Storing Cookies (See : http://ec.europa.eu/ipg/basics/legal/cookies/index_en.htm ) help us to bring you our services at overunity.com . If you use this website and our services you declare yourself okay with using cookies .More Infos here:
https://overunity.com/5553/privacy-policy/
If you do not agree with storing cookies, please LEAVE this website now. From the 25th of May 2018, every existing user has to accept the GDPR agreement at first login. If a user is unwilling to accept the GDPR, he should email us and request to erase his account. Many thanks for your understanding

User Menu

Custom Search

Author Topic: Joule Thief 101  (Read 944370 times)

MileHigh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7600
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1155 on: March 24, 2016, 05:10:42 PM »
PW:

Just to be sure we are on the same page, the attached "death spike" screen cap from Brad's clip is indeed a current waveform.  I did not consider the loading of the scope ground on the transistor base input.

It's nice to see that you are willing to consider base reverse breakdown voltage as a possible explanation.  I am somewhat embarrassed for calling it "punch through."  I know the proper technical terms but they are not on the tip of my tongue anymore, so I use "slang" to get my points across.

MileHigh

MileHigh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7600
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1156 on: March 24, 2016, 05:17:28 PM »
MH
The v/CBO for the 2n3055 is 100 volt's.
I do not see 100volts anywhere in my scope shot's?.
I do not see anyway that this !punch through! could be taking place.

Brad

Yes that doesn't surprise me.  However, I believe there is a possibility that you can get avalanche effects, so perhaps a few nanoseconds could get the ball rolling.  Or the transistor is old and beaten up and not meeting spec any more.

My first impression was that there was a breakdown in the transistor itself, so perhaps you will get to the bottom of it and find out one way or another.  It looks very jarring to see that negative pulse of current.

MileHigh

picowatt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1157 on: March 24, 2016, 05:35:12 PM »
MH
The v/CBO for the 2n3055 is 100 volt's.
I do not see 100volts anywhere in my scope shot's?.
I do not see anyway that this !punch through! could be taking place.


Brad

I just looked at the data sheet, max VEB is given as 7VDC.  Moreover, I just applied a current limited negative voltage between the base and emitter of a 2n3055 here on the bench and it broke down at a Vbe of -8.7VDC.  So hats off to MH!!

However, if the only current flowing thru the base circuit during the off time was related to VEB breakdown, the current flow should not begin until Vbe exceeds -7VDC (probably closer to the -8,7VDC I observed).

I would think capacitive loading would create immediate current flow/loading of the base waveform as soon as the negative going transition begins and then be clamped at the base emitter breakdown voltage (ca -8.7VDC) once that junction breaks down.  If you look closely at Tinman's noisey diff measurement attempt, or the capture made with the scope ground on the base, there does appear to be a fairly flat period of current flow during the off time following the transitional spike.  I had thought that to be noise but it likely is base/emitter breakdown clamping current.

Perhaps as MH suggests, a bit more scrutiny of the turn off period at a faster sweep rate is in order.

PW

tinman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5365
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1158 on: March 24, 2016, 05:57:40 PM »
Brad:

Just a little reality check:



  If the transistor is switching properly for the high base resistance, then for sure it will be switching properly for the low base resistance and you will barely, if at all, see any difference in the collector-emitter voltage for the two cases.  Assuming the collector-emitter voltage is the same in both cases, then that means for a high base resistance or a low base resistance the build-up of current flowing through L1 will be identical.  That means that decreasing the base resistance does not increase the build up of the current flowing through L1, but it does increase the current flowing through L2.

However, when you decrease the base resistance, the timing changes, and the energizing cycle for the L1 coil gets longer, and that results in slightly more current flowing through L1 when the transistor switches off, and hence a very slightly brighter LED as observed in your last clip.

  The L1 coil and L2 coil in the Joule Thief transformer produce opposite and cancelling flux when the current flows from top to bottom for each coil.  Therefore increased current flow in L2 will reduce the magnetic energy in the core that was originally put there by current flow through L1.  This is the third time I am stating this.

MileHigh

Quote
In your last clip when you decrease the base resistance the brightness increase is not significant to the human eye, and that's what counts.  This is for the case when the battery voltage is about 1.1 volts.  It may be different for lower battery voltages.

Do you not remember what the whole idea was in regards to having the VR MH?
It was so as we could reduce the base resistance as the battery voltage dropped-and bit by bit. Not start swinging the resistance about while the battery voltage is still quite high.

