant voltage, and then at a constant current. These are the simplest and most affordable products suitable for recharging all types of car batteries. Automatic models are more complex, but do not require supervision during operation. Despite the higher price, similar chargers - the best choice for a novice driver, because thanks to the protection systems they will never overheat or damage the battery.

Recently, mobile devices have appeared on sale, equipped with their own battery, which transfers charge to the car when necessary. But they will also have to be periodically charged from a 220 V power supply.

Powerful transformer devices, capable of not only recharging the power source, but also rotating the machine’s starter, are more related to professional installations. Such a charger, although it has wide capabilities, costs a lot of money, so it is of little interest to ordinary users.

But what to do when the battery is already dead, there is no charger at home yet, and you need to go to work tomorrow? A one-time option is to turn to neighbors or friends for help, but it is better to make a primitive memory device with your own hands.

What should the device consist of?

The main elements of any charger are:

1. 220 V mains voltage converter - coil or transformer. Its task is to provide a voltage acceptable for recharging the battery, which is 12-15 V.
2. Rectifier. It converts alternating current from household electricity into direct current, which is necessary to restore battery charge.
3. Switch and fuse.
4. Wires with terminals.

Factory devices are additionally equipped with instruments for measuring voltage and current, protective elements and timers. A homemade charger can also be upgraded to the factory level, provided that you have knowledge of electrical engineering. If you only know the basics, then at home you can assemble the following primitive structures:

• charging from a laptop adapter;
• charger made from parts from old household appliances.

Recharging using a laptop adapter

Devices for powering laptops already have a built-in converter and rectifier. In addition, there are elements of stabilization and smoothing of the output voltage. To use them as a charging device, you should check the value of this voltage. It must be at least 12 V, otherwise the car battery will not charge.

To check, you need to insert the adapter plug into the socket and connect the positive terminal of the voltmeter to the contact located inside the round plug. The negative contact is located outside. If the voltmeter shows 12 V or more, then connect the adapter to the battery as follows:

1. Take 2 copper wires, strip their ends and attach them to the plug contacts.
2. Connect the negative terminal of the battery to the wire from the external contact of the adapter.
3. Connect the wire from the internal contact to the “positive” terminal.
4. Place a low-power 12 V car light bulb into the gap in the positive wire; it will serve as a ballast resistor.
5. Open the battery cover or unscrew the plugs and plug in the adapter.

Such charging for a car battery is not capable of restoring a completely dead power source. But if the charge has been partially lost, then in a few hours the battery can be recharged to start the engine.

As a charger, it is allowed to use other types of adapters that provide an output voltage of 12-15 V.

Negative point: if the “banks” are short-circuited inside the battery, then the low-power adapter can quickly fail, and you will be left without a car and a laptop. Therefore, you should carefully monitor the process for the first half hour and if it overheats, immediately turn off charging.

Assembling a memory from old radio components

The option with adapters is not suitable for constant use, since there is a risk of damaging the device, despite the fact that the charging speed is quite low. A more powerful and reliable charger can be made from parts of old televisions and tube radios, although you will have to work hard to make it. To assemble the circuit you will need:

• power transformer that reduces the voltage to 12-15 V;
• diodes of the D214...D243 series – 4 pcs.;
• electrolytic capacitor with a nominal value of 1000 μF, rated at 25 V;
• old toggle switch (220 V, 6 A) and 1 A fuse socket;
• wires with alligator clips;
• suitable metal housing.

The first step is to check the voltage at the output of the transformer by connecting the primary (power) winding to the mains and taking readings from the ends of other windings (there are several of them). Having selected contacts with the appropriate voltage, bite off or insulate the rest.

An option with a voltage of 24...30 V is suitable if 12 V is not available. It can be reduced by half by changing the scheme.

Assemble a homemade battery charger in this order:

1. Install the transformer in a metal case, place 4 diodes there, screwed with nuts to a sheet of getinax or textolite.
2. Connect the power cable to the power winding of the transformer through a switch and fuse.
3. Solder the diode bridge according to the diagram and connect it with wires to the secondary winding of the transformer.
4. Place a capacitor at the output of the diode bridge, observing the polarity.
5. Connect the charging wires with alligator clips.

To monitor voltage and current, it is advisable to install an indicating ammeter and voltmeter in the memory. The first is connected to the circuit in series, the second in parallel. Subsequently, you can improve the device by adding a manual voltage regulator, control lamp and safety relay.

