# Driver board list / regulator board list.



## TorchBoy

This list is now maintained at http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/research/driverlist.php. Enjoy.

The list below was Last edited by TorchBoy; 09-13-2008 at 11:04 PM.


We'll see how this goes, shall we? This is in roughly increasing input voltage order, with regulators that can boost the voltage split out. All boards linked may also be available in other quantities or from other suppliers. The ones linked may not be the best prices but are in stock at time of writing. All prices in US$.

Is there any point in being exhaustive with the links? Suggestions please.


*Boost and Boost/Buck Regulators*

*Joule Thief 1x AA.* Make your own. *0.35-1.5 V* in. For driving a single 5mm LED from an alkaline AA (do not use with NiMH). There's a handy instruction video on YouTube.

*"3W/5W" 1x AA.* $3.96. Boost board; output voltage and current _not_ constant, approximately *0.8-1.5 V* in. 1.0 V in gives 0.3A out, 1.4 V in gives 0.7 A out. Run on two fresh NiMH it gets _very_ hot - not advised. 20 modes in three groups.

*5-Mode 1-2x AA.* $3.00. Boost board; output voltage and current _not_ constant, approximately *0.8-3 V* in, almost 700 mA output with two fresh AAs. Modes are high, low, and _three_ different strobes! 

*Madmax.* $13. Boost regulator, *0.8-5 V* in. _Unknown output regulation._ Two flavours,  Lite and Plus. Maximum power output ~0.75 W (Lite) or ~1.5 W (Plus). Maximum current output ~700 mA (Plus). Efficiency 76-88%. 14 mm diameter.

*"2.5W" 2x AA.* $10.66 for 5. 100~700 mA out. 15mm diameter. Test data discussion (in which someone points out the test data is wrong).

*20 mode, 1x AA and AAA.* $3.96 (AA), $4.50 (AAA). Boost boards; output voltage and current _not_ constant, *0.8-7 V* in. I believe these are identical in operation but the AAA board is narrower and taller.

*19 mode 1-2x AA.* $4.26. User-adjustable output voltage (not current) up to 7 V. Capable of ~700 mA output from a single AA NiMH cell, or ~1000 mA from two. Efficiency 60-91%. 17 mm diameter. To disable user modes (_so_ many strobes and SOSes!) see this post.

*Badboy.* Mostly $13, but $16.50 for 750 mA & 1 A versions. Boost regulator, *1.5-9 V* in. Vin must be less than Vout. Maximum Iin 1.5 A. Constant current output, board available as a "blank" (add set resistor), or preset to 300 mA, 400 mA, 500 mA, 750 mA, or 1000 mA. Efficiency 82-90%. 14 mm diameter. _Must always have a load connected._

*GD.* $18-20. Buck/boost regulator, *1.8-5.4 V* in. Constant current output, board available as a "blank" (add one or two SMT set resistors), or preset to 500 mA, 750 mA, or 1000 mA. Maximum output voltage 5.4 V. Efficiency: 85-93%. 14mm diameter. _Must always have a load connected._

*BB Nexgen.* $20-21. Boost regulator, *2-6 V* in, _but apparently needs to be started with Vin between 3.4 V and Vf to start the full current regulation mode, otherwise it starts in semi-regulated mode, whatever that is._ Constant current output, maximum 1 A. Board available as a "blank" (add set resistor), or preset to 400 mA, 500 mA, 750 mA and 1000 mA. Efficiency 80-91%. 14mm diameter. _Must always have a load connected._

*Fatman.* $22. Boost regulator, *2.7-12 V* in. Vin must be less than Vout. User adjustable constant current at 3-16 V, up to 1000 mA. Optional external adjustment. Efficiency 80-96%. 20 mm diameter. _Must always have a load connected._

*MaxFlex.* $32. Boost regulator, *2.5-20 V* in. Vin must be less than Vout. User configurable constant current, 350-1200 mA at up to 24 V. Efficiency 83-93%, uController UI, status LED. 23 mm diameter. Open circuit protected.

*Shark.* $20. Boost regulator, *2.7-20 V* in, although Wayne says "The Shark has a hard time at voltages below ~4V". Vin must be less than Vout, and should be >1/3 Vout (preferably >1/2 Vout). Maximum input current 4 A. Regulates on voltage or current, output current adjustable from 50-980 mA (or greater by changing set resistor, although that would remove load protection) at maximum 26 V. Open circuit protected. 19.1 mm diameter. Some questions are answered in this CPF thread.

*Remora.* $9. User interface board for Shark driver. Available in two flavours - Plain (Low, Medium, High) and Special (Low, Medium, High, SOS).​
*Assembled Shark with Remora UI.* $50. Multimode boost regulator, 19.1 mm diameter, two boards in double layer.​
_Shark vs MaxFlex CPF thread._​
*Blue Shark.* $25. Boost regulator, *2.7-25 V* in. Maximum input current 4 A. Regulates on voltage or current, output current adjustable from 50-980 mA (or greater by changing set resistor, although that would remove load protection) at maximum 32 V. 19.1 mm diameter. Includes copper heatsink; improved thermal performance and higher output voltage over standard Shark.

*Assembled BLUE Shark with Remora UI.* $55. Multimode boost regulator, 19.1 mm diameter, two boards in double layer.​
*CCHIPO.* $45. Boost regulator, *4-30 V* in. Vin must be less than Vout. User adjustable constant current output up to 2 A or 39 V (45 W max). Optional external adjustment. Efficiency 84-92%. Open circuit protected, but if doing so, LED(s) must not be connected until output has discharged from 39 V.


*Buck and Linear Regulators*

*AMC7135 1x Li-ion/3x NiMH/4x alkaline (datasheet).* $varies. Linear regulator, *2.7-6 V* in; Vin must be at least 0.12 V above Vf of LED to stay in regulation. Each AMC7135 outputs constant current, about 1/3 amp (~330 mA). Boards come with one to four AMC7135s, and single mode up to 19 mode. Boards can be paralleled to give greater output. Very efficient when input voltage close to output voltage but drops a bit when input voltage is higher; average efficiency for 3x NiMH or 1x Li-ion can be over 90%. *Test results and discussion* for 3 and 4 chip boards. The AMC7135 has built-in thermal protection but the multi-mode control chips used on the multi-mode boards are much less rugged. _Tip: If input voltage is too high you may be able to use another LED in series with the board to drop the voltage. (The set current is <1 mA so both LEDs will get practically identical current. Diagrams and much discussion of use with multiple Seoul P7s and multi-mode boards.) More than one extra LED appears to be not a good idea for use with the lower modes of multi-mode boards since the Vf of the extra LEDs decreases too much at the low current to protect the driver from the battery voltage. Flashing modes appear unsuited to this technique._
Example boards:

1x AMC7135, 1 mode $16.68 for 20.
2x AMC7135, 1 mode $20.18 for 20.
3x AMC7135, 1 mode $16.58 for 10 (also available in 20 pack).
3x AMC7135, 16 mode $3.60 each, 3x AMC7135, 20 mode $3.95 each.
4x AMC7135, 1 mode $17.50 for 10 (also available in 20 pack).
AMC7135-based P7 driver options are discussed in this thread, or an inexpensive multimode AMC7135 P7 driver here.)
Etc.

*3.6-9 V.* $6.97 for four-pack. Buck regulator, 800-1000 mA output dependant on input voltage, although a hack for lower output is explained here. 16mm diameter. Efficiency 76%-91%, test data graph.

*8 mode 3.7-8.4 V.* $7.35 for two-pack. Buck regulator based on Zetex C310 chip. Output 800-1000 mA on high. Modes 100%, 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, SOS, strobe, fade in & out. With 4 x NiMH cells ability to select modes is lost about when the cells need to be recharged. No reverse polarity protection.

*SOB.* $18-$20. Buck regulator, *3-16 V* in. Constant current output, board available as a "blank" (add one or two SMT set resistors), or preset to 400 mA, 500 mA, 750 mA, 917 mA, or 1000 mA. DD when Vin less than Vf. Efficiency 75-85%. 14 mm diameter, has thermal protection.

*Kennan.* $3.10 (sold out). Buck regulator based on PT4105 chip, *5-18 V* in. Constant current output. Off the shelf it's set to 750 mA, but this can be changed by using a different set resistor (original is soldered surface mount). Input voltage needs to be 1-3 V above output. Efficiency 79-91%. Can output 1 A with more than 9 V in.

*Kennan 2.* $3.43. Buck regulator based on PT4105 chip, *5-18 V* in. Constant current output. Off the shelf it's set to 1000mA (even though that's out of spec for the regulator chip below 9V in) but this can be changed by using a different set resistor (original is soldered surface mount). This thread discusses the control features of this new version. Input voltage needs to be 1-3V above output, but the new components will shut the board down under 6.2V. Efficiency perhaps as low as 60% thanks to running it out of spec and it also runs quite hot because of it. In summary, more versatile but not as useful.

A Kennan variant (PT4105 chip) is available as part of a drop-in assembly with a Cree LED: P4 $10.14, Q5 $12.42, and R2 $12.40. They work out cost effective for an LED, reflector and driver board.

*bFlexV2.* $30. Buck regulator, *4-20 V* in. Constant current out 1000 mA (adjustable) at up to 20 V, uController UI.

*CCxW.* $15 (350 mA), $18 (700 mA or 1 A). Buck regulator, *4-30 V* in. Constant current out 350/700/1000 mA at up to 16 V. 3 models to choose from.

*nFlex.* $30. Buck regulator, *4-30 V* in. Constant current out 1000mA (adjustable) at up to 25 V, uController UI.

*P7 "3 amp" 3-mode driver.* $12.01. Buck regulator, *5.5-15.5 V* in. Constant current out claimed to be 2.8 A high, 1.38 A medium, 0.25 A low. _Note that KD's runtime figures don't stack up, and their specs show some confusion about whether high is 2.8 A or 3.0 A._ StefanFS here says it gets really hot with 8 AA cells. Efficiency and output current graphs.

*12V Ludde.* $2.53. Buck regulator, approx *10-14 V* in (designed for car lighter socket). Constant _voltage_ output 5.5 V (which is not quite within USB spec). Can do somewhere around 700-1000 mA before dropping out of regulation. Cute little red LED to show it's working.

*MR16-base drivers: 1*1 W, 3*1 W, 1*3 W.* $2.53 ea. Buck regulator based on PT4105 chip, claimed *12-16 V AC* in, although anything over about 13 V AC would be outside the PT4105 spec. Will also work with DC - PT4105 can handle *5-18 V DC* in; you wouldn't need the rectifier so you could short that out, but it will still work (slightly less efficiently) with it. Constant current out 320-350 mA for 1 W versions, 650-700 mA for 3W version (not 320-350 mA as stated). There's also a socket available for them.

*AC mains-voltage single LED drivers:*

*1 * 1 W, 1 * 3 W.* $3.32. Buck regulator, *85-265 V AC* in. Constant current out 320-350 mA for 1W versions, and a probable 650-700mA for the 1*3W. Reported to not be very efficient (not normally a major problem for mains power). These are called GU10 drivers but do not themselves have the bayonet pins of the GU10 connector.
*1 * 7 W.* $7.99. Buck regulator, *110-240 V AC* in. 2A constant current output, although one buyer claims it's only 1.2A.

*AC mains-voltage multiple LED drivers:*
Buck regulator, *85-265 V AC* in. Constant current out 320 mA.

*3 * 1 W.* $3.32. Approx. 9-10 V out. Called a GU10 driver but does not itself have the bayonet pins of the GU10 connector.
*5-7 * 1 W.* $5.99. 16-26 V out.
*9-12 * 1 W.* $8.28. 27-42 V out. 
Buck regulator, *100-240 V AC* in. 3-12 V out.

*1-3 W.* $9.15. Constant current out 350 mA.
*3-6 W.* $10.85. Constant current out 700 mA.


*Other Boards and Information*

*D2DIM.* $20. _PWM dimming only_, *3-16 V* in. Out <16 V, 3.4 A. This board does no current limiting.

*Drop-in Module List* (part 2).


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

*Need tech specs*

Flupic and Piglet regulators as per this post. _Tech specs unknown._

How does this DX board work? (5 modes, 3 of which are strobes or SOS.) Is it a linear regulator or just by PWM? 


*Other boards to add*

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4451 1.5 V. ~300 mA.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4735 1.5-4.2 V. Test results here - it's not particularly efficient or well regulated. Discussion thread here. It seems that modifying the set resistor to give a lower output current (max 500 mA) is a good idea. 17 mm diameter.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7302 1.5 V. ~500 mA.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7425 3.6-8.4 V. 5 mode, high is 700-1000 mA.

Various micropucks, powerpucks, boostpucks, etc. For example, LEDsupply's list.

Sure Electronics 1 W and 3 W boards.

Best Hong Kong's driver boards.

Led-Tech constant current 30 V board.


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## gunga

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Wow, this is a GREAT idea! I may start building some lights in the future and appreciate this listing. 


:thumbsup:

So is that the only 1 AAA boost board? It's really tall...


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



gunga said:


> So is that the only 1 AAA boost board? It's really tall...


:shrug: It's the only one I've listed so far as I can't think of any others off the top of my head. Its height is thanks to its narrow width so it will fit in a tube the width of an AAA cell - gotta fit the components in somehow. You could use any AA driver board if you didn't mind the width.


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## Wok

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

How about George's stuff? http://www.taskled.com/index.html


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Ah yes, added to to-do.


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## greenLED

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

TB - Bernie has some nifty tables of The Shoppe's converters and battery configurations somewhere in the Aleph FAQ threads.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

 Sorry, couldn't find it. Got a link?


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## NateTheGreat

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Has anybody tried these ebay buck regulators from Sureelectronics?

Some are up to 1000mA and can handle high input voltages. 

They are very cheap, but probably not as fancy as TaskLED or nFlex types.


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## W-c.Scenario

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



NateTheGreat said:


> Has anybody tried these ebay buck regulators from Sureelectronics?


Hi, just providing a link, you mean these ones right?, Sureelectronics


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## HammerSandwich

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Lots of drivers available at LED Supply.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Those Sure Electronics drivers look interesting. I'm downloading the user manual now.



HammerSandwich said:


> Lots of drivers available at LED Supply.


Great - all in one place. And there are more varieties than I knew of. This _is_ educational.


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## Amonra

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

any drivers that can drive the new SSC P7 LED ?


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## W-c.Scenario

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Amonra said:


> any drivers that can drive the new SSC P7 LED ?


Maybe this one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1886
it wouldnt drive it so hard but the P7 spec says 385 lumens at 1400mA (forward voltage 3,45).


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



W-c.Scenario said:


> Maybe this one http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1886


Since neither that 10 pack nor the 20 pack I had linked appear to be in stock, I'll link the 10 pack instead.


