Or you could use a half watt zener, a power transistor, and a resistor to make a power zener with a safety margin.

Sure. You could do that.

 

As a follow up to my post #73, where I write about the power and efficiencies.

The following classic power supply has some advantages in idle consumption 1 mAmp at input voltages of 11 volts:


I have set C1 as 100uF / 25V, but a value of 1000uF or more, still at least 25V, can probably pull some extra minutes running time at sunrise and sunset

 

Sure. You could do that.

A TL431 is even better - you can adjust out the Vbe.

 

Late to the party here but here is another current shunt arrangement, basically what @dl324 recommended, I think.

R6 is the panel's internal resistance, R4 is the load. R3 and Q1 dissipate the excess energy required to hold the voltage to R4 at the desired max level. There may be no need for R3 if Q1 can take it all. R1 protects the zener, and the cutout voltage can be tweaked by varying R2.

One thing I like about this circuit is that is does nothing (doesn't conduct) unless/until the panel voltage exceeds the zener.

 

Late to the party here but here is another current shunt arrangement, basically what @dl324 recommended, I think.

That's what I had in mind, except I would have omitted R1 and R3 because zener current will be low and the power transistor could handle all of the power from the solar panel.

I first saw it in a Nat Semi application note to drop input voltage if it was too high for a voltage regulator to handle.

The circuit posted by @Kjeldgaard will also work, it was what I suggested in an earlier post.

And what @ronv suggested would also work.

Many ways to achieve the desired result without using a voltage regulator.

 

Late to the party here but here is another current shunt arrangement, basically what @dl324 recommended, I think.

Question about the output (at R4): Since the panel can output 18 volts (5 watts {supposedly}) would this regulator result in a ripple on the line? If so - at what frequency? The sonic dog bark deterrent has to produce a 25 KHz sound. Could the ripple on the line interfere with that? I ask these questions because I have absolutely no experience with Zener's.

 

Question about the output (at R4): Since the panel can output 18 volts (5 watts {supposedly}) would this regulator result in a ripple on the line? If so - at what frequency? The sonic dog bark deterrent has to produce a 25 KHz sound. Could the ripple on the line interfere with that? I ask these questions because I have absolutely no experience with Zener's.

There shouldn't be any ripple. The circuit will suppress any ripple at the output - it is trying to keep the output voltage constant.

 

Well that settles it then. It's time to get some Zener's of various values, now that I have an idea of how to use them.

Thanks ALL for the input.

 

It's time to get some Zener's of various values

Note that in the circuit I posted that the voltage on the load is the zener voltage plus ~0.7V for the B-E drop of the transistor, plus the drop across the current-limiting resistor, which may vary. So if you want 9V, you might want an 8V zener.

Just remember with a zener that you have to limit the current it might see, once it breaks down, to within its rating.

 

The circuit will suppress any ripple at the output

Thanks Al.

remember with a zener that you have to limit the current

Yeah, I was confident of that much. But always a good reminder. Thanks Wayne.

 

Final word: Just installed the solar panel and the sonic dog barking deterrent device up. Working even better than when it was battery powered. Of course, time will tell just how effective it is, but now I don't have to go through a new 9V battery every week. Will work all day and shut off during the night. Perfect for what I wanted. Thanks again to all who assisted me or offered an opinion on this. (except for the suggestion of a steak soaked in anti-freeze) I can't punish an animal for having a bad owner.

Part of the delay in getting this thing up has been bad weather. No desire to be standing on a ladder in the rain. Or snow.

 

Shoot.. I started to read the first page then said.. Oh.. 5 pages.. It must be up and running and I will know the outcome..
Guess I'll just have to wait some more to see if it actually helped with the barking dog..

Sorry that the owners suck and that the police/animal control,etc.. aren't doing anything to help..
That kind of stuff doesn't fly in my neighborhood and gets taken care of quite quickly/effectively..

 

No problem Mac. The dogs are usually active when kids are going to and coming from school. This week the kids are on spring break, so no kids. Still, the letter carriers often elicit a lot of barking, but to be honest, I haven't really noticed much activity at all. And at present, my barkie neighbors must be doggy-sitting. A couple extra dogs - hyper Terrier's. Those things bounce when they bark. And they've been relatively quiet. I've been out back attending to the oil change and air filter on wife'y's car and haven't noticed any barking. So maybe with the 10 volt regulator set to 10.1 volts, the system seems to be doing something good. At least I'd like to think it is.

 

We have inconsiderate neighbors who let their dogs bark all day. Though having asked them on numerous occasions and after having sent the police there numbers times the problem persists. My wife bought a sonic dog barking deterrent device that operates on 9 volt batteries. There is no power out there; so I'm wondering if I put a 12 volt solar panel up, could the panel be used to keep a rechargeable 9 volt battery charged without having to build a regulator?

I'm sure low current during cloudy days or late evening sunshine or early morning indirect light will drop the output of the panel, but at peak hours, I'm hoping the panel would charge the battery sufficiently. The device can operate for about a week on a fresh 9V battery, so it's not drawing much current at all. I'm sure a solar panel of sufficient size would charge the battery enough to keep it going through the day. What other things do I need to consider? Things like "Low voltage output from the panel" and whatever else I haven't thought of?

