Design and construction of self- running pulse battery charger using solid- state devices

Abstract

The self-running pulse charger was designed and constructed using solid-state devices to produce pulse current for charging lead acid batteries. The aim of this research is to reduce the use of kerosene lanterns by rural dwellers and aid pupils to study at night in off-grid communities which do not have electricity. A coil of 200 turns, MJ11016 FET, NE555 IC and various values of resistors, capacitors and diodes were soldered on a printed circuit board (PCB) to ensure proper electrical connection. Digital voltmeter, capacitor and a 12V battery were used to record the pulses. The design was tested by various transistor/coil pair with different battery ratings to determine the output pulse strength of the device. The final results showed that the pulse charger with a coil of large number of turns had strongest output pulses. This will allow for fast charging of the battery there by increasing its efficiency. It is therefore recommended that a coil of 2oo or more turns could be paired with MJ11016FET to design the pulse charger.