DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A UNIVERSAL

TRANSFORMERLESS BATTERY CHARGER

KOMMEY OBLITEY NII

ANDOH RICHMOND
ASIEDU OTENG BRIGHT

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

HIGHER NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF ELECRICAL/ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
ACCRA POLYTECHNIC
SEPTEMBER 2008

CERTIFICATION BY SUPERVISOR
I hereby certify that this project work was carried out under my
supervision. I therefore approve that the work is adequate in scope
and quality for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award
of a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Electrical/Electronics
Engineering.

SUPERVISOR:

F. E. YEBOAH

SIGN.
DATE

DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to our beloved parents: Mr. and Mrs.
Kommey, Asiedu, Andoh for their untiring love and support
throughout our educational life. Also, our sincere thanks and
dedication goes to all those who supported us through advices and
finances.

II

DECLARATION
I Kommey, Andoh, Asiedu. Declares that the work was undertaken
whilst in Accra Polytechnic.
I further affirm that, this work so far as I know has not been
submitted to any institution for the award of any certificate and the
source of information has been fully acknowledged

NAME:

SIGN:

Kommey Oblitey Nii

Andoh Richmond

Asiedu Oteng Bright

III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
To GOD be the glory for HIS grace, wisdom, guidance and counsel
which enabled us to produce this work. Our second appreciation
and gratitude goes to our supervisor Mr. F.E. Yeboah the H.O.D. of
Electrical/Electronics Engineering Department whose guidance
enabled us to complete this project
Our profound thanks also goes to Sylvester Delali Dordzi who
through his timeless efforts helped us to build this circuit. Also, to
Calculus, Mrs. Gladys and Mrs. Comfort6 for their financial support
offered us. May the ALMIGHTY GOD bless them.

IV

ABSTRACT
The project in question is a Universal Transformerless Battery
Charger. The charger charges any type of battery irrespective of the
voltage of the battery or the ampage needed by the battery for
charging.
The charger comes with an amp meter which indicated the amount
of current drawn from it as well as a cooling system to maintain less
power loss and ensure maximum performance.
The battery charger charges all kinds of batteries from normal Lead
acid batteries to Gelled maintenance free batteries.
The charger also comes with a volt meter to indicate whether the
battery is fully charged or not.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENT

PAGE

CHAPTER ONE
1.1

INTRODUCTION

1.2

BACKGROUND

1.3

DEFINATION

1.4

OBJECTIVES

1.5

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

1.6

METHOLOGY

CHAPTER TWO
2.1

STAGES OF OPERATION

2.2

SWITCHING

2.3

PULSE GENERATION/ENERGY STORAGE

17

2.4

RECTIFICATION

30

2.5

SMOOTHING

35

2.6

OVERLOAD PROTECTION

38

CHAPTER THREE
3.1

BLOCK DIAGRAM/SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM

VI

44

3.2

COMPONENT LIST

45

3.3

CABLE SELECTION

47

3.4

RECORMENDERED LOAD

48

3.5

LIMITATIONS

49

CHAPTER FOUR

VII

CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Over the years charging of automobile batteries has been very
challenging considering the variety of batteries and their charging
requirement. For example Flooded Lead acid batteries and Deep
Cycle maintenance free batteries are totally different. This is
because the flooded Lead acid battery needs more hash power than
the maintenance free batteries. The common method mostly used is
the transformer Rectifier Charger which is not designed to suit a
particular Battery. The transformer or diode would burn instead of
just releasing what ever is available at that time, it would force to
charge the battery and so ending up burning.
But for this project, Universal Transformerless Multi purpose
charge, no matter the number of batteries theres no fears, because
if takes it time to release power for charging according to the type of
batteries connection and the sum up voltage of the Batteries.

1.2 BACKGROUND
Over the last two decades decade, the conversional transformer
charger has been the main system for charging Automobile
batteries.
This charger came with a lot of limitations like
1. Overheating: this was as a result of mismatch between the
rating of the charger and the current drawn by the battery for
charging.
2. High Power loss: this was due to the overheating of the
transformer and the rectifier.
3. Limited Voltage Rating: this is because the output voltage
rating was already determined by the transformer and couldnt
be extended to suit a different voltage rating.
To eliminate this problem, the need for a charging system which is
void of this entire problem was invented. The new charging system
(Universal Transformerless Battery Charger) was invented to
increase the voltage rating range and also help reduce the amount
of power needed to charge an automobile battery.

1.3 DEFINITION
The Universal Transformerless Battery Charger is a lightweight,
efficient, transformerless battery-charging system especially for use
with electric vehicles and the charging of automobile batteries
wherein a switching regulator (ac capacitor) stores only a fraction of
the energy in each charging pulse, and much of the charging energy
is supplied directly from that power line and never stored in the
charger but is then rectified by a bridge diode to change it from the
AC(alternating current) pulse to DC(direct current) for usage.

