# SST-90 True CC Driver 10 Amps Hi/Lo Mode



## sector_cleared

Hi CPF,

I was not online for a while since I`m really busy with my job (which is BTW designing DCDC converters for LED backlights). But the SST-90 seems to be worth it to spend some of my rare spare time 

Developing a driver for a 9 Amps (or in case of the CST-90 13.5 Amps) LED is a challenging task especially when it should fit in a flashlight tube. Even the little resistance of 10 Milliohm results at 10 Amps in a power loss of 1 Watt which has to be dissipated. Not to mention the transition and charging losses of the MOSFET which preponderant at high switching frequencies (which are necessary to keep the inductor small). 

Keeping that in mind I developed a synchronous rectified buck-driver.


Some facts:

- Designed to drive one SST-90 with Vf<6V (driving two LEDs with a low Vf should be also possible)

- Diameter 26.2mm / 1.030" (fitting a MAG C tube!!!)

- Input voltage 5.8-16 V (can be driven of 2-3 LiIon`s in series, one SLA or 6 NiMh`s)

- Output current 0-10 Amps

- Efficiency hopefully >95% (Efficiency was my main concern. 5% loss still means 2 Watts of dissipation. Less efficiency won`t be possible to handle in a flashlight tube)

- Low voltage cut-off 5.8V (to protect the cells if driven by 2 unprotected LiIons and prevent excessive dissipation in the MOSFETs cuz of low gate voltage)

- 2 current level control by a simple switch like the MAG switch (Low level adjustable by potentiometer on the PCB, High level fixed to 10 Amps)

- Optional control modes:
potentiometer can be desoldered and the PCB is prepared to solder a wired potentiometer on for stepless current control
PWM input is prepared on the pcb. It needs to be pulled down (e.b. µC open-drain output). Max. frequency tbd. but definately below 500Hz.


I am gonna order the PCBs for the first five prototypes tomorrow. The parts I have already. This is gonna be fun 


Any questions?

EDIT:


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## Techjunkie

yes! when can I get one?


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## TorchBoy

sector_cleared said:


> Any questions?


Are you going to be making a production run, and if so, when can I list it?

Shouldn't this be in the electronics forum?


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## Hack On Wheels

Wow! :twothumbs

Keep us updated, where do I sign up for one?

How does this integrate with the stock Maglite switch?

Looking for testers? 

Sounds like it could be seriously awesome. Good stuff!


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## Dioni

It's much interesting.. 
We need tests, pics, specs, etc...


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## bshanahan14rulz

I know nothing (well, next to nothing, at best) about CC drivers, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but you mentioned a potentiometer to adjust the output current. Do you have an estimate of the output current range?


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## ledaholic

I'm in!


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## Hammer Train

If you make these available for sale I would like to take one of the first 5!


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## JohnF

Email or PM me for the first available, or pre-order! 

I've been trying to find a high current driver for SST-90 to run off a 12v lead-acid battery (13.7v max.)

John F


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## donn_

I'm in for at least one, maybe more, depending upon price.

Please let me know.


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## stub

in for at least two


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## rokspydr

fawesome, I'm in for one also:twothumbs


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## luckybucket

It's good that you designed it so small, but I think this emitter will have problems with heat in a D size light so I doubt that many people will be using a C size light as a host. I'm already trying to determine what power level I will be able to run it continuously. My guess is about 15 watts, which means around 5 amps.


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## Icarus

Sounds very interesting but I think you should also provide a 5A for the SST-50 and it would even be better if the output level could be set by the modder.
In case you are looking for testers I'm living nearby...


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## Aircraft800

Would it be possible to disable the low voltage cutoff? I'd like to run 4 high capacity NiMh cells, so low voltage would be ~3.6v or just go direct drive.


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## Techjunkie

I'm laughing at the way this "innovation" thread has instantly turned into a sales thread without any coaxing from the OP (who has not replied since his original post, by the way).

It's no wonder that happend. People have been starving for a real CC driver for the SST-90 and now at first glimpse of one, we're all salivating.

Having said that, as the first to reply with interest, I'm calling dibs on the first available unit, whether it be a prototype for testing or a rev 1.0 unit for sale. :naughty:


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## Hetore

JohnF said:


> Email or PM me for the first available, or pre-order!
> 
> I've been trying to find a high current driver for SST-90 to run off a 12v lead-acid battery (13.7v max.)
> 
> John F



Me too, but I got a bigger problem, since I get the current from the stator(YX178 Madass), I'm stuck with 18.7V max.(E.G. 13.7V from the stator plus 5V from the alternate current).

Mister, could you raise the maximum input voltage to 19V?

Could the driver accept the 19v input voltage without burning?

How much for 10 drivers?

[email protected]


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## sector_cleared

Hello cpf,

I was able to order the PCBs yesterday but I think it won`t arrive before the christmas holidays start  

@all: I ordered for the first 5 prototypes. It will take me at least 2 weeks to finish and test the drivers. If everything turns out well I want to do a production run.

@Hack on wheels: This driver is designed to work with the Mag stock switch. The cycle is OFF-LOW-HIGH-OFF. The low lvl is easily adjustable by the onboard potentiometer. The high lvl is full blast :naughty:

I will write more and answer the other questions later. My breakfast break is over :thumbsdow


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## dom

I'll have 2 of each please


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## Aircraft800

Hey, I better jump in. 

I'll take one!!


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## FlaCracker

Put me down for one.


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## sector_cleared

Hello cpf,

at first I want to say that it is very coaxing that u guys what to order the driver without having any real data, measurements and so on. I will build the prototypes test them, but them into the climate chamber and do a EMI reading. If everything is as it should be I will do a production run. But for that I will open a seperate thread. This one is only to keep you guys updated with the progress.

@luckybucket: I think the ability to dissipate the heat from the LED is nearly the same for the MAG D and MAG C. I put a lot of effort in this project to fit in a C sized tube to give u guys all the design possiblities. Furthermore the driver has to levels. The first level u can adjust with the trimpot to lets say 3 Amps and the other level is the 10 Amps. That makes it possible to run the flashlight with a desent run-time and without overheating but if you need it you have 2000 lm out of the front

@Aircraft800: Unfortunately it is not possible to go much lower with the voltage cut-off. The MOSFETs need a certain gate voltage which is the input voltage minus the drop of the linear regulator inside the controller chip. If the voltage would drop lower than the 5,8V the dissipation in the MOSFETs would increase tremendously and result in magic smoke 
With your setup (4 NiMH) I would say the best setup is a resistor...

@Hetore: The MOSFETs and the controller are designed for 30V but the cereamic capacitors im using on the input side are designed for 16V. On the other hand ceramic capacitors are capable of extreme abuse. Normally they withstand 300-600V without burning. But I can`t guarantee anything. As soon as I´ll get my prototypes I will test it.

Another comment to the MAG switch (or any other forward clicky): To cycle tru the modes you have to press the switch within a second again. Otherwise it starts from the beginning. So you don`t have to cycle tru the modes all the time. Only if you want to use the HI mode.

Good night guys. I am going to the christmas party of my company now


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## rayman

Sounds great that's just what I was looking for. Wanted to drive the SST-90 at 4.5A with a single mode driver but this is even better have the possibility to drive it at 10A.

rayman


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## Techjunkie

Hey, Sector_Cleared, you'd better reduce the size of tha technical drawing that you added to your first post to a width of 800 pixels or the mods will remove it. (It spreads the text of everyone's posts beyond the boundries of smaller screens so everyone has to scroll left to right to read)


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## 3rdrock




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## nailbender

Hi 

I am certainly interested in a couple or so depending on final numbers.

Dave


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## AlexGT

I'll be watching this tread closely, I want one too!


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## sector_cleared

@Techjunkie: The pics have a width of 800px. Is it still too big for your screen? I can reduce the size to 640x480.


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## jwl

True the images are 800 wide. BUT, there are two images side by side which makes the post wider than people would like to see. Not everybody has wide screen monitors and/or high resolution. If you placed one image below the other then nobody would say anything. It's all about side to side scrolling.

BTW - I too am patiently watching this thread to see what comes about. I am currently waiting on the parts to build a SST-90 light.


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## Hack On Wheels

luckybucket said:


> It's good that you designed it so small, but I think this emitter will have problems with heat in a D size light so I doubt that many people will be using a C size light as a host. I'm already trying to determine what power level I will be able to run it continuously. My guess is about 15 watts, which means around 5 amps.



I'd like to use it in a C sized host... 

I much prefer the feel of carrying a C cell Mag than a D cell Mag, the smaller diameter is just perfect for comfortable carrying in my hand. D Mags are just a big too big to be useful, imo, and I have reasonably large hands.

I just carried my 2C Mag (P7 mod) for a big of a night hike tonight and it was great. An SST-90 with a 10A high mode and a low mode set at 1A could be perfect in something like a 3C Mag...


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## jasonck08

Any idea about the cost???


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## sector_cleared

Hack On Wheels said:


> I'd like to use it in a C sized host...
> 
> I much prefer the feel of carrying a C cell Mag than a D cell Mag, the smaller diameter is just perfect for comfortable carrying in my hand. D Mags are just a big too big to be useful, imo, and I have reasonably large hands.



That was exactly my intention. I also prefer the C sized Mag than the D sized Mag. The mass of the head is about the same for heat dissipation.

A 2C Mag with bored out tail cap, SST-90 and two of these http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx 

Pricing is a little difficult at the moment. If the setup can stay like the prototype I am guessing 50-60$ but I didnt do a proper sourching for the parts yet. And of course it is a question of the quantity. I will source the parts during the Christmas holidays. As soon as I have more accurate prices I will post them.

