Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #03159
To: "'James Anderson'" anderson@cfht.hawaii.edu
From: Wilf Rigter Wilf.Rigter@powertech.bc.ca
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 17:35:27 -0700
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Success!
Hello James,
Congratulations on your working FLED SE and thanks for your nice comments!
As you say, the step_by_step approach is just plain common sense and applies
to all troubleshooting.
regards
Wilf Rigter mailto:wilf.rigter@powertech.bc.ca
tel: (604)590-7493
fax: (604)590-3411
> -----Original Message-----
> From: James Anderson [SMTP:anderson@cfht.hawaii.edu]
> Sent: Monday, May 10, 1999 3:33 PM
> To: beam
> Cc: Juchniewicz
> Subject: Success!
>
> List,
>
> I'm very pleased to report that I've (finally) got a FLED SE to work
> (yay!). I
> even managed to transfer it successfully from the breadboard to free-form
> soldered first try, so I'm feeling very pleased with myself.
>
> As far as advice for others working on this, I can point out the two
> things that
> changed between when it wasn't working and when it was. First, I started
> using
> transistors from digi-key instead of Rat Shack (I think the FAQs should be
> amended with a "buy only capacitors and resistors from Radio Shack", and,
> second, I followed Wilf's amazing step-by-step analysis. I would like to
> thank
> you again, Wilf, as this little e-mail of yours is pure genius. Your
> method,
> now, seems completely obvious and trivial, but I never would have thought
> of it
> before.
>
> Now all I have to do is buy a glue gun, and I should have a pathetic yet
> functioning trimet by the end of the week.
>
> Wondering Aimlessly,
> James Anderson
>
>
> For those who missed it, here's Wilf step-by-step instruction thingy:
>
> > Here are some suggestions for checking each part/step along the way.
> >
> > 1. check the (illuminated) solar cell output (unconnected): 3-5V?
> > 2. add the cap, charge and measure the voltage: 3-5V?
> > 3. touch FLED across the cap: does it flash?
> > 4. charge cap and touch motor across cap: does it turn?
> > 5. connect 2N3904 and the motor across cap, charge cap, then touch a 330
> ohm
> > resistor between 2N3904 base and +V : motor turns/moves?
> > 6. add the 2N3906 and resistor, then touch a 1K resistor between the
> 2N3906
> > base and 0V : motor turns/moves?
> > 7. add FLED, if circuit not working: touch 1K resistor between between
> the
> > 2N3906 base and 0V : motor turns/moves?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/alt-beam
http://www.eGroups.com
- Simplifying group communications
Home