Note: All pictures that follow are "clickable".  Clicking on them will show you an enlargement!
Under Construction

A lil' history ...
    This project involved the building of "SIMPLE-VOLT", a tiny, light-weight R/C Battery Voltage Monitor using a PIC microcontroller.  This simple PIC project includes a simple A-to-D application that measures the voltage of a battery pack via a resistor divider network, compares it to a reference voltage (5v regulator) and then displays the battery voltage on 2 LEDs (indicating battery voltage strength).  As a visual warning, all LEDS flash fast and beeper sounds to indicate that the cutoff voltage has been reached, telling you to land and stop discharging the depleted LiPo pack (trust me, this saves LiPo packs!). 

The Simple-Volt automatically detects the number of LiPo cells connected (assume charged pack) and continually monitors the battery voltage and compares it to the preset cutoff/warning voltage corresponding to the number of detected LiPo cells (9v for 3s, 12v for 4s and 15v for 5s... basically, 3 volts minimum per cell). 

When the battery voltage is greater than the cutoff voltage +1v, the Green LED will be on solid.  If the battery voltage is > cutoff voltage+.5 but  < cutoff voltage+1v, the Green LED will slowly flash.  If the battery voltage is > cutoff but < cutoff+.5v, then the Red LED will begin flashing.  If the battery voltage < cutoff voltage, both Green and Red LEDs will flash very fast while also emitting an intermittent beeping sound from the peizo alarm buzzer.

The user can also set the Simple-Volt so it either locks onto the first instance of the cutoff or automatically resets once battery voltage increases.  By default, the Simple-Volt will be in "Locked" mode once powered up (when cutoff is reached, LEDs flash and alarm sounds continually until power is removed).  To get the Mini-Volt into "Auto" mode (where flashing LEDs and alarm reset once battery voltage recovers above the cutoff voltage; as if the throttle was decreased) , you need to quickly connect the Mini-Flash to power (for less than a second)  then disconnect from power.  Then, reconnecting the Simple-Volt to power will put it into "Auto" mode.

..more coming soon

 
Design Criteria Summary:

1) ...more coming soon

Parts & Tools List ...

1) ...more coming soon

Building Instructions...

  

 

...more coming soon

 

Firmware/Code...

Click here to View Code (currently not available)

Click here to Download Code (currently not available)

 

Testing and Operation Instructions...

1. TBD

2. TBD

Additional Notes...

	TBD
	TBD

SPECS:                For Initial Voltage                Pack Type/Size                 Cutoff Voltage
=========================================================================

                            5.30V to 7.15V                     NiCd/NiMH,                     5 Cells 5.3±0.1V

                            7.16V to 8.55V                     NiCd/NiMH,                     6 Cells  (2C LiPo 5.3±0.1V)

                            8.56V to 9.95V                     NiCd/NiMH,                     7 Cells 5.4±0.1V

                            9.96V to 11.21V                   NiCd/NiMH,                     8 Cells 7.5±0.1V

                            11.22V to 12.45V                 NiCd/NiMH,                     9 Cells  (3C LiPo 8.4±0.1V)

                            12.46V to 14.50V                 NiCd/NiMH,                     10 Cells 10.0±0.1V

                            14.51V to 16.05V                 NiCd/NiMH,                     11 Cells 10.3±0.1V

                            16.06V and Up                     NiCd/NiMH,                      12 Cells  (4C LiPo 11.0±0.1V)

Earthmen Productions
© Dec-00-Mar-12

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