Thread: Circuit Design
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Unread 19-01-2008, 06:43
Ronald_raygun Ronald_raygun is offline
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Re: Circuit Design

Excellent points stj.

The Fuel Cell requires 4V to charge, and has a measured maximum discharge voltage of 2.1v. (Syringe pushing hydrogen through.) It runs well, if that's what you mean by capability. 30cc of hydrogen at room pressure can power the fuel cell for 5 min under minimal load before it chokes on the water buildup.

I don't know what happens when you introduce 5.4V into the fuel cell. It'll probably be closer to 6v. I suspect however that at that voltage, the PEM will break.

The Fuel Cell I'm using is a double-reversible fuel cell. That means it can convert electricity into hydrogen and back. You can find it here.

I don't have any data sheets for this particular fuel cell except for the specs on the website:

Power Fuel Cell: 1W
Power Electrolyzer: 2W
Active Area: 2x3 cm2
Power Supply: 3.2-4.0 V DC
HxWxL: 54 x 60x 42 mm
Weight: 70g

Attached is a schematic of the current setup. Both switches are in the Armed/race position, and both switches need to be flipped if the fuel cell is charging the capacitors.

Just curious, would I be able to isolate the fuel cell from the capacitors with some series of diodes? Because if the fuel cell creates a large load, I may need to find another way to get more power to the motor.



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Last edited by Ronald_raygun : 19-01-2008 at 06:48. Reason: Forgot to put the picture.