Joule Thief

[resonanceman]

I have been  reading this thread      I am up to page 40



My  first  attempt at using a Fuji  circuit 
No diode.

I tried  running a small  CFL ......it wouldn't work     I smelled overheating  electonics each time I  tried ......not sure what was  getting hot .

The picture is a string of  100 LED christmas tree lights.

Does the kind  of battery make much difference ?

I have tried  both  the battery that came with the camera and  rechargeable NiMH battery ......... didn't see any difference.
The  capacity  of the  NiMH is supposed to be  quite a bit more than the standard  battery..






gary

 

[Pirate88179]

Gary:

If you have no diode then where did you attach your leads?  One lead is supposed to go the the side of the diode with the stripe on it (annode???)  Then, yo u simply cut the other end and move it away from the circuit board to avoid any arcing.  I like the heavy duty batteries that come with the cameras...my first one last a good long time and I am still using it for other experiments.  The other lead I attached to a pin on the transformer. (My close-up photo is on here way back but I can post it again if you need it and can't find it easily.)  I also tied that lead into another point on the board along the same conductor path for added strength.  Did you remove the other resistors and stuff?  I only have 1 resistor left on the board I believe.  (I'll have to check) the transformer and the capacitor and half the diode.  Well, I left the trigger coil too but that is no longer in the circuit.

Let me know if you want the photo or any help or info.  Good luck.  They are fun once you get them going.

Bill

[xee2]

@ resonanceman

Congratulations. The battery voltage makes a difference in performance, but other than that the only difference in batteries will be how long they last. To light the CFL you need to remove the electronics and go straight into the tube. What camera board did you use?

[innovation_station]

@ ArticKnight:


Yes, I posted about that way back somewhere.  In was advertised about 4 months ago in a trade magazine I get in the PI business.  Quite pricey though. I will be making my own for maybe $20 in parts.  This is the second device I have seen on the open market using supercaps instead of batteries.  (The other is a cordless drill that came out about 1.5 years ago.)  I keep telling everyone that will listen that supercaps are the energy storage device of the future, and we can play with them now.  Same thing with leds, these are the lights of the future and getting bigger, more efficient and brighter every month.  Good catch on the review, I would have never seen it if you did not post it.

@ All:

One day in the not too far future, all electric cars will operate using super capacitors for energy storage instead of batteries.  Trust me on this, it is happening as we speak.

Bill

well bill i would like to hear more on this if you care to speek bout it ......

william

i will be wireing up my 1 watt led from a watch battery tonight ....  almost done my first watch battery unit  it will charge 6 6.3vdc 1500uf caps

my next will go dirrectly to the led with out a diode ...

[resonanceman]

Gary:

If you have no diode then where did you attach your leads?  One lead is supposed to go the the side of the diode with the stripe on it (annode???)  Then, yo u simply cut the other end and move it away from the circuit board to avoid any arcing.  I like the heavy duty batteries that come with the cameras...my first one last a good long time and I am still using it for other experiments.  The other lead I attached to a pin on the transformer. (My close-up photo is on here way back but I can post it again if you need it and can't find it easily.)  I also tied that lead into another point on the board along the same conductor path for added strength.  Did you remove the other resistors and stuff?  I only have 1 resistor left on the board I believe.  (I'll have to check) the transformer and the capacitor and half the diode.  Well, I left the trigger coil too but that is no longer in the circuit.

Let me know if you want the photo or any help or info.  Good luck.  They are fun once you get them going.

Bill

Bill

I attached  the leads in the same places  shown on the Pino website    http://www.josepino.com/circuits/?fluorescent_light
I don't  have a nice little soldering iron so I had trouble  soldering to  like in  the picture ........so I pulled out the resistor and the diode and  ran the wire through the  hole ......after that it was easy

I don't remember seeing anything about  arcing problems ......could  I be loosing power from  arcing ?
If so .....a healthy dose  of silicone  rubber around the connection  should  fix the problem .


my  cameera board  looks just like the  one on the pino   site ........right down to the blue line on the green side

gary