If the transformer produces up to 30 V, then instead of the diode bridge, install 1 diode connected in series. It will “rectify” the alternating current and reduce it by half - to 15 V.

The speed of charging the battery with a homemade device depends on the power of the transformer, but it will be much higher than when recharging with an adapter. The disadvantage of a self-made device is the lack of automation, which is why the process will have to be controlled so that the electrolyte does not boil away and the battery does not overheat.

Many car enthusiasts have a need to charge the battery. Some use branded chargers for these purposes, others use homemade chargers made at home. How to make and how to properly charge the battery with such a device? We will talk about this below.

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Design and principle of operation of the charger

A simple battery charger is a device used to restore battery charge. The essence of the functioning of any charger is that this device allows you to convert voltage from a 220-volt household network into the voltage required for. Today there are many types of chargers, but any device is based on two main components - a transformer device and a rectifier (the author of the video on how to choose a charging device is the Battery Manager channel).

The process itself consists of several stages:

• when recharging the battery, the charging current parameter decreases and the resistance level increases;
• at the moment when the voltage parameter approaches 12 volts, the charging current level reaches zero - at this moment the battery will be fully charged, and the charger can be turned off.

Instructions for making a simple charger with your own hands

If you want to make a charger for car battery 12 or 6 volts, then we can help you with this. Of course, if you have never encountered such a need before, but want to get a functional device, then it is better to purchase an automatic one. After all, a homemade charger for a car battery will not have the same functions as a branded device.

Tools and materials

So, to make a battery charger with your own hands, you will need the following items:

• soldering iron with consumables;
• textolite plate;
• wire with plug for connecting to a household network;
• radiator from a computer.

Depending on, an ammeter and other components can be additionally used to allow proper charging and charge control. Of course, to make a car charger, you also need to prepare a transformer assembly and a rectifier for charging the battery. By the way, the housing itself can be taken from an old ammeter. The ammeter body has several holes to which you can connect the necessary elements. If you don't have an ammeter, you can find something similar.

Photo gallery “Getting ready for assembly”

Stages

To build a charger for a car battery with your own hands, do the following:

1. So, first you need to work with the transformer. We will show an example of making a homemade charger with a TS-180-2 transformer device - such a device can be removed from an old tube TV. Such devices are equipped with two windings - primary and secondary, and at the output of each secondary component the current is 4.7 amperes and the voltage is 6.4 volts. Accordingly, a homemade charger will produce 12.8 volts, but for this the windings must be connected in series.
2. To connect the windings, you will need a cable whose cross-section will be less than 2.5 mm2.
3. Using a jumper, you need to connect both the secondary and primary components.
4. Then you will need a diode bridge; to equip it, take four diode elements, each of which must be designed to operate under current conditions of at least 10 amperes.
5. The diodes are fixed on the textolite plate, after which they will need to be connected correctly.
6. Cables are connected to the output diode components, with the help of which the homemade charger will be connected to the battery. To measure the voltage level, you can additionally use an electromagnetic head, but if this parameter does not interest you, you can install an ammeter designed for direct current. After completing these steps, the charger will be ready with your own hands (the author of the video about making the simplest device in its design is the Soldering Iron TV channel).

How to charge a battery with a homemade charger?

Now you know how to make a charger for your car at home. But how to use it correctly so that it does not affect the service life of a charged battery?

1. When connecting, you must always observe polarity so as not to mix up the terminals. If you make a mistake and mix up the terminals, you will simply “kill” the battery. So the positive wire from the charger is always connected to the battery positive, and the negative wire to the negative.
2. Never try to test the battery for a spark - despite the fact that there are many recommendations on the Internet regarding this, under no circumstances should you short-circuit the wires. This will negatively affect the operation of the charger and the battery itself in the future.
3. When the device is connected to the battery, it must be disconnected from the network. The same goes for turning it off.
4. When manufacturing and assembling the charger, and during its use, always be careful. To avoid personal injury, always follow safety precautions, particularly when working with electrical components. If errors are made during manufacturing, this can cause not only personal injury, but also failure of the battery as a whole.
5. Never leave a working charger unattended - you need to understand that this is a homemade device and anything can happen during its operation. When recharging, the device and battery should be kept in a ventilated area, as far as possible from explosive materials.

Video “An example of assembling a homemade charger with your own hands”

The video below shows an example of assembling a homemade charger for a car battery for more complex scheme with basic recommendations and advice (the author of the video is the AKA KASYAN channel).