Quote
Of course decreasing the base resistance will increase the current flow through L2.  However, PW is working with you to try to understand this in more detail.  What happens to the collector-emitter voltage drop when the transistor is ON for high base resistance vs. low base resistance?  You are supposed to make measurements of that.

Well lucky for me,i do things when i want,and get time to do them--not when MH thinks i should be doing them,and within his small time frame ;)

Quote
With respect to increased current flow in L2 putting more magnetic energy into the core, and that makes the LED brighter, you are dead wrong.  Myself, TK, and PW have stated this.

Please repost these post where TK and PW have said this is incorrect.

Here is the conversation myself and PW had

PW-
Quote
In your video, we might "assume" that the base current increases as you decrease the value of the potentiometer connected to the transistor's base.  However, because the base voltage remains constant, there is no way to see (or know) what change is actually occurring to the base current as you adjust the pot with the tests you made in the video.


We now know the base current dose indeed increase.

My reply-Not entirely correct.
As the current flow in L1 is set once the transistor is fully switched on,then the only way the LED can receive more current from the inductive kickback is by way of a stronger magnetic field being produced during each on time pulse,and as L1's current is set,then the only way to increase that magnetic field is by way of L2. For this to happen,then L2 must be receiving more current flowing through it,and we know this would be the case if we reduce the base resistance value..-->and we do now know for sure that the base/L2 current dose increase when we reduce the base resistance.

PWs
Quote
reply-Yes, one can "assume" that is what is happening and use what is observed as a proxy for base current.  My point was that nowhere is base current itself being directly measured or observed in the video
.

But shortly after this post,we confirmed an increase in base current as we reduced the base resistance.
I have not seen a post from PW that states i am wrong ???
And the only two post i have seen from TK,said nothing about it.
So where are these post that PW and TK state i am wrong?-->you up to your old tricks again MH?.

Now,time for you to think about things a little here,as either way you are wrong.
What is needed in order for the LED to emit more light from the inductive kickback spike?-a larger/stronger magnetic field collapse?
How do we build a larger/stronger magnetic field?--a higher value of overall current flow through the inductor during the on time perhaps?
How do we get this higher value of current flow through the inductor during the on time?-the transistor switching on for a longer period of time perhaps ?.
What needs to happen in order to get the transistor to switch on for a longer period of time?-a longer period and higher value of current flow through L2 perhaps?.
How is this achieved?--well as clearly seen,we reduce the base resistance.

I am lost as to how you can say that the larger amount of current flow through L2 is not responsible for the building of a larger/stronger magnetic field in the inductor :o

I am also at a loss as to how you can say that the two fields built by L1 and L2 will cancel each other out. First up,the current traveling in the two coils is in opposite directions,and there for the two fields will buck,creating a larger field. Second,if the two fields canceled each other out,then when we raise the current flow in L2,the current should actually drop--not rise. But as we know,there is no decrease in current flow,there is only an increase in current flow,and there for there is no cancellation of magnetic fields,as there is no decrease in current flow.
If there was a field cancellation going on,then the circuit would not work as it dose.
You posted the working your self,and now you disagree with how the circuit work's.
Start of cycle.
current starts to flow through L2 as the transistor starts to conduct.
At this point current starts to flow through L1.
The current flowing through L1 increases the current flowing through L2.
This cascade effect/transformer effect keeps going on between the two coils until the transformer is fully switched on,and remains on until such time as the magnetic field in the inductor has reached it's peak-no longer varying in time. At this point,the current flowing through L2 drop's right down,and the transistor opens,and the inductive spike current from L1 is sent through the LED.

How on earth can any of that happen if the two coils fields cancel each other out?

Brad

tinman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5365
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1159 on: March 24, 2016, 06:06:14 PM »
I am confused about the math trace business because the purple traces in your attached scope captures look like perfectly clean math traces except for the fact that it looks like they are upside-down, and I can't be sure of your "virtual ground reference" for the purple traces.

If the purple traces are indeed upside-down, then it would be trivial to set them right-side-up and dim out the other two traces and then you are good to go.  Am I missing something?

MileHigh

Because MH-as i stated to PW,that is a variation circuit,where the LED was place across the collector/base junction. That is why the math trace is very clean there,as the LED filtered out all the noise that you see in the later scope shot,where the original test circuit is being used,and the math trace is very noisy.

