Hello all,
I was wondering how a solar calculator works off the solar cells and the battery (when it is in a low light environment) without damaging the battery when there is excess light. (My casio calculator uses both an 1.5V LR44 alkaline battery and is equipped with solar panels). I imagine that the PV cells generate a voltage that may exceed the battery voltage (since the battery discharges over time), thus prompting the questions: Do the PV cells try to charge the battery?, and if so does the current being forced into the battery damage it? If the battery is separated with a (schottky?) diode from the calculator in order to protect from being charged (hence, damage), wouldn't that cause the power that is seen by the calculator as having 0.4 to 0.6V less voltage than the battery ? The answer is of course yes and that would be probably detrimental to meet the minimum required power. Then how do [solar cells & battery] operated devices function without battery damage?
All light-shedding will much appreciated. Regards,
- rover8898