Joule Thief

[jeanna]

@MK1
Thanks. The drawing makes more sense now.

@Timmy
someone near the start of this thread said you could get results from a hollow core. Coil guns are hollow, so perhaps it is so. If you don't have a toroid today, you could use a straw. I think the bendy part of a bendy straw should be workable. I actually made a proof-of-concept goilgun with a straw last year. It shot a small nail out of its end, so, it does work.

I think it is worth a try and is on my list.   -I still have a supply of toroids.

@Bill

Did you ever make a thorough test on the total time it took to exhaust a AA battery that is running your 400leds and also when it is running your fluoros?

I think this is valuable information.

I personally (scientific training talking) think we should ALL be doing this as well as having a "control" on the toroid- since the materials differ, and also the number of turns in the toroid are different.

What this means is something like :

make a toroid.
put it into a joule thief configuration.
Run the battery down, or at least time and measure the battery use.

Add the secondary or whatever you are testing.
put it into a joule thief configuration.
Light or motor up whatever you are doing
Time how long the battery takes to run down or check voltage after the same time as the other.

These tests can be running in the background. The day I did that jt test, I read 1/2 a book with hourly interruptions for testing the battery. So, it sounds boring, but you don't need to sit with it. just keep going back hourly - or something- to record the voltage.

I personally like the idea to keep the same transistor and use 2 different but totally fresh or recharged  batteries, but just make sure you state what it is you are doing.

Away to wind another round,

jeanna

hmm, I wonder about the capacitive value of a teaspoon of peanut butter. 

[Pirate88179]

@ Jeanna:

To answer you question simply....no I have not....yet.  I am sure you remember but I just want to say it again for any new folks coming in, the 400 leds were lit using the Fuji AA circuit and not the toroid JT.

Your suggestion is a good one and one that I hope to be able to do when I get the time.  I was going to use rechargeable AA's so I could have a sort of control for the starting energy in the bats that would be close to the same during each test.

I have not had the chance to even try any of the great ideas posted here with the secondary windings experiments either.  Work has been busy, which is good as I can pay my bills and spend a little on components and such.  It has left me with little time to experiment though.

I have been wanting to make a video or videos using the digital mini cam I got a little while back.  The videos won't have anything new in them, but I want to see if it will work OK and it might be good for me to document some of the early stuff I did that I took pictures of.  The lens does not appear to be very good on it and the entire cam is the size of a pack of cigarettes but, it will record in high def. so maybe it will work out.

My other stuff I ordered should be in sometime this week.  I am really anxious to try some experiments using the 3 solar cells and the toroid JT circuit.

Hey, thanks for your discovery about the differences in the Fuji cams from the outside.  I was at my store yesterday and I thought I might pick up another Fuji and the box had a picture on it that looked exactly as the one I had before, and you described, having the AA battery.  Well, just to be sure, I opened the box and...low and behold, it had the button with the 4 bumps on it which as you indicated was the AAA battery version.  So, I closed the box back up and put it back on the shelf.  The camera in the box was NOT the one they show pictured on the box.  I guess this really only matters to folks like us.  If we were just using it to take pics, it would not matter.  Very good discovery you made there, thank you.


Bill

[Mk1]

@all

Bigger pickup coil wire gives more amp, for those how look to feed back the battery should try low turns with heavy wire , this can be done over existing smaller gauge coil.

[Pirate88179]

@ All:

I just posted a video on the joule thief over at youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VYPbOciC9g

I finally got the little camera figured out.  The resolution is not great but it is not too bad.  I will  be making more soon.  At least the audio picked up well on this one.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

@ MK1:

That is very good information to have, thank you.

Bill

[nievesoliveras]

@pirate

The video is good, the only problem is the audio. When I played it I could not hear it well. I think the volume is too low.

Jesus