PicoTurbine Mark 8.3 Generator Field Controller Kit

PicoTurbine
Mark 8.3 Generator
Field Controller Kit
Based on a design published in Home
Power magazine by Richard Perez.
Used with permission. Reprint of original
article included with kit.
An easy-to-build project for experimenters based
on the popular Home Power magazine article.
Kit contains all parts needed for construction of
this project.
! WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD - Small
parts, wire. Not for children under
4 years.
Page 1
THESE PLANS ARE PRESENTED IN “AS IS” CONDITION. BY USING THESE
PLANS YOU HOLD HOME POWER MAGAZINE, PICOTURBINE.COM, XIBOKK
RESEARCH, AND ALL MEMBERS, INVESTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND OWNERS OF
THOSE ORGANIZATIONS HARMLESS FROM ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM
THE USE OF THESE PLANS OR THE RESULTING MACHINES. IN NO CASE SHALL
PICOTURBINE.COM OR XIBOKK RESEARCH BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL
DAMAGES. THESE PLANS ARE NOT WARRENTEED FOR FITNESS FOR ANY
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Revision 1.0B, November, 1999
www.picoturbine.com
Copyright  1999 PicoTurbine.com. All rights reserved.
PicoTurbine.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Xibokk Research.
Reprint of Home Power magazine article Build Your Own 12 VDC Engine/Generator from
issue HP42 August/September, 1994 is used with permission.
Copyright ©1994 Richard Perez. All rights reserved.
Page 2
Instructions for Building the Mark 8.3 Field Controller
Materials Included in the Kit
Check your kit to ensure that you have all the parts listed below.
QUANTITY
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
PART NAME
NE555 IC
8 pin DIP socket
LM723 IC
14 pin DIP socket
MJE2955 transistor
Heat sink
2N2222A transistor
1N5400 diode
1N914 diode
1
1
1
2
2
3
2
2
1
1
4
1
2
2
1
SPST switch, 5A
50K potentiometer
1.0K potentiometer
Red binding post
Black binding post
LED
.1 µF capacitor
.01 µF capacitor
.001 µF capacitor
10 µF capacitor
1K resistor
2.2K resistor
3K resistor
4.7K resistor
100 Ω, 10 watt
resistor
hookup wire
6 feet
PART DESCRIPTION
8 Pin DIP integrated circuit marked NE555
For NE555 IC
14 Pin DIP integrated circuit marked LM723
For LM723 IC
3 pin TO-220 package marked MJE2955
For MJE2955 transistor, clip-on
Transistor marked: 2N2222A
Large diode, marked:1N5400, D2 3 amp diode in circuit diagram
Small diode, transparent and red color. Marked: 1N914, but very
small print, hard to read.
Marked on underside: B50K
Marked on underside: B1K
Universal binding post accepts banana plug, wire, etc.
Universal binding post accepts banana plug, wire, etc.
One red, one yellow, one green
Small, blue, disc capacitor marked: .1
Small, tan, disc capacitor marked: 103
Small, tan, disc capacitor marked: 102k
Small electrolytic capacitor marked: 10µF
Marked: brown black red gold
Marked: red red red gold
Marked: orange black red gold
Marked: yellow purple red gold
Large white ceramic rectangular, marked: 10W 100 Ω
4 feet of white wire is used for general connections, 1 foot of red
and 1 foot of black are included for positive/negative color coding.
If you have purchased the optional Enclosure Package, you will also have these parts:
QUANTITY
1
1
PART NAME
Perfboard
ABS enclosure box
PART DESCRIPTION
Copper clad perforated board for soldering components
ABS plastic enclosure box with see-through lid
If you are missing any parts, send email to: [email protected]
Tools You Will Need
You will need the following tools:
• Soldering iron, 25 watts or less is recommended
• Rosin core solder, 60/40
• Wire stripper and wire clipper
• Needlenose pliers or similar are helpful for soldering and securing leads to components.
• Drill and 1/16”, 1/8”, 1/4”, and 5/16” drill bits, for use in drilling holes for switch, terminals, and
potentiometers in the enclosure.
Page 3
Electronic Component Review
This kit is meant for adults who have built at least simple electronic circuits before. This section reviews electronic
component nomenclature so you can easily match up the correct pins of the components with the circuit diagram in
the attached article.
Diodes and LEDs
Diodes have a black band on one side which marks the cathode. LEDs have a short lead and a long lead—the short
lead is the cathode. The following illustration shows how the diode and LED would be matched with a circuit
diagram:
Flow permitted
in this direction
-
+
2N222A Transistor
The 2N222A transistor is a cylinder. Three leads come out of the base. One lead has a small metal tab next to it.