Merry Christmas


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## Hack On Wheels

sector_cleared said:


> That was exactly my intention. I also prefer the C sized Mag than the D sized Mag. The mass of the head is about the same for heat dissipation.
> 
> A 2C Mag with bored out tail cap, SST-90 and two of these http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx
> 
> Pricing is a little difficult at the moment. If the setup can stay like the prototype I am guessing 50-60$ but I didnt do a proper sourching for the parts yet. And of course it is a question of the quantity. I will source the parts during the Christmas holidays. As soon as I have more accurate prices I will post them.
> 
> Merry Christmas



Ah, great minds think alike!  

2C with the modifications that you mentioned, or even 3C with a little spacer would still make a pretty good form factor. I've got some of those batteries coming so I'll be all set! I agree with you on the mass of the C mag, the only downside would be the smaller size of heatsink that it can fit.

As for price, the lower the better, but sounds like it should be reasonable. Hopefully there is enough interest for a larger run to bring the costs down. Looking forward to further updates!


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## Techjunkie

sector_cleared said:


> A 2C Mag with bored out tail cap, SST-90 and two of these http://www.batteryspace.com/limnnirechargeable26650cell37v4000mah10arated148wh.aspx
> 
> ... As soon as I have more accurate prices I will post them.
> 
> Merry Christmas


 
Two 26650 wont fit in a 2C the way two 18650 do because the tailcap can't be bored wide enough for 26650 to sit inside. You'll need a 3C for thsoe batteries (you can either stretch the tailspring or have it cut and rethreaded to fit.) Another alternative is to sacrifice runtime for length and use two of AW's IMR C cells in a Mag 2C.

I'm looking forward to seeing the pricing, and I also prefer C mag to D mag so it's great that you can keep the size down to fit. Now what we need next is a C-mag SST-90 heatsink.

Merry Christmas


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## rayman

In my opinion is the 2D with two 32650 the best . I tried a 3D with 3 D-cells and it's tooo heavy.

rayman


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## spencer

Does anybody except KD sell 32650 cells?


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## Fulgeo

Wanted to tag this thread. Put me down for one!


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## Hack On Wheels

Techjunkie said:


> Two 26650 wont fit in a 2C the way two 18650 do because the tailcap can't be bored wide enough for 26650 to sit inside. You'll need a 3C for thsoe batteries (you can either stretch the tailspring or have it cut and rethreaded to fit.) Another alternative is to sacrifice runtime for length and use two of AW's IMR C cells in a Mag 2C.
> 
> I'm looking forward to seeing the pricing, and I also prefer C mag to D mag so it's great that you can keep the size down to fit. Now what we need next is a C-mag SST-90 heatsink.
> 
> Merry Christmas



How about bored out tailcap, download's C-ring, and perhaps shifting the switch forward a couple of mm's? Might just give the needed space... but it'll be tight.


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## Aircraft800

spencer said:


> Does anybody except KD sell 32650 cells?


 
Yes:

Batteryspace has these:

LiFePO4 32600P (D size) Cell : 3.2V 3000mAh, 60A Rate, 9.6Wh

or the Xtar ones from sbflashlights:

XTAR Protected D Li-on 32650


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## The Dane

Aircraft800 said:


> Yes:
> 
> Batteryspace has these:
> 
> LiFePO4 32600P (D size) Cell : 3.2V 3000mAh, 60A Rate, 9.6Wh
> 
> or the Xtar ones from sbflashlights:
> 
> XTAR Protected D Li-on 32650



There must be a whole lot of nothing in those cells. I got some cheap/crappy 26500 ones from DX and they measure a true 3000mA capacity, so a gain of only 50% by jumping a formfactor seems a tad minuscule:shrug:


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## moviles

it exist in the market some 1x 32600 or 1x 32650 or 1x 26650 flashlight? (no maglite)


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## Techjunkie

Hack On Wheels said:


> How about bored out tailcap, download's C-ring, and perhaps shifting the switch forward a couple of mm's? Might just give the needed space... but it'll be tight.


 
Boring the tailcap would let you recess the spring inside it and the stock mag leaves just a few mm between the top thread of the cap and the bottom of the last battery so that only buys you a few mm. You can file about 3mm off of the top of the threads to save about 3mm inside and still have enough threads to grab, but that's all you'll get there. Add the mag ring and move the switch north and you buy a few more mm, but all that put together is still not enough (maybe 12mm). The difference between two c cells and two 26650 is 30mm. It just can't be done in a 2C with the stock switch.



The Dane said:


> There must be a whole lot of nothing in those cells. I got some cheap/crappy 26500 ones from DX and they measure a true 3000mA capacity, so a gain of only 50% by jumping a formfactor seems a tad minuscule:shrug:


 Your cheap crappy DX cells are explosive LiCo chemistry and their max safe current rate tops out around 2 or 3 x capacity. The LiFePO4 cells are safe chemistry and can push 50 amps without overheating or exploding. The trade off is safety and current capability for capacity.


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## The Dane

Techjunkie said:


> Your cheap crappy DX cells are explosive LiCo chemistry and their max safe current rate tops out around 2 or 3 x capacity. The LiFePO4 cells are safe chemistry and can push 50 amps without overheating or exploding. The trade off is safety and current capability for capacity.



The Xtar ones i referred to is not LiFe! They are Li-something (Mn?) and 3,7V
http://www.xtarlight.com/en/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=53


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## Techjunkie

The Dane said:


> The Xtar ones i referred to is not LiFe! They are Li-something (Mn?) and 3,7V
> http://www.xtarlight.com/en/05-chanpin/p-001-1.asp?styleid=53


 
Those are also Li-Co chemistry and also dangerous.


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## jamesavery22

For a 3C or 3D mag what batteries would you guys be using?


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## Techjunkie

jamesavery22 said:


> For a 3C or 3D mag what batteries would you guys be using?


 
With this driver, 3x26500 or 2x26650 in a 3C or 2D. In a 3D, 3x32600 or 3x26650. Either LiFe or IMR.


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## jamesavery22

Would 3 x 32650 Lifepo4's be able to provide 9A?


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## Fulgeo

jamesavery22 said:


> Would 3 x 32650 Lifepo4's be able to provide 9A?



LiFePO4 as a rule can easily provide 9A. The 32600 for sale at batteryspace are rated at 3.2V, 3000 mAh and have a max discharge current rating of 60A. They are D sized cells. You give up about 0.5V and some capacity with LiIFePO4s over other Li-Ion cells, but what you gain besides safe chemistry that has not be mention in this thread yet is cycle life. LiFePO4 have a typical cycle life of 2000. Most other Li-Ion chemistries have a cycle life in the range of 500.


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## jamesavery22

Fulgeo said:


> LiFePO4 as a rule can easily provide 9A. The 32600 for sale at batteryspace are rated at 3.2V, 3000 mAh and have a max discharge current rating of 60A. They are D sized cells. You give up about 0.5V and some capacity with LiIFePO4s over other Li-Ion cells, but what you gain besides safe chemistry that has not be mention in this thread yet is cycle life. LiFePO4 have a typical cycle life of 2000. Most other Li-Ion chemistries have a cycle life in the range of 500.



Thanks Fulgeo.

Planning out my parts for when a good driver like sector_cleared's is available.


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## arek98

jamesavery22 said:


> Would 3 x 32650 Lifepo4's be able to provide 9A?


 
They won't have to. 
SST-90 spec is Vf = 3.6V @9A, With 3 Li-Ion, assuming very low cut-off 7.5V (you will nedd to use protected cells because driver build in cut-off is 5.8V) and efficiency of driver around 95% you will have battery current beeing about half of what is on the LED.
Power on LED = 32.4W, with 95% eff, 7.5V on battery you need ~4.5A on battery.
It means that with 3 cells it will be enough for cell to handle 5A. This is 2C discharge rate for most of cells bigger than 18650, meaning that most calls will handle that.


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## bemeo

i need 2 let me know when it is available . thanks


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## HarryN

Just watching.


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## sirsimon

Finally ! Time to get started in the LED major league !
Cant´t wait to get one


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## drugdependant

this is what us offroad guys are looking for, really bright and hopefully stable setups for our bush bashing adventures


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## aurum

I'll take one .... if it's not too expensive




let me know when it is availabl!


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## Fulgeo

Just wondering how the project is coming along sector_cleared. Any new developments?


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## sector_cleared

Hey fellow flashaholics,

just a small update to keep u guys up to date. Finished the first prototype on monday and did some testing the last days. First of all it works which makes me pretty happy BUT there are some drawbacks. The smaller one is that the 2 level controller doesnt work properly but in the final version this shouldnt be a problem. The bigger problem is that the efficiacy is far not as good as I thought I will be. With full load which was 9.4 Amps I got only 84% efficacy. That means I got like 6 Watts heating up my driver board. Not acceptable!! :hairpull: Further measurements showed that I got some heavy ringing on my switching node. I have to find a solution for that and I`m sure this will also improve the efficacy.



Something to look at (FLIR ThermoCam, all Temps in °C):

Front of the PCB with the Top-FET,Bottom-FET and inductance after 5mins on 9,4 Amps. The wierd things going up are the wires.




Back of PCB with the controller IC




As you can see that thing is cooking although it is still in normal working condition. The FETs and the controller can take a junction temp of 150°C without damage and the controller has a themal shutdown if the temps should really get too high.

Thats it for now. Tomorrow I am gonna post some more pics and maybe I know already where this *"§$&%""! ringing is coming from.

Good night


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## Drywolf

I'll be in for a couple


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## Techjunkie

Man, that sure is some fast work. I can't wait to get one. Thanks for the update.


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## Aircraft800

WoW! Thanks for the update SC! Looks like you really did you homework. Must be nice to have access to all of those tools! Nice Imaging.


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## Fulgeo

sector_cleared said:


> The bigger problem is that the efficiacy is far not as good as I thought I will be. With full load which was 9.4 Amps I got only 84% efficacy. That means I got like 6 Watts heating up my driver board. Not acceptable!! Front of the PCB with the Top-FET,Bottom-FET and inductance after 5mins on 9,4 Amps. The wierd things going up are the wires.


