Re post # 460: Looks normal for a SP, open ckt. 14 V, lightly loaded, 100 mA, V =12.43, about right, full load V @ max power point V would be about 10.5V.
Let's call 100Ω load - LED , DE.
Without changing any settings, starting with "SP" low, increase to full V & note monitor LED's response.

 

Let's call 100Ω load - LED , DE.
Without changing any settings, starting with "SP" low, increase to full V & note monitor LED's response.

SP output is at minimum.
At power-up, R100-1 and R100-2 = 1.40V
At R100-1 = 3.20V and R100-2 = 2.83V, DE just begins to light. After a few seconds (maybe 30 seconds), DD lights.
At R100-1 = 5.30V, DE seems to be fully lit. DD still on.
At R100-1 = 9.33V, DD goes out, DA comes on. R100-2 jumps to 6.49V (from 2.84V).
At R100-1 = 14.00V, DA still on. R100-2 = 12.45V.
At R100-1 = 17.00V, DA still on. R100-2 = 15.71V.
On the way down, DA went out at R100-1 = 2.52V. After about 30 seconds, DD came on.

Got orders from the wife that we are going out for a while...maybe a couple of hours. Will post again when I get back.

 

About that delay before DD comes on. I don't see a capacitor that could be causing it; is it a resistor heating and changing value which is letting U4.2 switch? If not, what?

Does Q4 need a pull-down resistor on the gate?

 

Thank you both of you so much for all the tuning and troubleshooting. I am very sure I could not handle all these. Thank you so much.

 

Thank you both of you so much for all the tuning and troubleshooting. I am very sure I could not handle all these. Thank you so much.

You are welcome. However, I know that all three of us would like to get it working properly.

I am updating the schematic. I think you have adjusted the values for R5 through 14. If you will post the new values, I will change them on the schematic.

 

For R9 and R14 had change to 82 ohm and the rest from R5 to R8 & R10 to R13 are 91 ohm.

 

For R9 and R14 had change to 82 ohm and the rest from R5 to R8 & R10 to R13 are 91 ohm.

Okay, I have made those changes; the updated schematic is attached.

For the record, note that components with reference numbers at 100 and above are for test purposes only and will probably not be in the final circuit. Of course, my circuit does not actually include a solar panel; I am using a buck converter to simulate the solar panel output, which is the reason for R100. Also, I am also using BS250 MOSFETs instead of the FDS9435A MOSFETs as shown in the schematic. And finally, I am using a single LED across a 100Ω load to simulate the NE555 PWM circuit and LED array.

 

DD ? What is B1 V? Last that I remember Low B1 V cutoff was set to 11.88V which seems normal. R101 is jumpered? Is the V ref. stable @ about 2.5V ? On Q4, pull down is R25, 100k; pull up R24 & R 25, 110k.
Low B1 is the simplest sub ckt of the bunch & seemed to work before.
We changed two things, R100 & added C100, maybe we should remove C100, why?? ; because I'm out of ideas.

 

It's entirely possible that I am the problem. I don't have a complete understanding of how the circuit is supposed to work. I can follow the schematic by sub-circuit, but I can't seem to put the whole package together in my head. (My lack of formal electronics training is showing.)

Assuming there is not enough power from the solar panels to power the LEDs and charge the battery, which takes precedence?

 

"It's entirely possible that I am the problem. I don't have a complete understanding of how the circuit is supposed to work. I can follow the schematic by sub-circuit, but I can't seem to put the whole package together in my head. (My lack of formal electronics training is showing.)"




Hey now, that is my excuse!

 

I'm too tired to think clearly about it tonight. As Scarlett O'Hara said, "After all, tomorrow is another day." Or something like that.

 

Lol tracecom if that is the problem, I am 100X worst. Anyway I know you guys have been really helpful on this project and we can make it work.

 

DD ? What is B1 V? Last that I remember Low B1 V cutoff was set to 11.88V which seems normal. R101 is jumpered? Is the V ref. stable @ about 2.5V ? On Q4, pull down is R25, 100k; pull up R24 & R 25, 110k.
Low B1 is the simplest sub ckt of the bunch & seemed to work before.
We changed two things, R100 & added C100, maybe we should remove C100, why?? ; because I'm out of ideas.

B1 = 12.84V. R101 is bypassed. U3-2 is stable at 2.469V.

On Q4, I see the pull-up, R24 going to B1 buss. But I have R25 in series from U4.1-1 to Q4-4. Does R25 need to go from Q4-4 to ground?