1.4 OBJECTIVES
This project is designed to reduce the casualty of Battery Charger
burning because more current was demanded by a battery. If also
seeks to make battery charging easy by making it charge battery
bank arrangements from 12V DC to 220V DC without altering any
change operational wise or replace any component before achieving
the desired output voltage rating needed for charging any battery. It
also seeks to reduce cost and weight of battery charger making it
mobile and cheap.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The significance of studying this project is to eliminate the major
problems of the old conversional AC to DC battery charger which
comprises of a transformer, diode and a capacitor. This OLD system
is gradually failing because of the numerous problems it brings to its
users.
It is to this effect that this study would help bring out a charging
system which is free of
1. Overloading
2. Overheating
3. Burning
4. High Power Loss Due to Eddy Current
5. Limited Output Voltage Rating
It is our believe that at the end of this study all this problems
associated with the old conversional charging system would be
eliminated.

1.6 METHODOLOGY
220 volts AC is connected in series to a capacitor making the AC tire
which passes through the capacitor to make behave like a pulse
which created when a capacitor charges but are discharge. Since
power cannot pass through the charger but only store electrical
power. The output from the capacitor is series to the rectifier,
changes the power to zero Hz making it conductive for battery
charge. The diode only used power stored in the capacitor. This
procedure continues until capacitor charges to full charge.
All important information needed for this project to takeoff was
acquired form two main source namely primary and secondary
sources.
Primary source were sources were the personal interactions with my
supervisor and workers of a well equipped and well knowledgeable
on this project.
Secondary sources were the research at the library and the internet.

CHAPTER TWO
2.1

STAGES OF OPERATION

In the manufacturing of this project, three main processes

are involved. The processes are
(a)

Switching

(b)

Pulse Generation/Energy Storage

(c)

Rectification

(d)

Smoothing

(e)

Overload Protection

2.2 (a) Switching

Since the output of the charger is regulated by the battery it
can be very dangerous when the power probes are not
connected to the battery before switching it on.
To avoid this problem relays are placed in to switch the
system when a battery is connected or is sensed by the
charger.
For this switching system DC powered relays best
recommended.
7

RELAYS
A relay is an electrical switch that opens and closes under the
control of another electrical circuit. In the original form, the switch is
operated by an electromagnet to open or close one or many sets of
contacts. It was invented by Joseph Henry in 1835. Because a relay
is able to control an output circuit of higher power than the input
circuit, it can be considered to be, in a broad sense, a form of an
electrical amplifier.

OPERATION
When a current flows through the coil, the resulting magnetic field
attracts an armature that is mechanically linked to a moving contact.
The movement either makes or breaks a connection with a fixed
contact. When the current to the coil is switched off, the armature is
returned by a force approximately half as strong as the magnetic
force to its relaxed position. Usually this is a spring, but gravity is
also used commonly in industrial motor starters. Most relays are
manufactured to operate quickly. In a low voltage application, this is
to reduce noise. In a high voltage or high current application, this is
to reduce arcing.
If the coil is energized with DC, a diode is frequently installed across
the coil, to dissipate the energy from the collapsing magnetic field at
deactivation, which would otherwise generate a spike of voltage and
might cause damage to circuit components. Some automotive relays
already include that diode inside the relay case. Alternatively a
contact protection network, consisting of a capacitor and resistor in
series, may absorb the surge. If the coil is designed to be energized
with AC, a small copper ring can be crimped to the end of the
solenoid. This "shading ring" creates a small out-of-phase current,
which increases the minimum pull on the armature during the AC
cycle

By analogy with the functions of the original electromagnetic device,

a solid-state relay is made with a thyristor or other solid-state
switching device. To achieve electrical isolation an optocoupler can
be used which is a light-emitting diode (LED) coupled with a photo
transistor.
TYPES OF RELAY

1.

Latching relay: A latching relay has two relaxed states

(bistable). These are also called 'keep' or 'stay' relays.

2.

Reed relay: A reed relay has a set of contacts inside a

vacuum or inert gas filled glass tube, which protects the
contacts against atmospheric corrosion.

3.

Mercury-wetted relay: A reed relay has a set of contacts

inside a vacuum or inert gas filled glass tube, which
protects the contacts against atmospheric corrosion. Such
relays are used to switch low-voltage signals (one volt or
less) because of its low contact resistance, or for highspeed counting and timing applications where the mercury
eliminates contact bounce.

4.

Polarized relay: A Polarized Relay placed the armature

between the poles of a permanent magnet to increase
sensitivity

10

5.

Machine tool relay: A machine tool relay is a type

standardized for industrial control of machine tools, transfer
machines, and other sequential control.

6.

