Cascading Capacitors PUBLIC

An experiment with a cascading series of capacitors.

This circuit is a set of three modules connected in series; each module comprises a capacitor / op-amp / LED combination.

In each module, a 100uF capacitor is provided an input voltage through a 47k resistor. The positive terminal of the capacitor is connected to an op amp in a unity buffer configuration, which drives the output through an LED. The output of the op-amp is also connected as the input to the next module, i.e., to a second capacitor through a second 47k resistor.

When the power supply is turned on, the first capacitor charges steadily over about one second. As the first LED turns on, the voltage driven by the op-amp begins charging the second capacitor, which again slowly powers over time, eventually turning on the second LED, and in turn the third LED.

Just a fun little project that took much longer to resolve than I expected, but that seems to be par for the course. :)