Joule Thief

[xee2]

@ jeanna

@xee
Which one is that?

This one. 

You may need to reduce the base resistor value to light more LEDs or make them brighter. That will increase the current. But I think you should be able to light a lot of LEDs with only a few mA. Remember, they should be in series (as shown), not parallel.

Most AA batteries will supply 1 mA for about 2 months.

[Pirate88179]

@ Jim:

I am fine but just have been busy with the business and all for the last week or so.  It has been pretty crazy.  We had a tornado touch down here today and several more just to the west of my location.  you know, if you use a good barbecue sauce and marinate them just right, mice are pretty good eatin'.  Just toss 'em on the barbie.  (Just kidding)

@ All:

I really like the work being done by the folks here and I especially like the details being posted now about everyone's experiments.  I know I have been lax about the details in the past and I too will try to jump on board when reporting results.

As I observed many, many pages back, some of us have different goals here in mind with our JT circuit experiments, which is just fine.  I believe no matter what our personal research goals might be, we can all still learn something and be inspired by another's work even if they are going along a different path.  That is why, if you look back over our many posts as I have been doing in order to compile our diagrams topic, I have never really told anyone "hey, that is off-topic, please start another topic for that".  The reason for my attitude on this is simple.  We have had many discoveries and inspirations here from stuff that might, at one time, been considered by some to be "off-topic".  I would never want to lose the knowledge we, as a group, have gained by limiting our research areas.  Jadaro has just said his research is learning more toward lighting cfls.  I, myself, have had no luck in that area but I did have some success with the modified Fuji JT and long tubes.  Now I am playing with the Bedini motor and soon, back to the old earth battery experiments.  Both of these devices will somehow (in my mind at least) combine well with the JT circuit and that is where I am hoping to go.  Gadgetmall found a way to reduce the current draw on the Fuji and had great success lighting cfl's as well as leds.  Jeanna, working hard as usual (she makes me feel lazy) has a circuit that uses very low mA's lighting 30 leds, and if she had more leds at her disposal at the time, I know the number would have been higher.  Still, her amp draw, or lack thereof, was fantastic for the light she was getting from her hand wound toroid. I believe she was replicating one of the many MK designs that we are fortunate enough to have had developed by Mark and shared with us.

So, what is my point?  My point is that I believe it is fine if we have 20 folks working on 20 different devices for 20 different reasons, or any combination of folks/devices as it turns out to be.  I can be working on something and then see someone else's success with something else, and I change directions in order to attempt to replicate that device.

Please everyone keep up the great work and great posting and reporting of that work.  I am still a little short of time but I will attempt to do the same.  Thank you to everyone.

Bill

[electricme]

@Bill,
Sorry to hear you had a tornado touch down close to you, phew, I knew something was up, had a very uneasy feeling before I sent that off to you, I get these feelings when I know something is not right, got something like with the gadget a few weeks ago, just knew, that I knew, get the same when one of my kids prang a car or done somethin they shouldnt.

Glad to know you are OK, close call, just hope there was no loss of life in your neighbourhood.

Ha ha ha, thank everyone for the mouse receipies, they even been comeing in by PM also.
The tally so far for the last 3 days is up to 18.
Had to fine tune the mouse trap, physics and phychology involved, wow its a goodun now, like a v8 with quad headders.

file smooth the trip mechanism, oil the main spring, polish the cross bar piece, level the U hinges.
Force cheeze UNDER the two steel pronges so the mouse has to tug downwards on the trip lever.
Place the trap on the floor. Place two 12v DC gell cells either side of the mouse trap to force mr mouse to the front of the trap.

Mouse eyes position is like those on a horse, they see mainly at the sides, not so much in front, when they chomp on the bait, they might miss seeing the cross bar coming down on em.

OHHHH it works, lol

jim

[jadaro2600]

file smooth the trip mechanism, oil the main spring, polish the cross bar piece, level the U hinges.
Force cheeze UNDER the two steel pronges so the mouse has to tug downwards on the trip lever.
Place the trap on the floor. Place two 12v DC gell cells either side of the mouse trap to force mr mouse to the front of the trap.

Mouse eyes position is like those on a horse, they see mainly at the sides, not so much in front, when they chomp on the bait, they might miss seeing the cross bar coming down on em.

OHHHH it works, lol

jim

Completely off-topic;

Bad weather here too.  But no mice - there were rabbits, a few years ago, like a small heard of them would come out at night and graze on the stuff in the yard - they also ate the hot peppers I planted out back - but then hawks started nesting near by and I haven't seen them since.  It's a good thing they're not the type of rodent to get in the house and eat things up.  Perhaps eliminating the source of the problem might be in order?  - why are they there?  If you live somewhre that you're able, you may want to try a diversionary tactic - like making it more appealing away from the house.  I hear that snake accessible mouse housing is one way - but keep setting traps; or buy a cat.

Anyway;

@all,
I recently wound a toroid where the primaries ( BC paths ) were of equal length and were spaced evenly around the toroid.

Does anyone else think it may be more productive to do things this way? ...isn't evening out the flux a good idea?

After I did this, I simply wound the secondary ( pickup coil ) over the primaries.  Any suggestions.

[electricme]

@Jadaro2600
The DMM diode test.
Yes, what you see there is the resistance reading.

If you use a Analog Multimeter, the needle may go all the way to the right, if you switch the diode around and try again, the needle should only rise a small amount.
If the needle goes halfway or more, the diode may be shorted out
If you get no Analog readings then the diode is open circuit, it is kaput

A good test for a diode is to rig up a single cell aa battery with a light globe 1.4v tin series.
Then let the diode become the "switch" .
The diode should light the bulb only in one direction.
If the bulb dosent light at all, diode is U/S
If bulb lights in both directions, diode is U/S

jim