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3A 6V/12V Solar Charge Control

JIM KEITH (HTTPS://WWW.ELECTROSCHEMATICS.COM/AUTHOR/J-KEITH/)

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solar chargers (/tag/solar-charger-circuits) TL431 (/tag/tl431)

This solar charge control combines multiple features into a single design: 3A current rating, low dropout voltage (LDO), range
of voltage adjustment (accommodates 6 & 12V lead-acid batteries), reverse polarity protection, low parts cost ($5.90) and low
parts count (14 components). High performance is attributed to the application of the common LM358 op amp and TL431
adjustable shunt voltage regulator.

Speci cations
Max solar panel rating (12V): 43W (open circuit solar panel voltage = 18 to 20V)
Max solar panel rating (6V): 22W (open circuit solar panel voltage = 9 to 10V)
Maximum input voltage: 36V
Output voltage range: 4.5 to 15V (continuously adjustable)
Max power dissipation: 17W (includes power dissipation of D3)
Typical dropout voltage: 0.7V @ 3A (less @ lower currents)
Maximum current: 3A (current limiting provided by solar panel characteristics)
Voltage regulation: 5mV (voltage change no load to full load)
Battery discharge: 100µA (most commercially units discharge at typically 5mA)
Reverse battery protection: Control shuts down if battery is inadvertently connected reverse

Solar Charge Control Circuit Schematic

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(https://www.electroschematics.com/wp-

content/uploads/2013/06/3A-Solar-Charge-Control-Schematic.jpg)

ADVERTISING

inRead invented by Teads

Other solar charge controls that I have posted at electroschematics.com

https://www.electroschematics.com/6888/solar-battery-charger-circuit/ (https://www.electroschematics.com/6888/solar-battery-
charger-circuit/)
https://www.electroschematics.com/6916/6v-ldo-solar-charge-control-circuit/ (https://www.electroschematics.com/6916/6v-ldo-solar-
charge-control-circuit/)
https://www.electroschematics.com/6899/12v-ldo-solar-charge-control/ (https://www.electroschematics.com/6899/12v-ldo-solar-
charge-control/)

Bill of Materials

(https://www.electroschematics.com/wp-

content/uploads/2013/06/3A-Solar-Charge-Control-BOM.jpg)

Link to Excel le
3A solar charge control bom.xls (https://www.electroschematics.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3A-Solar-Charge-Control-BOM.rar)
Operation at reduced current/power
While designed for 3A maximum, it will function just as well at low currents. If applied below 200mA, the heatsink may be
eliminated. If applied below 1A, D3 may be reduced in size.

Nominal vs. actual charging voltage

When the voltage is stated (e.g. 12V), this is a reference to the nominal battery voltage (voltage in name only). Actual battery
voltage ranges from 10.5V (fully discharged) to (14V fully charged).
Float charge voltage vs. full charge voltage in lead-acid batteries
(/)
The oat charge voltage is the charging voltage that may remain connected long term—this is approximately 7V for 6V
batteries and 14V for 12V batteries—actual manufacturer’s recommendation may vary somewhat, so it may be helpful to
check the actual speci cations. For faster charging, the voltage may be set slightly higher (e.g. 7.4V for 6V batteries or 14.5V
for 12V batteries)—this charges the battery more rapidly, but requires that the control be intelligent enough to reduce the
voltage to the oat charge level after charging is complete. Most charge controls (like this one) simply charge at the oat
charge voltage—all automotive electrical systems do this.

Mismatched solar panel application—-

charging 6V batteries from 18V solar panels
Normally, solar panels are designed for a speci c battery voltage applications. For 12V applications, the solar panel open
circuit voltage is generally 18 to 20V. Similarly, for 6V applications, the solar panel voltage open circuit voltage is generally 9
to 10V. Since the 9 to 10V panels are relatively uncommon, it is not unusual to use 18 to 20V panels for charging 6V batteries.
However, in this case the power dissipation of the series regulator transistor is multiplied by a factor of approximately 5. To
prevent thermal destruction of Q1, the current rating in such cases must be derated from 3A to 1A.

A potential work-around is the addition of a 3Ω, 25W resistor in series with the solar panel—this reduces the control input
voltage thus maintaining the 3A current rating.

The characteristics of a linear series regulator

The dissipated power is simply the voltage drop times the current. When there is current, but little voltage, the power
dissipation is low—when there is voltage, but little current, the power dissipation is also low—when both current and
voltage are present simultaneously, there is substantial power. Such is the nature of a linear regulator. The power is
maximum when the battery starts to “top o ” at the set voltage.