That’s the emitter. The illustration shows how an underneath view of the transistor matches with a typical circuit
diagram.
2N2222A
(bottom view)
collector
collector
base
base
tab
emitter
emitter
MJE2955 Transistor
The MJE2955 is an NPN power transistor in a TO-220 package. Pin designations are shown in the diagram below.
The hole at the top is used to attach certain types of heat sink. The heat sink supplied with your kit is a clip-on
variety and does not require a screw. Also note that the shiny metal back of the transistor, including the part with the
hole, is tied to the collector, so be sure neither the heat sink nor the back touches any other wires or components.
collector
MJE2955
(front)
base
emitter
Emitter
Base
Collector
1
NE555 Timer IC
2
3
The NE555 timer is an 8 pin IC. You are provided with a socket for this IC. The
pins are numbered, and the numbers are used in the circuit diagram. The case has a 4
notch on one end. Looking from the top, the numbers are shown in this diagram.
Page 4
8
NE555
(top)
7
6
5
1
LM723 Voltage Regulator IC
The LM723 voltage regulator is a 14 pin IC. You are provided with a socket for this
IC. The pins are numbered as shown in this diagram, and the numbers are used in
the circuit diagram. Again, look for the notch on one end to orient the chip as shown
in the diagram when counting off the pin numbers.
Drilling holes in the Enclosure
2
3
4
5
6
7
LM723
(top)
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
If you have purchased the optional enclosure package, you need to drill holes in the plastic to accommodate the two
switches, five terminals, and two potentiometers. The picture below shows a suggested layout for these parts, and
the actual size templates shown below can be used to easily mark the enclosure for drilling. Use caution when
drilling plastic. While drilling, it is possible for the plastic to bind with the drill bit and spin rapidly around, possibly
causing injury. We suggest that you clamp the box down and do not hold it with your hand directly while drilling.
Top Side Template
(for on/off switch)
1/4" bit for
switch shaft
Bottom Side
Template (for
potentiometers)
5/16" bit for main pot
shafts
1/8" bit for small
metal holding tab
Left Side Template (for input from 12
volt battery, or some other source of 11
to 16 volt DC power)
5/16" bit for terminal shafts
RED
Right Side Template (for output to
alternator field)
BLACK
5/16" bit for terminal shafts
RED
Page 5
BLACK
Hints for Building the Circuit
The following ideas can be helpful for layout, and for building the circuit from the attached Home Power article.
• When laying out the circuit, it is helpful to place a long bare wire (tinned) along the bottom edge of the circuit
board for use as the common ground. Another similar wire can be placed over about three quarters of the board
length at the top right edge (when looking at the back) of the board for the input positive side of the circuit.
These wires can be held by the perf board holes by simply weaving them through the holes and twisting and
soldering the ends to make a tight fit.
• The 1N5400 diode leads are too large to fit through the circuit board holes. You will have to drill out the holes
using a 1/16” drill bit. Also, do not trim the leads from the 1N5400 diode, in our example layout below we let
these leads span the entire board from top to bottom. The long leads should be sufficient to heat sink the diode.
• Connect switches and potentiometers after finishing other parts of the circuit. Connect wires for the terminal
inputs and outputs to the circuit board only at first. Do not solder these wires to the terminals until last (after
running some tests), because the terminals must be placed in the project box prior to soldering, and it will be
difficult to make corrections to the circuit once it is soldered to the terminals and in the box.
• Although the article does not specify the color of the LEDs, we have provided 3 different colors: red, yellow,
and green. We used the red LED for the left-most one on the circuit diagram, the yellow LED for the middle
one, and the green LED for the right-most one on the circuit diagram.
• If you did not purchase the optional enclosure and you use an enclosure without a clear see-through cover, you
should drill holes for the 3 LEDs so they are visible.
• It is suggested that you use the red and black wires to color code the positive (red) and negative (black)
connections between the circuit board and the input and output terminals.
• It gets a little crowded around the ICs. Use bits of stripped wire covering to insulate leads from components like
diodes or capacitors on the connection side of the board to avoid short circuits.
Circuit Layout Example
The following photographs of the component side and connection side of a sample project perforated board can be
used as a sample layout for the circuit, although other layouts are certainly possible.
Component Side
To red input terminal
To red output terminal
To black
input terminal
To black output
terminal
1K Pot
50K Pot
Page 6
Connection Side
To input red
terminal
To output
red terminal Common positive wire
To output black
terminal
To input
black
terminal
Common ground wire
1K Pot
50K Pot
Using the Article
The magazine article attached contains the circuit diagram and instructions for using the Mark 8.3 Generator Field
controller, along with other technical information.
Page 7