Category Archives: low voltage disconnects

Programmable Low Voltage Automatic Battery Charger

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Our Mini Programmable 12V Low Voltage Disconnect (LVD) is designed to disconnect loads from batteries when the battery voltage falls below  a user set value, and then reconnect the loads when the battery voltage gets back above a second (higher) user set value.

low voltage connect from REUK low voltage disconnectWith a few modifications to the code on the microcontroller of this device it can also be reconfigured as a low voltage connect – a device which will (typically) be used to connect a charger to the battery when its voltage gets low, and then disconnect it when the battery voltage gets higher after charging.

Today we made such a low voltage connect for a customer with a semi off grid garden office, a PV solar charged battery bank, and a selection of lights, 5V chargers, and other low voltage DC loads to be powered. He has a mains powered 5A bench power supply which he wanted to automatically connect to the battery bank via a solid state relay (SSR) when the battery bank voltage fell due to a period of poor solar generation (English weather) or from using a lot of battery power.

With our low voltage connect controlling the SSR, the battery bank will never be able to get overly-depleted and battery power will always be available to power the garden office.

If you need any kind of low voltage disconnect, low voltage connect, or high voltage disconnect etc, please email neil@reuk.co.uk with details of your requirements.

Poultry Lighting Controller with LVD and Display

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We have been selling a selection of poultry lighting controllers for many years now – devices designed to stimulate egg production in the winter months using artificial light at dusk and/or before dawn to trick the birds.

Pictured below is a bespoke lighting controller we recently made for a more advanced poultry lighting controller including a double voltage regulator so that more LED bulbs can be used in a large poultry house, an automatic low voltage disconnect, and an LCD display to show system status and for use in setting up the system.

Poultry lighting controller with low voltage disconnect and display

This device will automatically detect dusk and turn on the lights in the poultry house for a user-programmable number of hours (including zero). The lights then turn off (if they had been on) and remain off for 9 hours to give the birds a 9 hour sleep and a 15 hour day for maximum egg production. The lights then turn on in the early morning and remain on until dawn when natural light is bright enough to take over.

display for poultry lighting controller with lvd

Dawn and dusk are detected using a light dependent resistor, and the user can calibrate the exact light level which they consider to be at the threshold between day and dusk, and between night and dawn.

To protect the battery from being run too low of charge and being damaged, the user can programme into the device three trigger voltages: a voltage below which the on board red LED will turn on as an early warning, a voltage below which the output (to the lights if on) will be turned off, and a voltage above which the low voltage disconnect will be cancelled restoring the outputs automatically when the battery is recharged.

manual override active on poultry lighting controller

There is also a manual override option which enables the lights to be turned on manually at any time (low voltage disconnect permitting) when the poultry house needs to be cleaned or the eggs to be collected etc.

At all times the backlit LCD display shows the status of the system including the currently measured battery voltage, whether the LVD is engaged, whether the outputs are on or off, the current position in the cycle DAY, DUSK, SLEEP, PREDAWN, DAWN (or MANUAL when the override is active), and the currently measured light level relative to the user set threshold.

If you need any kind of poultry lighting solution, please email neil@reuk.co.uk with details of your exact requirements and we should be able to put something suitable together for you.

Low Voltage Disconnect with Dual Regulated Outputs

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Pictured below is a low voltage disconnect circuit with two individually switchable 12V regulated outputs ideally suited for use with voltage sensitive LED spotlights and similar in battery powered systems.

Low voltage disconnect with two regulated outputsThis device is effectively a dual output version of the 12V Regulator with Low Voltage Disconnect which we sell in the REUK Shop. Each output has its own low dropout 12 Volt regulator (LM2940) and can supply up to 1 Amp.

This particular dual unit is most suited to LED lighting scenarios in which there are two strings of bulbs which you need to be able to switch on or off individually – i.e. String 1 on, String 2 on, or both String 1&2 on.

Should the battery voltage fall below 11.9 Volts then the low voltage disconnect will cut the power supply to the outputs until the battery voltage has gone back above 12.5 Volts.

We sell a huge range of low voltage disconnects, 12V regulators, and mixtures of the two, so please contact neil@reuk.co.uk with details of your exact requirements if you cannot find what you need in the REUK Shop.

New REUK Low Voltage Disconnect with Display

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Pictured below is the new REUK Programmable 12V Low Voltage Disconnect with LCD Display. This device allows batteries and battery banks to be protected from being too deeply discharged, and also enables battery  monitoring.

reuk low voltage disconnect with displayFor full details, instructions for use, and to purchase, click here: REUK 12V LVD with LCD). It has been added to the existing low voltage disconnect circuits in the REUK Shop.