Joule Thief

[Pirate88179]

Al:

Glad to hear you are doing a bit better.  We were getting worried about you.

Nice work on the light.  I like the idea and I'll bet you could sell a bunch of them.

Bill

[altrez]

@Mk1

I cant seem to get the pick up coil to work. I have tried just about everything and it simply will not light one LED. I have built 3 different JT all with out the LED and tested them first to make sure they where working. On the other side of the toroid I wrapped 1 turn of wire and nothing. Went up to 4 turns and never got it to light. I used 3 different types of wire for the pick up coil and still no results? I even wrapped the wire on top of the bifilar wire and still it never worked?

I also used 4 different leds and tested them all on each JT before hand to make sure it was working. However I can not get the pickup coil working. Any ideas?

@Pirate88179

I am in Hopkins County about 130 miles away from BG I think.

Thanks!

[Mk1]

@Mk1

I cant seem to get the pick up coil to work. I have tried just about everything and it simply will not light one LED. I have built 3 different JT all with out the LED and tested them first to make sure they where working. On the other side of the toroid I wrapped 1 turn of wire and nothing. Went up to 4 turns and never got it to light. I used 3 different types of wire for the pick up coil and still no results? I even wrapped the wire on top of the bifilar wire and still it never worked?

I also used 4 different leds and tested them all on each JT before hand to make sure it was working. However I can not get the pickup coil working. Any ideas?

@Pirate88179

I am in Hopkins County about 130 miles away from BG I think.

Thanks!

Make a bifilar jt first to get , it working , 10 turns should do . the pickup coils will work any way, also did the led work in its collector to emiteur regular connection.

You have done a working jt  already then disregard comment , so take the one you have to test first  , just put a additional coil , it the jt is bifilar the place you put the pickup coil is very important . Some toroid just dont work well in the mk type windings they need more turns to be effective with those you go bifilar.

I use 4 turns one the jt side because my toroid permits it first .

Mark

@gadget

Welcome back !

[gadgetmall]

Altrez wind your secondary the opposite and see if you light it that way . Its polarized and the loop has to be one way or the other . Weird i know .

Gadget .. Master of the milliamp

[altrez]

@Mk1

My bifilar JT coils work great and I have made 4 different ones. I can run 15 LEDS off of each one I tested. The first one I made I left the LED in the Circuit but after I read your post to remove it I did so. I tested it by touching the leads of the LED to the regular hook up on the transistor and it worked great! I then tried the pickup coil and it simply will not light one LED no matter how or where I put it on the toroid. I just tried 22 AWG magnet wire from radio shack as a 12 turn pick up coil and it will not light one LED. I tested all the connections and I also tested the magnet wire to make sure it had a good connection to the led. I also went up to 3 volts on my JT circuit to see if that would work. No luck

Thanks for all the help.