 

R24 & R25 are in series, when U4.1 is off, Q4 gate is returned to B1 buss via R24 & R25. I thought B1 might be marginally low, not so. Do not remember a problem with a stepped output from U2.1 before we added LED's; might increase R102, R103 & R104 from 2.2k to 3.3k, just bright enough to see.

 

R24 & R25 are in series, when U4.1 is off, Q4 gate is returned to B1 buss via R24 & R25. I thought B1 might be marginally low, not so. Do not remember a problem with a stepped output from U2.1 before we added LED's; might increase R102, R103 & R104 from 2.2k to 3.3k, just bright enough to see.

R102, R103, R104 = 3.2k (I added 1k.)

SP output is at minimum.
At power-up, R100-1 and R100-2 = 1.23V
No LEDs lit.
At R100-1 = 3.20V and R100-2 = 2.83V, DE just begins to light.
At R100-1 = 5.30V, DE seems to be fully lit. DD still not on.
At R100-1 = 9.33V, DA comes on.
At R100-1 = 9.44V, R100-2 jumps to 6.49V (from 2.84V).
At R100-1 = 14.00V, DA still on. R100-2 = 12.42V.
On the way down, DA went out at R100-1 = 2.51V. After about 30 seconds, DD came on.

 

The output of the SP is at R100-2, on a real SP R100-1 is not available, but having both readings we can track SP current.
Back tracking a bit on Day-Night; a referance of 2.5V was not ideal, I thought that .5V to 1V would be the dividing line between night & day, but 2.5V seems to work. Night to day seems to be the problem; positive feed back appears to to slow in comming on, so we can change the ref V at U2.2-5 from 2.5 V to about 8 V by disconecting lead U3-2 to U2.2-5, add a V divider from B1 buss to gnd.; B1 buss to 10k to U2.2-5 & U2.2-5 to 24k to gnd.
In normal operation B1 is always connected, green on, but on first power-up, U4.2's state is undetermined, but if we add cap, say .1μF, U4.2-5 to gnd. negative input will go hi before ref reaches 2.5V, so green will be on at start-up. Progress??

 

The output of the SP is at R100-2, on a real SP R100-1 is not available, but having both readings we can track SP current.
Back tracking a bit on Day-Night; a referance of 2.5V was not ideal, I thought that .5V to 1V would be the dividing line between night & day, but 2.5V seems to work. Night to day seems to be the problem; positive feed back appears to to slow in comming on, so we can change the ref V at U2.2-5 from 2.5 V to about 8 V by disconecting lead U3-2 to U2.2-5, add a V divider from B1 buss to gnd.; B1 buss to 10k to U2.2-5 & U2.2-5 to 24k to gnd.
In normal operation B1 is always connected, green on, but on first power-up, U4.2's state is undetermined, but if we add cap, say .1μF, U4.2-5 to gnd. negative input will go hi before ref reaches 2.5V, so green will be on at start-up. Progress??

I'll give it a shot this afternoon or evening and post the results. The weather is good here today, and I need to do some yard work. Thanks.

 

Ref. voltage at U2.2-5 is now 9.01V, via a 10k/24k voltage divider B1 to ground. .1μF cap from U4.2-5 to ground. I also added an LED indicator on the output of BR1 and BBR2.

SP output is at minimum.
At power-up, R100-1 = 1.49V and R100-2 = 1.45V
DD lit as soon as B1 was connected, and before solar panel output was connected.
At R100-1 = 3.05V, BBR1 begins to operate.
At R100-1 = 3.2V and R100-2 = 2.83V, DE just begins to light.
At R100-1 = 5.30V, DE seems to be fully lit.
At R100-1 = 8.96V, DC comes on (dim).
At R100-1 = 9.27V, DC comes to full brightness.
At R100-1 = 14.71V, R100-2 jumps to 11.88V (from 2.84V), DA comes on, and BR1 begins to operate.

On the way down, R100-2 follows about 3.5V less than R100-1.
At R100-1 = 11.34V, R100-2 drops to 2.86V, all LEDs still on.
At R100-1 = 8.75V, DC goes out.
At R100-1 = 2.56V, DA goes out, BBR1 ceases to operate, BR1 ceases to operate, R100-2 = 2.42V, and DE goes out. DD is still lit.
At R100-1= 1.24V, R100-2 = 1.23V. DD is still lit.

 

Hi tracecom, looks like it is almost fixed right?

 

Hi tracecom, looks like it is almost fixed right?

I hope so, but let's see what Bernard says.