Contactor relay: A contactor is a very heavy-duty relay

used for switching electric motors and lighting loads. With
high current, the contacts are made with pure silver. The
unavoidable arcing causes the contacts to oxidize and
silver oxide is still a good conductor.

7.

Solid state contactor relay: A solid state contactor is a

very heavy-duty solid state relay, including the necessary
heat sink, used for switching electric heaters, small electric
motors and lighting loads; where frequent on/off cycles are
required.

8.

Buchholz relay: A Buchholz relay is a safety device

sensing the accumulation of gas in large oil-filled
transformers, which will alarm on slow accumulation of gas
or shut down the transformer if gas is produced rapidly in
the transformer oil.

9.

Forced-guided contacts relay: A forced-guided

contacts relay has relay contacts that are mechanically
linked together, so that when the relay coil is energized or
de-energized, all of the linked contacts move together.
11

10. Solid-state relay: A solid state relay (SSR) is a solid state

electronic component that provides a similar function to an
electromechanical relay but does not have any moving
components, increasing long-term reliability. With early
SSR's, the tradeoff came from the fact that every transistor
has a small voltage drop across it

11. Overload protection relay: One type of electric motor

overload protection relay is operated by a heating element
in series with the electric motor . The heat generated by the
motor current operates a bi-metal strip or melts solder,
releasing a spring to operate contacts. Where the overload
relay is exposed to the same environment as the motor, a
useful though crude compensation for motor ambient
temperature is provided

12

APPLICATIONS
Relays are used:

to control a high-voltage circuit with a low-voltage signal, as in

some types of modems or audio amplifiers,

to control a high-current circuit with a low-current signal, as in

the starter solenoid of an automobile,

to detect and isolate faults on transmission and distribution

lines by opening and closing circuit breakers (protection
relays),

to isolate the controlling circuit from the controlled circuit when

the two are at different potentials, for example when controlling
a mains-powered device from a low-voltage switch. The latter
is often applied to control office lighting as the low voltage
wires are easily installed in partitions, which may be often
moved as needs change. They may also be controlled by
room occupancy detectors in an effort to conserve energy,

to perform logic functions. For example, the Boolean AND

function is realized by connecting NO relay contacts in series,
the OR function by connecting NO contacts in parallel. The
change-over or Form C contacts perform the XOR (exclusive
or) function. Similar functions for NAND and NOR are
accomplished using NC contacts. The Ladder programming
language is often used for designing relay logic networks
13

Early computing. Before vacuum tubes and transistors,

relays were used as logical elements in digital
computers. See ARRA (computer), Harvard Mark II,
Zuse Z2, and Zuse Z3.

Safety-critical logic. Because relays are much more

resistant than semiconductors to nuclear radiation, they
are widely used in safety-critical logic, such as the
control panels of radioactive waste-handling machinery.

to perform time delay functions. Relays can be modified to

delay opening or delay closing a set of contacts. A very short
(a fraction of a second) delay would use a copper disk
between the armature and moving blade assembly. Current
flowing in the disk maintains magnetic field for a short time,
lengthening release time. For a slightly longer (up to a minute)
delay, a dashpot is used. A dashpot is a piston filled with fluid
that is allowed to escape slowly. The time period can be varied
by increasing or decreasing the flow rate. For longer time
periods, a mechanical clockwork timer is installed.

Relay application considerations

Selection of an appropriate relay for a particular application requires
evaluation of many different factors:

14

Number and type of contacts - normally open, normally closed,

(double-throw)

There are two types. This style of relay can be manufactured

two different ways. "Make before Break" and "Break before
Make". The old style telephone switch required Make-beforebreak so that the connection didn't get dropped while dialing
the number. The railroad still uses them to control railroad
crossings.

Rating of contacts - small relays switch a few amperes, large

contactors are rated for up to 3000 amperes, alternating or
direct current

Voltage rating of contacts - typical control relays rated 300

VAC or 600 VAC, automotive types to 50 VDC, special highvoltage relays to about 15,000 V

Coil voltage - machine-tool relays usually 24 VAC or 120 VAC,

relays for switchgear may have 125 V or 250 VDC coils,
"sensitive" relays operate on a few milliamperes

Package/enclosure - open, touch-safe, double-voltage for

isolation between circuits, explosion proof, outdoor, oil-splash
resistant

Mounting - sockets, plug board, rail mount, panel mount,

through-panel mount, enclosure for mounting on walls or
equipment
15

Switching time - where high speed is required

"Dry" contacts - when switching very low level signals, special

contact materials may be needed such as gold-plated contacts

Contact protection - suppress arcing in very inductive circuits

Coil protection - suppress the surge voltage produced when

switching the coil current

Isolation between coil circuit and contacts

Aerospace or radiation-resistant testing, special quality

assurance

Expected mechanical loads due to acceleration - some relays

used in aerospace applications are designed to function in
shock loads of 50 g or more

Accessories such as timers, auxiliary contacts, pilot lamps,

test buttons

Regulatory approvals

Stray magnetic linkage between coils of adjacent relays on a

printed circuit board.

