Unknown Make Solar regulator

Submitted: Saturday, Jul 02, 2005 at 17:56

ThreadID: 24375 Views:1934 Replies:4 FollowUps:2

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Alan Southport QLD

Hi there,

I have read many posts on this site, mainly about solar panels and battery types, brands and usage from the people who use the equiptment everyday - not just the salesmen.

It's a long shot (but you never know), someone out there might be able to help or point me to someone. With regards to this topic.

I have been handed a 12 volt Solar regulator and do not know the Ampage of it. It may be American made.
There is a philips chip on board HEF4051BT which (long story short), is for 15volt handling.

I have a 4 wire (connection) block terminal with 3 (still screwed in place), cut off RED cables in one, then blank (number 2). 3 cut off BLACK cables in number 3, then blank (number 4).
I would assume that the cut cables (still wired into the Regulator), are inputs and the blank ones for the batterys.
There is a dip switch with 3 pins and the middle (number 2), is ON.
There is also a tiny terminal block with B- T+ and T-. It looks as though T- has been opened (unscrewed to open).

There are also 2 small POTS near a Yellow covered chip with S/N 89 64 (spaces intentional).
The Heat Sink is large and i include a Gallery Picture as the only means i think of giving someone an idea of the REG. Just found out i need to be a member to do it!

Well the circuit board is 2" by 1.5" and the heat sink is about 4" by 3.5" (including the 4 point terminal block.

I don't have any issues with sticking some batterys on it and a couple of panels. But i was hoping that someone could help with the actual AMPAGE of the unit, so i dont damage anything.

The solder joints look very thick and solid - if that helps :)

I can send some photo's if someone thinks they can help me.

Any advice will help.
Thanks,

Alan.

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Reply By: V8troopie - Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 00:29

Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 00:29

Alan, are you sure its a solar regulator? I just keyed in the chip number you mentioned into google and it appears to be a Philips multiplexer chip.
I cannot think of any reason why one would have a multiplexer chip in a regulator circuit.
Klaus

AnswerID: 118601

Follow Up By: Alan Southport QLD - Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 08:36

Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 08:36

Hello Klaus,

Thanks for your reply and your right, the chip does come up as an 8 channel Multiplexer / Demultiplexer ( i managed to get the spec sheet for it).
Can you forward me your email address to - aheywood@bigpond.net.au and if it's ok with you i can send you the pictures.

I'm not sure about what a multi... / demulti... does and only enough about electronics to be dangerous :)
The unit (Reg), came out of a traffic Message board (They have solar panels and batterys for power), so i assumed it must be a regulator (the actual boards have 3 solar panels), so with 3 RED and 3 BLACK wires still screwed in place - i put two and two together.
The panels are probably 75W - so in total would give out around 14Amps Max.
So it could be a 15AMP or a 20, or maybe more.

Not sure if i mentioned it before but there are 4 leds next to the yellow chip that has S/N 89 64 and so my initial enquiry was to try and find what exactly i might have here.

Thanks again for your reply.

Alan.

FollowupID: 373761

Follow Up By: V8troopie - Monday, Jul 04, 2005 at 00:47

Monday, Jul 04, 2005 at 00:47

Ah, a message board, that would explain the multiplexer. This gadget allows one to transmit (8 channels) via just a pair of wires. It, of course, requires a demultiplexer at the far end. Basically the channels are sampled in quick succession and the data is transmitted, one channel at a time, over the wire pair or single channel telemetry. It is done very quickly so, with a slow changing message display, there is no noticeable break visible on the display.
I would think, unless you can come up with a circuit diagram for that gadget, it might be too frustrating for someone like you to try to work out just which parts of the module actually have something to do with the solar panel regulation. Solar regulators are not that expensive, are they?
If you have nothing to lose and like to experiment, here is a hint: a lot of solar regulators actually regulate the negative lead of the panel. On the ones I use the panel's positive lead goes straight to the battery ( via a jumper on the regulator terminal), the negative via the regulator IN and OUT terminals.

Klaus

FollowupID: 373891

Reply By: Member - Collyn R (WA) - Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 14:13

Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 14:13

I do not recognise the unit, but you could probably guesstimate the rating from the size of the heat sink. My feeling is that is that it's more than 10 amps but not more than 20 amps.

Many solar regs are set up so that they current limit at their maximum design rating but I would not have clue if your does that.
Collyn Rivers

AnswerID: 118632

Reply By: Alan Southport QLD - Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 17:13

Sunday, Jul 03, 2005 at 17:13

Follow up:

I have connected an 8Amp Battery Charger as a power source and connected two T105's together and plugged it all in.

Where the 3 chopped RED cables were, i put the charger POS and visa versa for the NEG. I then guessed the output for POS and NEG to the battery feed.

So, being still alive, the Charger didn't send any current into the batterys.

So with the Input and Output Block being vertical, the 4 LEDS being horizontal came on AMBER - GREEN - AMBER - GREEN. So i have no idea what that means.

I measured the voltage of what i thought were the outputs (to the batteries), and it was nil. So no current is either being inputted or being passed on.

I hate these things! I'm all prepared to chuck it in the bin, but as in all things - I HAVE TO KNOW!!!!!!!!

I would like to thank the people who responded and if they have any further advise (besides hitting it with a hammer), all is welcome.

Thanks again.

Alan.

AnswerID: 118645

Reply By: Member - Collyn R (WA) - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 12:45

Tuesday, Jul 05, 2005 at 12:45

Alan

The most probable connections are:

Negative switching: Solar plus to Battery Plu - anbd a lead back to a bat +_ terminal on the regulator. Solar negative to sol- on the reg. Then another cable from batt - on the reg to battery negative

Postive switching, as above but reversing all postives and negatives.

Re microprocessor - very common to find them in all but the cheapest.
Trust this may help (but I'm not hopeful!)
Collyn Rivers

AnswerID: 118936