Recent content by t.wade

I thought capacitors could convert AC to DC? Or is that only specific capacitor types? If the generator is connected like a battery would be, then the discharging current has to go through the entire copper spool; will this not hugely reduce the current? Thanks for your continued help

silly me, here's the circuit diagram...

Hi all, Managed to get an AC generator working to light the LED, but can't get it to work within the context of the circuit. Is it the size of the capacitor that's causing the problem? The generator is just hand driven. Or am I making some blindingly obvious mistake? Thanks for any help in...

I've had a go and it doesn't pick up more than a couple of mV. But attaching it to professionally made magnetic charge up torches doesn't give much more either. Could this be because it's only a cheap multimeter and doesn't instantly adjust to a constantly changing AC current?

I'm just using it without the capacitor, and it's definitely falling on the 'may not' side. Here's just a quick speculation - if the LED won't light when attached directly to the generator, then wouldn't cranking up the 10F capacitor to the necessary charge to keep the LED alight for 600...

Thanks Andrew, In an isolated set up, ignoring the capacitor for a sec, with just the alternator and an LED, would the LED still not flicker with the AC current? Tom

The problem is with the generator, but for the life of me can't figure out what's wrong. I've tested all the variables as far as I can tell, read everything I could find online, watched all the videos of people building their own generators. What is so obviously wrong? Thanks for any help...

Hi again, So I managed to source a huge capacitor, 10F, but couldn't get anything to even show signs of life, so took to testing the generator straight onto a 2.5V LED but nothing! I tried it on three different LEDs, I doubled up the magnets, tried a different wire (in case the copper isn't...

Hi Andrew, Thanks for your response. Just getting all the bits together to try and figure out some more of these variables, will come back when I've got a little more to contribute. Thanks again Tom

Homework Statement Have been given the task of creating a circuit powered by a rotating magnet in a copper coil that will charge a capacitor long enough to light an LED for 600 seconds after the rotating magnet has stopped. In all the magnet charge up torches I've opened, there are two 3V...