Brad

picowatt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1160 on: March 24, 2016, 06:12:13 PM »
I have not seen a post from PW that states i am wrong ???

Because I never said you were wrong.  I only stated that up until then you did not actually measure the increase in base current but were making assumptions based on proxies.  What I will state is that it is very possible that either or both of Vce and Ic are likely changing as you decrease the resistance seen at the base.

But again, you need to measure that to be able to state that for sure.  Vce is fairly easy.  Put a scope probe on the Q1 collector and change the base resistor between the two values.  Crank up the VPD so you are using the full screen and note the collector voltage during the on time.

The Q1 collector current is a bit more difficult if the diff measurements are a problem.  The CSR in the emitter leg may be the only option at this point.  Using as small a value as possible will reduce degeneration.  Try the 10R first, you can always change it to 1R later.

PW

tinman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5365
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1161 on: March 24, 2016, 06:12:17 PM »
Yes that doesn't surprise me.  However, I believe there is a possibility that you can get avalanche effects, so perhaps a few nanoseconds could get the ball rolling.  Or the transistor is old and beaten up and not meeting spec any more.

My first impression was that there was a breakdown in the transistor itself, so perhaps you will get to the bottom of it and find out one way or another.  It looks very jarring to see that negative pulse of current.

MileHigh

The transistor is brand new,i bought 10 of them last week.
I can how ever change it out for another,as i have had new faulty transistors before.

I am hoping Mag's will carry out the same test,as i am interested to see if he gets the same result's.

I have found the video that touches on the miller capacitance effect that was linked to me by a fellow researcher when we were looking into the operation of the cool joule circuit.
Maybe this will help explain thing's?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op_I3Ke7px0

Brad

MileHigh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7600
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1162 on: March 24, 2016, 06:42:18 PM »
Brad:

Quote
I have found the video that touches on the miller capacitance effect that was linked to me by a fellow researcher when we were looking into the operation of the cool joule circuit.
Maybe this will help explain thing's?.

Pointing at somebody else's clip for a different circuit is total BS.  You want to explain how a Cool Joule works?  Do an exercise just like you see in that clip for your own circuit.  A "drive by" "throw spaghetti against the wall" "explanation" will not cut it, period.

MileHigh

picowatt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1163 on: March 24, 2016, 06:50:43 PM »
The transistor is brand new,i bought 10 of them last week.
I can how ever change it out for another,as i have had new faulty transistors before.

I am hoping Mag's will carry out the same test,as i am interested to see if he gets the same result's.

I have found the video that touches on the miller capacitance effect that was linked to me by a fellow researcher when we were looking into the operation of the cool joule circuit.
Maybe this will help explain thing's?.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op_I3Ke7px0

Brad

I use FET/bipolar cascode circuits every day in low noise/low THD amplifiers designed to reduce Miller effect. 

Regarding the VEB breakdown issue, I am a bit perplexed as to how you are able to produce a waveform on the base that exceeds -8.5VDC or so.  I think we have seen up to -16V or so on your base waveforms (correct me if I am wrong).

My breakdown test was with the collector open.  I have since applied 20VDC to Vce while applying the negative voltage to  Vbe with no change in the Vbe breakdown voltage, which was again -8.6V. 

You might try measuring the Vbe breakdown voltage of your flavor of 2N3055.  Set your supply to its lowest current setting or put a several K resistor in series with the base (I did both using 4K resistor).  Connect the supply so that it applies a negative voltage between the base and emitter while measuring across the base and emitter.  See where the voltage gets clamped (similar action to that of a zener).  You can of course ground the base and apply a positive voltage to the emitter, its all relative (making the emitter ground and the base negative allowed me to apply a positive voltage between the collector and emitter as well)

PW

MileHigh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7600
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1164 on: March 24, 2016, 06:51:01 PM »
Brad:

Quote
How on earth can any of that happen if the two coils fields cancel each other out?

Did anybody say that they completely cancel each other out?  Presumably you have a large current in L1 and a comparatively smaller current in L2, for both a high and low base resistance.  That means that the current flowing in L2 takes a slice out of the magnetic energy built up by the current flowing in L1, but does not completely cancel it out by any means.

Even better, look at a toroid and the winding directions and the direction of the current flow for the two coils that make up the Joule Thief transformer and figure it out for YOURSELF.  Don't just blindly assume that you are right.  Blind assumption gives you a 50-50 chance of being right and you are wrong.