 
Great job sector_cleared. I think even 80% efficiancy would be more than acceptable. As for heat, yah its very hot but you do not have it heatsinked. It is just floating in space. For it to even survive unsinked for 5 minutes at 9.4 amps is a testiment to its durability. I would be curious to see a mockup where it is mounted on the back of a SST-90 heatsink like one of the beefy Britelumen sinks with a SST-90 emitter mounted and in a Maglite body. Having the driver mounted to some shark fins would be better yet. I have build one SST-90 and one SST-50 mod so far and have found that about 4.2 amps is about as hard I can drive the mod if I want to run it for long periods of time (say 1 hour). Any higher than about 4 amps and the flashlight gets uncomfortably to hold in your hand. For the me the perfect flashlight with the SST-90 emitter would be one with a low of about 4 amps that you could just turn on and leave on until the batteries are depleted and with a high of 8-9 amps that you could burst run in short runs of say 5 minutes. I think you are being too hard on yourself. I also think that properly heatsinked you have done it:thumbsup:


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## Techjunkie

Hey, by the way, what is the height from the bottom of the board to the top of its tallest component? I'm hoping this still fits between the top of the Mag D switch and the bottom of the Britelumens Deluxe SST-90 heatsink, with a few mm to spare for wire management. Something like this might be in order:





I'll ask Jo if he can make some to go with his heatsinks.


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## sector_cleared

Hey!

Thanks for the feedback.I will post some normal pictures of the board later this day.

@Fulgeo: Thats why I built in the 2 level control (that doesnt work yet ) On the board is a small potentiometer to set the low level between 1Amp and full blast.

@Techjunkie: The overall height is about 13mm. But I will measure it on monday and give you the exact height. How much space is behind a Britelumen heatsink?


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## rayman

Don't know the exact space. But I tried to put a 'Der Wichtel'-driver between the BL-heatsink and the switch and it was pretty tight. The driver is a little bit over 20mm and I even had to sandpaper the switch a little bit. So I think your driver would fit even with a driver-heatsink.

rayman


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## sector_cleared

As promised some more pictures:


Driver board front view:



Hidden behind the wires is the capacitor bank of the output

Driver board back view:





on the lower left side you can see the potentiometer to adjust the first level. There is two tru-holes underneath it if you like to connect a big potentiometer to have a continous current control of your flashlight.

My awesome wiring diagram :twothumbs:


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## Mettee

very cool


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## aurum

Hope you'll release a working driver soon


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## dom

Looks great 
Why do you need a big pot?(if using this option)

Cheers
Dom


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## Hack On Wheels

dom said:


> Looks great
> Why do you need a big pot?(if using this option)
> 
> Cheers
> Dom



That's actually a pretty darn small pot, I'd say! 

It's just a (variable) current sense resistor, right?


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## arjag

I think the mention of this big pot is so an external pot can be used to adjust brightness of the lower level. 

This sounds similar to the sandwich shoppe SHARK Buck, but that requires the small pot to be removed before installing a larger external pot.

@sector_cleared

Does the small pot need to be removed to use an external pot?

Thanks


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## dom

Yes -was referring to sector_cleared mention of having to use a big pot.

Now that arjag mentioned it,he must mean to use a normal size pot - which is big in 
comparison to the onboard pot 

Cheers
Dom


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## arjag

After reading my post, i was baffled with myself for saying external pot.

I think the term we are searching for is _Potentiometer_ vs the on board _Trimpot_

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimmer_(electronics)


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## 1301

:goodjob:

(any news about pricing and when the final version is going to be ready for selling? :wave


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## sector_cleared

FU$"§$"!§$ COMPUTER !!!

I wrote a huge update but its all gone :sick2:

Ok, now the short version:

arjag is right. The prototype has the option to attach an external potentiometer to adjust the current from outside the flashlight. At the moment you have to desolder the trimmer since the tru-holes are underneath. I just didnt have the space to place it somewhere else. I hope in the final version it will be possible to do it without.

I re-calculated the dissipation of the FETs and found a mistake in my initial calculations. Unfortunately the efficiency readings are not that far from the calculations...if you do it correctly 

Anyways! I found a better FET (already ordered) for my driver which will allow me to lower the dissipation in the FETs by more than 35%. That should raise the efficiency by 2-3% percent. But I think there is gonna be no way to run the driver on +9Amps for a extended period of time without a thermal connection to the heat sink. Luckily its gonna be quite easy to do that. As you can see on the pics it would be easy to bond a small chunk of aluminium to the MOSFETs with Arctic silver epoxy just as high as the inductance and you can bond the whole thing to the heatsink.

Till the next update :wave:


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## Aircraft800

AHHHHH... I'm in! Nice work! That's a very impressive looking driver!


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## Hetore

Mister, would be possible to buy 2 complete kits with from you(i.e.):

Driver;

Led;

Heatsink.

Would you accept a Paypal payment?(2MEUS09)

See you soon:devil:


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## sector_cleared

@Techjunkie: I'm sorr I totally forgot to post the height of the driver. It is 10,5mm.

@1301: Sorry no news about pricing and date of delivery so far.

@Hetore: In this tread I will document the development of the driver. For sales I will open a tread in the adequate sub-forum. But I won't sell LEDs nor heat sinks, only drivers.


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## The Dane

I'm glad of board members like you sir!
A lot of us do mecanical work and gladly share our projects, but electronics take brains and that is a rare commodity indeed :twothumbs
Making a driver for the SST-90 and be the first to boot = Top dollar.
Sharing it with the rest of us = Preiceless.

You need funds just speak up!!!


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## 1301

The Dane said:


> I'm glad of board members like you sir!
> 
> *You need funds just speak up!!!*



+1


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## parawizard

sector_cleared said:


> @Whole Thread



Hello Sector_cleared,

I am a complete noob at electronics and have been working on a driver myself for some front projection. I decided to build off some schematics on webench from national using their LM3409 driver. First iteration did not work and the second one needs some new parts. What IC are you using? Do you have a schematic? I am interested in how you are doing it and what components you are using.

Thanks,

Bryan


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## keith p

Looks great! Can't wait for these to hit the market!


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## sector_cleared

Hey guys,
thanks for your support. That is what I love about this forum. Funds are not the the problem at the moment only sparetime to work on the driver :sick2:

I was able to solve the ringing problem. I hope I will be able to find some space on the board for the additional parts that I need for that. I am looking forward to get hands on that new FETs. Hopefully on monday 
@parawizard: Actually I dont want to share which controller I am using. I am quite ambitious about this project and since I have a competitor I wouldnt be smart reveal that. Please dont get me wrong ;-)


----------



## stinky

sector_cleared said:


> @parawizard: Actually I dont want to share which controller I am using. I am quite ambitious about this project and since I have a competitor I wouldnt be smart reveal that. Please dont get me wrong ;-)



When you are finished I hope you make some money on these. You are doing a lot of work and deserve to get paid for your expertise and effort.

If turns out to be really great, someone will inevitably reverse engineer your product at some point. In my opinion there is no reason to accelerate that process.


----------



## Techjunkie

In other words, we wont hold it against you if you scratch the markings off of all the chips before you photograph/ship the drivers. 



stinky said:


> When you are finished I hope you make some money on these. You are doing a lot of work and deserve to get paid for your expertise and effort.
> 
> If turns out to be really great, someone will inevitably reverse engineer your product at some point. In my opinion there is no reason to accelerate that process.


----------



## The Dane

Techjunkie said:


> In other words, we wont hold it against you if you scratch the markings off of all the chips before you photograph/ship the drivers.



Yeah, it aint them there numbers and letters that makes them cetipede liquorice'sses do their mojo anyway:lolsign:


----------



## netprince

I'm not particularly interested in purchasing a board with markings scraped off, not that I would know how to do anything with the info anyway, its just the idea. Its not a $3 driver from dx.

IMHO the best way to hide the markings would be to ship it attached to a heatsink. Something with this much power should be heat sinked anyway.


----------



## heffay

marking my territory for later when driver is finished :naughty:


----------



## nailbender

Hi 
I will be glad to buy a few and you can paint mine black if that is what it takes. 

I can totally understand you keeping details to the driver. It is your knowledge , money and time. I am thrilled you are helping us out and I seriously hope you can make some profit. 

We are lucky to get this chance and our bonus is we don't have to buy 500 to get them made.

Thanks for your efforts 

Dave


----------



## sector_cleared

Good news guys!

Those new FETs kick ***. I soldered them on the prototype pcb today and it boosted the efficiency from 83% to 88.5%  Thats far more than I expected. Unfortunately the new FETs didnt reduce the ringing too so I will have to implement a few more parts as I posted before. Last task is making the two level current control work and then I can do the improved layout.


----------



## joethefish

Hey good work I found this thread after asking for some advice in the divelight section for a SST-90 aspheric dive torch im planning.
The only thing holding me back from getting cracking is the lack of a decent driver.. which hopefully you'll be able to help me with soon!
If it helps you at all.. or means I can get my hands on one sooner I dont need a two power level mode.. full whack or nothing for me :twothumbs anyway I wont PM you as i'm sure your inundated with them but if you can help out with that then let me know.. if not i understand you have enough to be getting on with  but please let me know as soon as I can buy one.. dive season is looming and im without light!
Joe


----------



## georges80

Any idea what the dissipation of the LT3743 is when driving the FETs. I'm interested to hear if you have any idea of the losses in the LT part (most would likely be gate drive related), the inductor and the FETs.

I wonder if the performance would be better if you connected the 2 FETs closer and/or on the same side of the PCB to get directly to LG and HG on the controller IC.

Nice job so far.

cheers,
george.


----------



## netprince

sector_cleared said:


> Good news guys!
> 
> Those new FETs kick ***. I soldered them on the prototype pcb today and it boosted the efficiency from 83% to 88.5%  Thats far more than I expected. Unfortunately the new FETs didnt reduce the ringing too so I will have to implement a few more parts as I posted before. Last task is making the two level current control work and then I can do the improved layout.



