Hello fellas
I breadboarded the circuit in this magazine article:
,------+------------------------------------------, | | | | 1R ) | | ) 160uH | --- solar ) | - 0.65v | --- ,--------+--------------------------|------------------+------, | - | | | BAT54 | | | | | ,-------, +-->|--+--2R--+----+ | | | +---|1 14 \ 1N4148 | | | | | | gnd | | \ |--' | | | | | 1M | 3 )o---+-->|----+--|| 100uF | --- | | | / | | |--, | | | batt - | +---|2 7 / | < |IRF530| | --- | | '-------' '------| | | 100uF - | / | \ | | | | | +---100k-+--| PN2222 | CD4093 2N3906 | | | | | | | | > | | | | | zener | | | | | | | | | | | 10uF 1M | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | '--------+----+--------+-------------------+------+------+------+----+------' | gnd
What's funny is that I'm in a college EE class where the professor assigned us this circuit to build in the lab and do a report on. He posted the diagram but not where it came from. The professor repeated the explanation from the electronics design article. Everybody went in the lab, built the circuit and did reports on it, including me. It was actually our final project of the semester, and each lab group had to work up a power point presentation and give it in front of the class. While we were in the lab building the circuit, I figured out that C4 was pretty much pointless, the timing was done at C2 and said so during our presentation, but it was only last nigh that I twigged to the fact that three of the gates and a bunch of passives are useless as well. So this morning I got on the computer and was able to find where our prof got that circuit. I think I also located the author. There's a George Woolcott living in Harrodsburg KY, near Lexington, which is where the author's employer Lexmark has its headquarters. I'm considering contacting him and telling him our college class built his circuit as an assignment and ask if he would like to comment on it. But the semester is ending in just a few days. I don't have hiis email and would have to call him on the land-line number I found. I suppose I should just talk to the professor instead.