Joule Thief

[gadgetmall]

Tk i just copied and pasted from the meter ad  I could not find what kind of chip is on it but it has good reviews . Do you think it is an adreino ?

Drodenbe Thanks and good to know !

[TinselKoala]

Tk i just copied and pasted from the meter ad  I could not find what kind of chip is on it but it has good reviews . Do you think it is an adreino ?

Drodenbe Thanks and good to know !

I don't know, I doubt if it has a full Arduino in there,  but it could be the same microprocessor. Can you see the main chip? Is it an Atmel or ATmega 328?

I'm pretty sure it will use the same technique for getting the inductance though: send a quick pulse to the inductor, use a comparator to track the zero-crossings of the ringdown waveforms , and read the frequency of the comparator's output, like my scopeshot shows.

But it doesn't matter how it does it really.... it is just that it is very hard, using any technique, to measure tiny inductances... since the test leads themselves have much greater inductance than 1 nHy and at those low values, even the positioning of the leads can have a great (relative) effect.

Hey, it's still a very cool meter, and a bargain for what it does. And it inspired me to do it with Arduino! Thanks..... !

I just made another JT vid showing an interesting effect using a loopstick variable inductor, with an extra winding, for the transformer. It will be up in an hour or so, and I'll post a link then.

[TinselKoala]

This guy claims that for helixes of large pitch, a coiled wire has less inductance than a straight wire!
Don't take my word for it - read it.

I can believe it. A lot of time you will see commercial inductors wound with helical-type or herringbone windings... the loopstick I just experimented with is an example. I think this is done to use a lot of wire to get the DC resistance up, without raising the self-inductance much. Then the loopstick has a good ferrite adjustable core, to get the inductance back up to useful values.

[electricme]

Hi Guys, just popping in to say G'day from the land Down Under.
An update, havent been ignoring, OU in t5he back of my mind right now.
Things got too much for me with the floods two years ago to the day, still repairing my house, then my wife of 36 years passed away two months ago.
I'm battling on, will get back in here eventually when it's not so full on here.
Keep up the good work.
Happy new year to everyone.
Jim

[WilbyInebriated]

Hi Guys, just popping in to say G'day from the land Down Under.
An update, havent been ignoring, OU in t5he back of my mind right now.
Things got too much for me with the floods two years ago to the day, still repairing my house, then my wife of 36 years passed away two months ago.
I'm battling on, will get back in here eventually when it's not so full on here.
Keep up the good work.
Happy new year to everyone.
Jim

howdy jim, good to hear from you!
i am very sorry to hear of your loss. hold tight to memories of love shared for comfort, lean on your friends for strength, and always remember how much you are cared about.

the best things in life aren't things...