[chbot] Help I don't know enough about SMPS! (And can you help me design one pls)

[Jasper Mackenzie]

Haha! As promised the _I_am_a_useless_electrical_engineer_ post.
  Following the awesomeness of the last earthquake (i.e the power went out)  
I setup my solar panels which had been waiting in the shed until I had  
built a suitable buck/boost converter. Turns out I really need the  
converter, and almost (maybee) damaged some batteries with them 8~\
  So well, yea. Help. I have done some of the theory on SMPS's, and in  
times gone by read some of the more mysterious pieces of SMPS handbooks..  
i.e more than basic topology, but am still left pretty mystefied as to how  
to start on building one on my own. please guys and gals, group hug, hold  
my hand through this!

  The simplest route would be copy what has been done, or buy a chip and  
use its reference design, unfortunatly no chip I could find would handle  
the current that I anticipate. This I am sure is ignorance on my part as  
to how to modify the reference circuit to do so.
  At the same time I was hoping to monitor/control both voltage and  
current. From all the example topologies and simplified ideas on how these  
work I do not understand how this is done, except that ppl have said, oh  
its easy you just monitor in/out V and I. great 8)

I am sure that Robin must have done something like this for his wind  
turbine.

So anyway, assuming that all my waffle has convinced someone that the  
mittens can be removed from my hands, and my thumbs untied (from each  
other) the sort of specs I am after are:

  375W Solar (3*125W)
   = 14A into 26.7V (Buck)
   = 7A into 53.52 (to 57.7) (Buck/Boost)
Both ranges would be great to be able to do, especially if one circuit  
could do both
  The input voltage range is much more stable, with an upper limit of about  
~65V OC

For wind, I need something really similar, higher current handling  
(0.7-1.5Kw), and greater input variation. ideally Vin 30-400V. Again if  
the same(ish) circuit could be used it would greatly help with playing  
aroundishness.

  I was hoping to use an avr of some description to drive the thing, but if  
ready made solution will be better/easier/etc then will go there (esp if  
vout/iout can be set by a micro)... anything to start getting power into  
these battery banks.

Cheers!

Jasper