12/10/2010 Alkaline Battery Charger Schematic C…

Alkaline battery charging circuit

Ads by Google LM317 Charger

Here is a low current charger I designed in an attempt to extend the life / recharge regular non
rechargeable alkaline batteries. The trick to doing this is three things.

• Use a low current over a longer period

• Charge before they become too drained
• Charge to no more than 110% of the cells capacity (eg 1.5v charge to 1.65v and stop)

ZTS Multi-Battery Testers Premium Quality, Easy-to-Use Test Lithium, Alkaline, NiMH, SLA ztsinc.com
Netbook Charging Carts Charge and Secure up to 30 Netbooks in the UnoCart LapSafe.com
Li-Ion Battery Power Easy to use OEM battery system hardware & monitoring software www.ocean-server.com

In my tests I have found the lower charge rate, the better the charge and the less chance of a cell leaking
electrolyte. Also, if a cell becomes too flat or completely flat, it will not take a good charge and will also
probably leak electrolyte and possibly even pop open. The idea here is to keep them topped up. Lets say
you have fresh batteries in a torch and you used it for a while. The cells have drained to around 1.3v for
example. Put them on gentle charge with this circuit, monitor the voltage and stop when it reaches 110%.
That would be 1.65v for one cell or 3.3v for two cells in series. Do not charge beyond 110% or there is a
risk of cell leaking or even popping open / exploding. Its also advisable not to try to charge an alkaline
battery that is completely flat. They don't absorb a charge and just leak in my experience. Some of my
tests I done outside in the winter (around 2°c) and I found the cells hit 1.65v quite fast but didn't absorb
much of it due to high internal resistance at cold temperatures. Charging should be carried out at room
temperature, around 20°c.

The nice thing about using alkaline batteries is that they have no internal discharge unlike Ni-Cd and Ni-
Mh rechargeable's, and are therefore suited to low current drain applications such as remote controls,
clocks or things you don't use often such as torches.

Here is a constant current supply circuit schematic diagram

m0ukd.com/…/alkaline_battery_char… 1/3
12/10/2010 Alkaline Battery Charger Schematic C…
using the LM317 variable voltage regulator. It is a very simple
AC Power Sources
circuit for charging alkaline batteries. It will provide a stable
California Instruments, Elgar, AC
constant current which is adjustable by switching different Programmable Power /current
values of resistors. The input voltage must be at least 6v Sources
higher than the battery(s) you wish to charge. The LED, www.e lgar.com
BC548 and 470Ω resistor provide an indication of current flow
to show that your battery connections are good. They can be
omitted if you wish to make the circuit simpler. I used a 12
way rotary switch set to 5 way to select different resistors to Photovoltaic Modules
give output currents of around 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40mA. The Good Price Fast Delivery from Italy
idea being for 9v PP3 types I would use 5mA. For AAA's Range from 10 to 230Watt
www.Sho pEne rgia.com
10mA. AA's 20mA, C's 30mA and D's 40mA. This is just my
guideline, you can try what you like! Just remember more
current is not good for charging alkaline non-rechargeable
batteries.

You can use no switch and fix the current, or use a simple toggle switch to toggle between 2 or 3
different currents or whatever you prefer!

The constant current may be set by choosing the appropriate resistor. R = 1.25 ÷ I Where R is the
resistor value in ohms, 1.25 the regulator's reference drop voltage in Volts and I is the constant current
in Amps. For example, if you want a 100mA constant current, the R value will be: 1.25 ÷ 0.1 = 12.5ohm.
The dissipated power on the resistor R in this example is: P = V x I = 1.25 x 0.05 = 0.125W or 125mW.
The dissipated power on the LM317 IC is:(Vin - Vout) x Charging Current. A heatsink is not required for
the LM317 (TO220) in this low power circuit. If you design one with more than 40mA output current, you
should heatsink it. Notice that the IC's metal package or tab also carries the Vout, so it's necessary to
use isolating washers if you attach the heatsink to a metal case.

I have made two javascript calculators to help determine the value of the resistor(s) or the charging
current with a specific resistor. Input either the constant current required (in mA) or the resistor (in
Ohms). Both will also show the power dissipated through the resistor. High power resistors will be
required over about 200mA but not needed here as we are using low currents to charge alkaline
batteries! (200mA=1⁄4w @ 1.25v)

Enter constant current to find the resistor value 250 mA Calculate

Resistor value will be: 5 Ω

0.313 Watts or
Power Dissipated across resistor
312.5 mW

Enter resistor value to find the constant current 3 Ω Calculate

Output Current will be: 416.667 mA

0.521 Watts or
Power Dissipated across resistor
520.834 mW

How this works. The LM317 keeps a constant 1.25v over the resistor regardless of input voltage or
output load. This means when the load current increases or decreases, the regulator adjusts its output
to keep a constant voltage over the resistor of 1.25V at all times and therefore a current of 1.25÷R.

One of the reasons this circuit is so simple is that most of the circuitry is inside the LM317 itself. It's
complicated circuit can be seen in its internal schematic diagram below:

m0ukd.com/…/alkaline_battery_char… 2/3
12/10/2010 Alkaline Battery Charger Schematic C…

Yes that whole circuit is packaged inside the LM317. The three pins in, out & adjust can be seen on the
left of the schematic. Inside are 26 transistors, 26 resistors, 3 capacitors and 4 zener diodes.

More info on my alkaline charging experiments and photo's of my charger will be here soon!

GenSet Battery Chargers Emko Generator Control GenSet Battery Chargers www.emkoenergy.com.tr
X-Charge 180A SplitCharge Charge 2 batteries at the same time Ideal for winches & hi power loads www.x-eng.co.uk
Battery Probes Federkontakte und Ladekontakthalter Spring Probes for Battery Chargers www.fixtest.de

Page last updated: April 20, 2010

Disclaimer: Battery manufacturers clearly state that alkaline batteries should not be recharged. There is a possibility of
leaking of chemicals / gasses and/or an explosion. Some alkaline batteries contain small amounts of mercury and/or
cadmium. Always wear safety equipment such as gloves and goggles when experimenting with batteries, and clean up
any spills of battery fluid immediately. Do not leave charging unattended indoors. Use this circuit at your own risk!

m0ukd.com/…/alkaline_battery_char… 3/3