Very cool sector_cleared. Whenever your ready, I'm interested in two boards.


----------



## Aircraft800

Is the possibility of a 2 level 5A driver still doable with the new FET's? The SST-50 has been real good to me, but DD it all the time is going to cause a problem in the long run.

Thanks for all of your hard work, you even caught the interest of George (TaskLED) ^^^^^ Nice Job!!


----------



## sector_cleared

@george: I dont know how it is with the LT3743 but in my case the losses due to the gate drive are not very high. I am using FETs with extremly low gate charge to reduce transition losses. The nice side effect is that the dissipation in the controller is also quite low (~150mW).



> I wonder if the performance would be better if you connected the 2 FETs closer and/or on the same side of the PCB to get directly to LG and HG on the controller IC.



Normally I would agree with you. Short tracks is the way to go. But in my case the shortest way was to place the controller IC directly underneath the FETs. I have a via which gives me some parasitic inductance but definitely not more than the longer track would have had. And one of my goals was to fit the pcb in a C-sized Mag and I doubt it's possible to squeeze all that stuff on one side of the pcb.

@Aircraft800: Of course it is still doable. The FETs are just dissipating less of our valuable energy


----------



## Codiak

sector_cleared said:


> And one of my goals was to fit the pcb in a C-sized Mag and I doubt it's possible to squeeze all that stuff on one side of the pcb.



Are the primary issues now a matter of form over function?


----------



## nuggett

whats the diameter of the board?

Duh, first post......" Diameter 26.2mm / 1.030" (fitting a MAG C tube!!!)"


----------



## Linger

Aircraft800,
(minor thread jack) - could you just put a 2nd switch in. One side is DD, side two runs it through a multi-level board for drive currents >2.5A

(end ot)


----------



## ergotelis

sector cleared, make them fast!We need them! Don't make us spend $400 on SR90!


----------



## bradsab

Waht is the overall height of this driver?


----------



## nuggett

driver height is on post 77

"It is 10,5mm"


----------



## sector_cleared

Thanks for answering nuggett. Seems like you got all the facts about the size together now :nana:



> Are the primary issues now a matter of form over function?


The only issue left is the two level current control and thats only a matter of my stupidness cuz I made a layout mistake :duh2:


----------



## kl3vr

I want one, maybe more! How long until you'll start production? Or maybe i misunderstood your post, and you have no plans to sell... If thats the case, could someone point me to where i can get a quality 9-10 amp driver for a sst-90? looking to run it with 4*18650 in a 2*2parallel setup.
Thanks!


----------



## nuggett

hey kl3vr, here ya go, post 77 again:nana:

@1301: Sorry no news about pricing and date of delivery so far.

@Hetore: In this tread I will document the development of the driver. For sales I will open a tread in the adequate sub-forum. But I won't sell LEDs nor heat sinks, only drivers.

:wave::wave:


----------



## bradsab

nuggett said:


> driver height is on post 77
> 
> "It is 10,5mm"


 
thanx, i missed that


----------



## Rockford

Hi sector cleared

Your driver will have 9 amps, can i change any components from the driver that the driver has then only 5 or 6 amps...?

btw: grüsse aus dem wilden süden... :wave: "greetz from the wild south"


----------



## bradsab

sector_cleared said:


> Hello cpf,
> 
> @Hack on wheels: This driver is designed to work with the Mag stock switch. The cycle is OFF-LOW-HIGH-OFF. The low lvl is easily adjustable by the onboard potentiometer. The high lvl is full blast :naughty:
> 
> 
> Another comment to the MAG switch (or any other forward clicky): To cycle tru the modes you have to press the switch within a second again. Otherwise it starts from the beginning. So you don`t have to cycle tru the modes all the time. Only if you want to use the HI mode.


 
sector cleared-
Can the two levels be made to cycle on at HIGH first? (OFF-HIGH-LOW-OFF)


----------



## sector_cleared

Hey,
since there is a lot of people asking for the possibility to drive the LED in different modes or to cycle tru the modes in reverse order I decided use a µController for the UI.

edit: The maximum current will be adjustable by changing a resistor on the driver board.


----------



## 1301

sector_cleared said:


> Hey,
> since there is a lot of people asking for the possibility to drive the LED in different modes or to cycle tru the modes in reverse order I decided use a µController for the UI.
> 
> edit: The maximum current will be adjustable by changing a resistor on the driver board.


everytime I check this thread your driver sounds even better :twothumbs


----------



## Rockford

> edit: The maximum current will be adjustable by changing a resistor on the driver board.



That sounds great...! :twothumbs

I hope you will finish the board soon...


----------



## Hack On Wheels

If you want some input on the UI...

Two modes should be plenty, especially if the user can set the current for each mode. What might also be nice, would be the ability to lock the light into a specific mode, like LumaPower has done in the UI for some of their lights. I think four quick taps on the switch will lock or unlock the mode.

I'm really interested to see how the finished product is; I'm glad you are taking the time to refine it. :thumbsup:


----------



## Codiak

I'd love the ability to use a Piezo momentary switch. On/Off High/Off is more then enough


----------



## Mike Painter

sector_cleared said:


> Hey,
> since there is a lot of people asking for the possibility to drive the LED in different modes or to cycle tru the modes in reverse order I decided use a µController for the UI.
> 
> edit: The maximum current will be adjustable by changing a resistor on the driver board.



ARRRRGH.

With a pot located just in front of the switch on a mag light you can pick any level you want in a small fraction of a second.
Even more important you can make this decision *before* you turn the light on.
When you are on dim and see something headed your way you don't want to push-pull, click, click to get a big light on the scene.
(Turned out he was not heading exactly towards me but was trying to get behind me and away while keeping out of the dim light.)


----------



## sector_cleared

Mike Painter said:


> ARRRRGH.
> 
> With a pot located just in front of the switch on a mag light you can pick any level you want in a small fraction of a second.
> Even more important you can make this decision *before* you turn the light on.
> When you are on dim and see something headed your way you don't want to push-pull, click, click to get a big light on the scene.
> (Turned out he was not heading exactly towards me but was trying to get behind me and away while keeping out of the dim light.)



@Mike: No worries!

Instead of the resistor that limits the current you could also solder two wires to the pads and connect a potentiometer to it. A 50k pot works. I will program a single level mode in the UI. By pressing the Mag switch the driver will start with the current adjusted by pot.

I am gonna be in the US next week. Unfortunately there won't be any progress till I am back home :sick2:


----------



## Aircraft800

sector_cleared said:


> I am gonna be in the US next week. Unfortunately there won't be any progress till I am back home :sick2:


 Where? Us flashaholics have every state covered!


----------



## parawizard

stinky said:


> When you are finished I hope you make some money on these. You are doing a lot of work and deserve to get paid for your expertise and effort.
> 
> If turns out to be really great, someone will inevitably reverse engineer your product at some point. In my opinion there is no reason to accelerate that process.



I am driving these for front projection. Currently building a driver based on the National LM3409. Having some troubles.


----------



## tomeco

@*sector_cleared* 
I am trying to develop a driver with a LT3743, but when I am trying to work out the equation of power losses in the FET, it always results in some nonsence. Could I ask you if you have understood this part of the equation? I don't know what the Iout is, because
everywhere the output current is named just Io. Is it the same anyhow?


----------



## georges80

tomeco said:


> @*sector_cleared*
> I am trying to develop a driver with a LT3743, but when I am trying to work out the equation of power losses in the FET, it always results in some nonsence. Could I ask you if you have understood this part of the equation? I don't know what the Iout is, because
> everywhere the output current is named just Io. Is it the same anyhow?



The LT3743 datasheet specifically states: " IO is the regulated output current "

What numbers are you using? From my reading of the datasheet & equation - all the information you need is either in the datasheet or in the FET datasheet.

I haven't run any numbers through it to see if it provides a reasonable result (i.e. if they mucked up the equation) - so, provide your numbers and we can work through the equation and see if it provides a reasonable result.

cheers,
george.


----------



## tomeco

georges80 said:


> The LT3743 datasheet specifically states: " IO is the regulated output current "
> 
> What numbers are you using? From my reading of the datasheet & equation - all the information you need is either in the datasheet or in the FET datasheet.
> 
> I haven't run any numbers through it to see if it provides a reasonable result (i.e. if they mucked up the equation) - so, provide your numbers and we can work through the equation and see if it provides a reasonable result.
> 
> cheers,
> george.


 

*SORRY, SORRY MY FAULT...bug in Excel*

But for example this is worksheet for Top FET *FDMS8680*:

* 
*Vin=16,8 V
Iout=9 A

(16,8*9)/5=*30,24*

Qgd=2,7 nC (0,000.000.002.7 C)
Qgs=3,2 nC (0,000.000.003.7 C)

2,7+3,2=*5,9 nC* (*0,000.000.005.9 C)*

Rg=4 Ohm
Rpu=2,3 Ohm
Rpd=1,3 Ohm

(2*4)+2,3+1,3=*11,6*
fs=*500.000 Hz*

Ptransition=30,24*0,000.000.005.9*11,6*500.000=*1,0348128 W*

Pohmic= 0,248349862 W

Ploss=*1,283162662 W*

*This looks much beter then before. Thanks!*


----------



## sector_cleared

Hey guys,
I'm back from the States. Finally I can continue with the driver-board. I was in CA by the way...lots of rain but at least not snow like in Texas 

I will keep you updated with the process


----------



## RAYtechdiver

Good to have you back SECTOR ... need that driver ASAP ... cheers ..


----------



## Zinox

Will this make it posible to put a SST-90 led in the uniqefire UF1500 from DX ? it runs, on 2x18650.

I just got my uf1500, and it dossent seem to throw any better than my G&P r500 with this module.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26127


----------



## Drywolf

up ...


----------



## sector_cleared

Hi guys,

I am really sorry for letting this thread cool down. I am just too busy with my job right now to have some real progress with the driver. I am still stuck with the 2nd prototype including a µC for advanced UI. Hopefully I am able to finish the layout this weekend.

