More and more electronic devices are portable and run-off batteries. It is no surprise, then, that so many flat batteries find their way into the bin — and often far too early. When a set of batteries can no longer run some device — for example, a flashgun – the cells are not necessarily completely discharged. If you put an apparently unserviceable AA-size cell into a radio-controlled clock with an LCD display it will run for months if not years.
Of course, not every partially discharged cell can be put in a clock. The circuit presented here lets you squeeze the last Watt-second out of your batteries, providing a bright ‘night light’ — for free! The circuit features a TBA820M, a cheap audio power amplifier capable of operating from a very low supply voltage. Here it is connected as an astable multivibrator running at a frequency of around 13 kHz. Together with the two diodes and electrolytic capacitor, this forms a DC-DC converter which can almost double the voltage from between four and eight series-connected AA-, C- or D-size cells, or from a PP3- style battery.
The DC-DC converter is followed by a constant current source that drives the LED. This protects the expensive white LED: the voltages obtained from old batteries can vary considerably. With the use of the DC-DC converter and 20 mA constant current source a much greater range of usable input voltages is achieved, particularly helpful at the lower end of the range when old batteries are used. With the constant current source on its own, the white LED would not be adequately bright when run from low voltages.
The TBA820M is a monolithic integrated audio amplifier in an 8-lead dual in-line plastic package. It is intended for use as a low-frequency class B power amplifier with a wide range of supply voltage: 3 to16V, in portable radios, cassette recorders, players, etc. The main features are minimum working supply voltage of 3V, low quiescent current, low number of external components, good ripple rejection, no cross-over distortion, and low power dissipation.
Output power: Po = 2W at 12V/8Ω, 1.6W at 9V/4Ω, and 1.2W at 9V/8Ω.