The photo shows a homemade automatic charger for charging 12 V car batteries with a current of up to 8 A, assembled in a housing from a B3-38 millivoltmeter.

Why do you need to charge your car battery?
charger

The battery in the car is charged using an electric generator. To protect electrical equipment and devices from high voltage, which produces car generator, after it a relay-regulator is installed, which limits the voltage in the vehicle’s on-board network to 14.1 ± 0.2 V. To fully charge the battery, a voltage of at least 14.5 V is required.

Thus, it is impossible to fully charge the battery from a generator and before the onset of cold weather it is necessary to recharge the battery from a charger.

Analysis of charger circuits

The scheme for making a charger from a computer power supply looks attractive. The structural diagrams of computer power supplies are the same, but the electrical ones are different, and modification requires high radio engineering qualifications.

I was interested in the capacitor circuit of the charger, the efficiency is high, it does not generate heat, it provides a stable charging current regardless of the state of charge of the battery and fluctuations in the supply network, and is not afraid of output short circuits. But it also has a drawback. If during charging the contact with the battery is lost, the voltage on the capacitors increases several times (the capacitors and transformer form a resonant oscillating circuit with the frequency of the mains), and they break through. It was necessary to eliminate only this one drawback, which I managed to do.

The result was a charger circuit without the above-mentioned disadvantages. For more than 16 years I have been charging any acid batteries at 12 V. The device works flawlessly.

Schematic diagram of a car charger

Despite its apparent complexity, the circuit of a homemade charger is simple and consists of only a few complete functional units.

If the circuit to repeat seems complicated to you, then you can assemble a more one that works on the same principle, but without the automatic shutdown function when fully charged battery

Current limiter circuit on ballast capacitors

In a capacitor car charger, regulation of the magnitude and stabilization of the battery charge current is ensured by connecting ballast capacitors C4-C9 in series with the primary winding of the power transformer T1. The larger the capacitor capacity, the greater the battery charging current.

In practice, this is a complete version of the charger; you can connect a battery after the diode bridge and charge it, but the reliability of such a circuit is low. If contact with the battery terminals is broken, the capacitors may fail.

The capacitance of the capacitors, which depends on the magnitude of the current and voltage on the secondary winding of the transformer, can be approximately determined by the formula, but it is easier to navigate using the data in the table.

To regulate the current in order to reduce the number of capacitors, they can be connected in parallel in groups. My switching is carried out using a two-bar switch, but you can install several toggle switches.

Protection circuit
from incorrect connection of battery poles

Protection circuit against polarity reversal of the charger when not correct connection battery connection to the terminals is made using relay P3. If the battery is connected incorrectly, the VD13 diode does not pass current, the relay is de-energized, the K3.1 relay contacts are open and no current flows to the battery terminals. When connected correctly, the relay is activated, contacts K3.1 are closed, and the battery is connected to the charging circuit. This reverse polarity protection circuit can be used with any charger, both transistor and thyristor. It is enough to connect it to the break in the wires with which the battery is connected to the charger.

Circuit for measuring current and voltage of battery charging

Thanks to the presence of switch S3 in the diagram above, when charging the battery, it is possible to control not only the amount of charging current, but also the voltage. In the upper position of S3, the current is measured, in the lower position the voltage is measured. If the charger is not connected to the mains, the voltmeter will show the battery voltage, and when the battery is charging, the charging voltage. An M24 microammeter with an electromagnetic system is used as a head. R17 bypasses the head in current measurement mode, and R18 serves as a divider when measuring voltage.

Automatic charger shutdown circuit
when the battery is fully charged

To power the operational amplifier and create a reference voltage, a DA1 type 142EN8G 9V stabilizer chip is used. This microcircuit was not chosen by chance. When the temperature of the microcircuit body changes by 10º, output voltage changes by no more than hundredths of a volt.

The system for automatically turning off charging when the voltage reaches 15.6 V is made on half of the A1.1 chip. Pin 4 of the microcircuit is connected to the voltage divider R7, R8 from which it is supplied reference voltage 4.5 V. Pin 4 of the microcircuit is connected to another divider using resistors R4-R6, resistor R5 is a tuning resistor to set the operating threshold of the machine. The value of resistor R9 sets the threshold for switching on the charger to 12.54 V. Thanks to the use of diode VD7 and resistor R9, the necessary hysteresis is provided between the switch-on and switch-off voltages of the battery charge.