If you guys like, you could post suggestions for modes you like to be implemented in the UI and how you like to cycle tru the modes.

cheers


----------



## h22

Well, put me on the " I want one!I want one!I want one!" list. 

A UI with 3-5 preset ( possibly progammable ) levels would be sweet. 

Maybey an option for a POT to allow "infinate" adjustment?

Or a up-down button option as well?

Keep up the good work, I understand all to well the "to buisy" thing. My job averges 80-90 hours a week.... doesn't leave near enough time for tinkering.


----------



## Aircraft800

sector_cleared said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am really sorry for letting this thread cool down. I am just too busy with my job right now to have some real progress with the driver. I am still stuck with the 2nd prototype including a µC for advanced UI. Hopefully I am able to finish the layout this weekend.
> 
> If you guys like, you could post suggestions for modes you like to be implemented in the UI and how you like to cycle tru the modes.
> 
> cheers


 
Low-Mid-High with memory would be fine, but sometimes causes issues. If I need to grab it in the middle of the night, I don't want it to come on in "Holy Crap Bright" If I left it that way last time.

I like the drivers that I can hold the switch to ramp up brightness, or click to come on at the set, or last used level.


----------



## pyro

Aircraft800 said:


> If I need to grab it in the middle of the night, I don't want it to come on in "Holy Crap Bright" If I left it that way last time.


If i grab a SSC90 equipped light i want "Holy Crap Bright" and nothing else...



sector_cleared said:


> If you guys like, you could post suggestions for modes you like to be implemented in the UI and how you like to cycle tru the modes.
> 
> cheers



µC and lots of modes are nice to have if you want that, but please give us a KISS version too. 
Two modes, "Bright" and "Holy Crap Bright" are sufficient for a light in this output class IMHO.
For closeup work nobody uses MagC size- and anything smaller would get hottt way to fast.


----------



## rayman

Low-Mid-High would be great :thumbsup:. Take your time. The main thing that counts is the end product .

rayman


----------



## space-time

Hey sector_cleared I just spotted this thread when it bumped - I only joined CPF a month ago - and I'm interested in one of your drivers too! Sounds like you have done a top notch design job. I've been thinking about a roll-my-own for at SST-90 light since I either don't like what's out there right now, or everything that sounds good is still not shipping. I like the MAG "C" cell form factor too. I have a brand new MAG 4C just sitting here waiting to be messed with. 

I designed ICs and sent them out to fab 20+ years ago when out of college - I'm out of date now - but I do remember the issues with transition loss and MOSFET charging with used in switchers, worse with increasing frequency. I'll be most curious to see the results.  Thermal seems like it is always a big problem in these small lights. I've only recently got interested in flashlights but I've been surprised that many lights seemed to be designed as "not thermally stable" in the highest mode setting. Only to be used for a few minutes, with the second (lower) mode as the stable one.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Hack On Wheels said:


> If you want some input on the UI...
> 
> Two modes should be plenty, especially if the user can set the current for each mode. What might also be nice, would be the ability to lock the light into a specific mode, like LumaPower has done in the UI for some of their lights. I think four quick taps on the switch will lock or unlock the mode.
> 
> I'm really interested to see how the finished product is; I'm glad you are taking the time to refine it. :thumbsup:



I'm still thinking this would be great. If I want lots of modes and some really low modes I won't be using a 3+ C-cell Maglite with an SST-90! Low and high, keep it simple, and allow for it to be used as if it were a single mode light.


----------



## netprince

I would vote for 3 levels, with no memory...

1) lowest possible by driver
2) 1/4 or 1/3 power
3) full power

If you want to include memory... click on for last used mode, press and hold on to start at lowest setting...


----------



## SColly

programming header so we can put in our own modes and a few free gpio pins leftover on the micro would make this the best driver ever


----------



## TSWrench

Definitely interested in this driver. Good design principles.

Thank you!


----------



## Fulgeo

My vote would be 2 levels. 4-5 amp low, 9-10 amp high. Once powered off start at the low setting. Heat management wise I know from experimenting with my SST-90 setup that at a low 4.2 amp setting it can run an hour and still be hand holdable heat wise. I think my dream board would be first on at 4-5 amps then click to 9-10 amp high. Then if left in high it would cycle back to low setting after 5-10 minutes of high. This way you would have the wow factor of the high setting but it would cycle back down to low to protect the light incase you left if running in high. Just a thought. Happy Mods!


----------



## cnjl3

Low-Medium-High is enough modes for me.


----------



## ergotelis

Guys, all of you asking for 9+ amps driver, have you seen olight sr90? Have you seen its adequate cooling? Are you all going to cool it that way? 
I guess not, so think before asking 9amps, most of you will probably kill the led. And this is not a cheap led, it is a 50dollar led.
My vote is for a max 6-7 amps. Not higher. And a low of 1amp. I think this is all what most need.


----------



## Codiak

ergotelis said:


> Guys, all of you asking for 9+ amps driver, have you seen olight sr90? Have you seen its adequate cooling? Are you all going to cool it that way?
> I guess not, so think before asking 9amps, most of you will probably kill the led. And this is not a cheap led, it is a 50dollar led.
> My vote is for a max 6-7 amps. Not higher. And a low of 1amp. I think this is all what most need.


 
Some of us are going to water cool the thing, so 9A is not out of the question...

Whether it's worth the battery burn is another question.

I'd like to just see it cycle through from 
25% / 50% / 100% / off
All short presses no long stuff, nothing complicated...
But again, I'd like to be able to use a low Vf Peizo to control it


----------



## Hack On Wheels

There's nothing wrong with 9 or 10 amp max as long as you use it appropriately.


----------



## ergotelis

Codiak said:


> Some of us are going to water cool the thing, so 9A is not out of the question...



Divelight? 



Hack On Wheels said:


> There's nothing wrong with 9 or 10 amp max as long as you use it appropriately.



Other than divelight, how are you going to cool this thing? I am really curious! Magheatsinks for sst90 are good but i doubt that they can hold up the heat well for 7+ amps...


----------



## SUBjohan

ergotelis said:


> Divelight?



Yup


----------



## ergotelis

because i am interested too, give us any kind of idea about that!!! Basically about the host!Thanks!


----------



## rayman

Nobody said that you could use a SST-90 in a Maglite for a long time . But for short usage it shouldn't be a problem at 9+ Amps.

rayman


----------



## ergotelis

rayman said:


> Nobody said that you could use a SST-90 in a Maglite for a long time . But for short usage it shouldn't be a problem at 9+ Amps.
> 
> rayman



Agreed, but then what is the meaning of a driver at 9+amp when you cannot use it for a good period? 5min runtime is practically useless for me and for most people i think. It would be good for someone if he wanted to impress somebody and nothing more. Isn't it strange, in a case of emergency, to say sorry, i have to close it in order to cool it?! Also, after 5 min, due to heat and other possible aspects, you might have almost the same output with 7amps in lumen.


----------



## Fulgeo

ergotelis said:


> Agreed, but then what is the meaning of a driver at 9+amp when you cannot use it for a good period? 5min runtime is practically useless for me and for most people i think. It would be good for someone if he wanted to impress somebody and nothing more. Isn't it strange, in a case of emergency, to say sorry, i have to close it in order to cool it?! Also, after 5 min, due to heat and other possible aspects, you might have almost the same output with 7amps in lumen.



I would have to disagree with you here. I know based on my humble experiments with the SST-90 that when driven at about 4.2 amps it can comfortably live in a 3D Mag for 1 hour runs. At 7 amps the SST-90 will generate too much heat for long runs based on the 2D and 3D Mag form factors. So in that regard 7 amps is like 9-10 amps, both are impractical for long runs or sustained runs. That being said I will assume that you are not trolling and say that since the title of this thread has "10 Amp Hi/Lo Mode" in it and the vast majority of people desire to drive the SST-90 at such levels you are going to just have to understand the difference between a want and a need. I also wanted to admit that the person I want to impress for the most part is myself. Walking around with a SST-90 mod that can run at 4.2 amps sustained and still be able to do a short 9 amp blast is my goal. I do believe this combines practical with impractical, such is my nature. People do build dragsters, the need for speed and all. About a third of the incandescent builds I have made are not practical, especially for long runs. They are fun thou.


----------



## rayman

I find it quite pratical if you have the possibilty to drive the SST-90 at 9+ Amps. You don't really need 2000+ lumens for a long time. When I used my P7 Maglite for longer periods the 700 lumens were more than enough. But having the possibilty to go to 2000+ lumens for short periods is very practically for example when the 4A are not enough. This is my opinion .

rayman


----------



## Hack On Wheels

rayman said:


> I find it quite pratical if you have the possibilty to drive the SST-90 at 9+ Amps. You don't really need 2000+ lumens for a long time. When I used my P7 Maglite for longer periods the 700 lumens were more than enough. But having the possibilty to go to 2000+ lumens for short periods is very practically for example when the 4A are not enough. This is my opinion .
> 
> rayman



Ditto this!

2000+ lumens would be great for short bursts, to spot something at a distance, for example. The rest of the time 700 or so lumens is more than enough.

Also, if I'm carrying a big light, I'll always have a smaller one for backup... which would also be more suited to prolonged general use.


----------



## 420light

Fulgeo said:


> My vote would be 2 levels. 4-5 amp low, 9-10 amp high. Once powered off start at the low setting. I think my dream board would be first on at 4-5 amps then click to 9-10 amp high. Then if left in high it would cycle back to low setting after 5-10 minutes of high. This way you would have the wow factor of the high setting but it would cycle back down to low to protect the light incase you left if running in high.





Hack On Wheels said:


> 2000+ lumens would be great for short bursts, to spot something at a distance, for example. The rest of the time 700 or so lumens is more than enough.



I like both of these ideas.


