Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Trending News

Promoted
cplkittle
Lv 6
cplkittle asked in Consumer ElectronicsOther - Electronics · 9 years ago

How do I regulate a 12v output from a battery being charged at a variable rate from 14-18vdc?

I want to charge a 12v car battery with a solar panel and run LED lights in my house off of the battery. What do I need on the OUTPUT side of the battery to regulate the voltage and keep it at a constant 12 volts +/- 5% at around 5 amps. Is there something from a computer or old car amplifier I can rob, do you have the specs to draw a diagram I can build one from?

Update:

I need to clarify a little. I have 300 3.2v LED lights. I know how to wire them up in series of 4 to get a 12.8 volt configuration. LED lights are voltage sensitive. If I wired them straight to a 12 volt battery all is good, however, I am using a solar panel that fluctuates in charging voltage from 14-18 vdc. If I give a 12.8 volt series of LEDs 18 volts, they will burn out. I need more than 12.6 volts to charge the battery, but I can not let that high of a voltage pass through to the lights. I want a 14-18 volt trickle charge on the battery and I want a 12-13 volt output. If I regulate the voltage coming off the solar panel, it will not charge the battery so the regulator / reducer needs to be on the output side of the battery before the LEDs.

2 Answers

Relevance
  • Number 6
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Search for "Solar Regulator" on eBay. They range from 120W ($12) up to 5200W ($588). They have connections for the Solar Panel, Battery and Load (Lights, Motors, etc). I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for there.

    Source(s): http://www.ebay.com/
  • classicsat
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Nothing. LED light should work from battery 12V. You just need a fuse. If you must, maybe a couple 4001 type diodes in series (each drops 0.6V ).

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.