Joule Thief

[amigo]

To those who celebrate the "Earth day"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Miv4NHsDo

[TheNOP]

Why are we aiming for high frequency?

aiming for a specific frequency is more like it.

Doesn't it make sense that the higher the frequency, the closer to continuous something becomes?

it  will never be continuity.
frequency it is about difference of potential in time.
ask yourself what is the difference between 60Hz and microwaves.

In order to fully harness the power of a collapsing magnetic field, the best frequency will depend on the induction, core permeability and capacitance of the path, material and the circuit respectively.

i don't really care about the mag field collapse.
i am marely just using the coil to get the voltage at the level i need.

[xee2]

@ jadaro2600

Now that I'm aware of my mental deficiencies, and my mental block.

Sorry if I sounded offensive. I thought you were asking for help and I was only trying to help you.

The only time that the HIGH voltage occurs is when the transistor shuts off and the magnetic field collapses. 

Yes. If the high voltage exceeds the Vceo of the transistor while the transistor is off then the transistor could be damaged. The pickup coil is a way to avoid this problem. If there is a diode or neon between the collector and emitter then the voltage can be limited by going through that path. But then current is wasted going through the diode instead of going back through the collector coil and inducing current in the pickup coil. Unless it is being used to light LEDs or charge a capacitor. So a decision needs to be made about where to take the energy from the collapsing magnetic field out of the circuit. It should either be at collector or at the pickup coil. Using both will split the energy between the two.

Everything coming off the emitter is wasted in the process of creating oscillations. 

Yes. At first most of the energy goes into creating the magnetic field and little goes out the emitter. Once the magnetic field is created then all of the current flowing through the coil is wasted going out the emitter. By adjusting the frequency and the inductance of the collector coil, the amount of energy lost through the emitter can be minimised by never allowing the magnetic field to be fully created (but then less energy is available when the field collapses so there is no perfect solution).

[jeanna]

Why are we aiming for high frequency?

Doesn't it make sense that the higher the frequency, the closer to continuous something becomes?

Jadaro,
Did you read this patent a few times?

He is substituting frequency for amps.
Tesla discovered AC, but in this patent, I think, he is describing what is different about AC.

If it is true,and I think it is, that frequency is the AC substitute for amps or charge in the circuit, then we need to be getting the frequency to be up there with the voltage spikes.
Or maybe it doesn't matter.
Maybe it already is.
We just need to pack the pulses so close together it will be as though it were continuous.
Maybe it is the voltage that doesn't need to be so terribly high.
Maybe 150 or 250volts will be enough if the frequency is high as to be continuous.

Tesla was using a spark gap from a capacitor to make the pulses.
We are using a transistor.

He was using a generator to make a small amount of electricity that he put into the caps and discharged them.
The discharge made the voltage spike.
The high frequency of the high voltage spikes did a lot of work.

That patent even describes what to do with the other wire.

He says it should go to a piece of metal on the wall, or otherwise to the ground!!!

I think it is very significant that it is an early patent.

jeanna

[xee2]

@ jadaro2600

In order to fully harness the power of a collapsing magnetic field, the best frequency will depend on the induction, core permeability and capacitance of the path, material and the circuit respectively.

Yes. Frequency should be selected to get best performance from the toroid. However, if you want to do one wire power transmission using capacitive coupling, then the higher the frequency is the more power will couple through a given capacitance.