supercapacitors as batteries

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Frequently-Asked Questions
1

Once I powered a Parallax BASIC Stamp from one of those 1 Farad 5.5V supercapacitors. The project only required about a minute of power, and it seemed to work well. Since then, supercapacitors are getting even smaller for the same power rating.

Ever since about 2003, there have been a number of web links to someone's project to use a 10 Farad supercapacitor to emulate a 9V battery. However, once Hackaday and Make linked to it in 2005, the original PDF has gone missing. I wondered if anyone had a copy of the PDF lying around. The hackaday page shows a photo but it has three transistors and a choke so I have no idea how they wired it behind the perfboard.

Anyone else playing with supercapacitors instead of traditional power sources?

2

Check your mail.

3

Thanks much. So they manually turn a one-winding choke into a transformer with a second winding. They also say that of three makers, only one supercap would fit into the 9V formfactor. I'll have to see if that's still true.

4

You're welcome. Let us know what you come up with.