----------



## Justin Case

I want High (Max) mode available at all times with a single button press. Any other multimodes should be relegated to some secondary setup that is inaccessible unless you specifically call it up. Thus, if I turn on the light, it comes on in High. If I rapidly cycle the light, it stays in High for every button press in the cycle. If I have long intervals between button presses, the light is in High. If I cycle the light erratically, it stays in High.

Only if I make some weird sequence of button presses will I access the other modes. Other lights accomplish this in various ways (e.g., Fenix with their bezel twists, SureFire with their selector ring, OpticsHQ's multifunction tailcap with a main and a side button).

But when you are in the secondary multimode state, you still need some way to immediately exit that state to get back to High.

If this can't be done, then I vote for two versions -- a multimode version (I don't care what the modes are since I would have no interest in such a version) and a single mode version.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

I think an option that could satisfy everyone would be a UI similar to the "Smart UI" used by Lumapower as described in this excerpt from one of gunga's reviews:



gunga said:


> *Smart UI: Two ways about it*
> 
> The D-mini VX uses the latest Lumapower UI, named Smart UI (first released in the Tool Series Mentor light). Smart UI offers the typical three mode interface (low-medium-high brightness sequence with memory mode) but also offers the ability to lock-in any single brightness setting for tactical use or signaling.
> 
> Here’s how it works: the light must be on for at least 1 second or more to set the mode memory. At this stage, turn off the light and quickly pulse the light on 4 times (within 1 second). Now the light is locked into that brightness setting and works like a single mode, forward clicky light.
> 
> To unlock the light, simply pulse the light on 4 times within a second. The light is now back to the standard 3-level interface. Simple and effective.
> 
> There are no strobe or SOS modes, so the interface remains relatively clean, and no nonsense.
> 
> Locking the mode is a bit fiddly initially, but once learned it’s easy to change from multi-level to single level interface. Adding some kind of mode-locked indication would be helpful. In any case the Smart UI should satisfy many different types of users.


----------



## Justin Case

Hack On Wheels said:


> I think an option that could satisfy everyone would be a UI similar to the "Smart UI" used by Lumapower as described in this excerpt from one of gunga's reviews:



It's not clear to me how one can instantly access high mode from one of the other modes without having to cycle through them.

A no-go for me.


----------



## Linger

I'm pretty sure the OP called this thread "10Amp Hi/Lo Driver."
Could anyone who wants to remain on topic please continue, and all those not interested in a 10Amp Hi/Lo driver please take up their own thread? I keep hoping for updates and instead find someone posting that "it shouldn't be 10Amp" or "it shouldn't have a /Lo mode" -- brilliant suggestions and please develop these ideas as I'm sure they would be valuable contributions to CPF if you make them their own threads so they can develop properly.

/OT

Implementation:
*with-out any understanding of what options are open these may be wildly un-implementable.

Linger's option - Light changes Lo / High mode each time switch is pressed, no preset, no memory. **But a series of rapid presses (say 8 quick clicks like mizer mode) and it enters a 'moonlight' 1lumen/50ma setting, light resumes normal modes with any additional button presses

1) Memory mode may be best compromise, light resumes at the last mode so the 'high only' people can get their high, quickly interupt and resume power and the light will switch modes:


 if the light is off for longer then 2seconds, it resumes the mode it was last in when it is switched on again.
if the light is turned off then quickly turned on again <2s after it was turned off (basically your 'soft press' or 'half press') it will turn on in the other mode.
2) Mainly high option: Light turns on at 'Low' any button press and it switches to 'high.' From here, any subsequent button pressing / flashing etc. and light remains in high.
If light is off for ~3seconds, it reverts to 'Low' agian when it is turned on.

3) re: H22's idea of a programable UI - IMHO JETBeam's IBS 3 mode memory is a fantastic UI, but I don't feel its appropriate for this case, a 10A screaming bright light. 'High' and 'user selectable' could be nice.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Justin Case said:


> It's not clear to me how one can instantly access high mode from one of the other modes without having to cycle through them.
> 
> A no-go for me.



True, you can't jump instantly to High. However, you did mention that you had no use for any modes but high, so this would still be great for you. The neat thing about this UI is that you can lock it into a certain mode and use it like a single mode light.


----------



## sector_cleared

Thanks for all the reply!

It seems to become complicated if one wants to make it fit for everybody... I will do my very best!

The UI I am thinking of will have several user modes like plain HI, LOW-HI, LOW-MID-HI, HI-LOW...and so on. I will also implement the possibility to choose between memory/no memory for all modes.
I have to see how to switch between the user modes. I was thinking of pressing the button for 10sec. If you have a better idea please let me know.



> programming header so we can put in our own modes and a few free gpio pins leftover on the micro would make this the best driver ever


Sounds interesting. What r you planning to connect to the µC?


----------



## rayman

Sounds great :thumbsup:. Like the idea of the different user modes. Changing the user modes by pressing the button for 10sec should work fine.

rayman


----------



## Mike Painter

Justin Case said:


> It's not clear to me how one can instantly access high mode from one of the other modes without having to cycle through them.
> 
> A no-go for me.



If there is a pot separate from the switch then you can set the mode *before* turning the light on. After it is on, going from high to low is done in a small fraction of a second with the flick of your thumb. With a bit of practice going to some intermediate setting is almost as fast.
When some idiot reversed the polarity of a battery pack and blew a driver (I think it was my dog) I carried two lights for a while. One with low-high-off, the other with high-low-off while walking at night.


----------



## Justin Case

Hack On Wheels said:


> True, you can't jump instantly to High. However, you did mention that you had no use for any modes but high, so this would still be great for you. The neat thing about this UI is that you can lock it into a certain mode and use it like a single mode light.


 
No, I did not say I had no use for multimodes. I have no use for multimode UIs that cannot access High mode immediately from any other mode, and which cannot be locked into High mode exclusively. There is a difference.

Operationally, I want to run in single mode as my primary interface. And the light has to stay in single mode unless I purposely switch it into multimode (for whatever reason -- battery conservation, night vision protection, etc). But if I'm in multimode, I want to be able to immediately switch to High mode with a single button press. I'd prefer that the actuation method be the same button press that I would use in single mode operation. Requiring that I flip some other switch is a no-go. State-dependent methods to access High is going to be error-prone under stress.

The problem with that Lumapower UI is that you can exit single mode operation unintentionally. If you pulse the light 4 times in one sec, you will switch the light out of locked High into multimode. I can envision wanting to cycle the light that quickly on purpose, but not to switch out of Locked.


----------



## Hetore

Hello Mister Sector Cleared.http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/images/smilies/sick2.gif

Please look this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-3-5-Watt-LED-...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53decb23ad

You said the maximum input voltage is 16V(there's any spare voltage?)

My voltage current is between 8V to 18,6V from the stator.

Could this driver supports a 18.6V input with a help of a resistor?

Thank you


----------



## SColly

sector_cleared said:


> Thanks for all the reply!
> 
> 
> Sounds interesting. What r you planning to connect to the µC?



depends, some people might want to put a pot to use as a dimmer, two pots, one as a dimmer and the other to set maximum brightness. for a dive light you could have say 4 reed switches low - med - high - off , allowing multimode dive lights. program iin your own strobes fast strobe slow strobe 'find me' strobe at low power etc... most micros can do in circuit programming, and this is the best way to make a driver that literally everyone can be happy with, of course that means open sourcing the driver code but its what ~50 lines?? you could even make up a battery monitor or something if you wanted, or add thermal protection for the led itself


----------



## sector_cleared

@ SColly: I am trying to put most of the stuff in the driver already. It will come with a battery monitor and the option to connect a thermal resistor for LED protection. I have one GPIO with AD-Con left. Maybe I can prepare that one already for connecting a potentiometer or a resistor-cascade connected to reed-contacts to adjust the current in a dive-light.
My worries with a open source driver is that only a small percentage of the CPF users knows how to program a µC and even if they know how to do it..what if they fry their drivers by setting a port "0" instead of "1"? 

I like the idea of open source but I won't develop the driver this way. It would be too much effort regarding documentation and stuff. If you are interested in a "naked" controller (once they are finished) we can definately work something out. :thumbsup:

Update for everybody: I had some trouble sourcing the µC I decided to use but finally I found a distributor. Tomorrow I should be able to finish the layout (with delay... I know I know :sick2: ) and order the boards for the next prototype.

cheers


----------



## tx101

Here is my 2 cents worth

2 modes, first click will get you to mode 1 which is user defined
For mode 2 which is maximum, press and hold. Mode 2 is accessible
from either when the light is in mode 1 or from the off position.


----------



## Linger

tx101 - I like that. It's a digital solution, *any 'press and hold' brings light to %100*, regardless of which state the light had been in. Excellent. Further, this opens up some more options, as a few 'user defined levels' could be tossed in with the standard 1/2 press to cycle between them. However defining feature would be: Press and hold turns light to %100


----------



## Fulgeo

tx101 said:


> Here is my 2 cents worth
> 
> 2 modes, first click will get you to mode 1 which is user defined
> For mode 2 which is maximum, press and hold. Mode 2 is accessible
> from either when the light is in mode 1 or from the off position.


 

+1 This sound like a great idea.


----------



## The Dane

One mode = On/Off

Then the fiddlers can have a plethora of settings in all sorts of submenu's, alternatively On/Off can be selected as a setting.

But i want like the lights on my car, in my house and by the sidewalk!


----------



## rayman

Any news about the driver ?

rayman


----------



## sector_cleared

Sorry guys, still waiting some of the parts. As soon as I have everything together I will post results immediately. In the meantime I am programming the software for the µC.


----------



## irv_usc

maybe i missed it in the previous posts, but does the switch pass the full 10amps or is it just being used for a relay?


----------



## Al Combs

sector_cleared said:


> My awesome wiring diagram :twothumbs:


The 'awesome wiring diagram' shows what looks like an added (thicker) red wire to carry the power. The blue positive wire of the switch only turns the regulator on and off. So no arcing damage to the switch like with a hotwire. Perhaps sector_cleared can confirm this.