In post #1202 PW is mistakenly referencing a different subject.

Does current flow in L2 reduce the magnitude of the magnetic energy stored in the toroid that was built up by the current flow in L1?  The answer to that is yes, and TK and PW also stated that.  Go find the references yourself.

MileHigh

tinman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5365
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1165 on: March 24, 2016, 07:05:38 PM »
Brad:



In post #1202 PW is mistakenly referencing a different subject.



MileHigh

Quote
Did anybody say that they completely cancel each other out?  Presumably you have a large current in L1 and a comparatively smaller current in L2, for both a high and low base resistance.  That means that the current flowing in L2 takes a slice out of the magnetic energy built up by the current flowing in L1, but does not completely cancel it out by any means.

that small slice being taken from L1 by L2 is where you are lost MH,as the small slice that is taken from L1 by L2 is given right back by L2 due to the current flowing through it. The two fields built by both coils are apposing field's-not like fields,as the current is traveling around each coil in the opposite direction,and this causes a bucking field between the two.

Quote
Does current flow in L2 reduce the magnitude of the magnetic energy stored in the toroid that was built up by the current flow in L1?  The answer to that is yes, and TK and PW also stated that.  Go find the references yourself.

Please back up your claim,and post these two statements by PW and TK.
The answer is that the higher current flow through L2 ,produces a stronger magnetic field in the core--that is my claim,and im sticking to it. I have proven this to be the case,and i am yet to see PW or TK refute this claim.
Please post the post number where PW and TK say this.

Brad.

picowatt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1166 on: March 24, 2016, 07:06:07 PM »

In post #1202 PW is mistakenly referencing a different subject.


I thought you two were "discussing" whether or not decreasing the base resistance increased the collector (and L1) current or just produced additional waste heat in the base resistor.  Perhaps I misunderstood.  As I said, I have no dog in this hunt.

This would of course depend on whether Q1 is fully saturated at both the lower and higher base resistance. 

Measuring Vce and Ic at the two base resistances should help clarify is Q1 is fully saturated (turned on) at both base resistance values or is turned on harder with one more than the other.

PW

 

MileHigh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7600
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1167 on: March 24, 2016, 07:10:31 PM »
Quote
Please post the post number where PW and TK say this.

This is your bad karma biting your ass.  Find the information yourself.

picowatt

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1168 on: March 24, 2016, 07:17:46 PM »
... That said, I do not believe the base current flowing thru L2 is acting in the manner you surmise.  In fact, I would think that current flowing thru the base (and L2) would generate a flux in opposition to that generated by current flowing thru L1...


tinman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5365
Re: Joule Thief 101
« Reply #1169 on: March 24, 2016, 07:25:09 PM »
Brad:

Did anybody say that they completely cancel each other out?  Presumably you have a large current in L1 and a comparatively smaller current in L2, for both a high and low base resistance.  That means that the current flowing in L2 takes a slice out of the magnetic energy built up by the current flowing in L1, but does not completely cancel it out by any means.

Even better, look at a toroid and the winding directions and the direction of the current flow for the two coils that make up the Joule Thief transformer and figure it out for YOURSELF.  Don't just blindly assume that you are right.  Blind assumption gives you a 50-50 chance of being right and you are wrong.



Does current flow in L2 reduce the magnitude of the magnetic energy stored in the toroid that was built up by the current flow in L1?  The answer to that is yes, and TK and PW also stated that.  Go find the references yourself.

MileHigh

Quote
In post #1202 PW is mistakenly referencing a different subject.

Bullshit MH--your full of shit.
PW is talking about the very same subject,and now you are trying to place him in your court,when he is here to help. You are going to drag him down with you,and the outcome will be he leaves because of your lying ways.

Quote PW- Because I never said you were wrong.  I only stated that up until then you did not actually measure the increase in base current but were making assumptions based on proxies.

Solid proof MH that he was refetring to the correct subject,as those proxies where the rise in light output from the LED due to a stronger magnetic field being built,which is a result of a higher current flow through  L2 by the reduction of base resistance.

Quote:
Quote
You have the wrong issue, it's about your claim that current flowing through L2 increases the magnetic energy in the core and hence the brightness of the LED.

Please tell us all how you can increase the magnetic field strength in the core, without increasing the current flow through L2--this should be good.

Brad