Help with creating the Earlthlight

[Aram]

I posted this in the other thread, but it got lost in all the work on the batteries themselves. Can anybody help me? As far as I can tell I built it according to the specs, and it simply doesn't work, or even try to work. The LED is red i know, but i think it's the same spec's as the white LED's I might use.



I'm trying to make one of these earthlights described in the diagram. I purchased all the parts as specified, and put it together, but it doesn't light the LED. The LED I'm using is a 1.8 V, 20 mA Red LED. I've tried testing the circuit by running it off a AA battery (tried both somewhat dead, maybe 1.1 V, and new one). If I measure voltage at the LED pins, I see about .8 V.

Fairly certain I have it wired up correctly. . . the inductors I have look almost like resistors. Heck, here is direct links to all the parts I'm using.

Transistor: https://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...lkey610-2N2222
Inductor: https://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...key70-IM2-J-15
Cap: https://www.mouser.com/Search/Produc...80-C410C102J5G
The LED is a radioshack one. I had purchased some white ones from Mouser, but I screwed up, they're ones that have to be baked or something, they have no contacts.

[nickle989]

Aram, can you post some pictures and put some discriptions on them ... that way we can see what you are seeing.

[Aram]

I will tonight. I think maybe it's the inductor I'm using. I looked up the part number recommended by John on the Energetics forum, and it's discontinued. . . however it is specified with a ferrite core, and about half the self-resonance rating as the one I got. . . and the one I have is not ferrite core, it's "Epoxy Molded". . .

Also, I know this was designed to be for Earth batteries, but is there any reason it couldn't be ran on semi-dead AA batteries or other power sources? Does anybody know what would be the maximum voltage you could apply to it?

Does anybody think this inductor might work?
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...ifXLjT%2fns%3d

[Aram]

So, I got it working . . . kinda. Replaced the LED with the bright White and it started working. . . However, it's pulling like 150-250 mA, basically pulling all the dead battery I was running it with can give. The LED lights for just a second as I connect the battery, and then goes out. If I sit there and "chatter" it on the battery it will light up. So, yeah pulling way too much power. My local electronic shop only has 22 micro henry inductors, and he's not sure if they're ferrite core, but I might try them to see if they drop the power draw.

[Tom C]

So, I got it working . . . kinda. Replaced the LED with the bright White and it started working. . . However, it's pulling like 150-250 mA, basically pulling all the dead battery I was running it with can give. The LED lights for just a second as I connect the battery, and then goes out. If I sit there and "chatter" it on the battery it will light up. So, yeah pulling way too much power. My local electronic shop only has 22 micro henry inductors, and he's not sure if they're ferrite core, but I might try them to see if they drop the power draw.

you can wind your own inductor....... 50 turns of 40 gauge I think is what they said over on energetics. they are hollow core. get plastic bobbins that go in the bottom of a sewing machine.
Inductor Designer / Calculator Help

Tom C

[Aram]

Yeah, I've been referring to some posts over there. Mr Bendini posted you could use 35 feet of 30 awg around a piece of welding rod, but it's not the same circuit then. It's more like a solid state ssg, and I was thinking about making one of those too. In the video he said a 1k resistor on the base, and in the diagram I found it says 18k on the base. . . so I wasn't sure. I think I have some fairly small wire I took off a transformer I could use. He also said if you wind it air core to increase the wire length by 10 feet. Sewing maching bobbins are a good idea!

Would just like to get this one working as designed through. Thanks for the post!

PS, the 22 microHenry inductors didn't help, in fact made the current draw higher.

[Chuck Hupp]

Aram, use a 0-25k 30 turn pot on the base. sewing bobbin wrapped with 300-600 turns @30 awg wire and 32-40 awg trigger. Use a 2.8-3.4 v LED 10mm or smaller Tune pot to lowest amp draw (use a meter) for the light level you desire... What do you do when your batteries are dead? If you get this circuit working you should look at this thread...

http://www.energyscienceforum.com/cr...l-battery.html