Terminology

Adapter

An adapter is a straight-through current device. Whatever voltage and amperage arrives on one side goes out the other side with no change in voltage, amperage, or current type.

I bought this adapter in Paris in 2016. The upper image shows that the two cylindrical prongs will fit perfectly into a wall outlet in my Poissy hotel room. The lower image, with the two prongs rotated to face away from me, show that I can plug a North American device into the adapter, providing that the North American devices can cope with whatever voltage and amperage floods out of the French Hotel wall outlet. I plugged my Acer Netbook power-block into the adapter and charged up my Acer Netbook each day of the three weeks I was there.

Controller

A charge controller , charge regulator or battery regulator limits the rate at which electric current is added to or drawn from electric batteries. It prevents overcharging and may protect against over voltage , which can reduce battery performance or lifespan and may pose a safety risk. It may also prevent completely draining ("deep discharging") a battery, or perform controlled discharges, depending on the battery technology, to protect battery life. A shunt charge controller or shunt regulator diverts excess electricity to an auxiliary or "shunt" load, such as an electric water heater, when batteries are full.

Charge controller circuits are used for rechargeable electronic devices such as cell phones, laptop computers, portable audio players, and uninterruptible power supplies – but this might mean one controller per power channel for me

Solar Charge Controller Specifications

Solar panel rating: 50W (4A, 12V nominal) (open circuit voltage: 18 to 20V)

Output voltage range: 7 to 14V (adjustable) (not recommended for 6V applications)

Max power dissipation: 16W (includes power dissipation of D3)

Typical dropout voltage: 1.25V @ 4A

Maximum current: 4A (current limiting provided by solar panel characteristics)

Voltage regulation: 10mV (no load to full load)

Battery discharge: 1mA (Chinese controls discharge at typically 5mA)

LED indicators:

RED: Solar panel active

GREEN: Series regulator limiting current (fully charged or topping off)

Reverse battery protection: Control shuts down if battery is inadvertently connected reverse

So what does this do, mean? " This Low Dropout Voltage (LDO) solar charge controller uses a simple differential amplifier and series P channel MOSFET linear regulator – their compatibility seems like a marriage made in heaven. Voltage output is adjustable. It is mainly intended for charging 12V lead-acid batteries." I need to know more about this, especially the bits about changing 12v lead-acid batteries.

Inverter

https://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-inverters-work.html

An inverter and a rectifier perform opposite functions in electronic circuits. Both act as electric power converters ; a rectifier changes current from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), while an inverter converts DC to AC.

An inverter transforms a low voltage DC current (such as 9 or 12 volts) to a high voltage AC current. For example, when camping, you might use an inverter to power 120-volt AC appliances from your car's 12-volt battery. Converting DC to AC is more complicated than AC to DC; an inverter is a very complex and expensive circuit compared to a rectifier, which typically has only a few simple parts.

A power inverter , or inverter, is a power electronic device or circuitry that changes direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). [1] The resulting AC frequency obtained depends on the particular device employed. Inverters do the opposite of “converters” which were originally large electromechanical devices converting AC to DC. [2]

The input voltage , output voltage and frequency, and overall power handling depend on the design of the specific device or circuitry. The inverter does not produce any power; the power is provided by the DC source.

A power inverter can be entirely electronic or may be a combination of mechanical effects (such as a rotary apparatus) and electronic circuitry. Static inverters do not use moving parts in the conversion process.

Circuits that perform the opposite function, converting AC to DC, are called rectifiers .

Input voltage: A typical power inverter device or circuit requires a relatively stable DC power source capable of supplying enough current for the intended power demands of the system. The input voltage depends on the design and purpose of the inverter. Examples include:

12 V DC, for smaller consumer and commercial inverters that typically run from a rechargeable 12 V lead acid battery or automotive electrical outlet. [3]

24, 36 and 48 V DC, which are common standards for home energy systems.

200 to 400 V DC, when power is from photovoltaic solar panels.

