An Open - Source Solar Charge Controller for LVDC Systems

This paper presents a design of an open- source cost effective solar charge controller for LVDC Systems. A hardware prototype is designed, realized and tested in laboratory environment. The results witness adequate performance. The solution allows for convenient open source serial communication for monitoring, control and data logging as well as easy and quick reconfiguration options depending on the battery type, e.g., lead acid, lithium, LiFePo4, Ni-Cd batteries. Also, it can operate in systems with different DC voltage levels such as 51.2, 48, 36, 24, 12 volts. The controller enables implementation of typical charging algorithms and can operate in constant current, constant voltage, constant power, float charge and other modes.