Re: Ultra-Low Power Operation

Cursitor Doom <cd@notformail.com> wrote:

Gentlemen,
 
I vaguely recall going back the best part of 60 years now, there was a
competition among radio designers (AM in those days) to come up with
the design which would operate at the lowest possible supply voltage.
This had arisen, I would guess, as a result of the 'semiconductor
revolution' and all these designers would compete to develop a working
radio using ever more absurd Vcc levels. I'm pretty sure someone
managed to get something credible together that worked off of just
over 1 volt but can't be sure after all these years and there's
nothing I could find on the 'net about such a contest, either. But I
do remember it, for sure.
I'd just be interested to know what can be done with <1V today. Anyone
know?
 

Around that time there were published designs using germanium transistor
inverter to step up 250-300mV to a few volts for driving more conventional
items.

Complete radios built from Ge tunnel diodes were done too.

Silicon bipolars are constrained by 0.6/0.7V forward junction voltages but
once started can continue stepping up from much lower voltages. LT made a
boost converter IC that once started continued boosting from 100mV.

Depletion fets let you go much lower, Jan Panteltje has posted his 20mV
booster which lights a LED.


--
piglet