Future Energy Challenge 2007 » Monash University Team

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Universal Adapting Battery Charger

A highly versatile battery charger is a desirable appliance for the home or office. With a plethora of batteries in the market, each with their own optimum charging profile and special requirements, typical battery chargers fail to cater for the needs of each battery type. Hence several different battery chargers are required in order to charge the various batteries used in our daily lives.

A battery charger needs to be able to adapt to a wide range of applications. Ideally, it should be small, lightweight, and highly-efficient. In order to compete in today’s highly competitive consumer electronics market the retail cost of the charger should be minimal. Hazard prevention features and ease of use are also essential to cater for a wide market.

Topic A of the 2007 Future Energy Challenge attempts to achieve such a universal battery charger. By undertaking this challenge undergraduate students are given the opportunity to work with leading-edge technology in a team-based environment. This allows the students to gain practical skills relating to real-world technical problems while becoming a valuable team member incorporating academic ability with interpersonal skills. This diverse opportunity is not available through an electrical engineering degree, and hence is invaluable.

The Monash University team are proposing a leading-edge solution that will significantly reduce the number of specialist chargers in a typical household. The students participating in this challenge welcome this opportunity to apply their developing knowledge of power electronics to a practical application, and are already enjoying the intellectual challenge and camaraderie that has been encountered so far.