Joule Thief

[resonanceman]

A little off-topic but, I just ordered 20 of the 1" glowing tiles.  I got to thinking......(dangerous) if these are really as bright as reported (I got the aqua blue) and last as long as reported, one could make a 1 foot x 1 foot square for about $72.00.  (144 x $.50)  if this made a lot of light, can you imagine an entire wall of these in a room that gets daylight  (direct sunlight) during the day and what that room would look like at night?

I  have been thinking of  ordering  some of those tiles 

I bought  a UV  LED light  a whille back
http://www.besthongkong.com/product_info.php?products_id=128
I don't think the  driver for this light is very  robust .
I  was   running  2 of the white  versions  and  ended  up  powering them with 15 V rather than 12 .   they both stopped  working.
I  opened  them up and   the  wires going to the  chip had  disconnected on both of them .         A minute  with a  soldering iron  and they  were both OK

Rather than  use  their chip  I think I  would  take it apart  and   just use the LED  array .
From my experience   stuff that glows    usually lights up  better with   UV than white light     
I would love to see how  a  UV   JT  would  work with them


gary

[jeanna]

Did you test with the scope on the pickup coil to get that reading?

Yes, in fact I always check on the pickup for the frequency but I often forget to mention that. So, thanks for helping me clarify this.

of 1.4MHz?

Yes, well as I mentioned last night, I have had a rash of the same thing happening (quantum effect to be sure!!) I bet the 3055 needs more turns to get it to start too, since that has been the cure for all the toroids that didn't start.
They all, no matter what size, needed more turns and once they started they had incredibly high frequency.
The scope is only guessing at some point above 1 or 2 MHz I can't remember which. It will guess as high as 5.6MHz - I saw that yesterday!.

When it says NORM instead of RUN it is guessing.

I even got 2.4MHz from my EB for the last 2 days.

Last year Ian Middleton (an EE) told me he suspected the stubblefield generator was oscillating at a frequency higher than 4 or 5 MHz. (In fact, since I was working just on that, I put off buying the scope since it wasn't able to go that fast. ) I am glad to find the earth by itself is lower so I can read it.

I am having some trouble understanding how to add the cap to the JT. When I don't have it I spike to 400v when I do its less then 10 v? Where and how should the cap be placed?

Yes, I have had a lot of this too.
I think some of that happens when the size of the cap is wrong.
There are many ways to use caps.

I posted Tesla's explanation with the tank metaphor because it sooo clearly described what HE was doing with the caps/condensers.
Bill Beaty on amasci.com has a really wonderful description of the cap and what it does.
I only remember what I understood of it a few years ago. I am reminded to read it again.

Xee2 has been studying the cap effect on the different primary coils of the jt and xee2 does not have a scope, so I did a little study to help out. I learned quite a bit as well... .

If you put the legs of a ceramic (non electrolytic) cap at the same place (so parallel) as the base resistor you will get a certain effect. In fact I mentioned the 104k (100,000pF) cap is what was needed right there before the toroid began to oscillate.

On our scope you can put it on hold (memory button) while you adjust the vertical Markers 1 and 2. That is how I find the frequency when it is jumping a lot and when it is too small and hard to see. JUST REMEMBER to un hold it before you push t/div ... you know, lest you get lost.

I hope this helps and makes sense.

jeanna

[altrez]

Yes, in fact I always check on the pickup for the frequency but I often forget to mention that. So, thanks for helping me clarify this.

Yes, well as I mentioned last night, I have had a rash of the same thing happening (quantum effect to be sure!!) I bet the 3055 needs more turns to get it to start too, since that has been the cure for all the toroids that didn't start.
They all, no matter what size, needed more turns and once they started they had incredibly high frequency.
The scope is only guessing at some point above 1 or 2 MHz I can't remember which. It will guess as high as 5.6MHz - I saw that yesterday!.

When it says NORM instead of RUN it is guessing.

I even got 2.4MHz from my EB for the last 2 days.

Last year Ian Middleton (an EE) told me he suspected the stubblefield generator was oscillating at a frequency higher than 4 or 5 MHz. (In fact, since I was working just on that, I put off buying the scope since it wasn't able to go that fast. ) I am glad to find the earth by itself is lower so I can read it.

Yes, I have had a lot of this too.
I think some of that happens when the size of the cap is wrong.
There are many ways to use caps.

I posted Tesla's explanation with the tank metaphor because it sooo clearly described what HE was doing with the caps/condensers.
Bill Beaty on amasci.com has a really wonderful description of the cap and what it does.
I only remember what I understood of it a few years ago. I am reminded to read it again.

Xee2 has been studying the cap effect on the different primary coils of the jt and xee2 does not have a scope, so I did a little study to help out. I learned quite a bit as well... .

If you put the legs of a ceramic (non electrolytic) cap at the same place (so parallel) as the base resistor you will get a certain effect. In fact I mentioned the 104k (100,000pF) cap is what was needed right there before the toroid began to oscillate.

On our scope you can put it on hold (memory button) while you adjust the vertical Markers 1 and 2. That is how I find the frequency when it is jumping a lot and when it is too small and hard to see. JUST REMEMBER to un hold it before you push t/div ... you know, lest you get lost.

I hope this helps and makes sense.

jeanna

Thank you so very much. I am going to need to start paying you a consulting fee for all the help you are giving me with the scope

I am noticing some very odd results on my setup. If you get a chance can you please try this? Take two toroids at 200kHz and put then close to each other as in with in 1 inch. take one leg of one pickup coil from one toroid and pair it with one leg from the other one.

Repeat the process from the other two legs. It seems to drop the over all current draw from the battery's and increase the voltage on the wire?

It seems the Frequency is very important in making it work correctly.


Take care:)

-Altrez

[stprue]

@stprue,

Thankyou, I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but I had to wait for my supercap.
jim

As soon as I get the $$ I'm going to but 650f sc!

[jeanna]

...Take two toroids at 200kHz and put then close to each other as in with in 1 inch. take one leg of one pickup coil from one toroid and pair it with one leg from the other one.

It seems the Frequency is very important in making it work correctly.

I am not sure what a 200KHz toroid is. Is it connected to its own transistor?

The rest of what I am picturing from your description is a series connection which would increase the volts and not effect the amps. But you say it decreases the amps?

Please describe this again. I am not following you.
Do you have a way to draw this? That would help I think.

jeanna

if you gave me a fee for helping with your scope... this wouldn't be open source, and I would be obliged to give it to xee and theNOP. But this is open source... just help the next guy.