The scheme works as follows. When connecting a car battery to a charger, the voltage at the terminals of which is less than 16.5 V, a voltage sufficient to open transistor VT1 is established at pin 2 of microcircuit A1.1, the transistor opens and relay P1 is activated, connecting contacts K1.1 to the mains through a block of capacitors the primary winding of the transformer and battery charging begins.

As soon as the charge voltage reaches 16.5 V, the voltage at output A1.1 will decrease to a value insufficient to maintain transistor VT1 in the open state. The relay will turn off and contacts K1.1 will connect the transformer through the standby capacitor C4, at which the charge current will be equal to 0.5 A. The charger circuit will be in this state until the voltage on the battery decreases to 12.54 V. As soon as the voltage will be set equal to 12.54 V, the relay will turn on again and charging will proceed at the specified current. It is possible, if necessary, to disable the automatic control system using switch S2.

Thus, the system of automatic monitoring of battery charging will eliminate the possibility of overcharging the battery. The battery can be left connected to the included charger for at least a whole year. This mode is relevant for motorists who drive only in the summer. After the end of the racing season, you can connect the battery to the charger and turn it off only in the spring. Even if there is a power outage, when it returns, the charger will continue to charge the battery as normal.

The principle of operation of the circuit for automatically turning off the charger in case of excess voltage due to the lack of load collected on the second half of the operational amplifier A1.2 is the same. Only the threshold for completely disconnecting the charger from the supply network is set to 19 V. If the charging voltage is less than 19 V, the voltage at output 8 of the A1.2 chip is sufficient to hold the transistor VT2 in the open state, in which voltage is applied to the relay P2. As soon as the charging voltage exceeds 19 V, the transistor will close, the relay will release contacts K2.1 and the voltage supply to the charger will completely stop. As soon as the battery is connected, it will power the automation circuit, and the charger will immediately return to working condition.

Automatic charger design

All parts of the charger are placed in the housing of the V3-38 milliammeter, from which all its contents have been removed, except pointer device. The installation of elements, except for the automation circuit, is carried out using a hinged method.

The housing design of the milliammeter consists of two rectangular frames connected by four corners. There are holes made in the corners with equal spacing, to which it is convenient to attach parts.

The TN61-220 power transformer is secured with four M4 screws on an aluminum plate 2 mm thick, the plate, in turn, is attached with M3 screws to the lower corners of the case. The TN61-220 power transformer is secured with four M4 screws on an aluminum plate 2 mm thick, the plate, in turn, is attached with M3 screws to the lower corners of the case. C1 is also installed on this plate. The photo shows a view of the charger from below.

A 2 mm thick fiberglass plate is also attached to the upper corners of the case, and capacitors C4-C9 and relays P1 and P2 are screwed to it. A printed circuit board is also screwed to these corners, on which the circuit is soldered automatic control charging the battery. In reality, the number of capacitors is not six, as in the diagram, but 14, since in order to obtain a capacitor of the required value it was necessary to connect them in parallel. The capacitors and relays are connected to the rest of the charger circuit via a connector (blue in the photo above), which made it easier to access other elements during installation.

A finned aluminum radiator is installed on the outer side of the rear wall to cool the power diodes VD2-VD5. There is also a 1 A Pr1 fuse and a plug (taken from the computer power supply) for supplying power.

The charger's power diodes are secured using two clamping bars to the radiator inside the case. For this purpose, a rectangular hole is made in the rear wall of the case. This technical solution allowed to minimize the amount of heat generated inside the case and save space. The diode leads and supply wires are soldered onto a loose strip made of foil fiberglass.

The photo shows a view of a homemade charger on the right side. Installation electrical diagram made with colored wires, AC voltage- brown, positive - red, negative - blue wires. The cross-section of the wires coming from the secondary winding of the transformer to the terminals for connecting the battery must be at least 1 mm 2.

The ammeter shunt is a piece of high-resistance constantan wire about a centimeter long, the ends of which are sealed in copper strips. The length of the shunt wire is selected when calibrating the ammeter. I took the wire from the shunt of a burnt pointer tester. One end of the copper strips is soldered directly to the positive output terminal; a thick conductor coming from the contacts of relay P3 is soldered to the second strip. The yellow and red wires go to the pointer device from the shunt.

