HIVE McG converter used in the Aqua line of lights.

[rush]

Gunga,
The driver diameter is 19 mm.

The LED current is dictated by two variables:
1. The maximum or 100% output current that the driver is calibrated to (see setting 16 of the setup). This value can be set in 100 mA increments. In the stock configuration this is set to about 1400 mA.
2. The actual brightness level (1 through 21). These brightness levels are setting the output current relative to the above maximum output current. If you look at the graph on page 8 of the manual you can see the current in % of the maximum output current that each of the 21 brightness levels will produce. The 21 brightness levels are scaled logarithmically, that means in visual intensity the step from one level to the next is about the same. For the current this means increasing step sizes the higher the output goes.

What this means for your question: Brightness level 1 is about 0.3% of the maximum output current. In case of the stock 1400 mA maximum output this is about 7 mA. This is however close to the absolute minimum output current that can be achieved with the driver, so the lowest brightness level will not be much lower even if the maximum output current was calibrated to only a few 100 mA.


This leads me to hjdca's question:
Generally the output is true current regulated, there is no PWM in the output with one EXCEPTION: For LED currents smaller than 20 mA the driver does resort to PWM. Otherwise the output would not be visually stable. This PWM uses a frequency of 400 Hz, which you should not see as long no quick movements happen. This was a necessary compromise due to the limits of the hardware, one that hopefully is not going to be a problem for most. Again, this only applies to the lowest output levels below 20 mA.

Thank you for the feedback, i will update the HiveLD web page soon with some of the questions that came up so far.

 

[gunga]

Wow. Very inpressve. Need this driver for use in other lights too. Amazing.

 

[hjdca]

Thanks for the info ! Again, Very impressive driver !

After purchasing an Aqua Light, how difficult would it be to mod the driver to dramatically increase the "maximum output" ? Thanks for any info..

 

[rush]

Thank you for the cheers guys!

Obviously the learning curve will be different for everybody in regards to the setup mode. But i think that if you follow the examples in the manual closely you will not take too long to master the procedure of getting to the specific setting that you want to change and altering its value. For increasing the calibrated maximum output, it is just that one setting that has to be changed.

 

[scout24]

I have a question- Given the 2.5v minimum voltage and 1400ma max in stock form, will this behave and run properly on a single primary 123 cell and a dummy cell in a pinch? Runtime obviously takes a hit, but both v and ma seem doable on a single 123 cell...

 

[rush]

Looking at that hardware minimum input voltage of 2.5 V it would seem as if the driver could be run from a single primary lithium cell.

However with the over discharge protection for Li-Ion rechargeables the driver uses, the output would be reduced to the absolute minimum if you connect a lithium primary with a cell voltage of around 3.0 V. Even if you were to reduce the low voltage threshold setting to minimal (setting 13 of the setup) you would still only get a lower output most probably.
But there is another problem in reality. I have done a test with an oldish Surefire CR123 (open cell voltage 3.1 V). Due to the inrush current when connecting cell and driver, the input voltage drops below 2.5 V which results in just a low flicker of the LED. I don't know if a fresh cell would actually hold the voltage level enough for the driver to start up properly, but i wouldn't count on it.

The bottom line is that do need a Li-ion rechargeable (ICR or IMR) for the HiveLD-P driver in the Aqua lights. You could however resort to a 16350 and an adapter if you really had to.

 

[scout24]

Thanks for the reply!!!

 

[eala]

Hey Martin and Don...

Any chance we will see this new converter adapted to the existing light engine footprint? 14mm is pretty tight, but I can dream.

eala

 

[calflash]

Hey Martin and Don...

Any chance we will see this new converter adapted to the existing light engine footprint? 14mm is pretty tight, but I can dream.

eala

Seriously, that would be truly awesome! I can only hope it's a possibility.

If not, maybe I could set an appointment to put my makai and my aqua ram in the hadron collider and hope for a makaqua.

 

[kaichu dento]

Any chance we will see this new converter adapted to the existing light engine footprint? 14mm is pretty tight, but I can dream.

Me too, I want one for my Haiku.

 

[rush]

There certainly is a lot of possibilities for future developments and from my side i would not at all rule out that this could happen
I really appreciate your support and interest in having HiveLD driver available for other lights as well!

But right now we are still focused on the Aqua lights and this driver board.
Anybody wanting to share their experience with the driver, especially if you have decided to make changes to the configuration?

