ASSEMBLING YOUR SEC EXCITER 15/20 KIT

Ronald R. Stiffler1
1Senior Scientist, Stiffler Scientific, Humble, Texas, USA
DrStiffler@embarqmail.com

KIT PARTS LIST

Check your parts and be sure they are all included in you package. Note that some extra
parts may be included.

1ea. SEC 15-3/20 Circuit Board

The SEC-015-1 Circuit Board is a quality board manufactured to the highest

specifications and with a specific layout providing the correct inner-lead capacities to
support proper operation of a wide-band SEC Exciter. The board was not designed or
manufactured to support multiple reworking. In other words multiple replacement of
parts or configuration changes are not advised.

11ea. (2 extra) 1N4148 Diodes, glass with Red body and Black stripe
1ea. 1N4001 Diode, Black body with White stripe
2ea. (1 extra) MPSA06 Transistor, 3 leads, Black body
10ea. (1 extra) Ultra Bright White LED’s
1ea. 10uH Choke, (Brown-Black-Black-Silver) Marking
4ea. 22uH Chokes (Red-Red-Black-Silver) Markings
1ea. Tunable Coil, L1 with extra tuning slug
1ea. 1 ohm Resistor (Brown-Black-Gold-Gold) Marking
1ea. 1Meg ohm Resistor (Brown-Black-Green-Gold) Marking

12062007-1
1ea. 10uF Electrolytic Capacitor, large Black unit with polarity marks
1ea. 470pF Capacitor, 471 Marking
1ea. 0.1uF Capacitor, 104 Marking
1ea. 0.01uF Capacitor, 103 Marking
2ea. (1 extra) Neon Bulb, Large 1.9mA bulb and one small 600uA unit.
Decide which Exciter variation you wish to wire onto the circuit board.

The SEC-015-1 Circuit Board is a dual-purpose circuit board. Two different versions of
SEC Exciters can be configured on this board; 1) the basic work horse 15-3 Exciter and
the expanded 15-20 Demonstration Exciter.

It is suggested that you configure your initial circuit in the most minimum form (SEC 15-
3) and Expand to a (SEC 15-20) if and when desired. If you begin with a 15-20, the retro
fit to a 15-3 will require board rework and this is not advised as it can jeopardize the
integrity of the board and foil.

The 15-20 Exciter is for all practical purposes a research board to demonstrate how
Exciters can be configured using a single wire while powering multiple stages of
circuitry. It is not recommended to initially populate the circuit board as a 15-20 unless
the primary goal is to study the operation in a research setting.

The following image (Fig: 1) shows a SEC 15-3 and it’s parts layout and is to be used
when you add components to the board.

Note: Look at the layout and locate the two jumper wires, labeled #1 and #2. The #1
jumper is included in the parts package with your diodes and transistor. The jumper #2
is taken from one of the trimmed diode leads after the diode is soldered into the board.
Jumper #2 is only used in a SEC 15-3 and is not present in a 15-20. If you are going to
build a complete SEC 15-20, disregard Jumper #2 as it will not be used.

If you are not familiar with electronic components and the polarity and value markings
they contain, you should spend some time with one or more basic electronics books to
acquaint you with the various components.

Take special care in bending the leads on the Chokes, if you improperly bend them so
that they are stressed when inserted or you pressure them into their mounting holes, they
can be damages. These are fragile ceramic components and require care when mounting.

The circuit board has band markings for all diodes and the diodes are marked
accordingly, so insure the diode matches the circuit board when mounting. The 1N4148
diodes are glass, use care and properly bend the leads before mounting.

The transistor has a flat side and the flat side is matched to the flat side of the circuit
board symbol. The transistor is mounted in the left most transistor slot. The right slot is
not used for the SEC 15-3/20 circuits.

12062007-1
The 10uF capacitor is a polarized unit and has markings to match it polarity. Be sure the
(+) lead is in the outside hole of the board.

Note: If you plan on using a basic 15-3 to drive other loads such as capacitors,
resistors or electrolyzers, do not install the Neon Bulb, rather install short wire leads
that can be used to connect to you external load. Remember the boards are not
designed for rework, carefully consider your goals and construct your board with that
in mind so you do not have to un-solder components.

Fig: 1

Once your board is assembled, double check the 1N4001 protection diode for correct
polarity. This diode is to protect against applying a source voltage with a polarity that
could damage the board components. An incorrect polarity on this diode will cause the
fuse trace on the circuit board to burn.

12062007-1
The SEC 15-20

Fig: 2

The preceding image shows the additional components that are added to the basic SEC
15-3 to make it a SEC 15-20.

Note: If you are upgrading a SEC 15-3 to a SEC 15-20 and had the Neon installed in
the 15-3, it must be moved to its new position as indicated in the diagram. If the neon is
not moved or is not present the 15-20 circuit is unbalanced and will not work properly.

The upgrade to a 15-20 requires the addition of 6 ea., 1N4148 diodes (observe the correct
polarity markings), 3 ea., 22uH chokes and 9 ea. Super White LED’s.

12062007-1
Mounting the LED’s

There is an error in the printing on the circuit board, the flat side printed on the
board is not correct and does not match the flat side on the LED’s. Therefore care
must be taken to insure the LED’s are inserted by the correct polarity. Ignore the
flat side on the LED’s and use the following instructions.

Each LED has a long lead as indicated in the preceding picture, this long lead is the (+)
connection to the LED and must be inserted into the [-] square LED mounting hole. Do
not match the flat side of the LED with the flat marking on the circuit board.

The following image should further clarify the LED mounting procedure.

12062007-1
Tuning a finished board.

Caution! Use only a plastic, nylon or wood tuning tool made specifically for coil
slugs. These tools are available from many electronics suppliers. Using anything else
other than a correct wand will damage and break the slug. Even though a spare slug
may have been supplied in your parts, additional slugs are not available. The only
way to obtain an additional slug is to purchase an entire coil and remove the slug or
install the new coil.

SEC 15-3

Tune for maximum Neon glow and minimum supply current. It is possible that three
specific tuning positions can be obtained, but only one is correct. Maximum brightness
and minimum supply current.

SEC 15-20

Tune for maximum LED and Neon brightness, multiple spots may be found where the
Neon is bright but the LED’s are not or the LED’s are bright and the Neon is not. By
moving through the various tuning peaks you will find the optimal spot.

Problems or Question:

It is up to the builder to use proper construction procedures and soldering equipment and
solder for mounting of components in a SEC Exciter circuit board. If you are not skilled
in this area you should ask someone that is to assist you.

Improper bending of component leads will damage the components. All components are
tested before being assembled in a kit format.

Questions; Contact Dr. Ronald R. Stiffler

You Should Understand:

Input DC voltage (AC ripple <2%) DO NOT EXCEED 20 Volts DC.
Input Current, Never exceed 75mA without a transistor heat sink, never exceed a
maximum input current of 175mA.
Never apply AC as a supply voltage.
Incorrect supply polarity will trigger the protection diode and burn the fuse trace.

12062007-1