RE: Solar/Joule Theif Setup
Here's a link to a great video
This is a slightly different version.
If you need help with the schematic, just let me know. All it is, is a blocking diode, transistor, 11 to one coil ratio I believe, think I did 11/111 turns of magnet wire (2 separate coils) and you just want to be sure to add a ferrite, to block radio signals from being emitted. I guess some have had government agents show up about it! Only because that individual lived close to an airport. But the signals can interfere with your other electronics, so it's important. Also runs much more efficiently with the ferrite. To make the coils, I simply wrapped magnet wire around a 2 liter bottle, the desired amount of times. I cut into the bottle first, to ease the removal of the complete coil. 2n3055 is the transistor I used.