east texas home power

2010-09-11T20:49:00.001-05:00

led solar cells

2008-04-02T18:25:00.007-05:00

With all the advances of led lighting today most people don't know one of the best uses of leds.SOLAR CELLS. Yes thats right the led can be used as a solar cell.When enough leds are connected together they will produce useful power.Pictured is a short circuit diagram of a solar cell I have built.
Look at the pictures and you can get a working knowledge of how I put them together.The white board is 540 red led it will produce 1.25 volts @22 ma.The plex is 280 red leds it will produce 1.25 volts @ 10 ma.The purf board is 180 yellow keds it will produce 1.25 volts @20ma. The yellow seems to produce more current at the same voltage.I have tried other colors but the red, yellow and orange seems to be the best.You can also use the red,green,blue blinking led.They produce the most power at 1/2 volt.The blinking led cost much more but produce much more power.Remember as with using leds as light they are voltage sensitive ie: 1.2 volt leds will not work with 3.2 volt leds.
The solar cells in the pictures may not be as powerful as a silicon cell but the leds are nearly indestructible.If a storm blows them down just put them back up.A silicon cell can't take that kind of abuse.The led cell can be used with a booster converter to get the voltage needed to charge AA or AAA batteries or even 12 volt batteries.If enough cells are connected in series and parallel you can achieve higher voltage and current.
I think best of all about leds as solar cells is you get to build them yourself.You can add to your cells as money and time permits.Good luck and give them a try.

led grow lights

2008-04-02T16:41:00.006-05:00

With vegetables increasing in price the way they are it might be worth wile to grow your own.I have included pictures of a grow light system that I have been using to grow leaf crops, tomatoes and the like.You can use them for starting new seedlings.The arrays are 12 volt dc. but also can be used on ac.This marvel of the modern world is finding more and more uses as days pass.I hope someone can find this a help to lower there food bill and at the same time grow some great tasting veggies.
joey

basic electronics

2007-07-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

2007-07-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

http://www.electronics-tutorials.com/basics/starting-out.htm

a real drag

2007-07-06T19:16:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I wrote and made a request to a co. in shanghai china.The co. is a major manufacturer of leds. I will post the emails I sent and the reply that I also received concerning the leds that I requested.The reason I am placing this information on my site is so all can see the results a real customer can receive when making an honest effort to do business with this co.
As you can see I will not be doing any business with them.If they can't take my request with a little respect then how will they treat anyone else!!!!!!!!
Lesson learned:::: Don't stray from your reliable source just to find maybe a better deal.

something to ponder while you read

2007-01-26T19:15:00.000-06:00

If the human animal can go to the Moon and back. Why can't he make a pair of pants that will stay up on me????????????

generate the power

2007-01-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

Now that the light thing has been covered ( in a small way).You will need to consider a power source.

DC in home use usually starts with a battery bank, a single battery or a bank in series or parallel is used for power storage for later use. The bank can be charged using several methods.IE:Solar parallels, small generator,Auto. alternator, Wind generator, Or water wheel.

I f your like me and live in the piny woods of east Texas,then wind is more or less out of the question. Water wheels are not good for me because there is not a live stream near by. So this leaves solar and gas power.

Solar parallels can be used as the primary supply line with a small generator as backup during cloudy days. If you prefer to build your own generator then check out the links-home power generating and induction generator. They are good sites for the DIY person. I have included pictures of my generator and how I hooked IT up. Please be careful if you decide to build it.It generates lethal voltage.

