Power Systems Overview
The power systems is made up of 4 parts:1. The battery pack
2. The solar panel
3. The Low Voltage Cut Off
4. The Balancing Circuit
The batteries chosen for this project are A123 batteries; the battery type was chosen due to its robustness and ability to operate reliably at below freezing temperatures.
The solar panel is a 10W Solar Tech panel. This will trickle charge the battery pack and keep it charged for 6 months.
The LVCO is to stop the batteries from dropping below it's minimum value.
The balancing circuit is to keep the batteries all at the same voltage and stop them from over charging.
Below is the full power systems circuit diagram:
For more details on each part, go to spring progress on the right hand menu.
The total cost of the power system is broken out below:
|
Materials |
Manufacturer |
Description |
Amount per Model |
Cost per Model |
|
Solar Panel |
Solar Tech |
10 W PV Module |
1 |
$72.00 |
|
Batteries |
A123 Cell: 26650 |
Lithium Ion Nanophosophate Technology |
3 |
$50.00 |
|
Pelican Case |
Pelican |
|
1 |
|
|
Diode (for solar panel) |
Radio Shack |
1N4001 Micro 1A Diodes |
1 |
$0.50 |
|
In Line Fuse Holder |
Radio Shack |
5-Amp Inline Fuse Holder for 5x20mm Fuses |
1 |
2.69 |
|
Fuse |
Radio Shack |
1 |
$0.50 |
|
|
LVCO |
|
|
1 |
$14.11 |
|
Balancing |
|
|
3 |
$13.50 |
|
Total Cost |
|
|
|
$153.30 |
Katie Gallo
kgallo@uvm.edu
Tom Lanagan tlanagan@uvm.edu