notrefined
Enlightened
I'm also curious about the minimum startup voltage for the ZXLD joule thief...eagerly awaiting results
I'm also curious about the minimum startup voltage for the ZXLD joule thief...eagerly awaiting results
Hey guys, i'd quite like to make a couple of joule thieves, and i have one in particular that i'd like to ask about.
Basically, i have an ANCIENT Luxeon I Red-Orange emitter which i'd like to joule-thief-ify.
Hopefully this LED would be perfect for joulethiefing because it's low Vf of only 2.31V and a max rated current of 385mA so it's unlikely to get killed by fresh cells.
All I can say is build the circuit on a breadboard and give it a try.... based on those specs, it should light right up. My guess is that the JT circuit is boosting to about 3.4v max as I can get LEDs with a required Vf of 3.2 to light, but I have one that requires 3.6 and it won't go. I never measured it and probably should...
I have a bunch of cheapy red LEDs that came with these neat chrome LED holders that I bought and they light right up direct on a AA battery- I've also wired them into the JT circuit on my breadboard and they light up and don't poof at all. So they have a much lower Vf requirement and still run well at over a Vf of 3.0. Maybe they have that range, but my guess is the Luxeon is much more robust and can take it.
All I can say is build the circuit on a breadboard and give it a try.... based on those specs, it should light right up. My guess is that the JT circuit is boosting to about 3.4v max as I can get LEDs with a required Vf of 3.2 to light, but I have one that requires 3.6 and it won't go. I never measured it and probably should...
Darvis, did I read that correctly? The ZXLD based circuit will start and run from an OCV of 0.74v? Or is that start and run from a bench supply at 0.74V?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the XP-G needs the smoothing cap. The 5mms definitely do, but the XP-G should be able to handle the 380mA pulses no sweat?Here is my take on the ZXLD381 circuit. This is the version with a smoothing diode and capacitor.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the XP-G needs the smoothing cap. The 5mms definitely do, but the XP-G should be able to handle the 380mA pulses no sweat?