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## linterno

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

This thread should be included in the *Threads of Interest.* This could save searches.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



TorchBoy said:


> *Fatman.* $22. Boost regulator, *2.7-12V* in. User adjustable constant current at 3-16V. Optional external adjustment. Efficiency 80-96%. Must always have a load connected.
> 
> *MaxFlex.* $32. Boost regulator, *2.5-20V* in. User configurable constant current, 350-1200mA at up to 24V. >85% efficient, uController UI, status LED. 23mm diameter. Efficiency 83-93%.
> 
> *Shark.* $20. Boost regulator, *2.7-20V* in. Regulates on voltage or current, output current adjustable from 50-980mA. Maximum input current 4A. Some questions are answered in this CPF thread.


If these are really just Boost regulators then your description are misleading (not your fault). The product descriptions on their website are also misleading / unclear. For a boost regulator the Vout has to be higher than the Vin. Conversely the Vin can't be higher than Vout. So, for example, you can't use these drivers with say 4 D cells 6.0V (4.8V on NiMH) and a single Q5 Cree because Vin is higher than Vout. IMHO, that's makes them not very useful for single LED applications.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

If that is the case (that they only boost) then three D cells would still be too much, while two would be too few when they're half flat.

Edit: According to their specs the Fatman and MaxFlex boards definitely only boost, not sure about the Shark.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

A Single Li-Ion can't use a pure boost, or a pure buck driver. If you stick with 1AA or 2AA's you can get away with a boost regulator. However, it would seem that boost/buck-boost regulators are the sweet spot for single LED applications (for Li-Ion and lights with more than 2 1.2-1.5V cells). But, there seem to be very few of them that have a true constant current output with good efficiency. The DX and KD drivers are an unknown quantity on both constant current and efficiency so it hard to pick one of them.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



TorchBoy said:


> If that is the case (that they only boost) then three D cells would still be too much, while two would be too few when they're half flat.


Exactly my point. They're "terrible" drivers for single LED applications. oo:


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> But, there seem to be very few of them that have a true constant current output with good efficiency.


When the output ends up just as variable as using enough voltage and a resistor, what's the point? Am I correct in thinking of them as "drivers", not "regulators"?



Stereodude said:


> The DX and KD drivers are an unknown quantity on both constant current and efficiency so it hard to pick one of them.


Wading through them all is certainly a mission.  Most I see little use in.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



TorchBoy said:


> When the output ends up just as variable as using enough voltage and a resistor, what's the point?


You got me. I would suspect that the output varies less than direct drive via a resistor though.


> Wading through them all is certainly a mission.  Most I see little use in.


If I had a lot of spare time I would buy a bunch of them and test them, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

I guess there's a market for someone to make a proper driver board. :naughty:


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## Essexman

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

One word - *Micropuck !!!!!*

I can't believe you've not included this little bit of torch/flashlight modding history. Shame on you.

Great list BTW, thanks for doing this.


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## W-c.Scenario

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Essexman said:


> One word - *Micropuck !!!!!*
> I can't believe you've not included this little bit of torch/flashlight modding history. Shame on you.
> Great list BTW, thanks for doing this.


There is a link posted containing the Micropuck etc, he just havent updated the list with it though ,
well heres another link to the luxdrivers


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## Mr Happy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *TorchBoy*
> 
> 
> _*Fatman.* $22. Boost regulator, *2.7-12V* in. User adjustable constant current at 3-16V. Optional external adjustment. Efficiency 80-96%. Must always have a load connected.
> 
> *MaxFlex.* $32. Boost regulator, *2.5-20V* in. User configurable constant current, 350-1200mA at up to 24V. >85% efficient, uController UI, status LED. 23mm diameter. Efficiency 83-93%.
> 
> *Shark.* $20. Boost regulator, *2.7-20V* in. Regulates on voltage or current, output current adjustable from 50-980mA. Maximum input current 4A. Some questions are answered in this CPF thread._
> 
> If these are really just Boost regulators then your description are misleading (not your fault). The product descriptions on their website are also misleading / unclear. For a boost regulator the Vout has to be higher than the Vin. Conversely the Vin can't be higher than Vout. So, for example, you can't use these drivers with say 4 D cells 6.0V (4.8V on NiMH) and a single Q5 Cree because Vin is higher than Vout. IMHO, that's makes them not very useful for single LED applications.



Where are you getting the information that Vin can't be higher than Vout? I have just (for example) looked at the MaxFlex page and I don't see that stated at all.

What I read is that it is a constant current driver with a range of selectable currents. It will accept an input voltage from 2.5 V to 20 V, and it will boost the output voltage to 24 V _if necessary_. The clear implication is that if you only connect one LED, it will set the output voltage to just what is required to achieve the required current and not higher.

It seems to me to be a very flexible device, and it is misleading to say "Vin can't be higher than Vout" unless you have a reference for that in the technical data sheet.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

The micropuck, powerpuck, etc is in post 2 - my _to-do_ list. I'll get there eventually.



Mr Happy said:


> Where are you getting the information that Vin can't be higher than Vout? I have just (for example) looked at the MaxFlex page and I don't see that stated at all.
> ...
> It seems to me to be a very flexible device, and it is misleading to say "Vin can't be higher than Vout" unless you have a reference for that in the technical data sheet.


Sure.

http://www.taskled.com/techfatman.html


> Note, *Fatman is a Boost regulator (step up), so input voltage must be less than the output voltage to ensure Fatman remains in regulation.* If the input voltage exceeds the output voltage (at the dialed in drive current), Fatman will no longer regulate and the input voltage will go through the series inductor and schottky diode directly to the load. This will cause the output current to a LED to rise rapidly since LEDs have a very steep Current vs Voltage curve (Vf). Fatman must never be powered up without a load connected or it will be damaged.



http://www.taskled.com/techmaxflex.html


> Note, *MaxFlex2 is a Boost regulator (step up), so input voltage must be less than the output voltage to ensure MaxFlex2 remains in regulation.* If the input voltage exceeds the output voltage (at the dialed in drive current), MaxFlex2 will no longer regulate and the input voltage will go through the series inductor and schottky diode directly to the load. This will cause the output current to a LED to rise rapidly since LEDs have a very steep Current vs Voltage curve (Vf).



And yes, they do sound quite flexible - just not as flexible as a buck/boost regulator. It should be clearly stated.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

http://www.taskled.com/techcchipo.html



> Note, *CCHIPO is a Boost regulator (step up), so input voltage must be less than the output voltage to ensure CCHIPO remains in regulation.* If the input voltage exceeds the output voltage (at the dialed in drive current), CCHIPO will no longer regulate and the input voltage will go through the series inductor and schottky diode directly to the load. This will cause the output current to a LED to rise rapidly since LEDs have a very steep Current vs Voltage curve (Vf). CCHIPO is open circuit protected. If powered up without a load connected it will NOT be damaged. Output voltage will limit to 39V - be careful to NOT connect a LED load until the output discharges otherwise the 39V pulse before CCHIPO can regulate may damage the LEDs.


39V through an LED would be worse than the 12V I tried.


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## Mr Happy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



TorchBoy said:


> Sure.
> 
> http://www.taskled.com/techfatman.html
> 
> http://www.taskled.com/techmaxflex.html
> 
> And yes, they do sound quite flexible - just not as flexible as a buck/boost regulator. It should be clearly stated.


Ah, thank you, I stand corrected then. I missed that technical reference page first time around.

I agree with you, it should be stated more clearly on the main page.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Mr Happy said:


> Where are you getting the information that Vin can't be higher than Vout? I have just (for example) looked at the MaxFlex page and I don't see that stated at all.


It's common knowledge. The fact that it's not on the page is precisely why I said it's misleading. It should be stated.


> What I read is that it is a constant current driver with a range of selectable currents. It will accept an input voltage from 2.5 V to 20 V, and it will boost the output voltage to 24 V _if necessary_. The clear implication is that if you only connect one LED, it will set the output voltage to just what is required to achieve the required current and not higher.
> 
> It seems to me to be a very flexible device, and it is misleading to say "Vin can't be higher than Vout" unless you have a reference for that in the technical data sheet.


Uh... It's common knowledge to those of us with Electrical Engineering Degrees. A boost regulator has to be boosting to regulate. If Vin is higher than Vout there is no regulation. You will just get unregulated current flow from Vin to Vout.

Lets look at following schematic of the boost mode regulator.





When Vin goes above Vout (by more than the forward voltage drop of the diode) you will get current flow through the inductor, through the Schottky diode, through the feedback resistor, and straight into the LEDs. It doesn't matter if any of the pages of those boost regulators say it or not. That's just how they work. Vout has to be higher than Vin.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

By the same merit the buck regulators need a warning that Vout has to be less than Vin. :wave:


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## Mr Happy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> It's common knowledge to those of us with Electrical Engineering Degrees.


Which of course includes everyone reading CPF, and everyone reading the product pages on the TaskLED web site... :duh2:

Without TaskLED giving clear information on the description page, the device might possibly have had a more complex circuit with a bucking capability too.

But thanks for the circuit diagram, that does make the reasoning clear.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Mr Happy said:


> Which of course includes everyone reading CPF, and everyone reading the product pages on the TaskLED web site... :duh2:


That's exactly why I said it should be put on the page because it's misleading without it.


> Without TaskLED giving clear information on the description page, the device might possibly have had a more complex circuit with a bucking capability too.


Which is exactly why I said in my first post, "If these are really just Boost regulators..."


> But thanks for the circuit diagram, that does make the reasoning clear.


No problem.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Nice diagram Stereodude - even I understand that.



Stereodude said:


> By the same merit the buck regulators need a warning that Vout has to be less than Vin. :wave:


Funny you should mention that. I think I said that for at least the Kennan board. It strikes me that many of the people who may benefit from this list would appreciate clear details like that.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Added Badboy range.


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## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

The Shark is also only a boost converter. You can get that from reading this thread.


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## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Thanks Stereodude. I've updated the Shark blurb.


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## Wok

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Found this manufacturer awhile back but their distribution seems to be Germany only. One of their distributers has some neat low current stuff. Haven't tried them due to logistics 
http://www.constant-current.com/html/products.html


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## Flipside

This is fantastic! 

Thank you for taking the initative to put this together. :goodjob:

While it may not be practical, I would love to see pro's and con's for the devices as well. For example, I have read [posts] about the Shark getting hot and faulting out, the wires on the pucks being very easy to work with, some sandwiches can be rigged with a dimmer, or output selected by hardware (changing or adding / removing a resistor), etc. 

Oooh, on second thought... That could get crazy complicated


----------



## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Here is the datasheet for the _infamous_ 7135 regulator. You can see that it is a linear regulator, so once the battery drops below about .15V more than Vf, you lose the constant current output. And because it's a regulator, too much Vin, and you'll fry it because the power difference between Vin and Vf has to be dissipated in the 7135 chip.


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Why do you say "_infamous_"? (In italics, no less!) As I've mentioned in post 1, once the voltage gets too high, you've very nearly got enough to run an extra LED in series - neatly gets rid of the extra voltage problem, as long as you can cope with having an extra LED. I had mentioned that it's a linear regulator, along with the voltage requirement. I've seen people knocking it simply because they apparently didn't remember/realise before installing it that it needed enough volts. I figure they should blame themselves, not the regulator. Anyway, with three suitably matched AA NiMH cells and LED Vf they're going to be more efficient than any buck regulator I've seen, and can easily be about the same even without that matching. When the cells are empty and it drops out of regulation, thanks to the LED operating voltage requirements it ends up throttling back to very low current, thereby helping protect the cells from overdischarge (assuming the user notices the light's not bright any more). It's a true constant current regulator(!), is also a fraction of the price of certain buck regulators and comes with multimode setups OEM. Like any of the boards in this list, it has its uses - for some it's _great_ - and it has its limitations.

End of rant. I've added a link to the datasheet, thanks.

I had a look through the Sure Electronics datasheet. 78% efficiency for the example given is almost exactly what I'd expect if using a resistor in that situation instead. It does appear to be a constant current regulator, though.


----------



## Bogus1

TorchBoy, thanks for doing this. This will be a valuable resource I'm sure.

You might want to add Goldserve's FLuPIC and Piglet boards to your list.

I am selling them in this thread on CPF.

I also have them listed on my store:
Flupic converter version 2.2 Standard Sammie 0.55"
Flupic converter version 2.2 Standard Sammie 0.55" 1amp burst
Flupic converter version 2.2 Standard UI 0.6" for Fenix
Flupic converter with Low>High>Burst and adjust high level
Tri-Flupic driver for 3 LEDs independantly [standard UI] 0.77"
Piglet 50/500mA multi level/function buck/boost 0.55" driver

Missing from this list due to being out of stock is the Piglet with drive levels of 150/800mA, the 10.5mm FLuPIC, and the 0.77" FLuPIC.

The program for the Standard FLuPICs is listed here. There have been a number of custom programs for these boards but it doesn't make sense to list them in a thread like this.


----------



## TorchBoy

:duck: *More* boards! :hairpull:

I've added them to my to-do list in post 2, but I'll need the tech specs to take them any further. :rock:


----------



## Stereodude

Bogus1 said:


> You might want to add Goldserve's FLuPIC and Piglet boards to your list.
> 
> I am selling them in this thread on CPF.


What are the technical specs for the FluPIC? Is it a boost, buck, buck-boost? Output current capability, minimum input voltage, etc, etc, etc..?


----------



## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



TorchBoy said:


> Why do you say "_infamous_"? (In italics, no less!) As I've mentioned in post 1, once the voltage gets too high, you've very nearly got enough to run an extra LED in series - neatly gets rid of the extra voltage problem, as long as you can cope with having an extra LED. I had mentioned that it's a linear regulator, along with the voltage requirement. I've seen people knocking it simply because they apparently didn't remember/realise before installing it that it needed enough volts. I figure they should blame themselves, not the regulator. Anyway, with three suitably matched AA NiMH cells and LED Vf they're going to be more efficient than any buck regulator I've seen, and can easily be about the same even without that matching. When the cells are empty and it drops out of regulation, thanks to the LED operating voltage requirements it ends up throttling back to very low current, thereby helping protect the cells from overdischarge (assuming the user notices the light's not bright any more). It's a true constant current regulator(!), is also a fraction of the price of certain buck regulators and comes with multimode setups OEM. Like any of the boards in this list, it has its uses - for some it's _great_ - and it has its limitations.


I say _infamous_ because the products using it say it's good for 2.7V to 4.2V when that's clearly not the case. It's also the core of most of the DX and Kai Domain hence it's famous mostly for the wrong reasons. Basically it's a crude but cheap solution.


