Joule Ringer!

[Lidmotor]

Here's my new video:

Joule Ringer 2.0 single and multiple bulb amp draw comparison. - YouTube

The first bulb dims a little, but the cluster more then makes up for the loss of brightness, at only %50 increase in power. It's obvious there's a gain in efficiency with the addition of the bulb cluster.

This is the same trap that Bill (Peanutbutter) fell into. You have to measure this carefully using a light box and a lux meter to really tell what is happening. It boils down to lumens per watt. Dr. Jones is right.
I'm not trying to be a "too good to be true" guy like Nick mentioned. It is just that you can be decieved by a bunch of bulbs lighting up on an AC circuit. You have to carefully look at the numbers.

Lidmotor

[NickZ]

Allen B:
I suspect you are right about the frequency having everything to do with the very low draw. This really needs more looking into, especially by those that are good at numbers, or whatever, to figure this anomaly out. I can tell from your video, as well as Hitman's video that we've got something special going on here.
Thanks for uploading the video, and showing us your set-up. And good luck with any further testing, especially in the 12 volt range.

I'm still working on the Exciter circuits, but I notice something similar to what the "bump video" was showing, that I posted a little earlier. I just do the same thing in a different way to get it to "kick in". But, it does "drop out" also, and is what I'm still working on now, to sustain it.

BTW: I also have some of the same type of tiny 2 by 2 inch solar cells like Hitman is showing, and mine produce 4.2 volts, and 30 mAs, in full sunlight. So, if you figure 6 solar cells, like in his video lighting the 8 bulbs, that would be about 180mA draw, at most, but if placed in series, then it is drawing, well, almost nothing? Like I said I'm not good at numbers, but that amount of light output looks very good to me.

Best of luck to all here, and to the "too good to be true" thread guys also. I hope that it really is not too good to be true, and really is true, after all.

NickZ

[Allen Burgess]

Video

Here's my new video:

Joule Ringer 2.0 single and multiple bulb amp draw comparison. - YouTube

The first bulb dims a little, but the cluster more then makes up for the loss of brightness, at only %50 increase in power. It's obvious there's a gain in efficiency with the addition of the bulb cluster.

[Lidmotor]

Overdrive

@Lidmotor:
I really like the way you applied this circuit and boxed it, super video.
I played with this a while last night with an almost identical circuit, and found that if I turned the current up to high, the bulb screeched like crazy. Any idea what that is all about? 50 to 60mA on the 2watt LOA works very well.

Thanks, Brad

I think that it is just an overdriving situation. I use the 10K pot on mine to get the Utilitech 7.5 W bulb to come on bright then I turn it all the way down and the bulb stays on bright. Bill talks about the circuit inside the bulb in his latest videos. It is what I figured--- that the bulb's internal circuit is a major player in how the main circuit works.

Lidmotor

[b_rads]

@Lidmotor:
I really like the way you applied this circuit and boxed it, super video.
I played with this a while last night with an almost identical circuit, and found that if I turned the current up to high, the bulb screeched like crazy. Any idea what that is all about? 50 to 60mA on the 2watt LOA works very well.

Thanks, Brad

[Lidmotor]

My boxed ringer

Here is my boxed up Super Joule Ringer 2.0.

Simple --Super Joule Ringer 2.0---Boxed - YouTube

@Bill
Thanks for coming back ----even if it is for a short while.

@Allen
I didn't find an advantage in using multiple bulbs on the circuit that I ended up with.

@Laserssaber
Simply---thanks. It was another fun project.

Lidmotor

[soundiceuk]

Real sorry to hijack the thread. It's one I followed for a while and there are some great folks on here who are not on the Don Smith devices too good to be true thread.

I'm certain you will forgive me.

Very interesting progress in the Don Smith arena. Seems like word on the street is a number of members are coming forward with working systems.

We are all here to free ourselves from slavery. I am here to help you all!!!

