ABSTRACT

This project describes the design and construction of an automatic Battery charger. Automatic Battery chargers are not particularly cheap, but the protection they afford in protecting batteries against overcharging and possible battery damage is highly desirable. However the work carried out through the construction and design of an inexpensive alternative to the commercially available fully Automatic Battery Chargers, which will automatically monitor the state of the battery and cut off the charge current at the desired point when the battery is fully charged.

  TABLE OF CONTENT

Content                                                                                                                      Page

Cover pagei

Declarationii

Certificationiii

Dedicationiv

Acknowledgementv

Abstract vi

Table of content vii

Chapter one

Introduction1

1.1 Project Motivation4

1.2 Aim and Objectives4

1.3 Problem Statement5

Chapter two

Literature Review6

2.1 Theory and Design7

2.1.1 Definition of a Battery7

2.2 Chemistry of a Lead-Acid Cell8

2.2.1 When Discharging8

2.2.2 When Recharging10

2.3 Effect of Temperature on Battery Operation11

2.3.1 Battery Failure12

2.4 Transformer12

2.5 Rectification14

2.5.1 Full-Wave Bridge Rectifier15

2.6 Zener Diode17

2.7 Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR)19

2.8 Capacitors21

2.9 Diodes22

Chapter three

3.1 Methodology (Circuit Construction)25

3.1.1 AC to DC Unit25

3.1.2 Charge Monitor28

Chapter Four

4.1 Result and Discussion30

4.1.1 Test for the Transformer30

4.1.2 Test for the Rectifier30

4.1.4 Operational Amplifier Test30

4.2 Problems Encountered31

4.3 Components Used31

Chapter Five

5.0 Application, Conclusion and Recommendation32

5.1 Application32

5.2 Conclusion 32

5.3 Recommendation32

5.4 References