Solar Operated 100 MA switch

[cow_rancher]

Looking for a circuit diagram for switching on a solar charged battery operated X-10 Camera during the daylight hours only, the cam draws 70 Ma at 6 volts, it would need to switch off at dusk, with low battery drain during the off hours...

[Chris Smith]

A solid state relay can keep the power on, and when the solar power goes low/off, the relay fails and shuts off the battery power to the camera until the next AM. These relays are forgiving and need no biasing or circuitry and accept voltages to trigger the device from 3 to 30 volts.

[Edd]

Cow_Rancher:
I was going to suggest a less pricey 5 volt reed relay that has proved reliable for millions of cycles of operations of use in the phone switching industry prior to the phasing in of S/S switching. It requires about 20 ma for activation .Assuming that you very probably have that much headroom in your solar output supply. Either way should present a current stingy
solution. I'm assuming that there is an isolation diode in your charger circuitry betwen the solar cell(s) and the battery, naturally the
relays drive voltage should be acquired direct from the solar cell prior to the isolation diode. Whereas the relays contacts would be between the camera and the P/S+. This should get you operational after the sun gets on up excluding only the twilight shenanigans. If you're remote and find acquisition difficult I wud even contribute either type of relay mentioned to you....and even solder on pigtails for you if you, perchance, find yourself less adept at that than , say........ dehorning or castration.
73's de Edd
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[email protected] (Firewalled-Spam*Cookies*Crumbs)<p>[ June 26, 2002: Message edited by: Edd Whatley ]</p>

[cow_rancher]

Hey guys,<p>Both are excellent suggestions. I guess I was trying to make it a bigger problem than I thought... I will need to add another isolation diode though because the solar panel is one of these flexible laminated ones with the diode already included.<p>Thanks Guys!<p>Yuck on the de-horning/mountain oyster harvesting, been there done that, got cow_pokes to do that for me !!!