 

[calflash]

Ok - I did it. Bought a "Circuit Writer" pen from radio shack (for twice the price it is on Amazon because I couldn't wait) and colored my solder gap silver.

Level changes definitely exercised my mind but once I got the hang of the blink codes and the level changing - it became fun. I haven't set presets yet but I did zoom straight to level 16 and bumped it up to 2200. It will take some time to come up with the other settings only due to the fact I don't know what preferences I have yet. I can't compare the output until dark but lumen charts suggest 700ish lumen numbers for 2200ma - in a McGizmo!!!

If your on the fence here's what I think: It's actually not too easy to accidentally engage the setup mode so no worries there. One tip that I didn't pick up on: start with the light ON to enter setup mode. I started with it on High(brightness level#4) for my personal reference. Follow the directions in the manual or try it this way:
1)start on High(#4 brightness level)
2)turn light off and on to keep the light on #4 brightness level (a.k.a - long toggle)
3)repeat step 2
4)change brightness level to #1 (a.k.a - short toggle)
5)change brightness level to #2
6)change brightness level to #3
7)change brightness level to #4
8)repeat step 2
9)repeat step 2
...and your in level one, setting one, of the setup menu as is indicated by the triple blink.

To get your feet wet, give yourself about 30 minutes to play with the blinks, compare the light's actions with the verbage in the manual, and adjust basic settings. Then... Have fun


Rush,
One question I have is: have you compiled any charts that are a quick reference for brightness mA values compared to the driver's brightness values? For example, if max brightness is set to 2A then level 21 would be 2A and level 10 would be close to 1A. However if max is 1A, level 10 wold be approximately .5A. But figuring out amp value for say level 14 is a little harder without a calculator(for me). I was just wondering if you have found a short cut so we can pick the amp setting we want easier. If not, no biggie - I will just use my calculator and figure out each level.

And, a big CONGRATULATIONS on this product. It's entertaining and well thought out. You have designed a very interesting driver. Also, the manual is quite helpful - nice touch to introduce such a thorough and helpful tool with such a new product. You and Don have done quite well with the planning and production of this light. I couldn't be happier with the product or more impressed with the professionalism supporting it. Thanks............... I want another one.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Awesome post Calflash! Thank you for explaining the process to enter customization. I need one of those pens!!

 

[calflash]

Get'r'dun PSM

 

[coloradogps]

This is starting to get very interesting!

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Get'r'dun PSM

I'm gonna, my local RS has those pens in stock, will pick one up.

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

Edit - oops - re-read the OP that the limit is 2.2A. I hadn't seen that before.

 

[mattp]

Thanks calflash, that's good info
I need to pick up one of those pens, they seem the neatest way to connect the bridge in the absence of fine soldering skills.
Cheers, Matt

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

 

[calflash]

Mattp- the pen was super easy - a little high priced in my opinion but super easy.

Ok. It's dark. I'm having fun. Bridging the gap is worth it.

It's not that helpful but all I really have to compare it to is a makai 6v xm-l and a zebralight sc600 mII. The Makai still out-throws the Aqua Ram on 2200mA but the beam on the Aqua is so much larger that it makes it more useful and the throw advantage of the Makai is not as extreme as I thought it might be for distance. The Aqua Ram has more throw than the sc600 but covers almost as much flood area. The Aqua just doesn't have as smooth or wide of a flood beam as the sc600. So the Aqua beam at 2200 is a nice balance between the two lights I can compare it to... for what that's worth.

Boosting the max current to 2200 has another plus. Brightness level three seems to be about as bright as brightness level 4 was on the stock setup. So it's almost like I have a three speed converter with an additional mode - TURBO! If only I could put a turbo on my Makai and Haiku!

 

[calflash]

I can't put it down now. This driver is fantastic. Don't like mode memory? Do you want your light to always start on high? No problem. Do you want your light to always start on low? No problem.

Want a five level bank? Want a camping/hiking/diving etc. bank? Want a single mode bank that only comes on in the low mode for waking up in the middle of the night? Or a single mode for some other specific task at work? No problem. The presets are a really cool feature.

I've never yet owned a Spy - I hope to someday. Until then, this might be the most versatile light I've ever used when it comes to its output.


sorry for thinking out loud - enthusiasm is bubbling over right now.