Dropout Voltage
The input voltage exceeds the input voltage by 0.7V when charging at the maximum rate—the lower, the better. Low Dropout
Voltage (LDO) is the catch phrase for anything under approximately 2V. This is an important detail for 6V systems—for 12V
systems, it is not generally a big issue.

Current Limiting
Current limiting is provided by the solar panel—it is not a commonly understood fact that the solar panel tends to be a
constant current device. For this reason, a solar panel can withstand a short circuit. Therefore, the control itself does not
require a current limiting feature.

Voltage Reference
The Texas Instrument TL431 is an inexpensive programmable shunt regulator. In this circuit, it is applied at the minimum
voltage (2.5V) and does not require the usual voltage divider resistors. The TL432 is very similar, but the pin-out is di erent.
Both are available in a variety of package outlines, but only the TL431 is available in the popular TO-92 package.

Circuit Operation
R1 biases D1, the voltage reference diode. The 2.5V reference from D1 is compared with voltage feedback from the resistor
divider. The op amp does all within its power to keep these two voltages identical. The ratio of R3 /R2 controls the
proportional gain, and C1 is a compensation capacitor that blocks DC feedback, but responds to changes in output signal thus
maintaining stability (prevents oscillation). Zener D2 prevents overvoltage at the gate of Q1—R4 limits op amp output
current when D2 is conducting. C1 is the positive rail bypass capacitor. D3 prevents battery voltage from appearing across the
solar panel and prevents unnecessary battery discharge when the solar cells are not generating power.

When the feedback voltage from the wiper of R6 drops below 2.5V, the output of U1A moves in the negative direction thus
turning Q1 on. The increased current out of Q1 causes the battery voltage to increase and increases the voltage at the wiper of
R6 until it is equal to the reference voltage.

It may seem like a waste to use a dual op amp when only a single is required, but the LM358 remains the least expensive and
most available device. It also has an undocumented feature that provides reverse battery connection. When the battery
voltage is reverse, the non-inverting input of U1 is driven below the negative rail (common)—when this happens, the output
of the op amp swings to the positive rail thus turning o Q1 and protecting the circuit against this potentially damaging
condition. While this ‘malfunction’ is perhaps well known in the engineering community, the application of this as a circuit
trick is new to the world.

Photos
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(/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3a-solar-charge-control-getting-ready-to-build.jpg)

(/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3a-solar-charge-control-perf-board-assy.jpg)

(/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3a-solar-charge-control-protoboard.jpg)

(/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3a-solar-charge-control-test-setup.jpg)

For the future

Reduced intelligence MPPT charge control dispenses with the microcontroller

Undocumented words and idioms (for our ESL friends)

work-around –idiom –noun, the solution of a problem that avoids redesigning key components—sometimes cumbersome

TL431 datasheet (https://www.electroschematics.com/8895/tl431-datasheet/)

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75 Comments

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tschaerni
Hi,
I like the design and I build one for my self because I want to charge a 3S LiIo Pack with it (12.6V charge cut o voltage, and I’m also building
a balancer for it) and I’m using a 40W Panel with a voltage around 13.6V. Because of that a linear charge controller would be the most
e cient thing to use.

I was thinking about e ciency, and how I can replace diode D3. I think it would work to use a second P-Channel Mosfet instead D3 (name it
Q2). The Gate of Q2 would be on the same pin as Gate from Q1, drain of Q2 on drain of Q1 and source of Q2 would be the output. Like in this
picture –> https://i.imgur.com/UYdW9kA.png (https://i.imgur.com/UYdW9kA.png)

I think I will test this in the next days if I have the Time. But if it works (IMHO it should work) that would be a _really_ LDO Charge
controller.

Cheers!
– tschaerni

Posted on June 08th 2017 | 5:19 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1902727)

 Log in to Reply (https://www.electroschematics.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.electroschematics.com%2F8847%2F3a-6v12v-solar-
charge-control%2F)

John
Hello Jim,
I have built the circuit and it does a great job of holding the voltage to 14V when the input voltage is between 19-23V however when the
voltage drops below that threshold the output becomes too low to charge the battery. Do you have any suggestions for xing this issue?

