Joule Thief

[TinselKoala]

Well, right after I posted that I found a 200K trimpot. So I built it, and I tried it with the LED connected both ways... and I found such interesting results that I put in another LED, reversed, and a switch so I could switch one leg of the pair to either the collector/coil junction or the transistor base/trimpot/cap/trimmer connection. Very interesting scope shots, transistor gets hot, the LEDs light alternately depending on switch position.

Thanks, gadgetmall, for this interesting circuit! I probably still don't have it right because I don't think I'm getting microamps of current draw.

Here's the circuit variation I've got wired up right now. The "toroid" is ten+ten turns on a ferrite "bead" wrapped cylindrically not toroidally.
Later on tonight I'll make a video showing the interesting scope traces. This circuit can make some very fast rise-time spikes.

[TinselKoala]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khWpEau1cvk
( sorry, it's kind of overlong.... but I've left the thing running, and the battery voltage is up to 1.33 volts right now.....)

Thanks, gadgetmall, again for this interesting variation. I'm still not getting down to the tiny current you report, but so what, it's interesting anyway with that reversed voltage and current. The battery voltage increase I'm seeing now, though, is happening with the LED anode connected "normally", to the coil-collector junction. I think.


(edit to update link... and it's up to 1.34 volts......)

[gadgetmall]

Thanks Tk and enjoyed your video as always . . try 20 winds and a better toroid .and tiny parts .If you have a 1 meg pot they work better  than the one i showed using 200k .I just may replicate your variation;} My bullet is still running this thing . It is so low my three digit fluke meter won't read any current now . The White led i use is glowing and you can put you eye on it and see the material blob  with the two tiny wires inside it  light up close. If i reduce the pot resistance close to short it blinks blinding  bright . (warning !!do not stare at leds !)  you can if they are dim . BTW the cathode is on the negative emitter like normal BUT the anode + is on the base and wiper of the pot .
you suppose your battery is just rising due to it recovering to it's original volts . That measurement is missing and your next one should show the starting volts before you energize it.

Here is a 60 watt old fashion Incandescent bulb jt . It is a slight replication of Lasersabers Jt v3 . It works but it's an amp guzzler . This 2n3055 gets hot hot and i think it is due to the wrong permeability of this radio rod i am using till i get my two "golden rods" in .

I tried a pot on the base and it smoked it like i plugged it in a wall outlet . I am using a larger resistor and an orange drop cap but you can smell em cooking  .. it will make the filament glow at 3.5 volts . As you can see i am using a hefty 14 volt pack to get the 60 watt bulb close to full brightness . draws 3.4 amps

http://youtu.be/qm8O1hMXpRs

Edit *********I rode to the mailbox and my rife machine and two Big A#$ rods are here !I feel the power already

[gadgetmall]

I just got my golden rods in . WOW . they are big . Look at the difference in my Big(little 6inch) radio rod compared to the one Lasersaber uses for Ver3 . Muuhhuhuhuaaaa..
lest see some serious power now.. I got two.

Hmm . took me ten minutes  to wind one of the new rods . I am Disappointed . I don't see any difference . i counted the windings 200 #24  / and twenty #14 and it lit up the bulb but the transistor still gets so hot you can't touch it . I also cannot light the filament up with a 1.5 volt battery as he did in the  video . Nor can i swap emitter and collector like i can with the other radio rod :  So i unwound it and this time i used # 20 wire all the way from end to end again and it ended up being 350 turns end to end using bigger wire that 24 , So if he used # 24 in the video as he said it will take quite a bit more turns than 200 to go end to end .With 200 turns of #24 wire i have over one inch on each end not covered in wire . So 350 turns #20 and 30 turns of house wire . I could go 50 turns but ran out .i used 4 1/2 feet for 30 turns . .
Results . Just a bit brighter but the transistor still sucks 3.2 amps and gets very hot . I tried a ceramic resistor on the base  and you can roast a weenie near it . Transistor still hot . Soo . I don't know what else to do to it right now .
I might try 4 layers of #20 on the inside and 100 turns of house wire on the outside of the next rod and see what that does,... If that don't work like i want it to i will wind 2000 turns on the inside and experiment with different wires on the outside . They are easy to wind and unwind .

Goal here is get the input volts and current way down like 1.2 volts //////////////// I might try a big Darlington on it before i do any more mods also . If it is any different that what i had i will post it in a vid.

Gadget

[DreamThinkBuild]

Hi Gadget.

If you can light a 400watt infrared heat lamp off that let me know.  Winter is coming.

Put two rods in parallel? Hmmm...