----------



## kavvika

Many thanks for this thread, it has helped me a lot! I just want to throw a few things out there that might be able to help someone else out with their Mag modding:

For modding a 2-cell light, to be powered by 2 alkaline or NiMh cells, you need a boost driver. Here's three that I like:
DX #4382. $2 each, 700mA output, claims to be "regulated"
Lowes Task Force 2C Driver, but they only come with the light:ironic:
Bad Boy or BB Nexgen. Pricey at more than $15 each, many output currents available.

For modding a 3 cell light powered by 3 alkaline or NiMh cells where you don't want to use a resistor for efficiency purposes:
Any of the DX or KD AMC7135 circuits will work. They are most efficient when using one 3.7v Li-Ion or 3x NiMh or alkaline cells. I personally like the KD 3x 5-mode or 4x 3-mode, since you can make a multi-mode 3-cell Maglite with those circuits. Price varies from $2 in a multi pack to about $5 for the 4x 3-mode board

For modding a 4 cell light powered by 4 alkaline or NiMh cells:
DX #3256 should work quite well. Only $1.50 a board, claims 800mA, very efficient around 6V, but drops down to about 70% at its upper limits.

For modding a 4+ alkaline or NiMh cell light, or a smaller light with 2x Lithium primaries or Li-Ions:
KD Kennan board seems to be a very popular choice, but it is currently out of stock. Only $3, and very efficient.

Note that I use Maglites in these examples as they are the lights I have to modify. The numbers I quoted are not derived from my testing, only extensive research both here and in the DX and KD forums. The only boards I currently own are the TF 2C board and DX #3256, so I cannot guarantee my statements to be 100% accurate, and I don't have the funds to purchase and test every single board mentioned. This list is for boards that are reasonably priced for the budget modder that wants to make a single LED mod, that is powered at >800mA drive current. But again, everything that I have mentioned was copied from a text file I composed for myself previously, for my own personal Mag mods, so I am not out to mislead anyone. If I have made any mistakes, please let me know so I can change them. This helped me alot, and I hope it can help someone else!


----------



## StefanFS

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> I say _infamous_ because the products using it say it's good for 2.7V to 4.2V when that's clearly not the case. It's also the core of most of the DX and Kai Domain hence it's famous mostly for the wrong reasons. Basically it's a crude but cheap solution.


 
What do you consider to be an elegant and more expensive solution then? Please enlighten me. 
As Torchboy said, under certain circumstances these are great, 3-4 NiMH or one LiION cell. I get discharge curves that are perfect for my needs, and there isn't that much that can break in a simple, robust and elegantly designed driver circuit. But I also really like the FluPIC's, so I guess some think I'm a bit strange.
Stefan


----------



## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



StefanFS said:


> What do you consider to be an elegant and more expensive solution then? Please enlighten me.
> As Torchboy said, under certain circumstances these are great, 3-4 NiMH or one LiION cell. I get discharge curves that are perfect for my needs, and there isn't that much that can break in a simple, robust and elegantly designed driver circuit. But I also really like the FluPIC's, so I guess some think I'm a bit strange.
> Stefan


:sigh: A properly designed buck-boost regulator would be the more elegant and likely more efficient solution. You could hold dead flat constant current regulation all the way down to 2.7V. However, there doesn't seem to be any of these on the market. Why there aren't I don't know. :thumbsdow

If the battery spends any appreciable time of its usable life below Vf+.15V, IMHO the 7135 is not a good match. Lets look at your scenarios and assume we're using a Cree Q5 (which isn't binned for Vf). Depending on Vf of the LED, 3 NiMH cells could spend the entire time with the 7135 not in regulation. A single Li-Ion could spend about 50% of it's life out of regulation. 4 NiMH cells will definitely be in regulation, but you're dropping about 1V across the 7135. These different scenarios would bother me (the last one not so much), but then again, I like perfectly flat output curves that have a cliff at the end. Maybe you don't.


----------



## J.D.

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> :sigh: A properly designed buck-boost regulator would be the more elegant and likely more efficient solution. You could hold dead flat constant current regulation all the way down to 2.7V. However, there doesn't seem to be any of these on the market. Why there aren't I don't know. :thumbsdow



How about this ?
The GDup is a fully regulated Buck/Bust Converter - but not available as board only - not yet. Hope it becomes available soon...

And i think the Piglet hast also a bust buck design... - but currently limited to 500ma output - i think.

I agree with you, we need more bust buck converters out there


----------



## Stereodude

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



J.D. said:


> How about this ?
> The GDup is a fully regulated Buck/Boost Converter - but not available as board only - not yet. Hope it becomes available soon...
> 
> And i think the Piglet hast also a buck/boost design... - but currently limited to 500ma output - i think.
> 
> I agree with you, we need more buck/boost converters out there


That's quite an expensive buck-boost converter, but it's on the right track.

Building a good 1A buck boost converter that take 2.7V to 5.5V should be trivial given some of the commercial LED driver chips out there.


----------



## Bogus1

I should have 150/850 mA Piglet boards available soon, but of course the CR123 won't stay in regulation. These work well in ES cans and have been around for years. They are rated down to 2.4v but that's why I have the two configurations of 50/500 and 150/850mA as lower voltage won't drive to 850mA.

The FLuPIC is an LDO driver with PWM control and once Vin drops below Vf the board goes into DD, so the range is less than 5.5v. I believe PWM controls continue to work down to 2v. Maximum current is on Burst which is DD and around 1.2amps in most applications. 

I'm sure someone else can explain all this much better than I can.


----------



## StefanFS

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> These different scenarios would bother me (the last one not so much), but then again, I like perfectly flat output curves that have a cliff at the end. Maybe you don't.


I like and use both solutions, for some applications I like perfect regulation and for other tasks I choose FluPIC or AMC7135 based solutions due to their extended runtimes. It all depends....
Stefan


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

OK, I don't care if you look at me strangely, but I _like_ crude if it does the job. That means that in the right situation I _like_ using a resistor. On the subject of resistors, Kavvika, IMO using a resistor with 3x NiMH will probably be as efficient as anything else, but it won't result in a constant current (which I do also like, cliff or no cliff at the end).

Also, I _like_ cheap, at least in the sense of inexpensive, not poor quality (which I'm told a lot of Americans mean by the word). I'm sure there's the odd "properly designed buck-boost regulator" around, but how much do you want to pay? For the cost of one of the more expensive drivers in this list (and I mean no disrespect to the quality or usefulness of those boards), I can get a constant current driver, LED, and donor body (and possibly batteries as well). 

My understanding of "elegance" is that the simpler a solution is, the more elegant it is - complicatedness and elegance do not normally go together. The AMC7135 thus fits my idea of elegance _for those situations it's suited for_ very nicely.

Thanks for those recommendations Kavvika. I note it's Kennan, not Kennar. I quite like it - it appears to do just what's claimed for it, and keep a constant current output. Are _any_ of the DX buck boards constant current?


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*



Stereodude said:


> :sigh: A properly designed buck-boost regulator would be the more elegant and likely more efficient solution. You could hold dead flat constant current regulation all the way down to 2.7V. However, there doesn't seem to be any of these on the market. Why there aren't I don't know. :thumbsdow


FYI, I've added the GD range to the list.

Edit: And the SOB range.


----------



## rolling

Does anyone know a methode to adapt the 14mm drivers to 17mm? Id like to put a SOB750 in my LM M1-T.


----------



## TorchBoy

rolling said:


> Does anyone know a methode to adapt the 14mm drivers to 17mm? Id like to put a SOB750 in my LM M1-T.


It's spelled "KENNAN".  Or would be, if they were in stock. :shakehead


----------



## rolling

TorchBoy said:


> It's spelled "KENNAN".  Or would be, if they were in stock. :shakehead



No. The Kennan needs a bit of Vin above Vout to run in regulation, dont remember the exakt value but it does not run in regulation from a singel 18650 if the Forwardvoltage at 750mA is at 3.7V. And after it goes out of regulation it does not go into direkt drive. It continues to work at a quite low mA count. If i recall correctly. I did test one. Correct me if i am wrong, it was quite a while ago.


Edit: I thing it was the 4-18V issue.

Edit2: - Total input voltage must be 1-3V higher than output voltage, depending on the number of LED that you need. If you are running two LED, your battery voltage should ~2V higher than the LED total VF. If you are running one LED, your battery voltage should be ~1V higher than the LED VF.
So it would work for 2xRCR123a and 2xCR123a not for 1x18650. The badboy would work for all 3 configurations.


----------



## JB01245

Any thought on this one?

http://www.cutter.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=cut755


----------



## sunspot

I’m having trouble getting an answer on another board but maybe I can here. Get an answer that is.
I want a drop-in module for a 2AA Mini-Mag.
The Terralux Extreme is, well, not very extreme. The K2 flip chip on it is only OK, not great.

Here is the question. What board can I use to drive a high output Cree/Seoul LED? I don’t mind if the light gets very warm, just not hand burning.

The problem with the Terralux is it’s insulated from the flashlight body and head so I understand that it can’t be cranked up to 11.

I need one built for me as my eyes are weak and my hands are no longer steady for making my own stuff.

Can anyone help?


----------



## TorchBoy

sunspot said:


> ... I understand that it can’t be cranked up to 11.


What does that mean?

Does anyone know why the Kennan board has appeared on KD's new arrivals page (page 2) when it's not a new arrival and none of its details have changed? Same price, same "Out of Stock – Ship in 1 to 4 weeks" availability. Are the items listed there really just random selections to give the impression something is happening?


----------



## Bogus1

TorchBoy, my store software just picks out selections to claim as "new" and theirs is likely the same. It's kind of annoying really. Only new items should be listed as new.


----------



## sunspot

sunspot said:


> I understand that it can’t be cranked up to 11.





TorchBoy said:


> What does that mean?



It’s a reference to the movie “Spinal Tap” where one of the players amp will go past the maximum of 10.


----------



## KrisP

Is there a buck driver with multimodes other than those from TaskLED? Unfortunately, TaskLED's Australian distributor is ridiculously priced and unreliable. TaskLED won't bypass their Aussie distributor either


----------



## fxstsb

bFlex really impresses me. Price is impressive too. What more could one ask than to be programmable?


----------



## TorchBoy

fxstsb said:


> bFlex really impresses me. Price is impressive too. What more could one ask than to be programmable?


YMMV, but affordable works for me. Yes, that price is quite impressive.


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Led-Tech constant current 30V board - added to to-do list (post 2).


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Possible alternative source for the Kennan driver added to post 1.


----------



## tnuckels

ARCMania (aka. Michael Jordan, aka. MJ) makes driver boards. You’ll need to contact him for a list and to see if they’re widely available for sale.


----------



## kavvika

Just as a heads up, the KD "Kennan" drive board is back in stock.

I know alot of you were feverishly looking for good replacements to no avail, like I was. So order them while you can!

Apparently the board went through a small redesign, but an updated picture of the proper way to wire the board can be found in post #40 of this thread.

I'm still wondering how to wire it up to power say, 3 LED's powered by 4 Li-Ion cells. Is it a simple matter of making sure the Vin is always ~2V above Vout then wiring the LED's up in series? Or am I better off using one driver per LED with 2x Li-Ion cells (making sure they can handle the current draw)?


----------



## TorchBoy

KENNAN IS IN STOCK!  _Edit: NOT in stock. They just say they are._ :thumbsdow

:buddies::grouphug:

(Do I sound a little excited?)

There are new photos there too.

Edit, OK, so I spent a few minutes putting in an order. I _would_ have posted first. Priorities, you understand. :laughing:


----------



## Probedude

I just placed an order for some Kennans and the sku 3150 from KD.
Time to mod some lights and make a drop in for my mag!


----------



## TorchBoy

kavvika said:


> I'm still wondering how to wire it up to power say, 3 LED's powered by 4 Li-Ion cells. Is it a simple matter of making sure the Vin is always ~2V above Vout then wiring the LED's up in series?


Yes, it's that simple. If I understand it correctly there needs to be a little excess voltage to allow for a small drop across the set resistor, so it'll stay in regulation.


----------



## TorchBoy

I've split the new Kennan board listing from the old one, but kept the old one for sentimental, er, historical and comparison value reasons. Has anyone actually received them from an order placed since they were said to be in stock?


----------



## TorchBoy

Added the 8x AMC7135 double board from KD.

Is it worth adding NetKidz' multimode AMC7135 P7 driver to the main list?


----------



## TorchBoy

The price of the Kennan (v2) has gone up slightly from $3.10 to $3.44. Makes a kit like this more attractive.


----------



## Raymond

3-mode 4x7135 driver has been discontinued/unavailable. I ordered one a week ago, but got a refund 2 days ago.

Too bad, I liked the simple low-mid-high config of this board.


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks Raymond, I've updated the list. Is that the board that some people recently got with only three chips instead of four?


----------



## AMD64Blondie

Question: do these regulator boards drop-in without any other mods?
(Reason I'm asking is, I'd really like to make my 3-D Mag85 regulated).


----------



## TorchBoy

TorchBoy said:


> Is that the board that some people recently got with only three chips instead of four?


Yes, as discussed in this thread.



AMD64Blondie said:


> Question: do these regulator boards drop-in without any other mods?
> (Reason I'm asking is, I'd really like to make my 3-D Mag85 regulated).


I wouldn't describe them as drop-in since they need to be soldered. But if there's room, certainly a regulator could be put in.


----------



## katsyonak

TorchBoy said:


> Added the 8x AMC7135 double board from KD.



I just got this driver, but I'm not sure how to connect it.

This is one side of it:






And this is the other:





Can anyone please help on how to connect this driver?

Thank you!


----------



## TorchBoy

Hi katsyonak. The red and black wires as shown in the first photo go to the LED. The red wire is also positive battery. The negative battery goes to the ring around the outside of either board, which in practice is any of the contacts around the edge (six per side) or the ground contact (that's the large one) of the AMC7135 chips.


----------



## katsyonak

Thanks for the fast answer TorchBoy! :twothumbs


----------



## 1 what

Hi TorchBoy,
Found this thread tonight.
May all your photons be supercharged! Fantastic thread. 
Thank you (and all other contributors) for all this data in the 1 place.:twothumbs:twothumbs:twothumbs


----------



## TorchBoy

katsyonak said:


> Thanks for the fast answer TorchBoy! :twothumbs


You are very welcome.



1 what said:


> May all your photons be supercharged! Fantastic thread.


 Thanks very much.


