Dr Ronald Stiffler SEC technology

[NickZ]

   Itsu, Gyula:   I finally got the crystal oscillator working on a 13.5MHz crystal, to some degree.   I had not realize that the C1815 has the emitter on the left side, instead of on the right side, until last night, when I checked the data sheet on it.  Anyways, it's firing up now, and lighting a single led on a diode loop, but not any more number of leds. I guess this is normal, or not?  Seams like my L3 may be too long, as the led won't light at the end of the L3, but it will from a tap on the middle of the L3,  more or less.  The battery input voltages are 4v, 8v, or 12v. But, the transistor is getting hot on any of those voltages.
   Itsu: How did you tune your L3 to be in tune to the 13.5 frequency?  My oscillator is now running at that 13.5MHz frequency, using the right crystal from the wireless mouse, but it looks like the L3 needs to be tuned. I also replace the choke with one that has 4 ohms of resistance. I'm using a 22nf cap between the collector/emitter, and a 100nf cap going to the diode loop/led. 
   
   I will probably also have to wind a ferrite coil for the collector, like you are using, otherwise there is not much output. And I don't seem to be getting any wireless effects, as yet, either. Only by direct connection by the diode loop/led.

[gyulasun]

Hi Nick,

Let me ask if you pull the crystal out from its socket, the single LED in the diode loop circuit gets distinguished in that moment? Sorry for this "cross question", the reason is you need to check the 60 Hz field from your mains wiring should not trick you.
It is very good you found the flip of the base and emitter issue by yourself, that is the way to learn from our own mistakes.

Yes your coil intended for L3 has many turns for 13.5 MHz if you used it earlier for around the 1 to 1.5 MHz resonances, driven by the Katcher circuit.  Lidmotor showed how to make a good approximate sized air coil in one of his recent videos.

I assume you wanted to type 22 pF instead of nF you use between the collector and emitter? It should be pF, and can be 25 or 33 pF if you have those at hand and you can place such 22 or 33 pF between the base and emitter too. It would be good if you could monitor the waveform across the collector and negative rail by your oscilloscope.

IF you consider using a toroidal core in the collector, you need to make sure the core is manufactured as a powdered iron RF core like the Amidon type Itsu uses. Ferrite toroids scavenged from say the mains filter part of power supplies simple do not work at 13.5 MHz and also any such toroidal core with unknown ferrite material specifications can only pull out your hair...

Gyula

[itsu]

   Itsu, Gyula:   I finally got the crystal oscillator working on a 13.5MHz crystal, to some degree.   I had not realize that the C1815 has the emitter on the left side, instead of on the right side, until last night, when I checked the data sheet on it.  Anyways, it's firing up now, and lighting a single led on a diode loop, but not any more number of leds. I guess this is normal, or not?  Seams like my L3 may be too long, as the led won't light at the end of the L3, but it will from a tap on the middle of the L3,  more or less.  The battery input voltages are 4v, 8v, or 12v. But, the transistor is getting hot on any of those voltages.
  Itsu: How did you tune your L3 to be in tune to the 13.5 frequency? My oscillator is now running at that 13.5MHz frequency, using the right crystal from the wireless mouse, but it looks like the L3 needs to be tuned. I also replace the choke with one that has 4 ohms of resistance. I'm using a 22nf cap between the collector/emitter, and a 100nf cap going to the diode loop/led. 
   
   I will probably also have to wind a ferrite coil for the collector, like you are using, otherwise there is not much output. And I don't seem to be getting any wireless effects, as yet, either. Only by direct connection by the diode loop/led.

Nick,

i used my FG red lead only attached to the L3 free end with the L3 other end connected via a copper tape
taped to the alu back side of my leds strip (240V) with the 2  1N4148 diodes attached across the plus/minus
of this led strip.

With the FG at max. amplitude (20Vpp) i tune around 13Mhz to see where the leds peak.
Then add/remove turns on L3 untill it peaks to 13.56MHz.

As your FG will not get to 13MHz this method will not be useable by you i am afraid.


Itsu

[Slider2732]

But it's still applicable ?
If the crystal is at 13.5MHz, then that frequency is known. The L3 won't drive a similarly connected few LED's at its best until it's tuned.
So Nick should connect in a similar way and remove turns until the brightest illumination occurs.

It's a good method, will likely adopt it here too

For reference, genuine L3's are the same diameter as solder tubes and 70 turns of 26AWG are on my SEC 18-1's L3.

[mikrovolt]

Great progress