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🔋 Solar Powered Flip-Flop LED Circuit | Joule Thief + BC337 Flip-Flop
In this video, I have created a simple and interesting electronics project where a solar panel charges a 1.2V Ni-Cd battery, and using a Joule Thief circuit, I boost the voltage to run a transistor-based flip-flop LED circuit.
⚙️ Circuit Explanation:
First, I used a 5V 0.2A solar panel to charge a 1.2V Ni-Cd battery. A Schottky diode (1N5819) is used to prevent reverse current from the battery to the solar panel during night.
Next, I built a Joule Thief circuit using BC547 transistors and a coupled inductor (L1 and L2). This circuit boosts the low voltage (1.2V) from the battery into high-voltage pulses.
These pulses are then used to power a flip-flop circuit made using two BC337 transistors.
💡 Flip-Flop Circuit Details:
2 × BC337 transistors
2 × 22µF capacitors
2 × 10kΩ resistors
LED with resistor
This creates an astable multivibrator circuit, where LEDs blink alternately.
⚠️ Important Observations:
The Joule Thief output is not stable DC; it produces high-frequency pulses.
Because of this, the flip-flop may behave unstably or flicker randomly.
Initially, I used a 10Ω resistor for the LED, which is too low and can damage the LED due to high current.
✅ Improvements:
Replace 10Ω resistor with 220Ω–470Ω for LED safety.
Add a capacitor (220µF–470µF) at the output to smooth the voltage.
For better performance, a DC-DC boost converter module can be used instead of a Joule Thief.
🧠 Conclusion:
This project demonstrates how low voltage from a single 1.2V battery can be boosted to run circuits like a flip-flop. However, proper filtering and current limiting are necessary for stable and safe operation.
This is a great beginner-friendly project to understand:
Joule Thief circuits
Transistor flip-flop circuits
Solar charging basics
If you like this kind of practical electronics project, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
⚡ Channel: Electric Dham