# who can make cusom drivers/pcb?



## gianetics (Feb 7, 2014)

forgive my ignorance but can anyone program driver output and UI? i would be interested in something like this: 
three speed driver 1% 25% 100% something like 1.4A on high
will come on high when clicked on, comes on low in switch is held down ie Zebralight (im assuming and electronic switch would be required?)
have a working voltage of .8-4.2 volts ie AA/14500
i would want to power a warm or nw xp-g2 (if that makes any difference)


again forgive my ignorance on torch building. any info is appreciate.


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## nbp (Feb 7, 2014)

Looks like Mattaus does this. 

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?380350-Custom-PCB-Driver-Electronics-Service


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## calipsoii (Feb 7, 2014)

Yep, mattaus could do something like that. 

Bocian was also working on a very interesting variant of the nanjig driver, though it doesn't support down to 0.8V:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...sion-of-Nanjig-105C-driver-based-on-Attiny25V


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## RetroTechie (Feb 7, 2014)

gianetics said:


> forgive my ignorance but can anyone program driver output and UI?


*YES.* A driver is just a DC-DC converter, an electronic circuit that anyone can design for him/herself if desired. Circuit board design software is out there for free. Boards are usually made by a 3rd party, using design files that the client supplies.

For an on-off type driver, that'll do. For a more complicated UI, drivers use a (programmable) microcontroller. Microchip PICxxxx and (to a lesser degree) AVR microcontrollers are common for uses like this, development boards for these can be found cheap. Programming those is pretty specialist work, but not a secret or 'black art' either. If the DC-DC part of a driver is useable, one can use an existing driver (board) with differently-programmed microcontroller on it.

So it basically depends on your expertise level, and how much time you want to invest. And where you won't, outsource things to a 3rd party.



> i would be interested in something like this:
> three speed driver 1% 25% 100% something like 1.4A on high will come on high when clicked on, comes on low in switch is held down ie Zebralight (im assuming and electronic switch would be required?)
> have a working voltage of .8-4.2 volts ie AA/14500


Not sure, but might be readily available. Electronic switch is not necessary for switching modes, but might be for what you describe.


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## Mattaus (Feb 8, 2014)

I can help out for sure, but your voltage range and desired output is very tricky. You won't get 1.4A out right down to 0.8v that's for sure. Electronic switching for instant low etc is relatively easy though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk


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## gianetics (Feb 8, 2014)

thanks guys. mattaus you seem like the guy to talk to. really the most important thing for me is direct access to both low and high without using a rotary control or head twisting. what is a reasonable drive current from a fresh eneloop? 14500? i know you loose some efficiency to support such a wide voltage range but i willing for 14500 support. i realize as voltage drops amps must increase to supply power and the driver looses efficiency. so i will simplify what i would be looking for:

1. supports AA/14500 
2. low/med/high always turns on high then cycles through modes LMHLMHLMH 
3. direct access to low by holding down switch ie zebralight
4. what ever you recommend for drive current/ output

also what size board would give me most flexibility on what i can put it in 17mm? if i could put and electronic switch into a quark AA body i think that would be ideal. i see a lot of brass and al pills online but how the heck do you know if threads are compatable or is it somewhat standard?

what would something like this cost Mattaus?

edit: yea i just tested my quark pro on a 14500 its drawing only .8A on high i guess 1.4 is very unrealistic towards the lower end of the voltage spectrum


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## Mattaus (Feb 8, 2014)

PM sent.

EDIT: I should point out that the Quark Pro can already handle AA and 14500 cells. Current draw on the 14500 cells will be less because the light is using a switch-mode driver so pulls less current when the input voltage is higher than the forward voltage of the LED. I don't know anymore about the quark pro, but if light output is supposed to be the same regardless of what battery is used then the AA current draw will be much higher than the 14500 current draw.


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## tobrien (Feb 28, 2014)

I came in here just to say Mattaus, but everyone (including Mattaus) beat me to it haha


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