New comer needs any and all help

[TinselKoala]

Slow down.

Let's go one step at a time. Look again at my video showing the voltage measurement on the capacitor, for the JT we built "together", using the 2n2222a. Since the only difference between your setup and mine is a few turns on the secondary.... right? Then you should be able to get similar voltages.... 70 volts or so--- on the capacitor. In fact yours should be higher than mine, probably, depending on the inductance of your toroid and your turns numbers.  I don't want to go any further until you can get a good voltage measurement, following my instructions, on your capacitor.

Disconnect _only_ the cathode of the LED from the transistor Emitter of your working 2n2222a JT. So now it's sticking up in the air, and the only thing connected to the emitter of the transistor is the wire going to the negative battery terminal. Right?
Make sure your voltmeter is set to DC, and at least 100 V range. Clip your 22 microFarad, 200 volt capacitor right to your voltmeter leads, negative to negative, positive to positive. Now run a wire from the voltmeter-capacitor positive side, over to the Collector of the transistor which is still connected to one end of one of the coils. (the anode of the LED is also still connected here, but isn't used.) Now run a wire from the voltmeter-capacitor negative side, to your rectifier diode's Anode (non banded end) , and use one that can withstand spikes, like 1n4002 or even 1n4007. Then touch the other end (cathode, banded end) of the diode to the Emitter of the transistor where the LED used to be hooked up, and where the negative battery pole is still hooked up. You are not using the LED, but you should still be able to hear the JT oscillating

If you do not see the cap voltage rise well over 3 volts right away, and climb to several tens of volts in a few seconds, you are doing something wrong or your diode or your capacitor is bad. Try reversing the rectifier diode, but it should work the way I've laid it out. I just tried it this way on my version of the JT we built together and it works as I said.

You can use an electrolytic cap of a different value; smaller will charge faster and bigger will charge slower, and if it's too big (too many microFarads) it won't work. Just make sure the cap you select has a high enough voltage rating (don't use a "25 volt" cap for example). Stick to the 10 to 30 microFarad size range.

Before we go further, I'd really like to see you get this part right, and you'll do better too, by slowing down and proceeding methodically. Any time you are stuck, go back to the basic circuit that you KNOW works... just to see if a component has failed or something.

(Right now you're kind of like someone learning to drive a manual transmission car. You want to go drive around downtown, but you are still stalling out at stopsigns. All you need is a little more practice on the basics.... and to _slow down_.)

[TinselKoala]

Right now you are eager and impatient, and you just want to build something that does what you want, which is an advanced sort of JT. The circuits exist to do just exactly what you want! They are being discussed in the "Jule Thief" thread and some of the builders there are way waaaaay past where I am at.

But you've got to be able to get a simple circuit running reliably, and understand a bit of the basic electronic concepts, before you'll be able to build one of their circuits and have success with it. You are learning the pitfalls of working with components, and probably learning more than you wanted to or thought you needed to in the first place.

But this is a good thing, you are stretching your mind and growing, and pretty soon you _will_ have the circuit you want, lighting up several CFLs on small inputs and making bright light. Be patient, learn, observe carefully, don't be afraid to blow components, they are replaceable. Take small steps, starting from known locations, and be able to retreat when the going gets tough.

Often taking a walk with my dog helps me to clear up my muddled mind and I'm able to find a solution to a vexing problem by getting away from it for a while. Other times it just takes trial after frustrating trial before I get something to work right, or understand why I can't.

[jhsmith87]

Okay it's working I think my meter is reading 20 volts I had hoped up just like you said positive side going to collector and the negative side going to the emmiter. At times it will go blow 1 volt but mostly stays around 19.7v. This is what should be happening right? If so what is my next step?

[TinselKoala]

I should think you would be getting more voltage than that. You are using 2n2222a, right? And a 220R base resistor? And feeding with a single AAA or AA battery? Remember, I'm getting 70 volts in around 30 or 40 seconds, into the 22 uF cap, and my  circuit is supposed to be identical to yours except for the difference in turns on your high-turn-count coil. And I think the fact that you have more turns should mean you can get a little higher voltage than me, but I'm not completely sure about this last part.

Also, the voltage should just climb steadily, getting slower and slower to climb, until it pretty much levels out and won't get higher. It should not drop down unless you are wiggling wires or something. If it's not steady, look for loose connections.

The next step will be to try more input voltage along with varying the base resistor. If you just increase the input voltage you can saturate the transistor and it will stop oscillating, so you may have to increase the base resistor at the same time. Go up to 2 AAA or AA cells in series, for around 3V input. If you use the same 220R you will see that the LED is quite a bit brighter, I think, but it may even look dimmer, if it's overloaded or the transistor is saturated. In that case go to a larger base resistor, next common value is 470R. But you can string resistors in series to get whatever you want, 320 or whatever.  Use the cap to test the output voltage in the same way as before, without the LED. String several LEDs together in series, see how many you can get to light, without the cap. Try using the cap in series with a CFL: one side of JT output > cap > CFL > other side of JT output. Swap the connections around. Also try the LEDs in parallel.

ETA: I just tried 5 LEDs in series: no problemo, they light well on one battery and quite brightly on two, still using the 220R base resistor.

When you've gotten stable voltage readings using the cap, and are happy that you are getting the full output your unit is capable of, then try the stuff above. After that, the next step will be to go to a 2n3055.

There's a book you might like to look at, if you can find it. Usually at Radio Shack, I think. It's called Getting Started in Electronics, by Forrest Mims III, and it's full of information that you need, as well as a lot of fun circuits, cheap and easy to play with and even useful for stuff. Everything is drawn out very clearly using sketches of components as well as traditional schematics. I've just about worn my copy out! Had to put it in a binder.

[truesearch]

I second the suggestion for any of Forrest Mims' books. The one on "Getting Started in Electronics" is a great choice.


You can preview it at Amazon: [size=78%]http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Electronics-Forrest-Mims/dp/0945053282[/size]


truesearch