16

2.3 (b)Pulse Generation/Energy Storage

In the charging process after the relay have sensed a
battery and has competed the switching process, the mains
is connected in series with a capacitor to the diode for
rectification.
Because the power can not pass through the capacitor
directly, it is released in bits thus not releasing power until it
is fully charge and will stay in that mode until all the power
has been used before it would allow another power to enter
for storage. The routine continuous, creating a waveform in
pulses.
Since high voltage like 220vac is connected in series to the
capacitor it is important to use only AC capacitor with
minimum rating of 300volts and a charge capacitance of
50uf for good frequency of pulses.
Electrolytic capacitors can not be used for this system
because it has polarity and can only be used for a DC
(Direct Current) application.
17

CAPACITOR
A capacitor is an electrical/electronic device that can store energy
in the electric field between a pair of conductors (called "plates").
The process of storing energy in the capacitor is known as
"charging", and involves electric charges of equal magnitude, but
opposite polarity, building up on each plate.
Capacitors are often used in electric and electronic circuits as
energy-storage devices. They can also be used to differentiate
between high-frequency and low-frequency signals. This property
makes them useful in electronic filters.
Capacitors are occasionally referred to as condensers. This term is
considered archaic in English, but most other languages use a
cognate of condenser to refer to a capacitor.
Capacitor types
Practical capacitors are available commercially in many different
forms. The type of internal dielectric, the structure of the plates and
the device packaging all strongly affect the characteristics of the
capacitor, and its applications.

18

AC CAPACITOR
Capacitors do not behave the same as resistors. Whereas resistors
allow a flow of electrons through them directly proportional to the
voltage drop, capacitors oppose changes in voltage by drawing or
supplying current as they charge or discharge to the new voltage
level. The flow of electrons through a capacitor is directly
proportional to the rate of change of voltage across the capacitor.
This opposition to voltage change is another form of reactance, but
one that is precisely opposite to the kind exhibited by inductors.
Expressed mathematically, the relationship between the current
through the capacitor and rate of voltage change across the
capacitor is as such:

The expression de/dt is one from calculus, meaning the rate of

change of instantaneous voltage (e) over time, in volts per second.
The capacitance (C) is in Farads, and the instantaneous current (i),
of course, is in amps. Sometimes you will find the rate of
instantaneous voltage change over time expressed as dv/dt instead
of de/dt: using the lower-case letter v instead or e to represent
voltage, but it means the exact same thing.
19

To show what happens with alternating current, let's analyze a

simple capacitor circuit: (Figure below)

Pure capacitive circuit: capacitor voltage lags capacitor current by

90o
If we were to plot the current and voltage for this very simple circuit,
it would look something like this: (Figure below)

Pure capacitive circuit waveforms.

Remember, the current through a capacitor is a reaction against the
change in voltage across it. Therefore, the instantaneous current is
zero whenever the instantaneous
20

voltage is at a peak (zero change, or level slope, on the voltage sine

wave), and the instantaneous current is at a peak wherever the
instantaneous voltage is at maximum change (the points of steepest
slope on the voltage wave, where it crosses the zero line). This
results in a voltage wave that is -90o out of phase with the current
wave. Looking at the graph, the current wave seems to have a
head start on the voltage wave; the current leads the voltage,
and the voltage lags behind the current. (Figure below)

Voltage lags current by 90o in a pure capacitive circuit.

21

As you might have guessed, the same unusual power wave that we
saw with the simple inductor circuit is present in the simple capacitor
circuit, too: (Figure below)

In a pure capacitive circuit, the instantaneous power may be positive

or negative.
As with the simple inductor circuit, the 90 degree phase shift
between voltage and current results in a power wave that alternates
equally between positive and negative. This means that a capacitor
does not dissipate power as it reacts against changes in voltage; it
merely absorbs and releases power, alternately.
A capacitor's opposition to change in voltage translates to an
opposition to alternating voltage in general, which is by definition
always changing in instantaneous magnitude and direction. For any
given magnitude of AC voltage at a given frequency, a capacitor of
given size will conduct a certain magnitude of AC current.
22

Just as the current through a resistor is a function of the voltage

across the resistor and the resistance offered by the resistor, the AC
current through a capacitor is a function of the AC voltage across it,
and the reactance offered by the capacitor. As with inductors, the
reactance of a capacitor is expressed in ohms and symbolized by
the letter X (or XC to be more specific).
Since capacitors conduct current in proportion to the rate of
voltage change, they will pass more current for faster-changing
voltages (as they charge and discharge to the same voltage peaks
in less time), and less current for slower-changing voltages. What
this means is that reactance in ohms for any capacitor is inversely
proportional to the frequency of the alternating current. (Table
below)

