Battery Power - Battery Pack Charging Circuit | Show Menu |
The following article illustrates a simple circuit linking two batteries (or battery packs) to a Radio Control Receiver and two charging jacks. It can be used in a diesel, steam locomotive tender or trailing car to power any large-scale receiver. As there are many different receivers available, only the input circuit is illustrated here.
The circuit was originally designed more than a decade ago. Our club members used it to connect a 6-volt and 12-volt, gel cell battery in series to provide 18 volts of power for the original Aristo-Craft Train Engineer. With a flick of a double pole double throw switch, the batteries could be disconnected from the receiver and connected to independent charging jacks.
The illustration below shows the circuit in charge mode. The highlighted part of the circuit shows two batteries being charged through separate charging plugs. This allows two similar batteries of different voltages to be charged independently.
The same circuit can be used to charge and link two identical batteries or battery packs allowing a range from 12 to 24 volts. Members of our Garden Railway Club have run Ni-Cad and Ni-MH battery packs in this manner.
When the switch is thrown in the opposite direction, the charging plugs are isolated and the receiver is brought on line. Although a little more difficult to follow, the illustration below shows the receiver linked in series with both batteries.
Aristo-Craft style MU plugs can be used in place of charging jacks. They are easy to install by drilling a small hole for the wires, and will not short out when plugged in. They are available from ALL Electronics under part number CON-240.
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Last Modified 8/25/08 3:14 PM