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Added KD's AMC7135-based two mode regulator board. http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4659

There's also a five pack available. http://www.kaidomain.com/WEBUI/ProductDetail.aspx?TranID=4660


----------



## TorchBoy

*Re: Driver board list / regulator board list*

Lots of new drivers from DX, but the titles are a bit confusing - the 1*3W surely would need three times the current of the 1*1W?
http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/just.released~date.6-7-2008


----------



## R290

TorchBoy said:


> KENNAN IS IN STOCK!  _Edit: NOT in stock. They just say they are._ :thumbsdow
> 
> :buddies::grouphug:
> 
> (Do I sound a little excited?)
> 
> There are new photos there too.
> 
> Edit, OK, so I spent a few minutes putting in an order. I _would_ have posted first. Priorities, you understand. :laughing:


 

I just got my order in and connected it to 10vdc and the driver lasted about 10 seconds. Same power source as I used for my LED Supply Buck Puck. anybody have a data sheet for these?

Edit 10vdc transformer


----------



## TorchBoy

That doesn't sound good, R290. I've noticed that some 12V transformers can output 18V unloaded. Could you measure it and check that it wasn't giving too many volts?

If you got three of them how come there are four packages on the left? Two orders? How long from time of order until they were shipped?


----------



## R290

I will measure it. I only had one led connected, I will add a second or third in series. I can also try a 12volt car jumper battery too.

Some how they got my order mixed up and sent double what I ordered.  The other items are some red LEDs I ordered for the heck of it.

*Order time one month*. I ordered on May 5th and got them June 6th


----------



## TorchBoy

I've added a couple of mains powered buck regulators to the list. This should keep the moaners happy who kept complaining that DX's drivers could only power one LED at a time. Both work off universal AC (85-265 V AC in) and regulate at a constant 320 mA. The PA30 at $5.99 drives five to seven 1 W LEDs at 16-26 V out, while the PA38 at $8.28 drives nine to twelve 1 W LEDs at 27-42 V out. (No, I don't know why those LED counts don't meet when the voltages come so close to overlapping.)


----------



## TorchBoy

Added a couple of AA step-up boards from DX. ... And changed some KD links to similar boards at DX, since KD seems to have lost some products. It's times like this when a site upgrade became more of an up_grate_.


----------



## Black Rose

DX also carries various combinations of the AMC7135 boards.

Might consider adding those for the folks that don't want to deal with KD, but they are easy to find on DX.


----------



## TorchBoy

I've taken out all the non-working links to KD AMC7135 boards and put in DX equivalents for most of them.

Also added a new link to a KD P7 buck driver.


----------



## StefanFS

I got some of these from KD yesterday: *P7 "3 amp" 3-mode driver**.* $12.01. Buck regulator, *5.5-15.5 V* in. 

I put one in a 2D Mag and used 6AA eneloop in a mdocod battery holder. Output is almost identical with the simple 8xAMC7135 that KD sell. Output is a bit lower than my Mags driven at 3A when tested in lightbox and throw. So it's a bit lower than 3A on 6 eneloop. I didn't feel any insatiable need to measure mA to led because of the observations in this post.

It has pwm flicker on low so it's about 100 Hz. I notice the pwm on medium but I'm sensitive. No flicker on high. 

There's no memory function. It comes on in the next mode next time you turn it on. It also gets warm on 6 AA, on 8AA it gets scorching hot.

It doesn't function with one D LiION, it needs more voltage to work. I don't know how much but with 4.2 Volt=no light.

A one level mod might exist but as the driver relies on switching to a lower output mode for thermal protection (and it gets hot) that might complicate things.


----------



## rayman

StefanFS said:


> I got some of these from KD yesterday: *P7 "3 amp" 3-mode driver**.* $12.01. Buck regulator, *5.5-15.5 V* in.
> 
> I put one in a 2D Mag and used 6AA eneloop in a mdocod battery holder. Output is almost identical with the simple 8xAMC7135 that KD sell. Output is a bit lower than my Mags driven at 3A when tested in lightbox and throw. So it's a bit lower than 3A on 6 eneloop. I didn't feel any insatiable need to measure mA to led because of the observations in this post.
> 
> It has pwm flicker on low so it's about 100 Hz. I notice the pwm on medium but I'm sensitive. No flicker on high.
> 
> There's no memory function. It comes on in the next mode next time you turn it on. It also gets warm on 6 AA, on 8AA it gets scorching hot.
> 
> It doesn't function with one D LiION, it needs more voltage to work. I don't know how much but with 4.2 Volt=no light.
> 
> A one level mod might exist but as the driver relies on switching to a lower output mode for thermal protection (and it gets hot) that might complicate things.



That doesn't sound like the perfect driver board. But I will try it on my own anyways. If I don't like I will try the double 1400mA driver boards from DX.

rayman


----------



## CM

tag for later reading


----------



## TorchBoy

I've just done a bit of cleaning up, including promoting several drivers from the to-do list. I also realised I had mixed up DX's AA drivers 7880 and 7882  so the latter is now listed separately, while 7880 and 7881 are the AA/AAA pair of drivers.

Edit: More cleaning up - I managed to mix up the MR-16 drivers and their mains driven counterparts. I'm getting worried now. :sweat:


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks VegasF6, somehow I had missed the 1 amp Badboy. Now added.

FWIW I buy lower priced drivers! To make the list as useful as possible I've included as wide a price range as I thought seemed practical. I know I've left out several $50+ drivers, so to rectify that (no pun intended) I've added a $55 version of the Shark.  I think the Xitanium drivers also fall into that price range.

PS. What's the difference between a Shark and a BLUE Shark?


----------



## J.D.

TorchBoy said:


> PS. What's the difference between a Shark and a BLUE Shark?


according to the shoppe the blue one runs cooler


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks J.D. I guess that means it's more efficient.


----------



## J.D.

hm, don't konw if they are more efficient ...

"The next batch of boards will have improved thermal performance and also be blue. The blue Sharks will raise the output voltage to 32V or so. Also, the input current can be up to 3A with proper heatsinking. The max usable on the existing Shark is around 2A on the input.

Wayne"

but if there is less heat generation logically it should be more efficient...


----------



## TorchBoy

Ah, I do remember seeing a mention that a heatsink was built in. "This Shark has the new copper heatsink soldered on." That would explain why it's cooler.


----------



## LuxLuthor

Thanks for your efforts in compiling and updating this list. Great resource! :thumbsup:


----------



## Wok

Hi Ian,

This supplier is probably of interest to Australian users only.
http://www.soluscorp.com.au/products2.html
The mains drivers under their brand-name are local electricity commission approved. I have been advised that Microdrivers do not have local approval - but I haven't verified that information.


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks Lux.



Wok said:


> http://www.soluscorp.com.au/products2.html



"Both 350*MA* and 700*MA* versions are available allowing both 1*wt* and 3*wt* Luxeons to be driven" - makes me wonder if they know what a unit symbol is. Do they sell retail?


----------



## Wok

TorchBoy said:


> "Both 350*MA* and 700*MA* versions are available allowing both 1*wt* and 3*wt* Luxeons to be driven" - makes me wonder if they know what a unit symbol is. *Do they sell retail?*



Sort of, they have moved into manufacturing LED fittings/housings etc. Apparently the website is quite old. I bought a PowerLED 8 to use up some orphan LEDs...probably overcautious  The unit has their house-label...cost A$35+GST...


----------



## Cemoi

Thanks TorchBoy for this useful list.

A newbie question: can any of these drivers be used to power a Nichia GS LED?
The Micropuck data sheet says it can "power strings of 5 mm LEDs", but the 350 mA output current is much higher than the 30 mA specified current for the Nichia GS, so I'm puzzled.


----------



## 5kids

Great list of drivers, although I've never scratch built or modified any drivers...yet. I'm disappointed by the general offering of 12V drivers suitable for automotive and RV camping applications. I've searched DX and KD trying to find an afforable 12V driver so I can build LED replacements for my battery killing incadecents that are used in my travel trailer. The price of the start mounted LED's aren't the problem for me, its the drivers. I figure I need a driver that can handle 11.5 to 13 volts, which should be the nearly dead to charging the battery range.
BTW, I've got 4 single fixtures and about 8 double lamp fixtures I'd like to modify. For the doubles, I would like to use 2 LED's (one for each diffuser lens) and one driver.


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks guys, and it's still a work in progress! (Darn KD dead links.)

Cemoi, have you seen a document called MicroPuck-Applications.pdf? It shows the MicroPuck is quite versatile, and can be used as a boost driver, or as a buck driver, or as a buck/boost driver. For each it states that the LEDs must be connected whenever power is applied, and that the setup is suitable for a 1W LED or 15 x 5mm LEDs in *parallel*. There's no mention of series strings, so the datasheet is wrong or at the least misleading.

5kids, I made a few of my own drivers, but good quality FETs are expensive here, and after I found the inexpensive drivers from DX (and KD) that do just what I want I never looked back. So I now spend my modding time putting lights together or modding my previous mods, rather than building drivers.

I figure an automotive driver should be comfortable over at least the range 10-16V. I've used what used to be called a Kennan from KD to make a very nice car interior light. If I had wanted a lower current than the stock 750 mA I'd replace the 0.27 ohm set resistor with something with a larger value. Higher than 750 mA the efficiency drops.

Sdaly that particular board isn't sold any more but their updated version is. Unfortunately it behaves somewhat differently and the specs are not what the page says. It's more complicated to use than the original and may have trouble at 12 V.

A Kennan variant is used in this P60 drop-in module. It comes with a Cree XR-E R2 so if you want that and the reflector etc it's quite good value. Note, though, that it probably has its output set to 1 amp.

The MR16 base drivers should also work. You won't need the rectifier diodes, so they could be shorted out. Edit: I wonder, though... 12 V*rms* AC will be rectified to 17 V DC minus a couple of Schottky diodes, or about 16.4 V DC, give or take... I _think_ it should still work with 12 V DC. Anyone want to run a test to find their limits and efficiency?


----------



## Cemoi

TorchBoy said:


> Cemoi, have you seen a document called MicroPuck-Applications.pdf?


Yes, I remember reading this document but the 15 x 5mm LEDs in parallel had escaped my attention, thanks for pointing it out.



> it states that (...) the setup is suitable for a 1W LED or 15 x 5mm LEDs in *parallel*.


OK, it makes more sense WRT the specified 20 mA current for 5 mm LEDs.

Any suggestion for a boost driver for 5 mm LEDs with a Vf=3.5V like the Nichias?


----------



## TorchBoy

Yeah, that's the document. I must have renamed my copy.

For driving a single 5mm LED from an AA you could make your own Joule Thief. There's even an instruction video on YouTube. I'm _still_ wondering why some Americans pronounce solder as "sodder" but does that sort of thing fit the bill?


----------



## Cemoi

TorchBoy said:


> For driving a single 5mm LED from an AA you could make your own Joule Thief.



Interesting, thanks.
But I'm worried about "_The amazing thing about this circuit is that it will run right down to about 0.35V if left running continuously_". This means that if I forget to switch off the light it will ruin the AAA NiMH batteries I plan to use.

On the other hand, I'm surprised such a driver is not available off the shelf. What about the lights using a 5 mm Nichia, powered by a single AAA (e.g. Fenix E01, Streamlight microstream, Arc AAA)?


----------



## TorchBoy

The idea behind the Joule Thief is that you use it for alkaline cells that are too flat for any other purpose. I have a box of semi-flat alkalines here that occasionally get used for clocks, but I think they're multiplying because clocks use so little power. Like you say, it wouldn't be good for a NiMH cell if you forgot about it for a week.

The trouble with single AA/AAA lights (like this) is that there's very little information about what voltage they run the cell down to, so you're really no better off. Perhaps it would be best to use the Joule Thief and change the cell twice a week (if it's used continuously).

Edit: Wow, 3,000th post. Time flies when you're having fun!


----------



## filibuster

How different is the joule thief from the SMJLED PR2 bulb that the Sandwich Shoppe sells/sold? If you've seen the innerds of a SMJLED there are a lot of similarities.


----------



## TorchBoy

I guess no one else has seen the innards of a SMJLED PR2 bulb. I haven't. Perhaps you could post a photo, filibuster.


----------



## filibuster

TorchBoy said:


> I guess no one else has seen the innards of a SMJLED PR2 bulb. I haven't. Perhaps you could post a photo, filibuster.


Sorry 'bout that. Here's a link to another post that shows it torn apart. 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/128801

Scroll down about half way through the first post and one of the picts shows labels and info for each part of the circuit.


----------



## TorchBoy

It looks interesting, but rather different. There are more than twice as many components, for a start.


----------



## filibuster

5kids said:


> ...yet. I'm disappointed by the general offering of 12V drivers suitable for automotive and RV camping applications.


There was mentioned on the 2nd post a list of drivers from:
http://www.besthongkong.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=driver

The XtraLED models with built in drivers may work for what you are needing.


----------



## TorchBoy

filibuster said:


> The XtraLED models with built in drivers may work for what you are needing.


Some of those look quite good, or at least useful. I presume RH is the efficiency? (What does RH stand for?) I see they can't space "a lot" properly.


----------



## Oznog

Can we include the info on what driver chips are on-board these things? That's good information.

The MR16 1*3W, 3*1W etc I know are PT4105, I have some here.

I'd really like to know what the KaiDomain P7 3 amp driver has on it. There are 2 ICs there but what are they??

Like *5kids*, I'm looking for ones suitable for automotive. As such, "12V" is unclear. Automotive runs up to 14.8V and has the possibility of larger spikes, but 12V may mean =<12V not a 12v car system.

Knowing the driver chip at least gives some idea. The other limiting factors are input capacitor voltage ratings, the inductance & freq used (higher buck ratios create more ripple), and if it uses constant-Toff mode. So it's hard to say from the vaguely described KaiDomain/DealExtreme ads.


----------



## TorchBoy

I agree it's useful information. I've added it to a few of the drivers' info.

The PT4105 is used in the Kennan (of which the first version was one of my favourites). Does that mean the MR16 drivers can cope with the same 5-18 V DC range? (Give or take a bit of voltage drop across the rectifier diodes if they're not shorted out.)

One of my main aims of the list is to make it as useful as possible to end users, so if I can state what the actual input voltage range each board can cope with it makes it clear straight away whether they are suitable for automotive purposes. Mind you, I should mention somewhere what the appropriate range is.


----------



## Oznog

MR16 has the PT4105 which has a 18V max and 20V Absolute Max Vin. A bit intolerant of spikes for automotive duty but not that far off. It has a 25V input cap so that's fine. The problem is likely the inductor which looks way too small to provide an acceptable ripple at high step-down ratios, though there's no value listed on it.


----------



## TorchBoy

_Added:_ *8 mode 3.7-8.4 V.* $7.35 for two-pack. Buck regulator based on Zetex C310 chip. Output 800-1000 mA on high. Modes 100%, 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, SOS, strobe, fade in & out. No reverse polarity protection.