Reactance of a 100 uF capacitor:

Frequency (Hertz) Reactance (Ohms)
60
26.5258
120
13.2629
2500
0.6366

23

Please note that the relationship of capacitive reactance to

frequency is exactly opposite from that of inductive reactance.
Capacitive reactance (in ohms) decreases with increasing AC
frequency. Conversely, inductive reactance (in ohms) increases with
increasing AC frequency. Inductors oppose faster changing currents
by producing greater voltage drops; capacitors oppose faster
changing voltage drops by allowing greater currents
As with inductors, the reactance equation's 2f term may be
replaced by the lower-case Greek letter Omega (), which is
referred to as the angular velocity of the AC circuit. Thus, the
equation XC = 1/(2fC) could also be written as XC = 1/(C), with
cast in units of radians per second.
Alternating current in a simple capacitive circuit is equal to the
voltage (in volts) divided by the capacitive reactance (in ohms), just
as either alternating or direct current in a simple resistive circuit is
equal to the voltage (in volts) divided by the resistance (in ohms).
The following circuit illustrates this mathematical relationship by
example: (Figure below)

Capacitive reactance.
24

However, we need to keep in mind that voltage and current are not
in phase here. As was shown earlier, the current has a phase shift of
+90o with respect to the voltage. If we represent these phase angles
of voltage and current mathematically, we can calculate the phase
angle of the capacitor's reactive opposition to current.

25

Voltage lags current by 90o in an inductor.

Mathematically, we say that the phase angle of a capacitor's
opposition to current is -90o, meaning that a capacitor's opposition to
current is a negative imaginary quantity. (Figure above) This phase
angle of reactive opposition to current becomes critically important
in circuit analysis, especially for complex AC circuits where
reactance and resistance interact. It will prove beneficial to
represent any component's opposition to current in terms of complex
numbers, and not just scalar quantities of resistance and reactance.

26
HAZARDS AND SAFETY

Capacitors may retain a charge long after power is removed from a

circuit; this charge can cause shocks (sometimes fatal) or damage
to connected equipment. For example, even a seemingly innocuous
device such as a disposable camera flash unit powered by a 1.5 volt
AA battery contains a capacitor which may be charged to over 300
volts. This is easily capable of delivering an extremely painful (and
possibly deadly) shock.
Care must be taken to ensure that any large or high-voltage
capacitor is properly discharged before servicing the containing
equipment. For board-level capacitors, this is done by placing a
bleeder resistor across the terminals, whose resistance is large
enough that the leakage current will not affect the circuit, but small
enough to discharge the capacitor shortly after power is removed.
High-voltage capacitors should be stored with the terminals shorted,
since temporarily discharged capacitors can develop potentially
dangerous voltages when the terminals are left open-circuited, due
to ambient static electricity and dielectric absorption.
Large oil-filled old capacitors must be disposed of properly as some
contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). It is known that waste
PCBs can leak into groundwater under landfills.
27
If consumed by drinking contaminated water, PCBs are
carcinogenic, even in very tiny amounts. If the capacitor is physically

large it is more likely to be dangerous and may require precautions

in addition to those described above. New electrical components are
no longer produced with PCBs. ("PCB" in electronics usually means
printed circuit board, but the above usage is an exception.)
Capacitors containing PCB were labeled as containing "Askarel" and
several other trade names.

Aging Capacitor
The capacitance of certain capacitors decreases as the component
ages. In ceramic capacitors, this is caused by degradation of the
dielectric. The type of dielectric and the ambient operating and
storage temperatures are the most significant aging factors, while
the operating voltage has a smaller effect. The aging process may
be reversed by heating the component above the Curie point. Aging
is fastest near the beginning of life of the component, and the device
stabilizes over time.[2] Electrolytic capacitors age as the electrolyte
evaporates. In contrast with ceramic capacitors, this occurs towards
the end of life of the component.

28

REVIEW:

Capacitive reactance is the opposition that a capacitor

offers to alternating current due to its phase-shifted storage
and release of energy in its electric field. Reactance is
symbolized by the capital letter X and is measured in ohms
just like resistance (R).

Capacitive reactance can be calculated using this formula:

XC = 1/(2fC)

Capacitive reactance decreases with increasing frequency.

In other words, the higher the frequency, the less it opposes
(the more it conducts) the AC flow of electrons.

29

2.4 (c)Rectification

After the capacitor had stored the power it now necessary to rectify
the out put from AC to DC for easy acceptance by the battery for
charging.
Rectification
The purpose of the rectifier section is to convert the incoming
ac power source via the capacitor to change it to some kind of
pulsating dc. That is, it takes current that flows alternately in
both directions as shown in the first figure to the right, and
modifies it so that the output current flows only in one direction,
as shown in the second and third figures below.
The circuit required to do this may be nothing more than a
single diode, or it may be considerably more complex.
However, all rectifier circuits may be classified into one of two
categories, as follows:

30

Half-Wave Rectifiers: An easy way to convert ac to pulsating dc is

to simply allow half of the ac cycle to pass, while blocking current to
prevent it from flowing during the other half cycle. The figure to the
right shows the resulting output. Such circuits are known as halfwave rectifiers because they only work on half of the incoming ac
wave.

