Experiment 9; MAKE: Electronics

[nyancatvsghosthead]

My Experiment won't quite work. It is experiment 9. I know it's kind of bad to get two experiments wrong in a row. I'm just thinking, that I need to get this one right in order to continue. I can't make the capacitor recharge. It's really weird. I'd really like some help please. Here is a picture of my circuit:

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h476/ghostvsghosthead/IMG_20120210_172259.jpg

There it is! Help would be appreciated. Also, I really want to be able to help other people with their electronics. At what point do I get to help others, because I don't just want to ask, I want to contribute too. I mean, can beginners help others too?

Anyways, any help on this circuit would be great. Thank you.

 

[donkey]

I have nothing useful to add to your current problem. but you said its kind of bad to get 2 experiments wrong in a row.... If you learn from the problem then I say make many more, no one gets it perfect every time... except chuck norris

 

[(*steve*)]

How do you know it's not recharging?

Do you have a voltmeter across the capacitor to see if it has a voltage across it?

And how is it discharged?

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

I measure the voltage right? I'm not saying it's discharged but, I put the multimeter probes on the capacitor, both sides, both ways. I press the button. Nothing happens until take the multimeter off and put it back on. Then, it finds time charging. It doesn't matter though if I press the button, like the book said. I'm just saying. If you want me to show you a video though, I can make one. I don't think I can capture the multimeter that well, but I think you get the idea. It just takes a minute to find the voltage when I put the probes on, but it also may not even matter if the circuit is on. If that's the case, then I don't know what the problem is. Also, for safety reasons, which way is the resistor supposed to go? I mean for when I finally complete the circuit. I'm just asking, because I don't want to cause a short circuit. How do I tell on a breadboard? Yes, I set the multimeter to volts and it didn't work. Yes, I put it on both sides of the capacitor. I actually have done that every single time. It doesn't work. It's messed up... I know I can get it to work eventually.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

If I try. I do believe that I need help though.

 

[Resqueline]

The circuit (positive - switch - 10Ω - 1000µF - negative) should charge the capacitor when you press the switch. Is that the correct capacitor polarity though?
If it doesn't then you measure step-by-step, starting with where you'd expect (battery) voltage to be present, then after the switch, then after the resistor - etc.
The problem may be a bad/poor contact in one of you pin insertions. You'll just have to be "pertinent".

It's ok for beginners to help too (on simple matters, where you're quite certain you can contribute). State if you're uncertain.
Sometimes the more experienced of us will have to jump in and correct/ complete/ unconfuse some statements though.

 

[Rleo6965]

Remove dc supply of your circuit. Test continuity of your wiring before applying dc voltage. Set your multimeter to resistance test. Touch the 2 probe and be sure your Multimeter reads 0 - 2 ohms .

Then test continuity of each wire, switch, continuity of supply and line of proto board. Some proto boards needs a jumper wire to connect to other line. Hope its not the one your using.

As Resqueline advice. Check for correct polarity of your capacitor. Capacitor connect in reverse polarity will act as shorted capacitor and therefore 0 or low voltage reading and your resistor will be hot or fry.

 

[alfa88]

I think Rleo hit on your problem. The power buses on each side of your breadboard need to be jumpered. I've fallen into that trap a few times,

 

[jackorocko]

Is that the correct capacitor polarity though?

Looks it to me as long as he is hooking up the battery correctly to the breadboard. But his picture doesn't show that. Rleo, has the most promising idea for him. Measuring the resistance across component junctions will let him know if his circuit has any possibility of working.

Alfa, if he bought that breadboard at radio shack no jumpers are needed. Looking at that picture it is from radio shack, just like mine.

 

[Rleo6965]

Alfa
Jackorocko

Thanks.

 

[alfa88]

After a bit of Googling I got an idea of what you're trying to do. Here's a couple places to check. With the meter black probe on the negative measure voltage on point 'A' ; should be the supply voltage. Measure 'B'; should be supply voltage after pressing the button. Measure 'TP'; should be the gradually increasing voltage you're looking for upon pressing the button.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

Thank you so far.

After a bit of Googling I got an idea of what you're trying to do. Here's a couple places to check. With the meter black probe on the negative measure voltage on point 'A' ; should be the supply voltage. Measure 'B'; should be supply voltage after pressing the button. Measure 'TP'; should be the gradually increasing voltage you're looking for upon pressing the button.

