I2C DAC Controlled Electronic Load – Battery Performance Tester

This  is an I2C electronic load, intended for testing power supplies, solar panels, batteries, and supercapacitors. The board consists of an I2C interface DAC MCP4725, OPAMP U2 acts as V to I (Voltage to Current), OPAMP U3 measures the load current across the shunt resistor and provides 0 to 4.9V Voltage with a current range of 0 to 1A. Users may control the battery discharge current using the MCP4725 DAC in the range 0 to 1A. The circuit also provides load current feedback and voltage feedback. This way it can help users to measure the battery’s performance. Suppose the user desires to measure the battery’s performance as it is being discharged at constant power. In that case, a current measuring circuit can be used in the feedback loop to enforce the constant power constraint. This enables you to discharge a battery at a controlled way. The project can handle 1A @ 24V, thus a total of 24W with the use of a large-size heatsink and fan. The circuit works with 5V DC voltage input. The project can be used with Arduino, ESP32, or other microcontroller.