Full-Wave Rectifiers.
The more common approach is to manipulate the incoming ac wave
so that both halves are used to cause output current to flow in the
same direction. The resulting waveform is shown to the right.
Because these circuits operate on the entire incoming ac wave, they
are known as full-wave rectifiers.
Rectifier circuits may also be further classified according to
their configuration, as we will see below.
31

Bridge Diode
A bridge diode or bridge rectifier is an arrangement of four diodes
connected in a bridge circuit that provides the same polarity of
output voltage for any polarity of the input voltage. When used in its
most common application, for conversion of alternating current (AC)
input into direct current (DC) output, it is known as a bridge rectifier.
The bridge rectifier provides full wave rectification from a two wire
AC input (saving the cost of a center tapped transformer) but has
two diode drops rather than one reducing efficiency over a center
tap based design for the same output voltage.

The essential feature of this arrangement is that for both polarities of

the voltage at the bridge input, the polarity of the output is constant.
The diode bridge circuit is also known as the Graetz circuit after its
inventor, the physicist Leo Graetz.
32

Full-wave Rectifier
The half-wave rectifier chopped off half our signal. A full-wave
rectifier does more clever trick: it flips the - half of the signal up into
the + range. When used in a power supply, the full-wave rectifier
allows us to convert almost all the incoming AC power to DC. The
full-wave rectifier is also the heart of the circuitry that allows sensors
to attach to the RCX in either polarity.
A full-wave rectifier uses a diode bridge, made of four diodes, like
this:

At first, this may look just as confusing as the one-way streets of

Boston. The thing to realize is that the diodes work in pairs. As the
voltage of the signal flips back and forth, the diodes shepard the
current to always flow in the same direction for the output.
Here's what the circuit looks like to the signal as it alternates:
33

So, if we feed our AC signal into a full wave rectifier, we'll see both
halves of the wave above 0 Volts. Since the signal passes through
two diodes, the voltage out will be lower by two diode drops, or 1.2
Volts.
AC Wave In:

AC Wave Out (Full-Wave Rectified):

If we're interested in using the full-wave rectifier as a DC power
supply, we'll add a smoothing capacitor to the output of the diode
bridge.

34

2.5 (d)Smoothing
Most circuits will require 'smoothing' of the DC output of a rectifier,
and this is a simple matter since it involves only one capacitor, as
shown below

The output waveform in figure 2 shows how smoothing works.

During the first half of the voltage peaks from the rectifier, when the
voltage increases, the capacitor charges up. Then, while the
voltage decreases to zero in the second half of the peaks, the
capacitor releases its stored energy to keep the output voltage as
constant as possible. Such a capacitor is called a 'smoothing' or
'reservoir' capacitor when it is used in this application.

35

Ripple
If the voltage peaks from the rectifier were not continually charging
up the capacitor, it would eventually discharge and the output
voltage would decrease all the way down to 0V. The discharging
that does occur between peaks gives rise to a small 'ripple' voltage.
The amount of ripple is affected by a combination of three factors:

36

The value of the capacitor. The larger the capacitor value,

the more charge it can store, and the slower it will discharge.
Therefore, smoothing capacitors are normally electrolytic
capacitors with values over 470F.

The amount of current used by the circuit. If the circuit

connected to the power supply takes a lot of current, the capacitor

will discharge more quickly and there will be a higher ripple voltage.

The frequency of the peaks. The more frequent the voltage

peaks from the rectifier, the more often the capacitor will be
charged, and the lower the ripple voltage will be.
If you want to calculate the ripple voltage, you can use this
formula...

Where Vr is the ripple voltage in Volts, I is the current taken by the

circuit in Amps, C is the value of the smoothing capacitor in
Farads, and F is the frequency of the peaks from the full-wave
rectifier, in Hertz. This frequency will be double the normal mains
frequency, i.e. 100Hz in the case of the UK mains supply, or 120Hz
in the case of the US mains supply.The ripple voltage should not
be more than 10% of Vs - if it is, increase the value of the
smoothing capacitor.
37

2.6

(e) Overload Protection

Since the output power of the charger for charging has limitations, it
is important to protect the out put against overloading.
The input of the charger is protected with an appropriate circuit
breaker to prevent the charger from drawing more than 10 Amps.
When the charger draws 220V at 10A the maximum output power
would be
Voltage x Current =

220V X 10A =2200Watts

The circuit breaker is also to prevent short circuiting.

