Noob hosts/drivers questions

lava

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Aug 29, 2011
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Hi, I'm an aerospace electronics engineer, but this will be my first DIY flashlight project.

I'd like to build a single 18650 unit with a UV LED (which I already have) requiring 500mA and Vf of 5V. Considering using a Convoy S2+ host, but am wondering if there is maybe a better host with a bit more thermal mass out there? My LED is not very efficient and will get very hot.

I also did a Google search for LED drivers, but the signal to noise ratio there seems to be very low and I had a hard time telling what was junk and what was legit. Where can I find a variety of decent quality drivers that will fit a Convoy S2+?
 

lava

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Aug 29, 2011
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Thanks everyone. I took a look at both sites ; so many choices! One thing that confuses me is that I assumed I'd need a boost using a single 18650 with an LED Vf of 4.2-5V. Yet there are almost no boost drivers to choose from. Am I mistaken?
 

FRITZHID

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Jun 20, 2011
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Icelandic wastelands of Monico, WI
Vf is that high for a single chip?
You could get away with a resistor drive light... Or if the heatsinking is good enough, direct drive maybe? A s41 host might have enough copper to sink it. What kind of runtime are you looking to achieve?
 

lava

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Aug 29, 2011
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Vf is that high for a single chip?
You could get away with a resistor drive light... Or if the heatsinking is good enough, direct drive maybe? A s41 host might have enough copper to sink it. What kind of runtime are you looking to achieve?

Yep, single chip. I have one even deeper into the UV with a Vf of 7. I'll look into the other options. I'd like to get 2 hours of runtime, which should be doable.
 

lava

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Aug 29, 2011
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Still looking for a 17mm boost driver that will ingest 18650 voltage and push 350mA @ 4.2V. Can't find it. Any other recommendations?
 
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