All the caps. I used are run caps. the start caps. will not work.My generator has 8 caps hooked up in parallel to end with a uf value of 225 at 440v ac. I salvaged them from dead air conditioners.AC caps. are not pole marked,some have 3 terminals the one marked hern is the highest uf the center is common and the third is the low uf marked.If only 2 terminals use as is.Some single phase motors have starter caps.simply remove it and twist the wires together, use the motor leads as power conductors.Three phase motors have 9 leads coming from them the leads marked 4,5,6 must be connected together to make it generate.This connection will be used for ground later. Leads 1,7-2,8-3,9 will generate 220v ac.If you want 110v ac then leads 1 and ground,2 and ground, 3 and ground will generate 110 v ac. Or use any combination of the 3 sets.These connections are used in a wye configuration.In all cases turn the motor as a generator 5% over plate ratting and the generator should generate.If not put 12v dc across one of the caps.momentarily then it should work.Be sure not to touch any of the connections when using or not as the caps.hold a charge and will shock you. The voltage generated is lethal.Keep all connections out of the elements and away from probing fingers, go so far as to put a high voltage sign on the generator.You can be sure you generate 60 cycle power by connecting an electric clock to the generator if it runs slow increase rpm,if too fast decrease rpm, when it keeps perfect time then you have 60 cycles.This is the same type power as you get from the grid.Don't connect the generator to main power in your home use extension cords or some other separate power outlet in your home.If the grid goes out and you use the generator and it is connected to mains then you could kill someone working on the power lines.This should be a stand alone system.If you overload the generator it will simply stop generating, disconnect the load and it should start again.If not use the 12dc described above.Have fun but please be careful !!!!!!!

Joey

DISCLAIMER

2007-01-22T09:32:00.000-06:00

Please Note:
Many of these projects use lethal voltage. If you build or use any of them you do so at your own risk. I make no guarantee of any of them .I just know they work for me.
Joey

home lighting

2007-01-20T16:20:00.000-06:00

christmas leds 5above

back photo of led board left

light from led array above

left is lighted array

led board bottom

An led light can be used in your home as a task,emergency,or indirect system. They can be powered easily from ac or dc. A typical white led consumes 20 ma at 3 to 4 volts dc. A single led can be used or a larger array built to perform whatever task is needed.

In a 12 v dc system you will need to limit the amount of current supplied to the circuit with a resistor.The circuit can be built using a series or parallel configuration.A good calculator for resistance can be found at www.hebeiltd,com,cn/?p=zz.led.resistor.calculator. You can calculate both types circuits at this site.

Leds can also be used in a ac circuit by using a 0.47 uf at250 v cap. and a 1k ohm 1 watt resistor with multiples of 2 leds.(for 110v ac) for 220 vac use 0.22 uf at 400v. This system is very useful for task lighting or used for room lighting if leds are arranged properly. The pictures show white leds connected to ac power.I have included a schematic to show construction of the circuit.

Leds are also useful as low power Christmas lights. Picture 5 shows a string of 25 leds used on my tree this year. It uses 3.5 v dc and no resistor. Note that the led pair that is not lit is a blinking pair I put on a oscillator.

lights for hybrid homes

2007-01-20T13:43:00.000-06:00

With this small inverter you can use one 40 watt tube or two 20 watt tubes. It is simple to make and easy to use. Remember only connect power when a tube is connected to inverter. The inverter uses 12 v.dc and only pulls small amounts of current from the battery. The inverter is made using only 6 componients in a flyback configuration.The transformer uses a ferite rod with 58 primary,13 feedback,and 450 secondary turns. It generates enough power to strike the tube at turn on.The 2r2 resistor is used for testing to make sure you have the transformer connected properly.When proper connections are established then the 2r2 resistor is removed and a switch can be put in it's place. I found this inverter at www.talkingelectronics.com as far as I know you can build and use this inverter; but if you want to sell any part of it you will need the circuit owner's ok.

Home lighting is one of the most power hungry gadgets you have.If you convert some or all of your home to dc lighting then you have already accomplished a great deal on becoming less dependant on the grid.

Home power generating and use

2007-01-17T13:09:00.000-06:00

With rising cost of utility bills;I think it's time to begin a search for a more cost effective way to generate and use power for our homes . That is the reason for this blog.
There are pros and cons to any power supply soneome uses in their home. Two types of power used today are ac (alternating current) dc (direct current). Both are good for home use;One might say that ac is better than dc or dc is better than ac depending on your preferance.But what about a home that uses both. With all the ways to generate power we can reduce our dependance on grid power and save money. Thats what we are after anyway.
In the days to come, I will post pictures of generators I have built and used,circuits that use ac and dc that are less power hungry. And explore new ways to make us less dependant on the grid.
Joey