CIRCUIT BREAKER
A circuit breaker is an automatically-operated electrical switch
designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by
overload or short circuit. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and
then has to be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either
manually or automatically) to resume normal operation. Circuit
breakers are made in varying sizes, from small devices that protect
an individual household appliance up to large switchgear designed
to protect high voltage circuits feeding an entire city.
38

ORIGINS
An early form of circuit breaker was described by Edison in an 1879
patent application, although his commercial power distribution
system used fuses. Its purpose was to protect lighting circuit wiring
from accidental short-circuits and overloads.
OPERATION
All circuit breakers have common features in their operation,
although details vary substantially depending on the voltage class,
current rating and type of the circuit breaker.
The circuit breaker must detect a fault condition; in low-voltage
circuit breakers this is usually done within the breaker enclosure.
39

Circuit breakers for large currents or high voltages are usually

arranged with pilot devices to sense a fault current and to operate
the trip opening mechanism.
The trip solenoid that releases the latch is usually energized by a
separate battery, although some high-voltage circuit breakers are
self-contained with current transformers, protection relays, and an
internal control power source.
Once a fault is detected, contacts within the circuit breaker must
open to interrupt the circuit; some mechanically stored energy within
the breaker is used to separate the contacts, although some of the
energy required may be obtained from the fault current itself. The
stored energy may be in the form of springs or compressed air.
Small circuit breakers may be manually operated; larger units have
solenoids to trip the mechanism, and electric motors to restore
energy to the springs.
The circuit breaker contacts must carry the load current without
excessive heating, and must also withstand the heat of the arc
produced when interrupting the circuit. Contacts are made of copper
or copper alloys, silver alloys, and other materials. Service life of the
contacts is limited by the erosion due to interrupting the arc.

40

Miniature circuit breakers are usually discarded when the contacts

are worn, but power circuit breakers and high-voltage circuit
breakers have replaceable contacts.
Short circuit current
Circuit breakers are rated both by the normal current that are
expected to carry, and the maximum short-circuit current that they
can safely interrupt.
Under short-circuit conditions, a current many times greater than
normal can exist (see maximum prospective short circuit current).
When electrical contacts open to interrupt a large current, there is a
tendency for an arc to form between the opened contacts, which
would allow the current to continue. Therefore, circuit breakers must
incorporate various features to divide and extinguish the arc.
The maximum short-circuit current that a breaker can interrupt is
determined by testing. Application of a breaker in a circuit with a
prospective short-circuit current higher than the breaker's
interrupting capacity rating may result in failure of the breaker to
safely interrupt a fault. In a worst-case scenario the breaker may
successfully interrupt the fault, only to explode when reset, injuring
the technician.
41

Miniature circuit breakers used to protect control circuits or small

appliances may not have sufficient interrupting capacity to use at a
panel board; these circuit breakers are called "supplemental circuit
protectors" to distinguish them from distribution-type circuit
breakers.
Low voltage circuit breakers
Small circuit breakers are either installed directly in equipment, or
are arranged in a breaker panel.
The 10 ampere DIN rail-mounted thermal-magnetic miniature circuit
breaker is the most common style in modern domestic consumer
units and commercial electrical distribution boards throughout
Europe. The design includes the following components:

42

1. Actuator lever - used to manually trip and reset the circuit

breaker. Also indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or
Off/tripped). Most breakers are designed so they can still trip
even if the lever is held or locked in the on position. This is
sometimes referred to as "free trip" or "positive trip" operation.
2. Actuator mechanism - forces the contacts together or apart.
3. Contacts - Allow current when touching and break the current
when moved apart.
4. Terminals
5. Bimetallic strip
6. Calibration screw - allows the manufacturer to precisely adjust
the trip current of the device after assembly.
7. Solenoid
8. Arc divider / extinguisher

43

CHAPTER THREE
3.1

Block /Schematic Diagram

Pulse
Changer
Capacitor

220
Volts AC
Source

Rectifier

To
Battery

220V IN

+Ve

F1

D1

C2

0V

D2

C3

C1

RLY1
0V
S1

S2

44

3.2

COMPONENT LIST

PARTS
220VAC brushless Fan
AC light
C1,C2

QUANTITY
1
1
2

DESCRIPTION
Force Air Cooling system
Power on indicator
450uF 50VAC AC capacitor

C3

450V/330UF

S1,S2

Single Pole Double Throw

switch with 10A contact

32 amps Breaker

F1

For protection against over

100amps amp meter
D1,D2

current
Measuring Output Current
8811 MEXICO 8278909

1
2

Bridge diode converts AC to

300Volts Voltmeter

DC.
Measuring Output voltage

60Amps connectors
5 Grill

1
1

DC output connection
Cover for FAN

Heatsink

4 Aluminum Heat sink with

light fins

45
DC cable

2yards of 10mm Auto flex

cable

Battery tags
RLY1

Pair of Brass battery tags for

DC output connection
DPDT Switch
single pole double throw
switch with10Amps contact

NOTE:
R

RESISTOR

CAPACITOR

TRANSFORMER

D -

DIODE

TRANSISTOR

ZD-

ZINER DIODE

COMPONENTS SELECTION
For this project the rectifier is to be selected carefully because they
determine the output current and the use of inferable quality would
prevent max output.