Keep in mind, I'm wondering if 12 volts would harm the 9 volt rechargeable battery if left charging too long? Would I need to build a limiter or regulator of some sort?

I had a barking dog neighbor once. I set up a full Marshall stack aimed at the house, and a directional microphone, and a 1 second delay line, so every time the dog barked, it was amplified to about 160 DB, aimed right back at the customer. The situation was resolved in just a few minutes.

 

Seems a bit aggressive. If anything I'd want to place loud speakers and play "Achy Breaky Heart" at high levels. Over and over and over at 2:00 in the morning. But you know the results of that - I'd be the one in jail and my equipment would have been confiscated.

How'd you prevent feed back? Sound's GOT to reflect off the house back to the mic. No?

If anything I'd like a sub-sonic bazooka. Rattle the windows to death.

 

Hi Tony

I'm really intrigued and interested in your complete circuit / project. I'm a complete noob when it comes to electronics and building projects/circuits. I had taken courses in college, but that is now 30 yrs behind me.

I can still read and understand the terminology, and I hope, still be able to build.

Do you have a document / pdf with all your notes, build instructions, etc.

I'm in the same predicament. I've got a neighbor with a small dog that is out early morning and at all hours of the day. It's been winter, so we have been "tolerant" of the barking, but now that spring is nearing, we would like to keep the windows/patio door open, but we are not going through another summer with that dog.

Already reported it to the police to report the barking dog, but that is always a gamble. If the dog goes in and the police arrive, it feels like shouting wolf.

If you wouldn't mind posting all your build notes, it would be great.

Thanks!

 

Hi Tony

I'm really intrigued and interested in your complete circuit / project. I'm a complete noob when it comes to electronics and building projects/circuits. I had taken courses in college, but that is now 30 yrs behind me.

I can still read and understand the terminology, and I hope, still be able to build.

Do you have a document / pdf with all your notes, build instructions, etc.

I'm in the same predicament. I've got a neighbor with a small dog that is out early morning and at all hours of the day. It's been winter, so we have been "tolerant" of the barking, but now that spring is nearing, we would like to keep the windows/patio door open, but we are not going through another summer with that dog.

Already reported it to the police to report the barking dog, but that is always a gamble. If the dog goes in and the police arrive, it feels like shouting wolf.

Thanks!

Feed it chocolate - if that doesn't work; feed it laxative chocolate...................

 

Feed it chocolate - if that doesn't work; feed it laxative chocolate...................

Ian: I am SO opposed to harming an animal for the sake of a bad owner. My mother-in-law had a dog she decided she didn't want. We took ownership of the animal. It was a horrible licker and incessant barker. Within 10 days of working with the dog I had him only barking when there was good reason to. As for the licking - that stopped within 2 hours.

Dogs need good pack leaders. (owners) If the owner takes the time to train the animal then there's no need to harm the dog. Hence, I can't agree to tossing a block of chocolate over the fence and harm the dog. A friend of mine - and chiropractor - had a rat in the yard while he was working on my wife. He handed me a pump pellet gun and asked me to shoot the rat. I told him that I respect his right to conduct himself as he sees fit but I wasn't going to shoot an animal just because it was a nuisance.

As for posting any documents, I think it was on page one where I posted a block sort of diagram of what I was intending. If you can follow that you can follow anything. Simple: Solar panel connected to a buck converter adjusted to 10.0 volts, mounted inside the bark deterrent device and then hung in the sun (solar panel) and the sonic device under the roof line. And dogs have been much quieter, though not completely quiet. Seems the smaller the dog the less effective it is. But if you simply must have a diagram I suppose I can draw something up and send it to you. Most of my projects (the simpler ones) often don't involve drawings, just working off the cuff.

 

Ian: I am SO opposed to harming an animal for the sake of a bad owner. My mother-in-law had a dog she decided she didn't want. We took ownership of the animal. It was a horrible licker and incessant barker. Within 10 days of working with the dog I had him only barking when there was good reason to. As for the licking - that stopped within 2 hours.

Dogs need good pack leaders. (owners) If the owner takes the time to train the animal then there's no need to harm the dog. Hence, I can't agree to tossing a block of chocolate over the fence and harm the dog. A friend of mine - and chiropractor - had a rat in the yard while he was working on my wife. He handed me a pump pellet gun and asked me to shoot the rat. I told him that I respect his right to conduct himself as he sees fit but I wasn't going to shoot an animal just because it was a nuisance.

As for posting any documents, I think it was on page one where I posted a block sort of diagram of what I was intending. If you can follow that you can follow anything. Simple: Solar panel connected to a buck converter adjusted to 10.0 volts, mounted inside the bark deterrent device and then hung in the sun (solar panel) and the sonic device under the roof line. And dogs have been much quieter, though not completely quiet. Seems the smaller the dog the less effective it is. But if you simply must have a diagram I suppose I can draw something up and send it to you. Most of my projects (the simpler ones) often don't involve drawings, just working off the cuff.

Chiropractor or not, if he was 'working' on my wife, I would have shot that rat in the ass.

 

Chiropractor or not, if he was 'working' on my wife, I would have shot that rat in the ass.

The plagues centuries ago killed more people than WW2 and were spread by the fleas on black rats.

Which was a big chunk of the European population back then.

Allegedly; there was a rat population explosion because cats were killed on sight for being the messengers between witches and the devil.