300 to 450 V DC, when power is from electric vehicle battery packs in vehicle-to-grid systems.

Hundreds of thousands of volts, where the inverter is part of a high-voltage direct current power transmission system.

There are two basic designs for producing household plug-in voltage from a lower-voltage DC source, the first of which uses a switching boost converter to produce a higher-voltage DC and then converts to AC. The second method converts DC to AC at battery level and uses a line-frequency transformer to create the output voltage. [5]

Boost Converter

A boost converter (sometimes called a step-up converter) is a DC-to-DC power converter that steps up voltage (while stepping down current) from its input (supply) to its output (load). It is a class of switched-mode power supply (SMPS) containing at least two semiconductors (a diode and a transistor ) and at least one energy storage element: a capacitor , inductor , or the two in combination. To reduce voltage ripple , filters made of capacitors (sometimes in combination with inductors) are normally added to such a converter's output (load-side filter) and input (supply-side filter).

Battery power systems often stack cells in series to achieve higher voltage. However, sufficient stacking of cells is not possible in many high voltage applications due to lack of space. Boost converters can increase the voltage and reduce the number of cells.

An unregulated boost converter is used as the voltage increase mechanism in the circuit known as the ' Joule thief '. This circuit topology is used with low power battery applications, and is aimed at the ability of a boost converter to 'steal' the remaining energy in a battery. This energy would otherwise be wasted since the low voltage of a nearly depleted battery makes it unusable for a normal load. This energy would otherwise remain untapped because many applications do not allow enough current to flow through a load when voltage decreases. This voltage decrease occurs as batteries become depleted, and is a characteristic of the ubiquitous alkaline battery . Since the equation for power is P=V2/R, and R tends to be stable, power available to the load goes down significantly as voltage decreases.

Line-Frequency Transformer

Most commonly used to describe mains-power. North America is 60cps, while Australia is 50cps.

Rectifier

An inverter and a rectifier perform opposite functions in electronic circuits. Both act as electric power converters ; a rectifier changes current from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), while an inverter converts DC to AC.

Rectifiers come in two basic types: half-wave and full-wave. A half-wave rectifier allows electricity of only one polarity (positive or negative) to pass through, while a full-wave rectifier permits both. Electronic components called diodes form the heart of rectifier circuits, as they pass current in only one direction. A half-wave rectifier may have one or two diodes; a full-wave rectifier requires four.

Transformer

A transformer is a passive electrical device that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another, or multiple circuits . A varying current in any one coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core, which induces a varying electromotive force across any other coils wound around the same core.

Transformers are most commonly used for increasing low AC voltages at high current (a step-up transformer) or decreasing high AC voltages at low current (a step-down transformer) in electric power applications.

Transformers can be classified in many ways, such as the following:

Power rating : From a fraction of a volt-ampere (VA) to over a thousand MVA.

Duty of a transformer: Continuous, short-time, intermittent, periodic, varying.

Frequency range: Power-frequency , audio-frequency , or radio-frequency .

Voltage class: From a few volts to hundreds of kilovolts.

Cooling type: Dry or liquid-immersed; self-cooled, forced air-cooled; forced oil-cooled, water-cooled.

Application: power supply, impedance matching, output voltage and current stabilizer, pulse , circuit isolation, power distribution , rectifier , arc furnace , amplifier output, etc..

Basic magnetic form: Core form, shell form, concentric, sandwich.

Constant-potential transformer descriptor: Step-up, step-down, isolation .

General winding configuration: By IEC vector group , two-winding combinations of the phase designations delta, wye or star, and zigzag ; autotransformer , Scott-T

Rectifier phase-shift winding configuration: 2-winding, 6-pulse; 3-winding, 12-pulse; . . . n-winding, [n-1]*6-pulse; polygon; etc..

