Joule Thief

[resonanceman]

@nievesoliveras,

I think we're thinking along the same lines - but I don't know why we should need a motor / generator...  The idea is to have a switching mechanism which somehow stores and dumps current from one side of the circuit to another, yet does so while simultaneously creating more ...or, should I say, a higher energy to dump into the charge battery.

jadaro

I have been working on  something  that may  be able to  switch  current  between  2 circuits   
The  specific  application I am workiing on  is something  to  protect  my the base of my   transistor  from  high  voltage .......I am working on  a JT style  driver  to work  with an 18 V battery

I don't want to  try to  explain  what I am trying to do .......I WILL   explain it  once  it is working .
To  try to explain it  before I have a working model  is  like  inviting  all the  skeptics to fill this thread  with garbage .
I would  much rather  work on my design  than argue  theory .




I sure  wish I had a scope      

So far  things look promising






gary

[jadaro2600]

@jeanna,

Interesting waveform indeed, ..it's a bit puzzling though, with these devices, like calculators, the waveform they can display is only so descriptive of what is actually taking place.  In your second image, you have a waveform which looks very similar to the waveform which is generated of a graph of the TCP/IP traffic when downloading streaming video.  It is consistent, but because the sampling rate is out of phase with the oscillations, there is a secondary waveform on the display.  The data on the readouts is more valuable than the actual picture..

I'm beginning to wonder if I need an oscilloscope at all.  The frequency and other things I can measure on the DMM may be more valuable / cost effective than buying an oscilloscope.

..If I find any graphing software worthy of mention, then I'll post a link to it, ..the only thing the dmm can't do is capture the full resolution of the waveform.  Come to think of it.. it would have to be capturing waveform data in the GHz range in order to be useful for looking at a magnetic field collapsing - at least from a precision point of view.

[MrMag]

Jadaro2600

You need to remember that a DMM will show you the RMS voltage and not the true voltage. RMS (root mean square) is .707 of the actual. I am not exactly sure how it would handle the spikes if it does at all. Most if not all DMM's are calibrated to work at 50/60 hz. range and not the frequencies we are working with on the jt. I would highly recommend something that will show you the actual waveform be it software or hardware.

Tim

[jadaro2600]

Jadaro2600

You need to remember that a DMM will show you the RMS voltage and not the true voltage. RMS (root mean square) is .707 of the actual. I am not exactly sure how it would handle the spikes if it does at all. Most if not all DMM's are calibrated to work at 50/60 hz. range and not the frequencies we are working with on the jt. I would highly recommend something that will show you the actual waveform be it software or hardware.

Tim

Well, for developement purposes, knowing what's going on in each component is the idea.  RMS voltage, I've never counted on the RMS voltage, it's never read correctly in the frequency settings ..I have three different multimeters.  There's a duty cycle a frequency setting, and the AC voltage - which I don't use, I just rectify the current with a diode..or two, this obvoisly takes away from the peaks, but so does loading the device.

Yes, though, an oscilloscope is needed, but ..the ones that cost as much as a new car.

[hazens1]

Not sure if it matters to anyone, but I was in Walmart today and I saw these new solar LED units that use a single 3.2 volt rechargeable lipo AA instead of the normal 1.2 volt AA cells for greater brightness. The batteries are the same AA size cells, but almost triple the voltage. They are selling spare 3.2v lipo batteries in 4 packs for about $10. Might be worthwhile for anyone needing a higher cell voltage in a smaller package. These cells put out the same voltage as 2 alkaline AA's when fully charged.

A few days back someone said Walmart and a few other retailers were starting to sell LED string lights similair to the Christmas tree LED strings. I could not find them at my Walmart. If anyone has gotten these at a Walmart, what department were they in and how much were they?

I also found an article about a new chip size solar cell for micro electronics that can produce 4 volts at 50 and 100 micro amps and 8 volts at 25 and 50 micro amps.
PopSci article: http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-03/penny-wise-solar-power
Unit Descriptions: http://www.clare.com/Products/SolarCell.htm
Digikey sells them here: http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=1966326&FV=fffc00d4