julian on April 14th, 2010

Too great a compromise. That’s the upshot of trying to use two 5.6 volt zener diodes in series instead of a single 9.1 volt diode.
The 9.1 volt has a completely stable reverse voltage over a wide range of current. The 5.1 and 5.6 volt zeners are completely different and have a non-linear current/voltage relationship. I [...]

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julian on December 29th, 2008

The point of a voltage regulator is to protect the battery from being overcharged. It does this by monitoring battery voltage and disconnecting the solar panels when a safe maximum has been reached. 12 volt lead-acid batteries can be charged safely to about 14.5 volts. If charging continues beyond this point, the battery is in [...]

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