The solution maximizes energy efficiency with an integrated solar charger and LED driver, offering MPPT technology, flexible battery support, and safety.
Cypress’s MPPT Solar Charger and LED driver reference design are based on the PowerPSoC solution. It charges solar-powered lead-acid batteries using a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm, which tracks the peak power from the solar panel to maximize energy harvesting and improve battery charging efficiency. The same PowerPSoC device also drives the LEDs. This solution is suitable for street and solar lighting applications, providing efficient energy management and reliable performance for outdoor and off-grid lighting systems.
Unlike other solutions connecting the battery directly to the photovoltaic modules, the MPPT algorithm controls the charging current. This enables the system to operate at maximum power even at night, boosting the ampere-hours delivered to the battery and improving the fixture’s efficiency. The reference design supports various lead-acid battery types, including flooded, absorbed glass mats, sealed, and gel batteries.
PowerPSoC uses its internal features for LED driving, such as 6 MHz current amplifiers, 2 MHz hysteretic controllers, 16-bit dimming, and external gate drivers to implement a floating load buck and boost drive. This integrated solution offers multiple load control options, including automatic dusk-to-dawn operation, battery charging, and load enabling. PowerPSoC also includes safety features for the charging circuit, such as protection against over-voltage, no battery connection, battery under-voltage, and low panel voltage.
The powerSOC includes PSOC 4, which simplifies complex embedded system design, helping you bring your product to market faster. It integrates and optimizes functions like analogue sensor integration, capacitive touch, and wireless connectivity to work seamlessly.
The MPPT algorithm optimizes solar energy harvest by modulating the battery charging current to extract the best possible power from the solar panel. It works efficiently with various battery types, including flooded, absorbed glass mats (AGM), sealed, and gel batteries, which can be selected via jumper configuration. This significantly improves ampere-hours delivered to the battery, supporting a 12V lead-acid battery with a maximum charging current of 9.5A.
The integrated high-power peripherals provide a cost-effective solution. The system includes a boost driver rated at 40V and 1A and a buck driver rated at 8V and 1A, offering multiple load control options. The MPPT and LED drive functionality are combined on a single chip, ensuring efficient energy management.
Safety features are enhanced with intelligent flexibility. The system includes protections for battery overvoltage, no battery connection, battery undervoltage, and low panel voltage. It also provides multiple protection options for the solar panel, including reverse polarity, overvoltage, undervoltage, open circuit, and short circuit protections.
Cypress has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, assembly drawing, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and more. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.