Joule Thief

[jeanna]

@altrez - looks good!

-Altrez

Everything there is right.
But is it now different since you put the 1k pot in the right place?
Maybe you fixed whatever it was that was making the problem.

I am assuming the overheating of the transistor has stopped?
THAT is what concerns me.

It is probably on too much. I mean for the heat. Or something is shorting somewhere. You did get good voltage.

I added an inductor a week ago ( across the base resistor) and the voltage was good but for the first time a transistor got hot. I looked at it for a while then realized that I was not employing the resistor, or if I was, only a tiny bit.

The inductor was an easier path than the base resistor so, the base of the transistor was on all the time and it got hot. and at the same time the circuit seemed to be working.

Maybe this description will give you an idea...

@Wilby
HA  O'Joules Hi-(V) lite.

jeanna

[TheNOP]

I have noticed that the cap can't seem to collect any voltage without the diode.

That's right, no diode = no voltage on cap.

if voltage source is AC, then no DC voltage can be measured.
but you will be able to measure AC across it.

with AC, the cap is charged positive then discharged to be re-charged negative and vice versa.

if you disconnect the cap exactly at the peeks, you will be able to measure that peek DC voltage in the cap.

with pulsed DC, you will always be able to measure DC in the cap.
it will smoot the pulses tho.

[altrez]

@jeanna

The transistor is no longer getting hot However I am now working with more then one pickup coil and I have discovered that I can not run two pickup coils at the same time. For example if I Hook up the big pickup coil to a neon it powers it right up. As soon as I add my led bank to the second pickup coil the neon goes out and the LEDs light right up and visa versa if I plug the neon in after the leds they go out but the neon comes on?.

Can you not have 2 or 3 pickup coils all running at the same time? Or will only one work?

Thanks!

-Altrez

[jeanna]

if voltage source is AC, then no DC voltage can be measured.
but you will be able to measure AC across it.

...

with pulsed DC, you will always be able to measure DC in the cap.
it will smoot the pulses tho.

Thank you theNOP
This is verification that what is coming off my secondaries is really ac.

Also, I didn't realize that it was proof of it, so... thanks,

@Altrez,
I bet there is a diode effect happening with the bank of leds.
If you have enough voltage, perhaps you could run another neon off the other pickup.

that would be very cool and worth finding if it will work.

(This is another reason that the 2 tier joule thief was doing something special. Every light there was a diode a led.)

jeanna

[jeanna]

OK
I am putting a little of this 2 tier together.

If you simply put the pickup into the battery rail of a second jtc, the results are UNremarkable. The second level light is on but very dim. The voltage there seems very low.

Now, that is because it is an AC source.

So, if I put it into the 2nd circuit where that has become ac, the thing starts to work really well.
It is ac adding to ac.

And all the little areas are sort of relating to each other in a parallel way and some are brighter than others because they are getting a bigger/stronger additional inductor effect from that second toroid.

Oh coolness. -----/\/\/\/\/\/\/----- she be x-L-8-ing!

I will have another look and redraw it if it has changed since I last posted the funny drawing.

jeanna