Thanks to a very hard working bunch of like minded individuals here is the answer!!!!!!!!!

- TEAM ION VALVE -

[Allen Burgess]

Jr 2.0

One 2 watt 120 volt LED bulb draws 300 milliamps, and five more bulbs, an additional 100 milliamps. So, the cluster average is 15 times more efficient then the single bulb alone, albeit a loss in brightness, by no means that great. This means the bulbs should dim by that great a factor, when they appear to have much much more brightness then that in combined illumination. I have my circuit soldered up and boxed, but I want by a lux meter to measure any gain in efficiency with the addition of multiple bulbs. I'd like to produce an efficiency curve for multiple bulbs.

[Jules Tresor]

Thanks to you Bill, that's very kind of you, I'll follow your new youtube channel with interest

[Peanutbutter29]

Results superceed intentions -Not butting in

I'm not butting in here or starting posting. I still feel bad at the lower Lu/W numbers I'd found and wasn't really happy with the "shack" numbers. I feel a bit responsible to correct this for those who purchased the Shack and Utilitech bulbs. As well Jules brought up that I had not relayed my intentions for 220v; so I'll brief those I suppose. I must say I debated for a while, but even though I'm "out of it"; This is more important than my personal wishes.
I cannot restore PB as I removed the email, sorry there I didn't copy any video's; so that is all gone. I made an account then, to relay this information.

So, I've been able to optimize the Utilitech with the radio shack and the 3055; also clean up the wave nice. I believe I cover everything in the video's.(2 parts)
Final shown is 354 Lumens @ 59 Lumens per watt (1% accuracy) If I did NOT adjust for daylight then we would assume 76 Lu/W (5% accuracy). Though I won't sell you on that as it's actually 59.
Also, final TOTAL efficiency, including all components is 90.5%. This means it is MORE efficient than any inverter made. Most inverters running 90-95% without considering their own loss. This is a total "all inclusive" 90.5%. So, at least this is viable and now more efficient than an inverter.

NOTE: this was done specifically for the 12v transformer with utilitech and 12v operation! I feel responsible to improve this combination; but other transformers or bulbs will be different. I would recommend high accuracy to accurately improve the circuits if you try this with others.
Utilitech / Radio Shack from PB - Patch / Fix for Efficiency 59 Lu/w @ +90% Eff. (Part 1) - YouTube

Utilitech / Radio Shack from PB - Patch / Fix for Efficiency 59 Lu/w @ +90% Eff. (Part 2) - YouTube


Finally then, I've attached a general schematic for my One method of 220v bulb operation. This will also benefit efficiency where a transformer is too small (e.g. Shack Audio output w/ utilitech gains 4-5 Lu/w). I have run 2 110v bulbs in series and I assume this will light 220v fine.
I suppose it will prove a niche design as it will not be needed in all cases. But with small transformers or higher voltage; it will provide better efficiency. All cases I've not lost more than 1 Lu/W if it's not needed; however in cases where it IS needed we see an improvement of 5-7 Lu/W. For 220, it's not that a single doesn't have enough "open" voltage; just that the current available is poor at that voltage. This, more or less, parallel oscillator; allows either more current at a higher voltage (220v), lower voltage for a given current (lower operational volts), or a higher efficiency where a transformer is slightly underpowered.
Now, if you run "high" loading, you will notice one transistor warmer than another (variation of chip). The correction is a 10 Ohm resistor to the warmer base. Also, be sure BOTH bases are driven off ONE potentiometer.
Finally here, A and B for connections are shown for simplicity. There are only 2 connections (one A one B) on a cord or plug. The dotted line is where a "charge" system hooks up. This charging works very well with dual oscillators and 30 ma charge into 12v @ a 9v operational, is not uncommon. Also, note that these are 2 separate transformers and cores!! You will over heat transistors if this is done on a single transformer as they switch simultaneously.

I hope these things help. Again, I'm not getting back in. Just feel I should pass these on. Best wishes to all in this pursuit!

