Salvaged microwave oven motor & LED torch - help....

[untungsenopati]

Hello,

I'm looking for a plan/schematic/tutorial on how to build this human powered torch like
the one shown in the following article from siliconchip magazine:
https://www.siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_105725/article.html

I already have the motor they mentioned in there....but i just have no idea on
what kind of capacitors they use or how to hook up all the capacitors, diode, transformer
so the energy can be used to lid up the LED light.

Any suggestions, links, inputs or anything that can help me build one will be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Torben]

So basically you're saying you want someone to reverse engineer the circuit for you, for free, because you don't want to pay for the article?


Torben

 

[Mikebits]

Could someone design and deliver me a pizza? I am hungry.

Fresh mushrooms and pepperoni preferred

Oh man, now I really am hungry.

 

[ericgibbs]

Could someone design and deliver me a pizza? I am hungry.

Fresh mushrooms and pepperoni preferred

Oh man, now I really am hungry.

Do you want fries with that or a jacket potato.?

 

[Torben]

Could someone design and deliver me a pizza? I am hungry.

Fresh mushrooms and pepperoni preferred

Oh man, now I really am hungry.

I really wish I hadn't read that just before bed.

Oh man. . .I'm hungry now too.


Torben

 

[Mikebits]

Do you want fries with that or a jacket potato.?

Well, it depends. Do you have grey poupon with the potato ?

 

[Mikebits]

Haha, I just found some frozen crusty old bagel pizza bites in my freezer...lol

 

[untungsenopati]

Thank you for the answers....."no" could have been a sufficient answer.

 

[Torben]

Thank you for the answers....."no" could have been a sufficient answer.

If you wanted to actually build something like that and were willing to do the research (or spend the what, ~nine bucks for the article?) then we'd be happy to help.

Why not just buy the issue? It'll probably cost less than the cost of the parts and time anyway.


Torben

 

[whiz115]

@untungsenopati better search for something like that rather than building it.

https://www.ecodigital.co.uk/estore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=68

If you really really interested on how it works, it does need a motor like the one from the microwave oven and maybe a rechargeble battery pack so you can store the energy bla bla bla...


and guys be gentle i don't think our friend asked for reverse engineer.

 

[Torben]

Whiz115, after reflection and rereading the original post I agree with you.

To the original poster, I apologize for jumping on you too quickly.

Here is one link which examines a commercial hand-cranked flashlight which is similar to what you're looking at except that instead of charging a large microwave oven capacitor, it uses a lithium-ion battery. It should give some idea of a general circuit layout you can use.

You will need to determine what kind of voltage and current you get out of the motor you have to properly size the other components. Also you will need to choose whether you want to use a large-value capacitor or a battery to store the generated energy.

The basic idea is: Motor => Full-wave rectifier => Filter capacitor(s) => Charger => Storage => LEDs.

That assumes that you have an AC motor. If you have a DC motor, you skip the rectifier and can take the output from the motor straight into the filter capacitor(s). If you got yours out of a microwave, then as far as I know it's more than likely an AC motor. Do you have any of the other required parts?

There is information on different kinds of motors at the following link if you want to read more on them: **broken link removed**


Torben

 

[Hero999]

It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.

The microwave turntable is normally driven by a sychronous permanent maget motor which puts out 230V when you crank it. The idea is to connect it to the wall wart to produce DC for driving the LEDs. Adding huge electrolytic capacitor on the output will enable the torch to stay lit for a short time after you stop cranking it.

Torben, the idea you posted is fine for motors that only output 6V or so but it will blow if you use a mains motor, you need a transformer to conver it to a lower voltage.

Incidently these little motors are quite fun for shocking people with and they don't put out enough current to kill so they're pretty safe. I took one into school once and had fun shockin my friends but it soon got confiscated by the teacher.

 

[whiz115]

out of curiosity.. hero999 how old are you?

 

[Torben]

It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out.
orben, the idea you posted is fine for motors that only output 6V or so but it will blow if you use a mains motor, you need a transformer to conver it to a lower voltage.

Hi Hero,

I was thinking along those lines too; I mostly just wanted to point out that essentially it's just a power supply using a motor as the source instead of the mains. You're totally right that a microwave oven motor would cook the circuit I linked to without a transformer.

Incidently these little motors are quite fun for shocking people with and they don't put out enough current to kill so they're pretty safe. I took one into school once and had fun shockin my friends but it soon got confiscated by the teacher.

After this thread I went out to the carport to rip open the old microwave we had sitting out there. Turns out my wife had confiscated it (that is, binned it). Argh.


Torben

 

[Hero999]

I'm sure you can probably find one at your local tip.

out of curiosity.. hero999 how old are you?

I'm 26, this was probably about 15 years ago.

 

[davidbball13]

that reminds me when i first started with electronics i tried to make a tazer with a flash from a disposable camera and got shocked like 10 times untill the caps discharged. that was not a fun day.

 

[Sceadwian]

Yeesh, careful with that stuff, you accidentally make a good circuit not just one you can feel across your chest and the jolt from a camera flash will stop your heart. Weather or not it starts again is entirley up to chance fate and biology =)

 

[Menticol]

15 years ago, in the little town where my mother has born, there was an old man carring a wooden box with a crank. He asked you to hold two metal rods, and then he started to turn the crank faster and faster. It was funny to bet with your family / friends how long could you stay connected before giving up.

At the end you paid the man $1000 pesos (50 cent USD). Nice memories!