----------



## MorePower

Just measured a DX sku.4382 board driving a Seoul P4. I'll try to post full data when I have a chance, but efficiency is actually pretty good. The circuit draws a between 1250 and 1400mA, which decreases as Vin increases.





Code:


Vin     Iin        Vled    I led    Eff
1.0V    1370mA     3.16V   290mA    67%
1.4     1390       3.27    440      74%
1.9     1330       3.38    575      77%
2.3     1270       3.41    685      80%
2.6     1240       3.45    765      82%
3.0     1250       3.53    870      82%


Numbers are rounded slightly in some cases. I didn't feel like typing so many numbers in by hand. Yes, I am lazy.


----------



## TorchBoy

I take it you didn't get the same too-low Vout that drewfus99gt got when he tested that board? 67% at 1.0 V seems rather good.


----------



## MorePower

TorchBoy said:


> I take it you didn't get the same too-low Vout that drewfus99gt got when he tested that board? 67% at 1.0 V seems rather good.



Nope. No problems with any of my measurements. Based on my unscientific monitoring of the temperature of the circuit (I touched it, and it was running warmer at 1.0 Vin than at 3.0 Vin), I'd say that my numbers are fairly accurate. The thing is, since Iin is relatively constant at around 1.3A, you need to use this circuit with either rechargeables or D cells if using alkaline cells. I'll add the Iin and Vled data shortly.


----------



## gOhAsE

@Morepower:
When did you receive your sku.4382 boards?
I received this board instead of the pictured one mid August.





And trying to use it with ~2.5V (2x NiMH AA) results in a current draw around 2A. :thumbsdow


----------



## VegasF6

Kaidomain added a new board today. As far as I know it isn't being discussed yet. It is simply listed as Boost and Buck circuit for XR-E Q5. No specs listed, but I just ordered some to play with. 

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=5314

If any of the components look familiar to you or any other comments, let me know. Who knows, maybe we have a winner...


----------



## Nos

please let it be 1,2A board. 

the only good 1,2A driver i know so far is the one in L-Mini 18650 version.


----------



## manne

VegasF6 said:


> Kaidomain added a new board today. As far as I know it isn't being discussed yet. It is simply listed as Boost and Buck circuit for XR-E Q5. No specs listed, but I just ordered some to play with.
> 
> http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=5314
> 
> If any of the components look familiar to you or any other comments, let me know. Who knows, maybe we have a winner...



The SO8 IC is a PIC (12F629), so it will have more than 1 mode.
I predict that efficiency will be poor on dimmed modes.


----------



## VegasF6

manne said:


> The SO8 IC is a PIC (12F629), so it will have more than 1 mode.
> I predict that efficiency will be poor on dimmed modes.


 

Hmm, then perhaps someone with a pic chip programmer will be able to flash these.


----------



## 5kids

manne said:


> The SO8 IC is a PIC (12F629),.


Hey that's a Microchip part! I work for Microchip, but I don't have anything to do with chip design or programming...perhaps its time I get some "sample" parts.


----------



## TorchBoy

VegasF6 said:


> It is simply listed as Boost and Buck circuit for XR-E Q5. No specs listed, but I just ordered some to play with.
> 
> http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=5314


It looks like a work in progress. Hello? Can you read this? SHÖD I TEIP LRGIR OR SHOWT? At least someone spelled Cree correctly.


----------



## VegasF6

DX has it now too. I think it is the same one anyhow. Sku 15880. It does say 5 mode. For 5 DX is a hair higher.


----------



## tedsti

Has anyone tried these drivers from TCTEC?
http://www.emx.net.au/leddriver.htm


----------



## gunga

VegasF6 said:


> DX has it now too. I think it is the same one anyhow. Sku 15880. It does say 5 mode. For 5 DX is a hair higher.


 


Hmm, is this new? I never noticed this one before. COuld be ideal for 1-2 AA type mods (with 14500 support). Anyone want to test this out? I may have to get one myself. I am interested in this!

I'd love to see some specs on this. Weird, lots of components on the bottom side tho...


----------



## kosPap

guys I have just completed some measurements of the KD flavor.

First of all it is a 3 groups-many modes board as following:
1. Low-Med-High
2. Low-Med-High-Strobe-SOS
3. Low-Med-High-Strobe-Warning Strobe (3 rapid blinks)-2Hz beacon-1Hz Beqacon-7 sec beacon-SOS

And here is what I measured:







So....this mode is going in a D26 module with 2AAs in a 3 cell Surefire, IF I find a way to lengthen the +contact spring!


----------



## kosPap

_Greetings all!_
_ _
_these are soem raw data from measurements of mine on 4 boards:_
_ _
_Dx 3256, KD 4982 Keenan (lattest version), unknown keenan variant (previous versiopn) and the driver pulled from a Derrelight 1SM-1 module. caution on the latter, it is a *6V maximum driver!!!!!*_
_ _
*tables deleted*
_ _
_I am rather short on time so I will be updating thsi post with better tables and graphs within 2 days. _
_ _
_till then, Stay cool Kostas_


----------



## kosPap

*Updates 11/30/08*

_i) I have inserted revised tables with a Lux per Watt inputed_
_ii) I have added some measurements of the driver of the Ultrafire C2 P4-bin HaIII flashlight_
_iii) I linked a table that compares the drivers hooked to 2xCR123 batts_

well I have almost deactivated the above post. This is the new version of it.

*Method and Details*

All measurements (even current) were taken with a DMM. I did not get in the trouble of mmeasuring current with a high precision resistance ‘cos my results are regular and right on the mark of the good drivers (Derrelight) specs.

I started with a number of AA MiMh batteries mainly for economy and easy duplication reasons. Somehow I was not satisfied and had a strange feeling so midway through the tests I added some CR123s combination. Maybe because I had noticed a trends for all the boards to fall out/in regulation somewhere between 3&4AA voltage.

My primary interest is 2xCR123 use and for just in case I added two old partly depleted Battery Station batts. Just to see how the driver performs in real life. Do notice how much these batts shag under load? (Tom a.k.a Silverfox how about if we chip-in some old ones for you to test?)

*A General Observation.*

MY lightbox is MY lightbox and I can only give you a reference. When I measure about 200 lumens I am around the 550 Lux figure. In this case though, you should expect 580+ ‘cos measurements are made with a bare drop-in hence not accounting with flashlight body/switch resistance an glass losses.






First of all, I have a major observation/question with this board. When using lithium primary batteries efficiency changes while the input voltage and current draw are similar (3AA-2CR123 & 6AA & 3CR123 comparison). If my measurements are correct the performance with lithiums is Tasty!

My knowledge is limited and I do not know how to express this phenomenon but this driver seems linear in performance. The more you feed it the more it outputs.






Ok you get it! I was desperately lucky cos I kept feeding it more power beyond specs!
Anyway, this is a hottie! 1 Amp Straight. 






Now why does we have the case od the DX3256 board in reverse? This driver gets less efficient when you feed it with NiMh…Go figure.
The only certain thing is that it is ment to be used with higher than 2xCR123 voltages.
Since versions of it can be found in most generic P60 drop-ins my measurements verify what I have experienced and heard from others. You buy these modules to get 300 lumens (200 realistically) that are achieved with 1amp of current. And you do not even get them cos with 2CR123s it outputs less….






This unknown version (more here) is close to the new one. All seems good

Anyway I am pleased with it ‘cos having experienced a good amount of heat with it I thought it would waste much more power than it finally does. My 2 Surefires are now set with 3xCR123 so I AM getting 1amp after all!

*Update:*
Here are some tets results of the driver found in an Ultrafire C2 P4-bin HaIII flashlight






Pretty Impressive hah?

BTW here is a table that compares the five drivers when used with 2xCR123 batts. (well that was my need assembling a new C2 from parts) http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/953/drivercomparisonev4.jpg

That is all for now, Kostas


----------



## KowShak

kosPap said:


> guys I have just completed some measurements of the KD flavor.
> 
> First of all it is a 3 groups-many modes board as following:
> 1. Low-Med-High
> 2. Low-Med-High-Strobe-SOS
> 3. Low-Med-High-Strobe-Warning Strobe (3 rapid blinks)-2Hz beacon-1Hz Beqacon-7 sec beacon-SOS
> 
> And here is what I measured:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So....this mode is going in a D26 module with 2AAs in a 3 cell Surefire, IF I find a way to lengthen the +contact spring!


 
Is that the KD "Boost and Buck circuit for XR-E Q5" at KD i.e. sku.15880 at DX?

How does it compare with DX sku.7882 ?


----------



## kosPap

indeed it is...
BTW i was meaning to ask in due time.....is there a way to make this board a single mode????

well I have a suingle piece of 7882 just in case. So what I have done with it is put it in a ziploc wih a label only....sorry


----------



## KowShak

kosPap said:


> indeed it is...
> BTW i was meaning to ask in due time.....is there a way to make this board a single mode????
> 
> well I have a suingle piece of 7882 just in case. So what I have done with it is put it in a ziploc wih a label only....sorry


 
It would be interesting to see how the two compare both in terms of performance (brightness) and in terms of efficiency.

I'm trying to decide which to use in a high performance 2xAA light, the efficiency of 15880 isn't great on 2 2xAA at 63%, is 7882 any better? Can it deliver the same current?


----------



## kosPap

KowShak, if you are reffering to me I do not see making anymore tests any time soon.

All, I have updated post #138 with revised tables and more measurements.

CYA, Kostas


----------



## KowShak

kosPap said:


> KowShak, if you are reffering to me I do not see making anymore tests any time soon.
> 
> All, I have updated post #138 with revised tables and more measurements.
> 
> CYA, Kostas


 
Well, that was what I was hinting at, although they're not expensive so I'll order one of each and have a play. Hopefully I can produce some data which is as useful as yours. There are a couple of questions I have relating to testing drivers. 

A high Vf LED means a boost driver has to do a bigger step up and that may effect efficiency, so does the forward voltage of the LED matter? 

Some drivers die if they're run without an LED connected, how careful would I have to be about making sure the circuit is properly connected to the LED? Do you solder everything semi-permanantly?


----------



## kosPap

KowShak said:


> Well, that was what I was hinting at, although they're not expensive so I'll order one of each and have a play. Hopefully I can produce some data which is as useful as yours. There are a couple of questions I have relating to testing drivers.
> 
> A high Vf LED means a boost driver has to do a bigger step up and that may effect efficiency, so does the forward voltage of the LED matter?
> 
> Some drivers die if they're run without an LED connected, how careful would I have to be about making sure the circuit is properly connected to the LED? Do you solder everything semi-permanantly?


 

1. Man these days time is precious for me....you cannot even pay me a million to redirect me from my purposes/plan/likes....I ahd to ask for a 2 week off filed work to calm down...

2. Probably, but I am not teh proper person to tel you with 100% certainty.

3. Indeed all driver, LED connectiosn are soldered. Rest is crocodile clips. 
In order to get good practicla results I installed the LED in a P60 module, soldered wires on the led and fed them through the holes. So it was a jiffy to put the module over the lightbox hole and measure real life performace.
Now this module is no more, cos I added the 15880 board (finnally)

BYW there is a mod to use such a board in a P60 module and I hope by tomorrow it wil be completed an pics added....

All the best, kostas


----------



## KowShak

I noticed that you started a thread about your test setup.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/214469

There are definately some useful details in there, I'll use that as a starting point for the testing that I may do.

Thanks Kostas.


----------



## kosPap

yep... but do not forget that a proper tetsbed needs good heatsinking for the LED and Driver....

I have not made amenities for this yet (for my own reasons) but if you must start from scratch you better make it a good one.


----------



## waTom

Hi,

Does anyone know whether the sku.7882 driver is a boost only or is it buck/boost?

Thanks very much,

Tom


----------



## ironmang

Does anyone know of a driver i can use to power a p7 if i have 3 D sized Li-ons hooked up in parallel ? 

So my input would be 3.5-4.2 v at 15A


----------



## VegasF6

waTom said:


> Hi,
> 
> Does anyone know whether the sku.7882 driver is a boost only or is it buck/boost?
> 
> Thanks very much,
> 
> Tom


 
Tom, to the best of my knowledge, that driver is boost only, it is voltage based, not constant current. Truth is, it isn't really constant voltage either, it depends stronly on your input voltage, but it will boost. One source I have found claims that if your voltage in is higher than voltage out, it will direct drive.
http://www.e-lectronics.net/driver-board-input-voltage-8v7v-njg18-p-422.html
I haven't tested this board with greater than 3 volts personally.

Ironmang:
Since your voltages will be very near VF of the P7 one possible option for you will be a linear regulator. It should be pretty efficient for you, though I don't know the VF of your particular led. What is the bin code of what you have purchased? You can use an amc7135 based board, here is a thread discussing it:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201392
Or this one:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/195358
You could also probably get away with a simple resistor, though it would dim sooner than it would with a linear. I am sure there are other options, but this might get you going in the right direction.


----------



## ironmang

the p7 i'm using is a j bin - DSXOJ


----------



## VegasF6

ironmang said:


> the p7 i'm using is a j bin - DSXOJ


 
The J bin P7's have a higher forward voltage of course. You can still use the amc7135 drivers, but your time in regulation will be shorter than it would with an "I." The amc7135 is a "low voltage dropout" regulator, but as near as I can tell, it still drops something like .2 volts from the regulator. If you choose to keep the reverse polarity diodes inline, you would lose even more voltage, so you would probably choose to lose them. So, you start with something like 4.2 volts from your cells, drop .2 at least from that, giving you 4.0. J bin P7 can be as high as 3.75VF at that current rate, so you will quickly be below that voltage, even with your massive battery bank. Something like 85-90% of your battery life will be below VF. Now, that isn't a bad thing per say, but it does mean you won't be seeing full brightness. You may want to look in the Der Wichtel buck driver, I think it is rated up to 25V, and running your battery pack serial. 
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/201981
I haven't really read much up on it, but to the best of my knowledge it is a voltage regulator, not current. I think you hook up your load and adjust the voltage via onboard pot until you see the current you want. I don't know what, if anything has been done to protect against thermal runaway, but I haven't seen any complaints.

Oh yah, another option is the "shark buck" that you can get at the sandwich shoppe.
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_49_61&products_id=1205
As far as I know (I say that a lot  ) it is a current controlled solution.


----------



## waTom

Thanks for the info, Vegas!


----------



## ironmang

thanks Vegas. A bit of a noob here... generally, how can I tell if a regulator regulates current vs voltage or both, and what limits are for current ? most info or specs i've been reading about regulators generally only says what max input voltage they can take, they generally only mention what the output current will be.


----------



## kramer5150

Noob... needing help from the pros.