It is from Radio Shack. It is just a regular breadboard. I think that is what I'm trying to do if that's what you mean but obviously, how do I do that on a breadboard though?

Here are the results to Rleo's test but first, how to test the supply line on a breadboard?

Here are your results:

When I touched the probes to each other, it stayed within 0 to 2 OHMS. I think though that I was being an idiot and didn't get what you meant by "touch the 2 probes" because I was sort of like "to what?" (not trying to be rude of course) I need to know though how to test the continuity of something. Is it OHMS, WATTS, AMPS, or VOLTS? Then I think I'll be able to test the continuity of it. But It showed me in the book how to do what alfa said about he breadboard, but I guess I don't understand which terminals in the breadboard go to where. It would be great to figure it out, as I surely cannot. I just did what the book told me.

Anyways, thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate your replies. By the way, what does "jumpered" mean? I'm just asking, as I may want to do this sometime (of course I will.) Anyways, thank you.

Questions:

- So how to test "continuity" with multimeter?

- How to make understand the way they come up with ways to determine where on a breadboard to put things. I mean, like when making a circuit?

 

[alfa88]

Okay, let me try this again. My previous example was ca continuity test with power. These next examples are with power disconnected. Also in these examples I will assume you are using a 100 Ohm resistor. From the positive wire to TP you should read 100 Ohms with the button pushed. Continuity. If you don't have continuity measure from positive wire to 'B' . You should have zero Ohms with the button pushed. Again, continuity. If not measure from positive wire to 'A' You should have zero Ohms. The second example is checking the continuity from the negative wire to the negative lead of the capacitor. You should have zero Ohms.
A jumper is merely a piece of wire and in your case someone mentioned that Radio Shack boards don't need the power buses jumpered.

 

[Rleo6965]

When I touched the probes to each other, it stayed within 0 to 2 OHMS. I think though that I was being an idiot and didn't get what you meant by "touch the 2 probes" because I was sort of like "to what?" (not trying to be rude of course)

Sorry for my poor english. I'm a technical guy but not a technical writer.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

Sorry to call you that.

I know you know more about electronics than grammar. To be fair,
I am a really bad writer myself.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

Thank you. I will try that. Thanks.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

I tried this. It gave me no results when I hooked the longer side of the capacitor to the plug in wires. The way where I hook it up the other way around, gives me a few random negative results and then zero, which I think is because of it touching something else. When It touches nothing else, I think it may give the same result. I'll check right now... No it does the same thing. It just moves around until I get to zero. Just to make sure, should I use an ON(ON) pushbutton switch, rather than an ON(OFF) one? I need to know that because it may be that I just use that so that it recharges. I want your opinions first though please. I'll do whatever you tell me to do though, rather than that. I'm just throwing out a desperate idea. Thank you so much.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

Anyone there? I would really like a reply please. I'm really sort about what I said...

 

[Rleo6965]

Try this. This is simplify your circuit charging of capacitor and test protoboard have good contacts. We don't use push button at the moment. We will directly connect dc voltage to the capacitor thru the resistor.

step 1- move resistor to +dc volt rail green wire shown by yellow arrow.
step 2- move - wire blue wire near neg of capacitor. Shown by red arrow.
step 3- now we apply dc voltage to circuit. connect green wire to + of DC supply and Blue wire to - of DC supply.
step 4- set multimeter to dc volt setting and measure charge voltage shown by green arrow. Place - probe to lower green arrow and + probe to top green arrow.

note: Be sure - terminal of capacitor connected to - rail or next to blue wire.

dc voltage will still exist on capacitor for few minutes even you disconnect dc voltage.

Please post your test result.

Hope this help.

 

[nyancatvsghosthead]

My result was the same. Here is a photo of what I did. Just to ask, when I connect one component to another, does the wire have to in the same hole as the terminal that it is connected to, other wire etc? And if so, is it the same with the terminal? It gave me the result of 1 DCV so it was basically the same. Do you want me to video tape what happens in this experiment or no?

P.S. Am I supposed to connect the terminals to the same hole as the wire, or the one right next to it. Oh, and I expect that I'm also doing something wrong with the resistor. Thank you for the reply.

Result:

When I pressed the button nothing happened at all. Sorry.