My latest creation

[robk]

I'm just getting started, so some of this stuff is very basic. This is a cheap Coleman single AA with a Nichia 9,200 mcd lamp, using a simple one transistor DC-DC converter. The toroid is about 3mm dia, for clearance, had to use an illuminated magnifying lamp to see it! Brightness is OK, I've been testing the LEDs with 4 AA's and 470 ohms to get a grip on time for 1800mAh NiMH's. But this one cell was a challenge - very little space for parts! Looks like I'll get 8 hours usable light on a single NiMH. Gotta keep playing!

 

[NightStorm]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Dan

 

[shiftd]

very nicely done. Where did you get the toroid?

 

[robk]

I took apart an old Cable TV box, in the tuner part there were about 6 of these little ferrite toroids. I cut the wires off the core and rewound it with 22 turns, center tapped. My eyes aren't what they used to be, this was some small work! I'd be lost without my fluorescent lighted magnifying lamp.
Rob

 

[shiftd]

ok
thanks.

 

[Icebreak]

[ QUOTE ]
robk said:
My eyes aren't what they used to be, this was some small work! I'd be lost without my fluorescent lighted magnifying lamp.
Rob


[/ QUOTE ]

Rob -

Non-Modder here. I've meant to ask if any ModMen ever use the Radio Shack (Micronta) 30X hand held field microscope to check their detailed work.

Nice work. Thanks for the post.

 

[lambda]

Robk,

Very nice!

Looks like quite the tight fit there to make it all fit. I can apreciate the eye strain involved. I started with 2.5X magnifier glasses and have worked my way through magnifying lamps to microscopes. Either these things are getting smaller on their own, or my eyes are getting worse with age.

Again, very nice little mod there. Nice to hear you could scrounge the parts for free, which makes any mod that much more satisfying.

 

[robk]

Thanks, guys.
Yeah, the parts are small. I've seen photos of DC-DC converters built in the PR lamp base using surface mount parts, I can't even imagine the steady hands and magnification needed for that.
Icebreak- I'll have to take a look at that microscope next time I'm at Radio Shack.
Lambda- all the parts were things I had on hand, except the LED. Next mod is a Luxeon Star into a 3D mag.
Rob

 

[jeff1500]

That's a nice light. I like things that are made by hand out of simple parts.

Someone I know was talking about an inductor he once made in school out of a pencil lead and some wire. I wonder if that would work with this circuit?

 

[tonyb]

I sell the toroid cores for the simple 1 transistor step up circuit, they are $9.00 plus shipping and handling. I had them on the Buy Sell Trade page for over a month now.

 

[Doug Owen]

Way cool. 'Flying solder connections', wire wrap wire, all held together with epoxy.....my kinda stuff!

Doug Owen