I want to try using DX:7882 set at ~1.3A out with 3xC cells (or 3xD if I can get them to fit in my host). Has anyone tried this?...I understand the 7882 runs DD when Vin>3.6V. My concern is with the higher capacity cells, it would run direct drive for a longer time than with lower capacity cells. Do you think I will cook a cree R2?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7882

Would I be better off with this driver?
http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_49_61&products_id=1107

thanks


----------



## gillestugan

Please update info on the "kennan" driver. It is now sold in a completely new version based on the AX2002 chip. Design changed early January this year. Please see the "kennan thread" for info.


----------



## filibuster

Torchboy, I like all the extra driver info and better presentation you have on your site: http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/research/drivers_stepup.shtml

I really appreciate the work in keeping up with these drivers!


----------



## Aircraft800

kosPap said:


> guys I have just completed some measurements of the KD flavor.
> 
> First of all it is a 3 groups-many modes board as following:
> 1. Low-Med-High
> 2. Low-Med-High-Strobe-SOS
> 3. Low-Med-High-Strobe-Warning Strobe (3 rapid blinks)-2Hz beacon-1Hz Beqacon-7 sec beacon-SOS
> 
> And here is what I measured:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So....this mode is going in a D26 module with 2AAs in a 3 cell Surefire, IF I find a way to lengthen the +contact spring!


 
I see you guys testing the *SKU: S005872* from Kai:
*Boost and Buck Circuit For CREE XR-E Q5 LED *


which looks exactly like the *sku.15880* from DX:
*17mm 1000mAh 5-Mode with Mode-Memory LEDDriver Circuit Board for Cree XR-E Emitters (0.9~4.5V Input) *

How did you heatsink it, and what components? I haven't seen to much more on this board, or if it is actually broken into A/B/C groups, and how to switch between them.

Thanks!


----------



## kosPap

No I did not heatsink it....saw no reason to since It took a sec to measure....(do not know if it makes a difference if it warms up)

Indeed it is the same though the programming (if it is accurately posted) is different...and I did not test my DX sample yet....


----------



## metlarules

kramer5150 said:


> Noob... needing help from the pros.
> 
> I want to try using DX:7882 set at ~1.3A out with 3xC cells (or 3xD if I can get them to fit in my host). Has anyone tried this?...I understand the 7882 runs DD when Vin>3.6V. My concern is with the higher capacity cells, it would run direct drive for a longer time than with lower capacity cells. Do you think I will cook a cree R2?
> 
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.7882
> 
> Would I be better off with this driver?
> http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.com/product_info.php?cPath=48_49_61&products_id=1107
> 
> thanks


I'm interested to know the same thing.
It seems to be the same board as here http://e-lectronics.net/boost-driver-board-input-voltage-8v7v-njg18-p-422.html


----------



## filibuster

Though this board doesn't lend itself to small flashlights it is a very good and efficient step down DC to DC converter.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Step-Down-DC-DC-Converter-Charger-Regulator-Controller_W0QQitemZ230338695225QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a1419039&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A30

I don't know of another source besides eBay but they have been very good to work with.

The specs listed in the description are accurate at least from the testing I've done using it with a 12v system down to USB 5v type outputs.


----------



## Alan B

Nice list. It helps to sort out some of the differences.

I would separate boost from buck/boost types, and linear from buck. I suppose there are five types:

boost
buck/boost
buck
linear
direct drive (pwm control)

I don't see the HipCC here, the HipFlex or the D2Flex.


----------



## Black Rose

Another circuit board missing is the constant current regulated board used in the L-Mini II, which is available separately from Shiningbeam.

A 3-mode driver with reverse polarity protection, voltage cut-off, and memory.


----------



## TorchBoy

This list is now maintained at http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/research/driverlist.php. Enjoy.


----------



## Alan B

TorchBoy said:


> This list is now maintained at http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/driverlist.php. Enjoy.



Error, web server not found.


----------



## Mr Happy

I'm going to take a wild guess that this is the correct link: :thumbsup:

http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianman/laboratory/research/driverlist.php


----------



## TorchBoy

D'oh! Thanks.


----------



## Alan B

Very Nice web page!!! :twothumbs


----------



## gunga

Just a quick note, I finally tried the 3 mode board from Kai Domain

http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1694

3 modes, low-med-high. $5

3 seconds on to activate memory (must be on 2-3 seconds each time), based on 3 AMC7135 so around 1.1 A max. Uses PWM for low modes, but not too bad.

A pretty good board. May try to add another AMC7135 in the future...


----------



## Black Rose

I assume that it uses PWM for the low and medium modes?

What is the mode order - H/M/L or L/M/H?


----------



## gunga

Black Rose said:


> I assume that it uses PWM for the low and medium modes?
> 
> What is the mode order - H/M/L or L/M/H?


 

Yep, PWM, not too bad tho.

Sequence is L-M-H!


----------



## Black Rose

Now I see you had already mentioned PWM in your original post 

Just wanted to check on the mode sequence because it's shown as H/M/L on the KD site.


----------



## MorePower

gunga said:


> Yep, PWM, not too bad tho.
> 
> Sequence is L-M-H!



Any estimates on current draw for low and medium? Also, what's the highest voltage you've run it on? KD says it's good for up to 6V, but... well, you know how their specs are sometimes.


----------



## gunga

I've only used it with 18650. It's an AMC7135 based board, so 6 V would be maximum, but not super recommended. These are linear regulators.

I have not checked current yet, will try to do so at some point.


----------



## MorePower

gunga said:


> I've only used it with 18650. It's an AMC7135 based board, so 6 V would be maximum, but not super recommended. These are linear regulators.
> 
> I have not checked current yet, will try to do so at some point.



Thanks. I know the 7135s can handle 6V (and since I'd run 4C cells, it wouldn't be 6V for very long); I was more concerned about the IC that controls the PWM. Ah well, I suppose $5 isn't too much in case I burn one up.

Looking forward to any current measurements you take.


----------



## gunga

MorePower said:


> Any estimates on current draw for low and medium? Also, what's the highest voltage you've run it on? KD says it's good for up to 6V, but... well, you know how their specs are sometimes.


 

I did some tests, and had a few issues getting consistent results of low current.

So, current at the tailcap (pretty close to emitter current since this is a linear regulator).

low: 60 mA
med: 350 mA
high: 1.1 Amps

Hope that helps!


----------



## MorePower

gunga said:


> I did some tests, and had a few issues getting consistent results of low current.
> 
> So, current at the tailcap (pretty close to emitter current since this is a linear regulator).
> 
> low: 60 mA
> med: 350 mA
> high: 1.1 Amps
> 
> Hope that helps!



Thanks a lot. Time to order a few! (and wait, and wait, and wait...)


----------



## Black Rose

gunga said:


> Just a quick note, I finally tried the 3 mode board from Kai Domain
> 
> http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1694
> 
> 3 modes, low-med-high. $5


Forgot to ask earlier. 

Does this 3-mode board come with wires, and if so, are they already soldered on?


----------



## gunga

It does come with (short) wires, and no they are not soldered on. I just ended up using some teflon wire I got on cpf.

I have to admit, the only thing that really bugs me is the 2-3 second memory mode. THe PWM is not too bad, and the 3 modes (low to high) are really cool.


----------



## kosPap

Guys did you check Dx latelyZ? There are new boards....Among them a driver taht seems like a new Keenan-type, a new 3xAMC3175 board, and a 4xAMC3175 board with NO modes...
and one of them is 16mm so were are set for D26 module sandwiches easy!


----------



## Essexman

kosPap said:


> Guys did you check Dx latelyZ? There are new boards....Among them a driver taht seems like a new Keenan-type, a new 3xAMC3175 board, and a 4xAMC3175 board with NO modes...
> and one of them is 16mm so were are set for D26 module sandwiches easy!


 
Yep saw those yesterday, and the 3 LED and 5 LED driver boards!


----------



## Black Rose

kosPap said:


> Guys did you check Dx latelyZ? There are new boards....Among them a driver taht seems like a new Keenan-type, a new 3xAMC3175 board, and a 4xAMC3175 board with NO modes...
> and one of them is 16mm so were are set for D26 module sandwiches easy!


I saw those last night. It's too bad they had to toss a strobe mode in the 3-mode ones.


----------



## az113

I think, it may be interesting and useful:
Today I have disassembled Cree R2 drop-in from DX, and have found out that inside is board with IC, on it designations are jammed.



I look very it is attentive, and could read inscriptions on the case.
They say:

Techcode
TD1410
M8733211

This is 2A 380KHZ 20V PWM Buck DC/DC Converter
Datasheet can be found here: TD1410 datasheet

Another module arrived with UltraFire WF-501B Camouflaged Cree R2-WC has a very similar board, with little differences.

Enjoy!


----------



## kosPap

hmmm another version of the Keenan type?

BTW I have measured 2 versions oif the driver and output efficiency is only about 63%!


----------



## kramer5150

kosPap said:


> hmmm another version of the Keenan type?
> 
> BTW I have measured 2 versions oif the driver and output efficiency is only about 63%!



FWIW... I pulled these boards out of my 2 year old 11836 modules.






I don't think the current rendition SKU:11836 is as good as the ones they used to make. The current 11836 barely makes 140 Lumens OTF.:sigh:


----------



## Black Rose

kramer5150 said:


> I don't think the current rendition SKU:11836 is as good as the ones they used to make. The current 11836 barely makes 140 Lumens OTF.:sigh:


I'm looking at skus 11836 or 6090 simply for donor assemblies to swap out the drivers and/or LEDs.


----------



## Black Rose

gunga said:


> It does come with (short) wires, and no they are not soldered on. I just ended up using some teflon wire I got on cpf.
> 
> I have to admit, the only thing that really bugs me is the 2-3 second memory mode. THe PWM is not too bad, and the 3 modes (low to high) are really cool.


Do these circuits have any other features such as over-discharge protection or reverse polarity protection?

I think I'm going to order a few of them and rid my drop-ins of blinkitis


----------



## supasizefries

Maybe I missed it in this thread, but does anyone have a viable driver to supply up to 5A for the Luminus SST-50?


----------



## vestureofblood

Hey all,

I have a couple of questions about the use of some of these drivers.

If a driver uses a PWM for dimming does this mean that turning it on a lower mode will NOT conserve the batteries?

Same question for drivers using the 7135 chip set. Will I get more run time using the low mode on this type of driver?

Thanks.


----------



## TorchBoy

Yes you will conserve your batteries, because using PWM, a driver is drawing the same amount of power from the battery while it's on, but it's only on part of the time. So there's pretty much a linear relationship between the lowness of the mode and how much battery juice it's sucking. The AMC7135 is a fixed current regulator, so to get lower modes it has to be run with PWM, which will give a longer runtime proportionally.

BTW, I've finally got around to adding all the BuckPucks, BoostPucks, MicroPucks etc to the list.


----------



## vestureofblood

Hi Torchboy,

Thank you for responding, and also for compiling this list.


----------



## TorchBoy

Bless ya. And I've just added the BestHongKong drivers.


----------



## smelly

*Kaidomain driver 8846*

Does anybody know where to connect the battery negative on this board http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=9908. I know they normally go to the perimeter of the board but I don't want to risk frying it.


----------



## Aircraft800

I need a Buck driver for a Halloween project with STROBE. It will run of 13.8V Lead Acid battery

13.8V capable Buck Regulated driver
able to run multiple (2-5) 3W LED's (Cree Q5, Seoul P4, equivalent)
Strobe, FAST!, or with on-board pot to adjust frequency
Memory, or only one mode, strobe

It can either be turned off with power, or via switching, as long as it comes on violent strobe mode on demand.

Anyone know of such a driver??


----------



## TorchBoy

smelly said:


> Does anybody know where to connect the battery negative on this board http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=9908. I know they normally go to the perimeter of the board but I don't want to risk frying it.


Are those two pictures the two sides of the board you have? The second one really isn't good quality. Why so many components? It does look like the outer ring is battery negative but I've never used it.



Aircraft800 said:


> I need a Buck driver for a Halloween project with STROBE. It will run of 13.8V Lead Acid battery
> 
> 13.8V capable Buck Regulated driver
> able to run multiple (2-5) 3W LED's (Cree Q5, Seoul P4, equivalent)
> Strobe, FAST!, or with on-board pot to adjust frequency
> Memory, or only one mode, strobe
> 
> It can either be turned off with power, or via switching, as long as it comes on violent strobe mode on demand.
> 
> Anyone know of such a driver??


I don't think a commonly available off-the-shelf driver exists with those requirements, and given the time constraints you'd be lucky to get it and put everything together in time.

But there are ways to do it without ordering a driver. Personally, I'd probably make an astable multivibrator. It would allow me to get whatever strobe period and flash duration I wanted by selecting component values accordingly, with or without potentiometers to change things on the fly.

Edit: Some circuit diagrams show the LED(s) in series with R1 (and R4 if it's not a strobe) with electrolytic capacitors, some circuit diagrams show them in series with the emitter of Q1. R4 could be quite big because you wouldn't need to use any of the current on that side of the multivibrator.


----------



## Aircraft800

TorchBoy,

Thanks for the help! I was hoping there was a driver like used in the Jetbeam I.B.S. I may just have to buy a 25W Mini Strobe Light and operate it via relay. 

I have a Jack-O-Lantern hanging above my door, and inside is a 12V compressor and dual trumpet air-horns that operate via wireless remote. I wanted to ad the strobe to it this year.


----------



## TorchBoy

Aircraft800 said:


> I may just have to buy a 25W Mini Strobe Light and operate it via relay.


That certainly sounds easier.


Aircraft800 said:


> I have a Jack-O-Lantern hanging above my door, and inside is a 12V compressor and dual trumpet air-horns that operate via wireless remote. I wanted to ad the strobe to it this year.


You are evil. Don't forget to take photos. :devil:


----------



## smelly

Hi Torchboy

Yes the photos are of the 2 sides of the board and I don't understand why so many components for a buck driver but yo know what KD's descriptions are like. I momentarily wired it up last night using the outer as battery negative and it drew far too much current. I may have wrecked it.


----------



## BowHunterk

please forgive me as you can see, i am still "Unenlightened". i am working with a 24V battery and an led light that is 4- 3w led and has only on/off. i would like to make it, high, low, strobe. can anyone recomend a driver, puck, drawing, or any help.


----------



## TorchBoy

smelly, I guess you'll have to trace the circuit and see if you can make sense of it.

BowHunterk, the only two drivers in the list that have that sort of input voltage and multiple modes are both from the same place, so I suggest you start there and ask if one can be programmed with the exact modes you want.

http://www.taskled.com/bflex.html (may need the odd dropping diode to cope with a fully charged battery) and http://www.taskled.com/nflex.html.


