Here is a lead acid battery charger circuit using IC LM317.The IC here provides the correct charging voltage for the battery.A battery must be charged with 1/10 its Ah value.This charging circuit is designed based on this fact.The charging current for the battery is controlled by Q1 ,R1,R4 and R5. Potentiometer R5 can be used to set the charging current.As the battery gets charged the the current through R1 increases .This changes the conduction of Q1.Since collector of Q1 is connected to adjust pin of IC LM317 the voltage at the output of of LM 317 increases.When battery is fully charged charger circuit reduces the charging current and this mode is called trickle charging mode.

Circuit Diagram with Parts List.

Notes .

  • Connect a battery to the circuit in series with a ammeter.Now adjust R5 to get the required charging current. Charging current = (1/10)*Ah value of battery.
  • Input to the IC must be minimum 15V to get 12 V for charging the battery .Take a look at the data sheet of LM 317 for better understanding.
  • Fix LM317 with a heat sink.