Printed circuit board of the charger automation unit

Automatic regulation and protection circuit incorrect connection The battery to the charger is soldered on a printed circuit board made of foil fiberglass.

Shown in the photo appearance assembled circuit. The printed circuit board design for the automatic control and protection circuit is simple, the holes are made with a pitch of 2.5 mm.

The photo above shows a view of the printed circuit board from the installation side with parts marked in red. This drawing is convenient when assembling a printed circuit board.

The printed circuit board drawing above will be useful when manufacturing it using laser printer technology.

And this drawing of a printed circuit board will be useful when applying current-carrying tracks of a printed circuit board manually.

The scale of the pointer instrument of the V3-38 millivoltmeter did not fit the required measurements, I had to draw my own version on the computer, print it on thick white paper and glue the moment on top of the standard scale with glue.

Thanks to the larger scale size and calibration of the device in the measurement area, the voltage reading accuracy was 0.2 V.

Wires for connecting the charger to the battery and network terminals

The wires for connecting the car battery to the charger are equipped with alligator clips on one side and split ends on the other side. The red wire is selected to connect the positive terminal of the battery, and the blue wire is selected to connect the negative terminal. The cross-section of the wires for connecting to the battery device must be at least 1 mm 2.

The charger is connected to the electrical network using a universal cord with a plug and socket, as is used to connect computers, office equipment and other electrical appliances.

About Charger Parts

Power transformer T1 is used type TN61-220, the secondary windings of which are connected in series, as shown in the diagram. Since the efficiency of the charger is at least 0.8 and the charging current usually does not exceed 6 A, any transformer with a power of 150 watts will do. The secondary winding of the transformer should provide a voltage of 18-20 V at a load current of up to 8 A. If there is no ready-made transformer, then you can take any suitable power and rewind the secondary winding. You can calculate the number of turns of the secondary winding of a transformer using a special calculator.

Capacitors C4-C9 type MBGCh for a voltage of at least 350 V. You can use capacitors of any type designed to operate in alternating current circuits.

Diodes VD2-VD5 are suitable for any type, rated for a current of 10 A. VD7, VD11 - any pulsed silicon ones. VD6, VD8, VD10, VD5, VD12 and VD13 are any that can withstand a current of 1 A. LED VD1 is any, VD9 I used type KIPD29. A distinctive feature of this LED is that it changes color when the connection polarity is changed. To switch it, contacts K1.2 of relay P1 are used. When charging with the main current, the LED lights up yellow, and when switching to the battery charging mode, it lights up green. Instead of a binary LED, you can install any two single-color LEDs by connecting them according to the diagram below.

The operational amplifier chosen is KR1005UD1, an analogue of the foreign AN6551. Such amplifiers were used in the sound and video unit of the VM-12 video recorder. The good thing about the amplifier is that it does not require bipolar power supply or correction circuits and remains operational at a supply voltage of 5 to 12 V. It can be replaced with almost any similar one. For example, LM358, LM258, LM158 are good for replacing microcircuits, but their pin numbering is different, and you will need to make changes to the printed circuit board design.

Relays P1 and P2 are any for a voltage of 9-12 V and contacts designed for a switching current of 1 A. P3 for a voltage of 9-12 V and a switching current of 10 A, for example RP-21-003. If there are several contact groups in the relay, then it is advisable to solder them in parallel.

Switch S1 of any type, designed to operate at a voltage of 250 V and having a sufficient number of switching contacts. If you don’t need a current regulation step of 1 A, then you can install several toggle switches and set the charging current, say, 5 A and 8 A. If you charge only car batteries, then this solution is completely justified. Switch S2 is used to disable the charge level control system. If the battery is charged with a high current, the system may operate before the battery is fully charged. In this case, you can turn off the system and continue charging manually.

Any electromagnetic head for a current and voltage meter is suitable, with a total deviation current of 100 μA, for example type M24. If there is no need to measure voltage, but only current, then you can install a ready-made ammeter designed for a maximum constant measuring current of 10 A, and monitor the voltage with an external dial tester or multimeter by connecting them to the battery contacts.

Setting up the automatic adjustment and protection unit of the automatic control unit

If the board is assembled correctly and all radio elements are in good working order, the circuit will work immediately. All that remains is to set the voltage threshold with resistor R5, upon reaching which the battery charging will be switched to low current charging mode.