Thanks

[Allen Burgess]

Lidmotor,

One two watt bulb's amperage draw remains unchanged with the addition of five more bulbs running at six volts. The needle just budged on my amp meter. I assume there's no increase in amperage at twelve volts when I add the five two watt bulb cluster. The six volt draw on one and six bulbs both was fifty milliamps.

Doubling the voltage should reduce amperage by half on both one and six bulbs. Twenty five milliamps maybe too little for my meter to register. I'll retest, but don't forget, the amp draw with these 2 watt bulbs stays the same with the addition of more bulbs. I'll upload a video for NickZ. "Hitman's" boxed version is running eight bulbs. The circuit's practically the same. I believe Hertz is acting like amperage. How much amperage do you think "Hitman's" six tiny three volt solar panels generate? It can't be very much. The three hundred kilohertz frequency range is the power generating that many lumens from those bulbs, not the skimpy amperage from those midget panels!

On retesting, a bad connection revealed 600 milliamps in draw for the 6 2 watt bulbs at nearly full brightness with 12 volts. Lidmotor was right!

[Slider2732]

@Lidmotor - It's around 1:08 in that video where I smiled broadly and said 'good on ya'
Hmmm any chance of taking the circuit from a runner and putting it to a non running bulb ?
I only have the LOA couple of Watts types and so am intrigued whether a circuit from one can be surgically implanted into another. This calls for bigger guns, to see what happens and whether not only a previously non running one would fire up, but whether the Lumen output changes on say the 7.5W type.

[Lidmotor]

Hitman's boxed solar unit

@All
"Hitman" on Youtube has boxed a nice simple unit that gets the job done. This video kinda shows what most of us have wanted ever since Lasersaber showed that first Super Joule Ringer long ago. It is an easy to make inverter that powers a bunch of AC led lights in parallel in his "shed". The circuit that he is using is very similar to what I ended up with except that I am leaving in the red led indicator.

SJT2.0 Solar Power Inverter - YouTube

@Dr. Jones
Thanks for all the light box lumen testing. That helped.

@ Slider
The frequency and wave form of this circuit is still a puzzle for me. I spent several hours looking at this on my o-scope. It was confusing. It isn't just pulsed DC. It is AC but not a sine wave. The frequency is way up there in the kilohertz ---at least with the bulbs I tested. The circuit inside the bulb is a major player in the main circuit. Different bulbs do different things. Some don't work at all.

Lidmotor

[Slider2732]

@PhysicsProf - There has been much talk within YouTube comments, I note, on the driving frequencies and 'perceived' changes to the running of LED lamps. It can be expected that the high Lumen 304KHz bulb has been the subject of a good amount of R+D to gain that figure for driving it. Do you have a frequency generator that could drive that lamp (or others) at different frequencies ?
I'm just wondering whether to build an oscillator that is tuned for ~300KHz
Thinking about it, is it likely to be pulsed DC, rather than AC ?

[PhysicsProf]

My son and I are setting up a place to run on solar + 12V batteries, completely off-grid. So we are very interested in these developments -- thanks Lidmotor and all!

I used the light-box described above to test various bulbs, as shown in the photo attached. The bulbs at left, running at 120V off mains, deliver typically 55-70 Lumens/Watt. The bulbs on the right are designed for 12V DC operation, and deliver about 30 - 65 Lm/W.

The bulb second from the right is turned so that you can see some of the electronics components -- which were left exposed for this 12V bulb with six LED's. Touching the back, I picked up a frequency of 304 KHz, so evidently the circuitry with this lamp goes from 12V DC to about 304 KHz AC -- probably using a blocking oscillator. This bulb puts out about 62 Lm/W running on 12V DC.

As described above, my replication of Lasersaber's 2.0 build resulted in about 72 Lm/W from LED bulbs (so far) -- which is somewhat better than what I typically can get using the mains or the 12V bulbs.