----------



## BowHunterk

they have stopped production on the nflex but i think the bflex will fit the bill. thank you evryone for all the help i have gotten here! i cant believe i have spent this much time living in the dark. hopefuly after a few more Q&A sessions i can get my degree in electrical engineering. i love this place! lovecpf


----------



## TorchBoy

BowHunterk said:


> they have stopped production on the nflex but i think the bflex will fit the bill.


Strange that it's only mentioned in the fine print. Do check what voltage your fully charged battery is.


----------



## TorchBoy

I added a search page to the list yesterday but it's too unwieldy so I'm adding filtering options to the table header instead. Suggestions, anyone?

Edit: Done.


----------



## vestureofblood

Hello all,

I am trying to figure out some options on how to power a light. I am thinking of 5-6 Q3s and I would like to use a 2d mag so 2xD li-ion will probly be my power source. If possible I would like to have 3 modes or so. And I would prefer not to spend a huge amount of money for the driver part of this project (unless I have to). 

Thanks


----------



## TorchBoy

I'd only plugged in some of your requirements and there was a clear winner.
http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianma...=0&i_out_max=10000&modes=any&order=drivername


----------



## Aircraft800

TorchBoy said:


> That certainly sounds easier.
> 
> You are evil. Don't forget to take photos. :devil:


 
Sorry, these don't belong here, but you asked for a photo. It worked out great, just need the high power strobes for the eyes next year!

Dual Trumpet Air Horns and wireless remote. I got a few scares!


 



I love the new search-able _LED Driver List_. I found exactly the right driver I needed for another project. Too bad the hyperlinks for KD always change, but the search function found them anyway.


----------



## TorchBoy

Aircraft800 said:


> Too bad the hyperlinks for KD always change, but the search function found them anyway.


Man that site is annoying, and now it seems even when I'm not actually trying to use it or buy stuff from it! But the only non-working KD link I could find was my fault, where I had doubled up on the "http://" in the link.

Anyway, I'm glad the list was some help.

That looks like one formidable pumpkin. I'd be afraid to approach your door if I realised what was in its mouth.


----------



## Aircraft800

TB,

The list seems to be down, I need a fix.


----------



## TorchBoy

Ugh. I wonder what happened. Working on it.

Edit: Fixed.


----------



## kosPap

guys, I want to check some things before ordering....

Have a look at this
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=6237

title says it is 1050 Aout but pics show 4x7135 chips..Anyone has purchased some?


----------



## TorchBoy

Isn't Rule #1 about the KD site that you can trust almost nothing it says? For example, how big is it? Most AMC7135 boards are 17 mm diameter, but the (probably wrong) information given says it's 30 mm. What are its 5 modes? I can't see anything about that. _Why do you want to buy it without knowing what it is?_ Do you like lucky dips?

You can get five 5 mode 3xAMC7135 boards from DX for $14.55, and know what you'll be getting. (Although I personally think the 16 mode boards are the best because there's a group with no flash or strobe modes.)


----------



## kosPap

indeed but I ma searching for a 1400mA 5-mode board, or one that has spece to add a 4th chip...


----------



## TorchBoy

kosPap said:


> I ma searching for a 1400mA 5-mode board...


Even if you don't know what the 5 modes are? :thinking:

I guess the best thing is to ask KD directly. Good luck!


----------



## MorePower

Some efficiency results for the 500mA SHO Micropuck driving an XPG R4 from nailbender. I love these things for simple, bulletproof 2 cell Maglite builds.



Code:


     Vin    Iin    Vout    Iout    Eff

      3.000   861   3.106   645   77.6%

      2.900   839   3.095   605   77.0%

      2.800   829   3.086   575   76.4%

      2.700   810   3.075   540   75.9%

      2.600   791   3.064   508   75.7%

      2.500   774   3.054   479   75.6%

      2.350   751   3.037   436   75.0%

      2.200   727   3.020   395   74.6%

      2.000   700   2.995   344   73.6%

      1.750   657   2.961   284   73.1%

      1.500   625   2.922   228   71.1%

      1.000   464   2.798   106   63.9%

Looks like maybe the low Vf of the XPG helps keep Iout higher than 500mA, or else a component in the Micropuck itself isn't properly limiting current to 500mA. Either way, I'll take the extra lumens.

Once I get my 350mA Micropucks from a recent ebay auction win, I'll add that data as well.


----------



## TorchBoy

MorePower said:


> Some efficiency results for the 500mA SHO Micropuck driving an XPG R4 from nailbender.


Thanks for posting that data. Is the Micropuck in the boost configuration or buck/boost?



MorePower said:


> Looks like maybe the low Vf of the XPG helps keep Iout higher than 500mA, or else a component in the Micropuck itself isn't properly limiting current to 500mA.


I'd go with your first theory, especially if you're trying to boost the battery voltage to drive the LED. I don't think their output is well regulated, and 500 mA is probably just a nominal figure for the sake of calling it something. :shrug:


----------



## MorePower

TorchBoy said:


> Thanks for posting that data. Is the Micropuck in the boost configuration or buck/boost?
> 
> 
> I'd go with your first theory, especially if you're trying to boost the battery voltage to drive the LED. I don't think their output is well regulated, and 500 mA is probably just a nominal figure for the sake of calling it something. :shrug:



It's in boost config.


----------



## Fulgeo

kosPap said:


> indeed but I ma searching for a 1400mA 5-mode board, or one that has spece to add a 4th chip...


 
Hey kosPap if you are looking for a buck board to do this you can also just wire in an additional AMC7135 for an additional 330-350 mA. You do not really need the space on the board to accomplish this. I have changed a 2-mode 150mA -1050mA board into a 2-mode 500mA - 1400mA buck board and just last night I added an additional AMC7135 chip to a 3-mode shining beam driver to crank its max output from about 2800mA to 3100mA. It works like a charm. You just have to have a steady hand with your soldering pencil. I got the spare chips from a defective 4xAMC7135 board I had. I also make sure to use AA epoxy to glue the free floating AMC7135 to the heatsink.


----------



## kosPap

indeed! I have seen epople do it with Sandiwch shoppe boards...I think it was dark zero that showed a threesometriple stacking of chips...

Kinda scary though of pulliing it through though


----------



## TorchBoy

The AMC7135 is a very simple and straightforward driver to play with, and as Fulgeo showed they don't all have to be switched by the mode controller (if you're using one). I don't know why more people haven't done that.


----------



## Aircraft800

*Linear Regulator*
*ShiningBeam.com *SKU:1217 
3-Mode Regulated Circuit Board for Cree MC-E and SSC P7 (Not in Stock today, check often) 
Based on the AMC7135 X 8 with 3-Mode Low-Med-High with memory

I've had very good luck with this one so far. I remove the preinstalled LED leads and give it some nice 22ga teflon jacket wire to the P7 emitter and I read 2.78A at the emitter from a IMR 26650 cell fully charged. There is a slight ringing in the Mid mode. No problems with heat when run on high. 

I grabbed 4 of these, and am using 2 now with no problems. I see they go out of stock all the time, but appear once more come in. Download also has these once in a while in his multisink thread.

I know I've seen more info here somewhere, but didn't see it on the list. Here are some closeup pictures.


----------



## kosPap

me too....and saturday it will be tested on a real gun in a local Spec ial forces reservists exercise!


----------



## TorchBoy

Aircraft800 said:


> There is a slight ringing in the Mid mode. No problems with heat when run on high.
> 
> I grabbed 4 of these, and am using 2 now with no problems. I see they go out of stock all the time, but appear once more come in. Download also has these once in a while in his multisink thread.
> 
> I know I've seen more info here somewhere, but didn't see it on the list. Here are some closeup pictures.


Thanks for the review and photos. It's definitely in the list (as a 2.5 A driver), but it's not on the Shining Beam site so I've just now marked it as discontinued. Have you seen it come back from a non-existent state like that before? (Edit: Yes, I see that this driver now exists again. Stupid stupid way of doing it.)

What do you mean "ringing"? Does it make an audible sound?


----------



## Aircraft800

TorchBoy said:


> Thanks for the review and photos. It's definitely in the list (as a 2.5 A driver), but it's not on the Shining Beam site so I've just now marked it as discontinued. Have you seen it come back from a non-existent state like that before? (Edit: Yes, I see that this driver now exists again. Stupid stupid way of doing it.)
> 
> What do you mean "ringing"? Does it make an audible sound?


 
*Yes, I can hear it ringing, like a dog whistle.*

The one you linked is not the same one. They drop it off the site when it's not available, I'm not sure why, but I did get an email from Bryan at Shiningbeam saying he placed another order, and the next batch might come with better memory mode similar to the L-mini II.

I noticed the one that Download sells in his Multi-Sink Thread is the same layout, but it has one less jumper, and it is user configurable, Take a look:


----------



## TorchBoy

Aircraft800 said:


> *Yes, I can hear it ringing, like a dog whistle.*


How strange. I wonder what's causing that. The normal culprits aren't present on that board.



Aircraft800 said:


> The one you linked is not the same one. They drop it off the site when it's not available, I'm not sure why,


Ahem:


Aircraft800 said:


> 3-Mode Regulated Circuit Board for Cree MC-E and SSC P7 (Not in Stock today, check often)
> Based on the AMC7135 X 8 with 3-Mode Low-Med-High with memory





TorchBoy said:


> It's definitely in the list (as a 2.5 A driver), but it's not on the Shining Beam site so I've just now marked it as discontinued.


The link to my list gives only one driver, which has exactly the same URL as your link. :nana:

That mode selection is very nice.

BTW, you're not supposed to quote from personal correspondence. http://www.candlepowerforums.com/Rules.html#private


----------



## Aircraft800

Oops, I missed that one.

I see, the driver you were talking about was an example of one that was gone, and reappeared. Thanks for the correction :naughty: post fixed.


----------



## SmurfTacular

Out of all of those drivers, witch one would be the cheapest to run at 2.8 amps with 6v? I want to run a p7 Maglite.


----------



## TorchBoy

SmurfTacular said:


> Out of all of those drivers, witch one would be the cheapest to run at 2.8 amps with 6v? I want to run a p7 Maglite.


When you say 6 V do you actually mean 4.8 V, with 4x NiMH cells? An AMC7135 driver would probably be best.


----------



## kosPap

here is a pic of the 2 configurable versions of AMC7135 drivers








to access the extra mods you connect the “star” with the ground ring, thus activating another trace/program in the AMTEL Tiny13V chip

DX 6190 (Ak-47) 1050mAh 5-mode (at the left)

default: 5-mode
No 1: 5-mode (counterclockwise)
No 2: Hi-Low-Fast Beacon
No 3: Hi-Med-Lo
No 4: Hi-Lo

KD 1801 – S004659 (Ak-47 again!) 1050mAh 2-mode (at the right)

default: Hi-Lo
No 1: Hi-Lo (counterclockwise)
No 2: Hi-Low-Strobe
No 3: Hi-Med-Lo
No 4: Hi-Lo

that’s all, kostas


----------



## TorchBoy

That's great, kosPap. Are all hi, mid, lo modes 100%, 35%, 20%? Should they be connected with resistors (eg, at the R3 and R5 positions) on top of the board or directly with solder bridges?


----------



## brted

I installed the NANJG 112A driver that someone received by mistake from DX here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/258635http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10243

I got mine from KD where it is sku S009113 but productid 10243.

It is identified as 1000mA Buck/Boost. I did a review here:

http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/232

From tail measurements it seems well regulated on a li-ion. Has the stars that allow different mode configurations like the AK 47 above.


----------



## TorchBoy

Would the best way to list the same driver from different retailers be to put links to them all in the Driver Name column (all under the same entry) and change the Price column to Best Price or perhaps Price Range? At present I generally link to the best price and put alternatives in the Notes.


----------



## brted

This one actually says NANJG 112A on it as opposed to the DX 15880 which is a whole different driver (I don't know if DX has continued to ship the 112A or if that was just a one-time mistake, but it seems like a mistake). The NANJG AK47 is a different driver as well. 

I think they way you are doing it is good. As long as someone reads the whole entry they will know their alternatives. Thanks for adding this one.


----------



## TorchBoy

Thanks for clarifying that. I've just added the NANJG 112A to the list, and mentioned its similarity to those other two drivers.


----------



## TorchBoy

brted said:


> I did a review here:
> 
> http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/232
> 
> From tail measurements it seems well regulated on a li-ion.


Nice review. Are you able to do any output current measurements? Why didn't you just make a solder bridge for the star contact?


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## brted

Sorry about not being able to test current to the LED. I know that's the more important number, but I couldn't figure out a way to measure it coming off the driver board with the battery connected, etc. And I didn't want to unsolder the LED. Maybe if I can get some little alligator clips that screw on to my probes I could try it.

By "bridge" I guess you mean just glob a bunch of solder in between the pads until they are joined? I tried that first, but the solder was very good about not sticking to the green circuit board, so I installed the short piece of wire. I kind of like that approach because it is easier to take apart.


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## kosPap

brted said:


> Sorry about not being able to test current to the LED. I know that's the more important number, but I couldn't figure out a way to measure it coming off the driver board with the battery connected, etc. And I didn't want to unsolder the LED. Maybe if I can get some little alligator clips that screw on to my probes I could try it.
> 
> 
> 
> if you arer talking about the Nang112 driver (the buck/boost) I have made maeasurements....
> 
> with both RCR and 3xAA NimHs I got (to the LED)
> Lo-0.02A
> Med-0.06A
> Hi-0.85A...did not care to measure output in my box....
> 
> (also I used a rather high Vf XR-E P4..soemwhere around 3.5-3.7, taht affects the high mode output for sure)
> 
> On the AMC7135 drivers I tested I did not measure output too...
Click to expand...


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## TorchBoy

kosPap said:


> with both RCR and 3xAA NimHs I got (to the LED)
> Lo-0.02A
> Med-0.06A
> Hi-0.85A...did not care to measure output in my box...


7% is very low for a medium mode. And you mean a light integrating box, I presume?


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## TorchBoy

I've listed the NANJG 112A as 5 modes. Thank you brted for spotting that oversight!


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## kosPap

TorchBoy said:


> 7% is very low for a medium mode. And you mean a light integrating box, I presume?


 

indeed! it is strange for em too...but repeated measuremenmts with 2 style of batts do not lie...

my box is a "calibrated white showbox" LOLOLOL

EDIT I meant SHOEbox


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## TorchBoy

kosPap said:


> indeed! it is strange for em too...but repeated measuremenmts with 2 style of batts do not lie...
> 
> my box is a "calibrated white showbox" LOLOLOL


You'd certainly be LOLing if you knew what the first "box" that entered my mind was.