Thank you

Posted on April 30th 2016 | 11:06 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1900035)

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charge-control%2F)

Jim Keith
Recheck your circuit and make no assumptions–check out this article:
https://www.electroschematics.com/8165/tips-on-troubleshooting/ (https://www.electroschematics.com/8165/tips-on-troubleshooting/)

Posted on April 21st 2016 | 2:29 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1899791)

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charge-control%2F)

gauraveee710gmail-com
i did above circuit, i am getting output voltage around 12-14 v (i am using 1M pot), but for every value of pot i am getting output current of
controller zero.

Posted on April 11th 2016 | 6:14 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1899264)

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emmaotsapa (/)
Yes it does.Thanks for the detailed answer,i appreciate.Only wish the answer came much sooner.

Posted on January 21st 2016 | 7:49 am (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1894293)

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charge-control%2F)

Jim Keith
This design is largely empirical, based upon my experience. I simulated it my cranial simulator that is surprisingly good sometimes and
surprisingly poor at other times.

D1, voltage reference: Tying the adjustment pin back to the cathode, sets the voltage at 2.5V or minimum. It is biased close to minimum
recommended current to conserve power (1mA).

R1 sets the D1 bias current. This is set at the minimum input voltage for a 6V battery @ full charge (approx 7.4V + 0.6V diode drop). R1 = (8V –
2.5V) / 1mA. 4.7K is close enough–generally non-critical.

C1 is a high frequency bypass capacitor to keep the op amp stable. The value is generally non-critical so an empirical value of 0.1uf was
chosen.

Zener D2 limits the gate to source voltage of Q1. With no load connected and high solar panel voltage, the Vgs otherwise well exceeds the
maximum Vgs rating because the output of the output of the op amp drops to zero. This prevents MOSFET gate punch-through voltage
failure. 12V was chosen to exceed the normally speci ed full ON Vgs of -10V.

R4 limits the current through D2 during the above fault condition. It is empirically chosen to be high enough to limit the current to below
about 1mA, but low enough so that the RC phase shift caused by R4 and the input capacitance of Q1 is much lower than the op amp response
–driving an integrator with an integrator causes instability (oscillation).

Q1 is selected for low Rdson (0.07Ω) and low cost (about $1). It is overkill, but works well.

D2 is just a cheap 3A silicon diode that keeps the battery voltage from appearing across the solar panel when the sun is not shining –such
can discharge the battery because the reverse leakage of the solar panel is not speci ed.

Adjustable feedback voltage divider (R5, R6 & R7), sets the full charge output voltage. The values are calculated by Ohms law –the voltage at
the wiper of R6 is 2.5V if operated within the limits of normal operation. (Abnormal operation would be battery open or short circuit etc.)

U1A is an inexpensive op amp. The LM358 is perhaps the cheapest available and it just happens to be a dual, so the unused section is
neglected. The error ampli er circuit has an open circuit voltage gain of perhaps 100,000, so the di erence between the 2.5V reference and
the wiper of R6 is extremely low. By putting C2 in the feedback loop, the amp runs at maximum gain –the op amp does everything it can to
keep the pot wiper voltage equal to the reference voltage. The circuit has a proportional voltage gain of 3 that is set by (R3 + R2)/R2. If the
proportional gain is too high, the circuit will oscillate. It is possible that R3 may be shorted –in this case the proportional gain would be
unity. The values are empirically chosen as a place to start –since it worked OK, no resistance changes were required. The same goes for the
value of integrator capacitor C2 that was empirically chosen at 0.1uf.

Hope this answers your question.

Posted on January 15th 2016 | 1:35 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1892472)

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charge-control%2F)

emmaotsapa
Thanks i have tested the circuit and it works ne,i am doing it as a school project.i would like to understand how the circuit was analysed.i.e
each component value was determined and calculated.Pls a quick response will be appreciated.

Posted on January 06th 2016 | 11:48 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1889322)

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shafqat
sir plese tell about any two or equivlent for each f these P80PF55 (80A, 55V MOSFET P Channel) and 80SQ045 schotky doide. it is not avail
here in pakistan
i want to use this circuit for a 150 watt solar panel, please sir i need it urgently

Posted on January 03rd 2016 | 3:14 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1887857)

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emmaotsapa
Please i would like to understand how the circuit was analyse.i.e how each component value was determined and calculated.

Posted on December 18th 2015 | 8:07 pm (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1881606)

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charge-control%2F)

shafqat
sir plese tell about any two or equivlent for ech f these P80PF55 (80A, 55V MOSFET P Channel) and 80SQ045 schotky doide. it is not avail here
in pakistan

Posted on December 17th 2015 | 12:07 am (https://www.electroschematics.com/8847/3a-6v12v-solar-charge-control/#comment-1880515)

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