Choke

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071129091306AAHqlYI&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8_dD1mZmFiJnE9ZGlmZmVyZW5jZStjaG9rZStvcithK3RyYW5zZm9ybWVyJmlhPXdlYg&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFncz1iqhp6giGd932oumLXw333zrn4nTk_g9ZmdJUB57JhfEPlK9oCXxbehfRJZ5a6Clbalv2AP8zqPjUVn0osi9h4EJVrEMn19E4PmbvQkUC6Yq06yWE7VlVoSmSBvSYCGM-_cs4RRENQR3kvmyXIZVwLEF2xiOO0qxA_s4wCw

https://www.quora.com/How-do-transformers-chokes-and-ballasts-differ?share=1

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-common-mode-choke-and-transformer?share=1

Summary

I need a transformer when I want to change voltages, but I think this works regardless of the current type – AC or DC. Most advertised transformers seem geared to render 120vAC to 12vDC, so they are really transformer-rectifiers. The LE Power Adapter converts 120vAC (3A) to 12vDC(36W) for $26. These are the ubiquitous "bricks" that we use on our laptops every day. I might use an existing brick as a means of testing a 12vDC application before hooking it into my 12vDC circuitry. What applications currently require 36W or less?

I need a rectifier to convert from DC to AC. What applications require AC, and presumably 120vAC? If my reservoirs are sufficient I could run short-term drains by taking in 12vDC and converting it to 120vAC to run chargers (smart phone/laptop) and other short-burst devices – such as listening to a mains radio for three minutes each hour for local news.

I am unlikely to require a line-frequency transformer. Since I am building a system in North America, my devices will most likely be 60cps.

I will need a boost converter only if I need to step up the voltage (from 12vDC to, say, 24vDC). I think this is a glorified name for a dc-dc transformer. What DC device will I buy that operates at other than 12vDC? I can't think of one right now.

An inverter converts DC to AC. See "rectifier" immediately above.

A charge controller seems useful down the road. I will assume that early on I just send a battery to full-charge and lose the excess power. The option to soak up excess power in a water-heater reservoir sounds good to me. Conceivably a 44-gallon tank of water in the kitchen heated will release heat when the power supply is disconnected. Read Christopher Greaves 1001298082_how.pdf

The Renogy Rover 30-Amp Charge Controller is $128

The Renogy 10A Wanderer includes integrated 5V 2A USB ports to charge USB devices. $20

MPPT

Maximum power point tracking or sometimes just power point tracking is a technique used commonly with wind turbines and photovoltaic (PV) solar systems to maximize power extraction under all conditions. Although it primarily applies to solar power, the principle applies generally to sources with variable power: for example, optical power transmission and thermophotovoltaics.

Negative Ground

Direct current circuits that have the negative pole of the power supply connected to the ground source are negatively grounded electrical systems. Typically the positive pole connects to one or more devices on the circuit, which have their negative terminals connected to the same ground source to complete the circuit.

Alternating current systems ground to the earth, so they need three connections instead of two in order to complete a grounded system

Alternator

In a car; I will call mine a Wind-Turbine.

1) Converts engine's mechanical energy into electrical energy.

2) Uses basic laws of electro-magnetism.

3) Available in many different outputs from 30-300 Amps.

4) Takes horsepower to run and produces heat.

Relay

1) "Remote control" switch.

2) Used when one circuit is to be turned on by the presence of a voltage provided by another circuit. Can be manually activated (dashboard switch) or automatically activated (turn radio on, amplifier automatically comes on).

3) Allows high-current circuits to be isolated from activation switches.

4) A relay can be triggered with as few as 150 milliamps. The switched output can be as high as 100 amps.

Distribution Block

1) Used to provide neat, tidy distribution of 12 Volt (+) power.

2) Various configurations available.

3) Can also be used to provide common ground points.

Fuses and Circuit Breakers

1) Designed to protect the components in a circuit from current overload.

2) Also protects wire in circuits from short-circuit damage.

3) Fuses "blow" at a given amperage, opening the circuit and stopping current flow.

4) Cheap and effective, but must be replaced when blown.

Fuse Block

Provides convenient central location of fuses for multiple circuits.

2) Also functions as a power distribution point.

3) Often provide multiple clean ground points as well.

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