what what you like a battery indicator to look like ?

[Thunderchild]

I've designed (subject to modifications as required) a battery indicator circuit, I am wondering though what sort of output is best....

it is a 3 state indicator plus a flashing warning led for overcharge/voltage.
should I have 3+1 leds in a line ? in which case should the leds stay on as the next state is reached so that they go up in a bar or just the current state be lit ?
or would a tricolour led + a warning flashing led be better ?

I know its more down to personal choice and thats why I'm asking...

 

[Hero999]

I like the tricolour idea.

How are you going to implement this?

Please post the schematic. I'm more interested in the technical solution than the aesthetics.

I can think of a single IC solution to most of the above.

 

[MikeMl]

...
Please post the schematic. I'm more interested in the technical solution than the aesthetics.
...

Me too. I can post a circuit of what I built for my airplane. Single Bicolor LED: Red for overvoltage, Green for alternator charging, Amber for Alternator off-line;battery discharging.

 

[Thunderchild]

I'd be using a pic so any of the above would be very easy i'd just need to set different condition for each mode

so is that tricolour on whilst the overvoltage led flashes of off ?

 

[MikeMl]

...
so is that tricolour on whilst the overvoltage led flashes of off ?

No flashing, I used steady Red to indicate a runaway alternator condition such as might happen if the VR output transistor shorts and applies full-on field current to the alternator. I set the trip point to 15.2V, which is what the full-on 60A output from the alternator would drive the battery to fairly quickly.

I used 12.8V as the trip point to indicate that the alternator is off line. If the alternator is on-line, the battery voltage rises to above that value almost immediately... Amber= <12.8V, Green = 12.8-15.2V, Red = >15.2V.

I built the entire circuit on a postage stamp sized circuit board. I drilled a hole in the end of the bi-Led and inserted an clad optical fiber. The circuit is mounted behind the panel. All that comes through the panel is the fiber itself, so only a tiny hole had to be drilled in the panel. I cut the fiber with a sharp razor, and it transmits sufficient light to clearly visible even in daylight.

 

[Thunderchild]

actually I was asking about my own project, I can do it so that the tricolour led stays on whilst the warning led flashes or i can do it so that the tricolour led goes off and just the warning flashes, I think this may be more visual as there is the loss of one and the lighting of another