I had put his project aside for a while, but the past few nights I've spent some time testing circuits, cutting plasic and boards, and soldering and finally I have a working prototype.
/me needs a bigger work area... computer desk + 2 TV tray tables = not enough
Video (attached) never quite does justice. That light at the tip is actually strobing at about 40 hz. It's a blinding thing of beauty.
Behind it, my
joule thief has been powering 4 white LEDs off of an old "dead" AAA battery and has been going strong for so long that I lost count of the days.