----------



## sector_cleared

@Al Combs: Glad you like my diagram :laughing: Yes, I can confirm that the MAG switch is only used to cycle through the modes and to program the UI. There is basically no current flow (few µAmps maybe) through the switch.

There is a great picture tutorial written by wquiles explaning every step to modify the MAG switch exactly the way you gonna need it for this driver (except the diameter of the wires...I would use AWG 14 or 1.5mm² wire for the current path):

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/189336


----------



## Al Combs

sector_cleared said:


> @Al Combs: Glad you like my diagram :laughing: Yes, I can confirm that the MAG switch is only used to cycle through the modes and to program the UI. There is basically no current flow (few µAmps maybe) through the switch.


I did. So the switch mod is just like the one for TaskLED boards, a normally open momentary? Here's the one Sway did for the MagD switch tower. Can't wait to buy one of these.


----------



## sector_cleared

Thanks for the MAG D tutorial! :twothumbs I didn't find it yesterday.

Actually both tutorials are going a bit too far. I designed the driver to work with a normally open momentary switch but you don't have to isolate it from the supply voltage. The driver can take the full supply voltage range on the switch input.
That means you only have to modify the MAG switch to be momentary and bypass it with a AWG14/1.5mm² wire from the positve battery contact to the driver.

edit: Its AWG14 of course. Not AWG24...


----------



## Fulgeo

sector_cleared said:


> That means you only have to modify the MAG switch to be momentary and bypass it with a AWG24/1.5mm² wire from the positve battery contact to the driver.


 
Hey Sector_Cleared,

Probably a typo but you meant more like 20 gauge wire yes?


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Fulgeo said:


> Hey Sector_Cleared,
> 
> Probably a typo but you meant more like 20 gauge wire yes?



Not a typo, if I read it correctly. The switch is going to be used to signal to the chip on the regulator. This means it won't need to see a large current and the wire can be quite thin. The power connections to the regulator will be separate and will be best suited for 20 gauge (or thicker) wire.

Edit: Haha, oops, I think I did misread it after all. Yeah, 20 gauge to bypass the switch. It's getting late so I'll stop now.


----------



## rizky_p

didnt know that a CC driver for SST90 is in the work...

subscribed


----------



## Justin Case

Hack On Wheels said:


> Not a typo, if I read it correctly. The switch is going to be used to signal to the chip on the regulator. This means it won't need to see a large current and the wire can be quite thin. The power connections to the regulator will be separate and will be best suited for 20 gauge (or thicker) wire.
> 
> Edit: Haha, oops, I think I did misread it after all. Yeah, 20 gauge to bypass the switch. It's getting late so I'll stop now.


 
I think you got it right the first time. See sector_cleared's post #167:

"Yes, I can confirm that the MAG switch is only used to cycle through the modes and to program the UI. There is basically no current flow (few µAmps maybe) through the switch."

The blue wire in his wiring diagram is the only link that the Mag switch controls. The Mag switch, mod'ed for momentary operation, toggles the power on that wire to signal the driver UI for mode changes/programming.

The thicker red and brown wires bypass the Mag switch. The red wire goes directly from the driver to Batt+ (typically, this is done by soldering the wire to the small center spring on the bottom of the D Mag switch). The brown wire goes from the driver to GND (typically, this is done by soldering directly to the nut/ground strap connected to the grub screw). The connections are conceptually similar as those used in the JimmyM PhD hotwire regulator, which also bypasses the Mag switch from dealing with high current, using the switch only to signal the regulator board.

For 10A, I'd probably use a minimum of 20 ga. I like safety factors and probably would use the readily available 12 ga, 14 ga, or 16 ga silicone wire from places like The Sandwich Shoppe, Hobby King, Tower Hobbies, etc. Tower has some of the Deans super soft noodle wire, if the stiffness of heavy gauge wire is a concern.


----------



## Fulgeo

Justin & Hack,

What has got me a bit confused is this quote from sector_cleared's post #169. "I designed the driver to work with a normally open momentary switch but you don't have to isolate it from the supply voltage. The driver can take the full supply voltage range on the switch input.":thinking: Besides the mentioned wiring diagram this might mean you can directly wire it like you a more conventional board. You know just supply in and LED emitter leads out. I have the silver plated stranded copper mil-spec wire in 20, 24 and 26 gauge in ready supply. I am not criticizing sector_cleared in any regard since I am very appreciate of his effort in this project. Regardless how it needs to be wired up, I want it!:thumbsup:


----------



## Walterk

This is a dream! Universal, adjustable and smart. Want one.


----------



## Justin Case

Fulgeo said:


> Justin & Hack,
> 
> What has got me a bit confused is this quote from sector_cleared's post #169. "I designed the driver to work with a normally open momentary switch but you don't have to isolate it from the supply voltage. The driver can take the full supply voltage range on the switch input.":thinking: Besides the mentioned wiring diagram this might mean you can directly wire it like you a more conventional board. You know just supply in and LED emitter leads out. I have the silver plated stranded copper mil-spec wire in 20, 24 and 26 gauge in ready supply. I am not criticizing sector_cleared in any regard since I am very appreciate of his effort in this project. Regardless how it needs to be wired up, I want it!:thumbsup:



I think that's what I wrote. The driver has a red wire that goes directly to Batt+. The driver also has a brown wire that goes directly to GND. The Mag switch has a blue control wire that goes to the driver to run the UI. LED+ and LED- come out of the driver and go to the LED.


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Justin Case said:


> I think you got it right the first time. See sector_cleared's post #167:



Thanks for clearing that up! I was up late cramming for an exam and nothing was making much sense by that point. 

I was a bit confused by what both sector_cleared and Fulgeo were saying as SC had referred to both isolating the switch and bypassing it... but yeah, essentially the switch is isolated from the high current so it can use thin wire, but the "switch bypass" wire will be seeing the high current (it goes straight from battery contact to the regulator) and so it should be heavier gauge wire.


----------



## Fulgeo

sector_cleared,

Is it possible to not bypass the switch with your circuit. Just drive the positive from the top of the Mag switch. In effect connecting the blue control wire with the red positive batt wire on the top of Mag switch tower? I know this would incur the resistance of the Mag switch which is at its limit at about 10 amps, but it would completely isolate the circuit from power when the light would not be in use. If I was going to use this circuit for lower amp projects say 5-6 amps I might consider using it this way if it would work?


----------



## irv_usc

Fulgeo said:


> sector_cleared,
> 
> Is it possible to not bypass the switch with your circuit. Just drive the positive from the top of the Mag switch. In effect connecting the blue control wire with the red positive batt wire on the top of Mag switch tower? I know this would incur the resistance of the Mag switch which is at its limit at about 10 amps, but it would completely isolate the circuit from power when the light would not be in use. If I was going to use this circuit for lower amp projects say 5-6 amps I might consider using it this way if it would work?


 I would be concerned with running 10A through the stock Mag switch. I doubt the driver will draw very much at all when switched off...


----------



## Al Combs

I have a different switch question for sector_cleared. Certain drivers are susceptible to the switch bounce behavior of the Mag-C. Here is a thread with possible solutions by members DonShock and Aircraft800 to explain what I mean. One mod disables the self cleaning feature of the switch while the other increases the tension on the contacts. Darkzero mentions he doesn't do multi-mode mods in a Mag-C unless he's using a TaskLED driver. They don't seem to suffer erratic behavior from the switch design. Also the switch in the Mag-D does not seem to have this problem.

Do you know if your driver will jump modes when used with a Mag-C switch? Obviously this is a defect (design limitation) in the Mag-C switch assembly I'm talking about and not the design of your board. I'm just wondering if you think it will be a problem?


----------



## Fulgeo

irv_usc said:


> I would be concerned with running 10A through the stock Mag switch. I doubt the driver will draw very much at all when switched off...



I have run 10 amps thru the stock Mag switch in more than one of my more insane hotwire builds. Although it does work I would not trust it for a high duty cycle torch since the life of the stock switch is most probably drastically shortened. The usual trick to get by the limitations of the stock switch is to install a more robust switch of greater capacity or use a good FET. This circuit uses a FET so no worries with the 10 amps. I do trust the stock Mag switch to handle 5 amps. This driver could be used to drive a SST-50, so in that regard what I am trying to find out is could this driver be used to that end. I am not worried too much about the inactive draw of the circuit since it is so miniscule. I just have a preference to have a completely dead circuit in a torch when it is not in use. One thing I do with my mods is to back off the tail cap a few turns when they are not in use. This is easier on the batteries and springs and also acts sort of like a safety.


----------



## sector_cleared

Justin Case said:


> I think you got it right the first time. See sector_cleared's post #167:
> 
> "Yes, I can confirm that the MAG switch is only used to cycle through the modes and to program the UI. There is basically no current flow (few µAmps maybe) through the switch."
> 
> The blue wire in his wiring diagram is the only link that the Mag switch controls. The Mag switch, mod'ed for momentary operation, toggles the power on that wire to signal the driver UI for mode changes/programming.
> 
> The thicker red and brown wires bypass the Mag switch. The red wire goes directly from the driver to Batt+ (typically, this is done by soldering the wire to the small center spring on the bottom of the D Mag switch). The brown wire goes from the driver to GND (typically, this is done by soldering directly to the nut/ground strap connected to the grub screw). The connections are conceptually similar as those used in the JimmyM PhD hotwire regulator, which also bypasses the Mag switch from dealing with high current, using the switch only to signal the regulator board.
> 
> For 10A, I'd probably use a minimum of 20 ga. I like safety factors and probably would use the readily available 12 ga, 14 ga, or 16 ga silicone wire from places like The Sandwich Shoppe, Hobby King, Tower Hobbies, etc. Tower has some of the Deans super soft noodle wire, if the stiffness of heavy gauge wire is a concern.



