Reverse Current Protection for Chargers – A Must for DIYers
🔧 The Problem :
Ever connected a battery to a charger and noticed it getting hot or malfunctioning? That’s likely due to reverse current flow, where energy from the battery flows back into the charger circuit—potentially damaging components.
✅ The Solution :
The fix is simple: use reverse current protection. This can be done with a Schottky diode for basic setups or a P-channel MOSFET with proper gate control for lower loss and higher efficiency. The goal is to allow current only into the battery, not back from it.
💡 Practical Example :
Imagine you’re building a solar-powered IoT device. At night, when solar input drops, your Li-ion battery might try to push current back into the solar panel. A P-MOSFET placed on the high side with the right gate resistor setup will block that reverse flow.
🧮 Sample Calculation :
If your load draws 1A and your Schottky diode has a forward voltage drop of 0.3V:
Power loss = 0.3V × 1A = 0.3W.
Switching to a MOSFET with a 50mΩ Rds(on) gives:
P = I²R = 1² × 0.05 = 0.05W — 6× less heat!
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