Home Motor drivers Solar engines Type 1 (voltage) Zener-based FLED-based Mazibug3 1381-based "Miller" 1381 GBSE MicroPower VTSE DSSSE Vx2SE Type 2 (time) Type 3 (charge rate) Nocturnal Sensors Complete robots Misc. circuits   The BEAM Circuits Collection is a BEAM Reference Library site.		The "Miller" solar engine Yet another way to use a 1381 voltage detector The Miller solar engine uses a 1381* voltage detector (a.k.a., a voltage supervisor) IC to drive a voltage-based (type 1) solar engine. The 1381 is normally used to reset CPUs and Micros when the power supply drops too low for reliable operation. So 1381s detect and switch when the input voltage crosses the rated upper and lower threshold voltages. The upper- and lower-switching voltages are slightly overlapped so that the turn-on voltage is a few hundred mV above the turn-off voltage. This hysteresis keeps input noise (around the switching threshold) from resulting in multiple output cycles as the transition occurs. The Miller SE is designed to increase the 1381 hysteresis to a larger value. This is done by putting a small capacitor across the input legs of the 1381, and a diode between the 1381 and the "true" ground. Here's the basic circuit (I show it as a modification to the "vanilla" 1381 circuit, where added components are red, deleted components are grayed out, and common components are in black): How it works As the solar cell charges the (4700 uF) storage capacitor, the voltage across the capacitor increases with time. Eventually it reaches the 1381's trip point, and the 1381 applies voltage to the base of the 2N3904. Since this is an NPN transistor, it "trips" and applies current to the motor. This state of affairs will continue until the 1381 sees a voltage that looks like its trip point less 0.3 V, at which point the 2N3904 goes "quiescent," and the solar cell resumes charging the storage capacitor. By choosing values for C1 and R1, we can "tweak" the performance of this circuit. If the load is (as shown above) a motor, we'll want R1 to be zero (i.e., no resistor), and C1 to be about 0.47 uF. Larger values for C1 result in longer (but less-frequent) "bursts" of motor activity; smaller values result in shorter (but more-frequent) activity. Larger values of R1 reduce the power going through the motor, as well as lengthening the "bursts" of motor activity. If the load is an LED or something similar, you'll need less power to drive it, and probably then want a non-zero value for R1. Parts list for basic circuit Part Solarbotics Digikey Radio Shack Storage capacitor various various various Solar cell various N/A N/A 0.47 uF capacitor       Diode (small signal)       2N3904 transistor $0.15, #TR3904 $0.26, #2N3904-ND $0.07, #900-5456 1381* IC       Freeforming If you want to build a "freeform" version of this circuit, here's a very compact layout (note that the layout shows the 2N3904 and 1381 in "dead-bug" fashion, i.e., with their legs pointing towards you). Start by glueing the 2N3904 and 1381 together ("face to face"). As is usual for things this small, you should then solder your connections starting in the middle (i.e., work your way out). For more information... 1381s are great little ICs, but their availability seems to be spotty. If you can't find 1381s locally, you might have better luck finding its European cousin, the TC-54 -- for details on it, see its data sheet. Jérôme Demers has a page up on the Miller SE -- with pictures of the circuit as built on a breadboard -- here. A quick rundown on the history of the Miller SE design was posted here.
Sitemap    Search    Legalities    Page author: Eric Seale This page was last updated on This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.