Hello,
I'm currently working on a the power management system for a solar power blimp. My problem is this. I want to have several battery packs (4S A123s) in parallel from which I can flip a switch and discharge (make it run a motor or whatever load I need) one pack and flip another switch and charge (through a solar charger) another pack. Ideally I would not be physically switching but have my Microcontroller do the switching based on which battery pack is dead and which is ready to go. I've tried for about a week now to get it to work with MOSFETS but I can't get even the load side of the circuit to be correct. Anyone have any good idea?

 

Do you have enough ADC inputs and logic outputs on your µC for a pair for each battery?

Any schematics of what you currently have?

Ken

 

Why don't you start off by posting an image of your schematic as it is now, preferably in .png format?

Use the "Go Advanced" and "Manage Attachments" buttons to select the image files to upload from your computer. .png format is preferred because the image files are compact, not "lossy" like .jpg files, and require no other software to view besides a web browser.

It would also help to know what the output rating of your solar panel is.

 

Wouldn't it make sense - and perhaps you're already doing this - to use the solar power directly to power the craft, and only use any excess to charge batteries? You want to avoid storing energy because of the poor overall efficiency of battery storage.