AUTO TURN OFF BATTERY CHARGER

         This charger for series-connected 4-cell AA batteries automatically disconnects from mains to stop charging when the batteries are fully charged. It can be used to charge partially discharged cells as well. The circuit is simple and can be divided into AC-to-DC converter, relay driver and charging sections.

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        In the AC-to-DC converter section, transformer X1 steps down mains 230V AC to 9V AC at 750 mA, which is rectified by a full-wave rectifier comprising diodes D1 through D4 and filtered by capacitor C1. Regulator IC LM317 (IC1) provides the required 12V DC charging voltage. When you press switch S1 momentarily, the charger starts operating and the power-on LED1 glows to indicate that the charger is ‘on.’

       The relay driver section uses pnp transistors T1, T2 and T3 (each BC558) to energise electromagnetic relay RL1. Relay RL1 is connected to the collector of transistor T1. Transistor T1 is driven by pnp transistor T2, which, in turn, is driven by pnp transistor T3. Resistor R4 (10-ohm, 0.5W) is connected between the emitter and base of transistor T3.

        When a current of over 65 mA flows through the 12V line, it causes a voltage drop of about 650 mV across resistor R4 to drive transistor T3 and cut off transistor T2. This, in turn, turns transistor T1 ‘on’ to energise relay RL1. Now even if the pushbutton is released, mains is still available to the primary of the transformer through its normally open (N/O) contacts.

          In the charging section, regulator IC1 is biased to give about 7.35V. Preset VR1 is used for adjusting the bias voltage. Diode D6 connected between the output of IC1 and battery limits the output voltage to about 6.7V, Pushing switch S1 latches relay RL1 and the battery cells start charging. As the voltage per cell increases beyond 1.3V, the voltage drop across resistor R4 starts decreasing. When it falls below 650 mV, transistor T3 cuts off to drive transistor T2 and, in turn, cuts off transistor T3. As a result, relay RL1 de-energises to cut off the charger and red LED1 turns off.

         You may determine the charging voltage depending on the NiCd cell specifications by the manufacturer. Here, we’ve set the charging voltage at 7.35V for four 1.5V cells. Nowadays, 700mAH cells are available in the market, which can be charged at 70 mA for 10 hours. The open-circuit voltage is about 1.3V.

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Simple NiCd Battery Charger

A simple NiCd charger can be built using ‘junk box’ components and an inexpensive LM317 or 78xx voltage regulator. Using a current limiter composed of R3 and a transistor, it can charge as many cells as desired until a ‘fully charged’ voltage determined by the voltage regulator is reached, and it indicates whether it is charging or has reached the fully charged state. If the storage capacitor (C1) is omitted, pulsed charging takes place. In this mode, a higher charging current can be used, with all of the control characteristics remaining the same. The operation of the circuit is quite simple. If the cells are not fully charged, a charging current flows freely from the voltage regulator, although it is limited by resistor R3 and transistor T1.

The limit is set by the formula Imax ≈ (0.6 V) ÷ R3 For Imax = 200 mA, this yields R3 = 3 Ω. The LED is on if current limiting is active, which also means that the cells are not yet fully charged. The potential on the reference lead of the voltage regulator is raised by approximately 2.9 V due to the voltage across the LED. This leads to a requirement for a certain minimum number of cells. For an LM317, the voltage between the reference lead and the output is 1.25 V, which means at least three cells must be charged (3 × 1.45 V > 2.9 V + 1.25 V). For a 78xx with a voltage drop of around 3 V (plus 2.9 V), the minimum number is four cells.

When the cells are almost fully charged, the current gradually drops, so the current limiter becomes inactive and the LED goes out. In this state, the voltage on the reference lead of the regulator depends only on voltage divider R1/R2. For a 7805 regulator, the value of R2 is selected such that the current through it is 6 mA. Together with the current through the regulator (around 4 mA), this yields a current of around 10 mA through R1. If the voltage across R1 is 4 V (9 V – 5 V), this yields a value of 390 Ω. The end-of-charge voltage can thus be set to approximately 8.9 V. As the current through the regulator depends on the device manufacturer and the load, the value of R1 must be adjusted as necessary. The value of the storage capacitor must be matched to the selected charging current. As already mentioned, it can also be omitted for pulse charging.

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