46
3.3

CABLE SELECTION

Cables are the main material that connects on component to the

other so it is very important that the right cable is used to deliver the
right amount of power needed at a particular place.
Cables for dc applications should not be less than 6mm in diameter
and colors are also very important because to clearly explain to
someone the type of signal passing through the cable whether it is
positive or negative. For example a Red cable clearly explains that
the power passing through the cable is positive.

47
CHAPTER FOUR

4.1

LIMITATIONS

The difficulties involved in getting the major component from a

reliable source was very difficult because all the companies
who manufactures these components do not sell components in
small quantities and it was very hectic getting all these
components.

48
4.2

CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTION

This circuit was first divided into two parts and each stage was
carefully tested with electronics schematic stimulation software and
then assembled.
This circuit was finally tested after all the two parts were puts
together to check and correct its short falls.
Much consideration was given to meter readings or voltages and
current.

49
4.3

GENERAL MODE OF OPERATION

220 volts AC is connected in series to a capacitor making the AC tire

which passes through the capacitor to release the power in pulses,
which created when a capacitor charges but are discharge. Since
power cannot pass through the charger but only store electrical
power. The output from the capacitor is series to the rectifier,
changes the power to zero Hz making it conducive for battery
charge. The diode only used power stored in the capacitor. This
procedure continues until capacitor charges to full charge.

50
4.4

PRECAUTIONS

In other to arrive at a good and a successful project, the following

precautions were taken into consideration:
1. The circuit was built under supervision to ensure accuracy.
2. Do not put the power switch on until a battery is connected to
avoid electrical shock.
3. Do not open this system whiles it is connected to the mains.
4. The right size of cables was used at high current lines like the
main positive input which is connected from and to the battery.
5. The entire component were thoroughly checked and tested for
consistency and efficiency.
6. The project was well housed before handling, due to the
amount power circulating in the system.
7. Correct soldering techniques were ensured as well as the
usage of a correct solder.
8. The right tools and equipment were used for this project.
9. Suitable equivalent replacement of components was ensured
at places where the original components were not available.

51
4.5

CONCLUSION

The use of this type of charger can be dangerous and also friendly
provided it is used correctly.
This charger can be used to charge any battery no mater the
voltage or current demanded.
The use of this could reduce cost, since it is void of burning as
compared to the chargers which uses transformers.

52
SUMMARY

From the above research it has been proven that transformerless

battery charger can be used to replace transformer charger which
has a lot of problems associated with it.
Further research into this project could enhance this system to a
level that the power can even cut whenever the battery gets fully
charged.
Further investment into this project could help to create jobs.

53
RECOMMENDATIONS

My recommendations were based on research made is that this

system can be repackaged to be used in UPS charging system and
also be made to charge large quantity of batteries and even for
industrial application.

54
REFERENCES

1.

Carols Advance Electronics and Training Centre.

2.

wikipedia English Article on Battery chargers:

Credits to:
The Great Battery Shootout" by Dave Etchells
AN913: Switch-Mode, Linear, and Pulse Charging
Techniques for Li+ Battery in Mobile Phones and
PDAs" Maxim 2001
A New Pulse Battery Charger" by Jean-Michel Cour
fast pulse battery charger" patent 2003
Battery charger with current pulse regulation"
patented 1981 United States Patent 4355275
Pulse-charge battery charger" patented 1997 United
States Patent 5633574
Pulse Maintenance charging."
The pulse power(tm) battery charging system"
Negative Pulse Charge, or "Burp" Charging: Fact or
Fiction?"
Tech Brief: Negative Pulse Charging Myths and Facts
and Negative Pulse Charging: Myths and Facts

55

 http://www.sanyo.co.jp/koho/hypertext4eng/0704/0418-1e.html, from Sanyo website, and

http://www.stefanv.com/electronics/usb_charger.html
for those that want to build their own.
http://www.usbcell.com/support/faqsection/5, from a
Moixa Energy website
Our Products - usbcell.com
Mobile phone battery care
Ionhub all-in-one universal multi charger multiple
iPhone iPod Razr Treo Blkberry travel charger more!
Example of solar charger
China to work out national standard for mobile phone
chargers
EV Charger News - Home
Green Car Congress: Fuji Heavy Speeds Up
Recharging Of R1e EV
RUSSCO Safety Electric Vehicle Battery Chargers.
3. Ron J article on transformerless power supply