The adjustment can be made directly while charging the battery. But still, it’s better to play it safe and check and configure the automatic control and protection circuit of the automatic control unit before installing it in the housing. You will need a power supply for this. direct current, which has the ability to regulate the output voltage in the range from 10 to 20 V, designed for an output current of 0.5-1 A. From measuring instruments You will need any voltmeter, pointer tester or multimeter designed to measure DC voltage, with a measurement limit from 0 to 20 V.

Checking the voltage stabilizer

After installing all the parts on the printed circuit board, you need to apply a supply voltage of 12-15 V from the power supply to the common wire (minus) and pin 17 of the DA1 chip (plus). By changing the voltage at the output of the power supply from 12 to 20 V, you need to use a voltmeter to make sure that the voltage at output 2 of the DA1 voltage stabilizer chip is 9 V. If the voltage is different or changes, then DA1 is faulty.

Microcircuits of the K142EN series and analogues have protection against short circuits at the output, and if you short-circuit its output to the common wire, the microcircuit will enter protection mode and will not fail. If the test shows that the voltage at the output of the microcircuit is 0, this does not always mean that it is faulty. It is quite possible that there is a short circuit between the tracks of the printed circuit board or one of the radio elements in the rest of the circuit is faulty. To check the microcircuit, it is enough to disconnect its pin 2 from the board and if 9 V appears on it, it means that the microcircuit is working, and it is necessary to find and eliminate the short circuit.

Checking the surge protection system

I decided to start describing the operating principle of the circuit with a simpler part of the circuit, which is not subject to strict operating voltage standards.

The function of disconnecting the charger from the mains in the event of a battery disconnection is performed by a part of the circuit assembled on an operational differential amplifier A1.2 (hereinafter referred to as the op-amp).

Operating principle of an operational differential amplifier

Without knowing the operating principle of the op-amp, it is difficult to understand the operation of the circuit, so I will give short description. The op-amp has two inputs and one output. One of the inputs, which is designated in the diagram by a “+” sign, is called non-inverting, and the second input, which is designated by a “–” sign or a circle, is called inverting. The word differential op-amp means that the voltage at the output of the amplifier depends on the difference in voltage at its inputs. In this scheme operational amplifier included without feedback, in comparator mode – comparison of input voltages.

Thus, if the voltage at one of the inputs remains unchanged, and at the second it changes, then at the moment of passing through the point of equality of voltages at the inputs, the voltage at the output of the amplifier will change abruptly.

Testing the Surge Protection Circuit

Let's return to the diagram. The non-inverting input of amplifier A1.2 (pin 6) is connected to a voltage divider assembled across resistors R13 and R14. This divider is connected to a stabilized voltage of 9 V and therefore the voltage at the point of connection of the resistors never changes and is 6.75 V. The second input of the op-amp (pin 7) is connected to the second voltage divider, assembled on resistors R11 and R12. This voltage divider is connected to the bus through which the charging current flows, and the voltage on it changes depending on the amount of current and the state of charge of the battery. Therefore, the voltage value at pin 7 will also change accordingly. The divider resistances are selected in such a way that when the battery charging voltage changes from 9 to 19 V, the voltage at pin 7 will be less than at pin 6 and the voltage at the op-amp output (pin 8) will be more than 0.8 V and close to the op-amp supply voltage. The transistor will be open, voltage will be supplied to the winding of relay P2 and it will close contacts K2.1. The output voltage will also close diode VD11 and resistor R15 will not participate in the operation of the circuit.

As soon as the charging voltage exceeds 19 V (this can only happen if the battery is disconnected from the output of the charger), the voltage at pin 7 will become greater than at pin 6. In this case, the voltage at the op-amp output will abruptly decrease to zero. The transistor will close, the relay will de-energize and contacts K2.1 will open. The supply voltage to the RAM will be interrupted. At the moment when the voltage at the output of the op-amp becomes zero, diode VD11 opens and, thus, R15 is connected in parallel to R14 of the divider. The voltage at pin 6 will instantly decrease, which will eliminate false positives when the voltages at the op-amp inputs are equal due to ripple and interference. By changing the value of R15, you can change the hysteresis of the comparator, that is, the voltage at which the circuit will return to its original state.

When the battery is connected to the RAM, the voltage at pin 6 will again be set to 6.75 V, and at pin 7 it will be less and the circuit will begin to operate normally.