I wondered if the PWM frequency could be confusing your meter; I don't know. But if it's right, it could be quite handy utilised to PWM drive the Vdd pin of a large AMC7135 array. You'd have low, high, and very-stroppy-turbo-full-blast modes. :laughing:

Let's see... if it was a 2.8 A AMC7135 driver, the low and medium would result in roughly 70 mA and 200 mA.


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## brted

TorchBoy said:


> I wondered if the PWM frequency could be confusing your meter; I don't know. But if it's right, it could be quite handy utilised to PWM drive the Vdd pin of a large AMC7135 array. You'd have low, high, and very-stroppy-turbo-full-blast modes.



I was playing around with the NANJG 112A some more and I don't think it has PWM. Or if it does, it is such a high frequency that it didn't show up in my photograph. That was a nice surprise. I added a picture of it in the review at BLF I posted earlier. Oh, what the heck, here it is on the left vs. an iTP A3 EOS which has PWM, both on low:


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## TorchBoy

brted said:


> Oh, what the heck, here it is on the left vs. an iTP A3 EOS which has PWM, both on low:


:twothumbs Was the NANJG 112A boosting for that test? (I wouldn't expect the output to be particularly choppy unless the input voltage was higher than the output voltage.)


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## brted

TorchBoy said:


> :twothumbs Was the NANJG 112A boosting for that test? (I wouldn't expect the output to be particularly choppy unless the input voltage was higher than the output voltage.)



I'm pretty sure it had a li-ion in it at the time so it wasn't boosting. I did another picture with a AA NiMH and the light on Low and still couldn't detect PWM, just a smooth beam.


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## brted

Just noticed this on ShiningBeam. It is similar to a 3x7135 driver on DX also called a NANJG 101-AK, but they are saying this is 3-modes (LMH, instead of the 19-mode at DX with various groups available via the clicky) and it already has the 4th 7135 in place. Could be good . . .

http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail


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## TorchBoy

brted said:


> Just noticed this on ShiningBeam. It is similar to a 3x7135 driver on DX also called a NANJG 101-AK, but they are saying this is 3-modes (LMH, instead of the 19-mode at DX with various groups available via the clicky) and it already has the 4th 7135 in place. Could be good . . .


Thanks brted; added.  It's certainly more convenient than buying the 17 mode DX version and adding another AMC7135, although more expensive than doing that (even without shipping). Shining Beam's description of it being a boost/buck board is clearly false. I wonder how long the "**NEW**" will be in the URL.


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## CampingLED

I stumbled onto this thread today for a mod to get rid of the flashing modes on DX 6190 board. Grabbed my attention. Only 3 x 7135 chips though and no space for another. Also noticed a similar space for a link on another driver. Let the fun begin.

EDIT: The other one was 15880. Although not tested it also has a R3 next to open contacts.


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## TorchBoy

CampingLED said:


> I stumbled onto this thread today for a mod to get rid of the flashing modes on DX 6190 board. Grabbed my attention.


Why would you bother? DX's three AMC7135 board sku.25518 is cheaper, while sku.26109 is cheaper still and has four AMC7135s. :shrug:


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## CampingLED

The boards that you referenced are single mode drivers. With the mod to 6190 you get a three mode driver *without* flashing modes. According to the thread you get L/M/H with memory.


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## TorchBoy

My apologies. The feature was mentioned by kosPap in this thread a couple of weeks ago (post 227) so I thought you wanted no modes at all.


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## CampingLED

Information overflow. I missed that post which is even a better way to do it. Thanks and now I have egg in my face


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## TorchBoy

Well, I misunderstood you, and it would be sad if someone didn't post something because they thought it _might_ have been mentioned already. :grouphug:


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## jabe1

I've looked at the list, and don't see what I was hoping for... where can I find a 3-mode buck driver, with a 1.2A high mode?


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## TorchBoy

There's at least one in the list. http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianma...2.94&price_max=2.94&type=buck&modes=multimode

You don't say what other specs you want, but drivers using the AX2002 or PT4115 chips have their output current set with a sense resistor. If you find a driver that fits your requirements except for output current you can just change the sense resistor.


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## jabe1

Thanks, I'm looking for a board to replace a p-60 drop-in driver, using 2xRCR


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## TorchBoy

OK, there's a nice driver with 1,200 mA high, strobe and SOS... jk.

Try this view: http://www.videofoundry.co.nz/ianma...=buck&voltage=low&modes=multimode&order=modes

I see one of the 3 mode drivers listed is an AX2002 driver from CPF user download. You could ask him to change the resistor for you.


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## TorchBoy

TorchBoy said:


> Shining Beam's description of it being a boost/buck board is clearly false. I wonder how long the "**NEW**" will be in the URL.


Me-oh-my, this driver list maintenance is messy sometimes. It turns out that at some stage what Shining Beam claimed was a 5 mode 5-15 V boost/buck driver was replaced with this 3 mode linear regulator driver, at the same price and _using the same URL_ (http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/5-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit-Board/Detail). However, the details were not completely changed and it still claims to be a "* Boost/buck circuit board". To add to the confusion it's also listed with the "**NEW**" in the URL (http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-133/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail) which means they've now got a double up, both with incorrect details. That "**NEW**" is getting old even more rapidly.


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## TorchBoy

I've just added SKU and Retailer fields to the database. I _think_ it's working OK _(edit: except for ordering the SKUs in alphabetical order)_.


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## brted

TorchBoy said:


> Are you able to do any output current measurements?



I blew out my original NANJG 112A driver when I was testing it and accidentally hooked up the battery backwards (it still has output and modes, but they are lower now). I bought another one though and this time I did some input and output measurements driving a XP-G R5 LED. Complete results are at the link below, but basically I was getting 66-69% efficiency with 1.1 amps to the LED on a nearly full gray Trustfire 18650 and 0.86A to the LED on a battery at 3.6V.

http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/232


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## HarryN

brted said:


> I blew out my original NANJG 112A driver when I was testing it and accidentally hooked up the battery backwards (it still has output and modes, but they are lower now). I bought another one though and this time I did some input and output measurements driving a XP-G R5 LED. Complete results are at the link below, but basically I was getting 66-69% efficiency with 1.1 amps to the LED on a nearly full gray Trustfire 18650 and 0.86A to the LED on a battery at 3.6V.
> 
> http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/232



Wow - not so hot on the efficiency side is it. You can do close to 80% efficiency with the same battery / led setup and a resistor. An AMC driver would actually do better.


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## brted

HarryN said:


> Wow - not so hot on the efficiency side is it. You can do close to 80% efficiency with the same battery / led setup and a resistor. An AMC driver would actually do better.



Not really. I also recently tested the Shiningbeam 4x7135 driver and got about the same kind of efficiency (56-68%). I may not be doing the testing quite right and I have a bunch of alligator clips and whatnot that might be offering some resistance. And I'm not using heavy duty wires to the LED either like some people do.

My results for the shiningbeam driver are here at the bottom of the first entry:

http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/289


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## HarryN

Thanks for all of the testing, write up, and nice pictures.

Are you setup for doing efficiency testing on drivers? I am building one for a project and am kind of curious how it stacks up to the commercial drivers. I don't actually plan on selling it, it is just for a specific project.

It is intended for 5 NiCad in x 4S LEDs out, single mode.


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## brted

It's a pain, but I think I got it right. I don't have graphing Fluke meters or anything fancy. And I can't measure V in and V out at the same time, but I think it's okay. Results for 4 different batteries are coming in pretty consistently. I have six leads with alligator clips on each end and I think I used 4 of them. It's a tangle.


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## brted

I did some tests on a DX 6190 (NANJG AK-47) driver this weekend. Other than some difficulty in soldering the leads in on a very crowded board, this driver is great. Has the same mode groups as the NANJG 112A driver with soldering the stars, but seems more efficient with 3x7135 (though can't be run on AA like the 112A can). I was getting 85-92% efficiency on High. In 3 modes (LMH) the spacing of the modes is better than DX claims: I was getting 5%, 30%, and 100% based on current (I can't measure lumens). I put a review here:

http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/310


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## kosPap

yesterday evening was measurements time....here are the results...

Do note that will the dx 11836 Module driver 9red) is not of my liking it really performs with a 18650







enjoy, kostas


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## TorchBoy

Thanks for sharing this kostas. Those efficiencies are a little tiny bit lower than I've got in my table, for some reason, but very impressive when out of regulation.

What's KD 4982? Do you mean SKU 2982, otherwise known as product ID 1640? That _is_ the Kennan driver, version 3.

BTW, percentages should be 0-100, not decimals 0-1.


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## kosPap

What's KD 4982? Do you mean SKU 2982, otherwise known as product ID 1640? That _is_ the Kennan driver, version 3.

yes that is the one. the first version was pathetic regarding efficiency

BTW, percentages should be 0-100, not decimals 0-1

indeed. my bad


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## TorchBoy

kosPap said:


> yes that is the one. the first version was pathetic regarding efficiency


The efficiency figures in my list for the original Kennan are quite respectable. Its efficiency was one of the reasons it was so popular. Also its versatility.

Your figure of 72% for the Kennan 3 isn't very good.


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## copperfox

brted said:


> I did some tests on a DX 6190 (NANJG AK-47) driver this weekend. Other than some difficulty in soldering the leads in on a very crowded board, this driver is great. Has the same mode groups as the NANJG 112A driver with soldering the stars, but seems more efficient with 3x7135 (though can't be run on AA like the 112A can). I was getting 85-92% efficiency on High. In 3 modes (LMH) the spacing of the modes is better than DX claims: I was getting 5%, 30%, and 100% based on current (I can't measure lumens). I put a review here:
> 
> http://budgetlightforum.cz.cc/node/310



What do you mean it can't be run on AA? I'm thinking of using this board with three D alkalines in a 3D mag...


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## brted

The AK47 can't run from a single AA. The 112A can.


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## TorchBoy

I've just seen Shining Beam has listed a 3 mode, 14 mm diameter driver, filling a gap in the budget driver market for that combination - at $5.45 it's "just" a bit less expensive than a GDuP. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-176/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail


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## MorePower

TorchBoy said:


> I've just seen Shining Beam has listed a 3 mode, 14 mm diameter driver, filling a gap in the budget driver market for that combination - at $5.45 it's "just" a bit less expensive than a GDuP. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-176/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail



I may have to get one and see what happens at 3.0V. Most of my mods in need of a boost circuit are 2-cell, rather than single cell.

If it goes  I'll just chalk it up to experience.


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## Essexman

TorchBoy said:


> I've just seen Shining Beam has listed a 3 mode, 14 mm diameter driver, filling a gap in the budget driver market for that combination - at $5.45 it's "just" a bit less expensive than a GDuP. http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-176/**NEW**-3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit/Detail


 
Hang on a minute, that looks a lot like the old RV7 board? There was a similar board on DX.

900mA output from one 1.2V cell - That would be very nice.

Edit - I found the DX driver that is similar here sku 7880


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## TorchBoy

Essexman said:


> Edit - I found the DX driver that is similar here sku 7880


17 mm though - puts it in a different market. But... it has LDCH on the bottom as well. :thinking: What does that mean?


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## Essexman

TorchBoy said:


> 17 mm though - puts it in a different market. But... it has LDCH on the bottom as well. :thinking: What does that mean?


 

"LDCH" - you beat me to it!! I was about to post that fact. :mecry:

RE : Board Dia, a good point, the DX board can be cut down a bit, and the RV7 board was_ "Size: 16x6.5mm (L1P size); Diameter can be trimmed down to 14.5mm"_

History and funny letters aside, it looks good, and has a nice low,med,high set up.


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## TorchBoy

What's this RV7 board you've mentioned a couple of times?


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## kosPap

aha1 the driver has changed!

RV7 was a board that was sold by a former forum member...it had true 700mA output. The DX countrerpart had 350mA at least the latter versions...

Off to buy the new version!


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## Essexman

kosPap said:


> aha1 the driver has changed!
> 
> RV7 was a board that was sold by a former forum member...it had true 700mA output. The DX countrerpart had 350mA at least the latter versions...
> 
> Off to buy the new version!


 
Maybe RV7 sold his design to Shining Beam ? :tinfoil:

BTW the DX counter part has new pics too. sku 7880 looks very much like the Shining Beam new driver. Could you have a look with you expert eyes and compare the two, I don't know enough about electronics to be able to tell if they are exactly the same.


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## TorchBoy

They are different - have a look at the space around the "LDCH".


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## TorchBoy

Good gravy! Google has indexed my last post above already! I did a search for "ldch led driver" (without quote marks) and it was quoted in the first result.

I also found a mention by someone on CPF that LDCH is the maker of the driver boards.


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## TorchBoy

I've just added a 17+ option in the mode selection menu, to bring up just the drivers with three groups and 17-20 modes. It made a search I was doing a little easier, and it makes me wonder what else could be similarly tweaked.


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## dhouseng

New driver for SST-50 

http://www.lck-led.com/p830/Constan...---5Mode,-5-8V-4.2A,-SST-50/product_info.html


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## KevinL

TorchBoy said:


> I've just added a 17+ option in the mode selection menu, to bring up just the drivers with three groups and 17-20 modes. It made a search I was doing a little easier, and it makes me wonder what else could be similarly tweaked.



Let me extend my sincere thanks and appreciation for you taking the time and effort to put this together 

:goodjob:

It has made finding desired drivers so much easier.. sort by price, sort by LED, sort by source.. that's awesome!


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## brted

I recently got some 4x7135 drivers from Kai Domain. They say it is a 1560mAh driver in the description, but it is a 1400mA driver. It is 5 modes by default but can be modified to 3 modes: Low, Medium, and High by bridging two legs of the microcontroller. This seems *very* similar to the Shiningbeam driver which comes with those legs already bridged. Only downside is you have to buy 5 of them. No detectable PWM. Mode is memorized after 2 seconds on. Modes are 2%, 28%, and 100%. Perfect for a Cree XP-G. The name on the back is NANJG 101-AK-A1.

ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=11218

I should also mention this driver at KD as well, which is similar to shiningbeam's 2.8A driver. It is 8x7135 and has stars on the back for mode group selection. Great driver for P7, MC-E, or XM-L LED's. It says NANJG 105 on the back.

ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=10995


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## fl11

Hi Guys!
I have an old (~10 years old) canister based diving light. It has 5pcs 5mm unknown LEDs, the battery packs are deprecated. So I would like to renew the lights. I found the CREE XHP50.2 (6V, j2) LEDs that fix for my requirements. I would like to drive them with 700mA current and a forward voltage is 28.3V. So guys, could you please recommend me a suitable driver for that task? The new battery pack will be 8 pcs of 18650, (4×2) that is a suitable size for the canister.
Thank you!


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## DIWdiver

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Just a suggestion: Notice that you are the first to post in this thread in over nine years. This question would fare much better in a new thread in the Home Made and Modified forum.


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