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I am making a remote controlled driveway gate and the problem I’m having is the battery/solar panel together is putting out more than 12 V at times and frying my remote controlled relay board which is only rated for 12 V. What can I use to keep it under 12 V? Thanks

winny
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Tim
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  • How much current do you need? What you are looking for is a 12 V regulator, the question is which. – winny Dec 04 '22 at 21:54
  • The relay board takes very little current, I’d say under 1A. Then I have a linear actuator hooked from battery, through the relay boards relay. So I should find a voltage regulator for small current? – Tim Dec 04 '22 at 21:57
  • That sounds like a design problem. Is it under warranty? Also contact the manufacturer to see if there was a recall. I would suggest a small SEPIC converter to power the board. That will either buck or boost the voltage to maintain your set point. My guess is you need about 12V to operate. At night if the battery is low the SEPIC converter will boost it up to your setting, conversely if it is in the middle of the day and the sun is bright it will buck the voltage down to your setpoint. – Gil Dec 04 '22 at 22:12
  • The normal solution is to use a solar panel, a 12 V battery, and a solar charge controller. The charge controller intelligently keeps the battery charged, and the board is powered by the battery (no direct connection to the solar panel). The 12 V battery may be over 12 V at times, but the charge controller will limit it. – user57037 Dec 04 '22 at 23:30
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    It is rare for "12 V" items to have a very strict limit at 12 V. Like if you power it at 12 V it is fine, but 12.5 will cause it to blow up instantly. There is usually a tolerance there, and devices designed to run in automobiles and such will usually work anywhere from about 15 V to 10 V. – user57037 Dec 04 '22 at 23:32

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