To check the operation of the circuit, it is enough to change the voltage on the power supply from 12 to 20 V and connect a voltmeter instead of relay P2 to observe its readings. When the voltage is less than 19 V, the voltmeter should show a voltage of 17-18 V (part of the voltage will drop across the transistor), and if it is higher, zero. It is still advisable to connect the relay winding to the circuit, then not only the operation of the circuit will be checked, but also its functionality, and by the clicks of the relay it will be possible to control the operation of the automation without a voltmeter.

If the circuit does not work, then you need to check the voltages at inputs 6 and 7, the op-amp output. If the voltages differ from those indicated above, you need to check the resistor values ​​of the corresponding dividers. If the divider resistors and diode VD11 are working, then, therefore, the op-amp is faulty.

To check the circuit R15, D11, it is enough to disconnect one of the terminals of these elements; the circuit will work, only without hysteresis, that is, it turns on and off at the same voltage supplied from the power supply. Transistor VT12 can be easily checked by disconnecting one of the R16 pins and monitoring the voltage at the output of the op-amp. If the voltage at the output of the op-amp changes correctly, and the relay is always on, it means that there is a breakdown between the collector and emitter of the transistor.

Checking the battery shutdown circuit when it is fully charged

The operating principle of op amp A1.1 is no different from the operation of A1.2, with the exception of the ability to change the voltage cutoff threshold using trim resistor R5.

To check the operation of A1.1, the supply voltage supplied from the power supply smoothly increases and decreases within 12-18 V. When the voltage reaches 15.6 V, relay P1 should turn off and contacts K1.1 switch the charger to low current charging mode through a capacitor C4. When the voltage level drops below 12.54 V, the relay should turn on and switch the charger into charging mode with a current of a given value.

The switching threshold voltage of 12.54 V can be adjusted by changing the value of resistor R9, but this is not necessary.

Using switch S2, it is possible to disable the automatic operating mode by turning on relay P1 directly.

Capacitor charger circuit
without automatic shutdown

For those who do not have sufficient assembly experience electronic circuits or does not need to automatically turn off the charger after charging the battery, I propose a simplified version of the device circuit for charging acid car batteries. A distinctive feature of the scheme is its simplicity for repetition, reliability, high efficiency and stable charging current, protection against incorrect battery connection, automatic continuation of charging in the event of a loss of supply voltage.

The principle of stabilizing the charging current remains unchanged and is ensured by connecting a block of capacitors C1-C6 in series with the network transformer. To protect against overvoltage on the input winding and capacitors, one of the pairs of normally open contacts of relay P1 is used.

When the battery is not connected, the contacts of relays P1 K1.1 and K1.2 are open and even if the charger is connected to the power supply, no current flows to the circuit. The same thing happens if you connect the battery incorrectly according to polarity. When the battery is connected correctly, the current from it flows through the VD8 diode to the winding of relay P1, the relay is activated and its contacts K1.1 and K1.2 are closed. Through closed contacts K1.1 mains voltage is supplied to the charger, and through K1.2 the charging current is supplied to the battery.

At first glance, it seems that relay contacts K1.2 are not needed, but if they are not there, then if the battery is connected incorrectly, current will flow from the positive terminal of the battery through the negative terminal of the charger, then through the diode bridge and then directly to the negative terminal of the battery and diodes the charger bridge will fail.

Proposed simple circuit for charging batteries, it can be easily adapted to charge batteries at a voltage of 6 V or 24 V. It is enough to replace relay P1 with the appropriate voltage. To charge 24-volt batteries, it is necessary to provide an output voltage from the secondary winding of transformer T1 of at least 36 V.

If desired, the circuit of a simple charger can be supplemented with a device for indicating charging current and voltage, turning it on as in the circuit of an automatic charger.

How to charge a car battery
automatic homemade memory

Before charging, the battery removed from the car must be cleaned of dirt and its surfaces wiped with an aqueous solution of soda to remove acid residues. If there is acid on the surface, then the aqueous soda solution foams.

If the battery has plugs for filling acid, then all the plugs must be unscrewed so that the gases formed in the battery during charging can escape freely. It is imperative to check the electrolyte level, and if it is less than required, add distilled water.

Next, you need to set the charge current using switch S1 on the charger and connect the battery, observing the polarity (the positive terminal of the battery must be connected to the positive terminal of the charger) to its terminals. If switch S3 is in the down position, the arrow on the charger will immediately show the voltage the battery is producing. All you have to do is plug the power cord into the socket and the battery charging process will begin. The voltmeter will already begin to show the charging voltage.