Joule Thief

[Pirate88179]

you are probably right, it may very well NOT be turning off, theres a constant current flow through the base resistor, which tells me it should be always on. though i have no way of knowing for sure. if it is switching, its happening so fast i have no way to detect it without a scope.

So, the question now is. how to make it switch off?

Smoky:

Make the basic ones like we all did and then move on from there.  And please, do not accuse anyone here of perpetrating any hoaxes.  There are very good folks here and all of the advancements made have been documented and replicated by many others.
None of us is here to fool anyone.  If you can't make it work, that does not mean it is not possible, it just means you don't know how.  Welcome to the club.  Most of us were there once as well.  If you need help, folks here will help you.  Just please refrain from making comments that imply, intimate, suggest, or accuse the folks here of a hoax.  They, and myself, will take that very seriously.

Thank you.

Bill

[sm0ky2]

all my cores are ceramic, taken from surplus computer parts
various sizes
i have a few ferrite cylinder cores, but those arent giving me any luck either

and Bill,, if you READ what i said, i said that im NOT saying its a hoax...

you are quick to jump down my throat, thats TWICE youve done that, please dont do it again. I'm just trying to make this thing  "work" so i can incorporate it into my earth battery, as YOU yourself suggested that i do...

[innovation_station]

yep small T coils are cool toys ...

and your probally right i did not have a cap there ... that is my current regulator ...

also when i disconnected it i may have got a kick from the bulb ...

none the less i wont use spider wire any more ... 

ill build yes another this time 30 gage and i dont care how neat and tidy it is .... 

ist!

[jeanna]

all my cores are ceramic, taken from surplus computer parts
various sizes
i have a few ferrite cylinder cores, but those arent giving me any luck either

Now, lets see.
I think the dump experts will have to address the ceramic material.
The cylinder is not what this joule thief is about.
We did have the discussion early on in this thread, and the fuji circuit is based on it, but I doubt you want to wind 1760 turns on your secondary just to get a rise in voltage.
So, a toroid shape is the best bet.

10/$1 from allelectronics Tor-23. Great deal and you can see lots of things to drool over while there. I am sure you can justify the $7 shipping.

Anyway, My guess is that the winding needs to be center-tapped. It is the thing that catches everybody, at one time or another. Right everybody?
I particularly like the way the makezine video shows how to make sure it is right, and I think the instructables may not be as clear, but different ways of describing work for different people. That I do know.

So, Is your bell wire in 2 different colors?
This is a simple way to help you get it center tapped, because the wires are clearly different.
Splay both wires apart.
Take one color from one side and the other color from the other side and twist them together.
This is the end of one wire to the beginning of the other. Twist them immediately after you check that one and then move on to the next step.

I am not sure which one is the base on the transistors you have, but solder the resistor to the base early on in the process. I think that helps to force you away from the simple matching of wires to legs which is wrong.

I wrote it all out last night.

Please try these things. but if the ceramic is wrong and ultra high permeablity, or the cylinder is too permeable, you may need hundreds of turns, and you probably don't want to start out that way.

jeanna

[xee2]

@ ist

what ya all think 

Nice spark. Sorry about the coil. Thanks for the video. I do not trust enamel insulation, that is why I use plastic coated wires. I think the enamel gets scraped off by wire rubbing against another wire. My coils make a noise when operating that is caused by wires vibrating against each other. The rubbing from the vibration probably rubbed off the insulation.