@Justin Case: Its exactly like you discribed it. Thank you for helping out. And the 24 ga was a typo. The driver board is prepared to take up to 14 ga. wire.



> sector_cleared,
> 
> Is it possible to not bypass the switch with your circuit. Just drive the positive from the top of the Mag switch. In effect connecting the blue control wire with the red positive batt wire on the top of Mag switch tower? I know this would incur the resistance of the Mag switch which is at its limit at about 10 amps, but it would completely isolate the circuit from power when the light would not be in use. If I was going to use this circuit for lower amp projects say 5-6 amps I might consider using it this way if it would work?


If you want to run the driver ON/OFF it could work but I have to verfiy it. But there is no need for that. The shut-down current of the ciruit is >20µAmps which is much less than the self-discharge of a 18650 LiIon. You don't have to worry that it will suck your battery empty.

More detailed:
When not in use, the whole power section of the driver board is shut off. Also the µController. The only thing that is running is a LDO with a super low quiescent current of max. 10µAmps. The µController is set to Wake-on-Interrupt which is triggered by the MAG switch. If you are not so much into electronics: It means it doesn't make a difference in shelf life if you disconnect the driver board from the battery section.



> I have a different switch question for sector_cleared. Certain drivers are susceptible to the switch bounce behavior of the Mag-C. Here is a thread with possible solutions by members DonShock and Aircraft800 to explain what I mean. One mod disables the self cleaning feature of the switch while the other increases the tension on the contacts. Darkzero mentions he doesn't do multi-mode mods in a Mag-C unless he's using a TaskLED driver. They don't seem to suffer erratic behavior from the switch design. Also the switch in the Mag-D does not seem to have this problem.
> 
> Do you know if your driver will jump modes when used with a Mag-C switch? Obviously this is a defect (design limitation) in the Mag-C switch assembly I'm talking about and not the design of your board. I'm just wondering if you think it will be a problem?


Thanks for the info. I am aware of the chattering of normal switches but I will measure the chattering of the MAG C switch to see if there is a big difference. The driver won't have a problem with that bouncing. It's quite easy to filter it out by software. I am sure George is doing the same with his driver boards.
Just as a side info: Every switch is bouncing. If you are using logic modules you always have to be aware of this behavior. The most simple solution is to use a low pass filter between the input and the switch. But if your low pass filter is designed too small and your switch is causing some serious chattering (MAG C) you are in trouble . The better solution is to filter it in the software. But most cheapo drivers don't have a µController that's why they show erratic behavior.

I hope I didn't miss anything 

Cheers


----------



## Al Combs

sector_cleared said:


> Thanks for the info. I am aware of the chattering of normal switches but I will measure the chattering of the MAG C switch to see if there is a big difference. The driver won't have a problem with that bouncing. It's quite easy to filter it out by software. I am sure George is doing the same with his driver boards.


Sounds like you've got it all covered. Can't wait...


----------



## rayman

So any news ?

rayman


----------



## sector_cleared

Sorry for the long silence.

I got all the parts together yesterday...finally. The allocation problem is driving me crazy. These days it's really difficult to get electronic parts. Some parts have lead times up to 50 weeks :duh2:

Anyways. I am finishing the prototype this week. I will post pics and measurements as soon as possible.


----------



## dan1million

Cant wait to see your results !!

-Dan


----------



## netprince

Has anyone come up with a good way to heatsink one of these? The best thing I could come up with so far is a cut down LED heatsink. While it would have good contact with the tube, I was hoping for a slightly less expensive option...


----------



## Al Combs

netprince said:


> Has anyone come up with a good way to heatsink one of these? The best thing I could come up with so far is a cut down LED heatsink. While it would have good contact with the tube, I was hoping for a slightly less expensive option...


How 'bout $1.85 @ Home Depot for a 1" copper coupling? The best part of this is since it will be a double sided board, the tabs of copper you bend over can be of differing heights.


----------



## Nanomiser

I'm in :thumbsup:


----------



## SmurfTacular

If you haven't already made any, do you have schematics so I can make my own?

Thanks.


----------



## Al Combs

SmurfTacular said:


> If you haven't already made any, do you have schematics so I can make my own?
> 
> Thanks.


Someone already made that request in post #80 of this thread. Since his intention is to sell these boards when completed, giving away the design specs would seriously undermine that effort. Sector_cleared understandably declined in post #82.


----------



## ma_sha1

I'd like to take 2-3, can't wait!


----------



## aurum

Der Wichtel will release his 5A/9A soon ....


----------



## SmurfTacular

aurum said:


> Der Wichtel will release his 5A/9A soon ....



This is getting exciting. Battle of the boards!


----------



## waddup

3% 35% 100% and maybe a fast strobe is all any light needs imo.


----------



## SmurfTacular

waddup said:


> 3% 35% 100% and maybe a fast strobe is all any light needs imo.



As long as you don't have to cycle through modes linearly.


----------



## luckybucket

waddup said:


> 3% 35% 100% and maybe a fast strobe is all any light needs imo.




I'd like a medium setting that allows me to get at least an hour of runtime at the brightest setting or that allows it to run just below too hot to hold, whichever is less. The problem is I don't know exactly how much power it takes to make the light too hot, but I can calculate an hour of runtime.


----------



## Fulgeo

luckybucket said:


> I'd like a medium setting that allows me to get at least an hour of runtime at the brightest setting or that allows it to run just below too hot to hold, whichever is less. The problem is I don't know exactly how much power it takes to make the light too hot, but I can calculate an hour of runtime.


 
I have played with the SST-50 and the SST-90. I find about 4.2 amps with a SST-50 is about the most I can drive it and still manage heat in a 1 hour or greater run time in a Mag 3D body. The head does get very hot but you can comfortably hold onto the flashlight at just below the switch position ( were most of us normally hold the flashlight ). This is stand alone runs. The SST-90 generates a little less heat so I have found you can crank it up a bit to 5.0 amps for stand alone runs. If you hold onto a flashlight during extend runs your body becomes a secondary heat sink. You might be able to drive a SST-50 safely at 5.0 amps if you keep it in hand. This is at room temperature mind you. When I go for walks at night when it is cooler out heat is not as much of an issue. I think the perfect 2 mode driver for a SST-90 would be a constant runnable 4.2-5.0 amps low setting and a 9 amp high setting. In a Mag 3D body with a good heatsink you will not be able to run a SST-90 at 9 amps for long. But a brief 5 minute burst of light should be no problem.


----------



## Walterk

I am happy when the Led is driven at full Amps from a wide range of powersources.

All other functions, modes and settings are a bonus.


----------



## Kaulquappe

Hi,

Are there any news about the driver?

Regards from Switzerland

Luca


----------



## M59/80

Interesting driver. Now no reason to direct drive, looks that must order when available. Delivery to Finland may be easy, and exchangerate doesn't harm...


----------



## SmurfTacular

Der Wichtel beat you to it


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/276105


----------



## irv_usc

SmurfTacular said:


> Der Wichtel beat you to it
> 
> 
> https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/276105


 
that is a nice one but it is single level only.


----------



## Drywolf

irv_usc said:


> that is a nice one but it is single level only.


 
Single level vs. Vapor levels. :devil:


----------



## rayman

I see lots of offtopic in this thread lately.

C'mon guys it takes time to build such a driver. So be fair and leave the offtopic out of this thread :thumbsup:.

rayman


----------



## alexdiver

pls let me know when this is avail , i want too purchase one !!


----------



## Kaulquappe

Maybee sector_cleared can give us a update about his driver?

Greats Luca


----------



## TorchBoy

:welcome: Luca.


----------



## rayman

Any news? My 6D Maglite and my SST-90 are lying around with nothing to do .

rayman


----------



## sector_cleared

Hi guys,
I am really sorry for letting you wait so long... 

There is not so much to say right now. I built the prototype but I did a layout mistake and have to order for a new pcb. I am pretty pissed at myself cuz it was a really stupid mistake 
I have a lot of trouble in my job atm. As soon as the project is over I will put more time in the driver. For the time being you guys have to use the driver from The Wichtel.

Again, sorry for the long pause


----------



## Kaulquappe

Can you give us a guess how long it takes till the driver will be available? 

Luca


----------



## Kaulquappe

@sector_cleared
Any News?


----------



## Kaulquappe

@sector_cleared
Any news about your driver? We are all waiting :ironic:

Regards Luca


----------



## Hack On Wheels

Kaulquappe said:


> @sector_cleared
> Any news about your driver? We are all waiting :ironic:
> 
> Regards Luca



I'm hesitant to declare this dead... but it is starting to look that way.


----------



## ma_sha1

wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Kaulquappe

Hmm, he wasn't only for the last 2 months. I think we are never going to get one of these awsome drivers :mecry:


Regards from Switzerland 
Luca


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## Dexter

Does anyone have any news about this driver? or another multimode driver the the SST-90? (apart from the DW thread)

If not I may have an unused SST-90 and heatsink for sale as I dont want to build a light that can only be on full!

I wonder what happened to Sector Cleared??


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## Kaulquappe

..........................


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## HopeIt Works

Hi ........... any moire news about Sector_Cleared & the SST project? Great shame if all this work & discussion went down the tubes.


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## lightliker

Der Wichtel has made something very useful but I think you are all aware of that since this kind of drivers are very rare....


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## fivemega

05-31-2010


sector_cleared said:


> There is not so much to say right now.


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## Xiider

Hey^^
I found some intersessting parts, and with them it should be "easy" to build Driver with unlimited Ampere ( :wave.
If I´ll found some time this evening im going to write more.. ( Some Circuits.. And all the Parts you need to build it =) ).
The IC, which is regulating the Ampere is the MIC3203! Efficency is about 94%!! And PWM enabled!


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## DeadFred

Xiider said:


> Hey^^
> I found some intersessting parts, and with them it should be "easy" to build Driver with unlimited Ampere ( :wave.
> If I´ll found some time this evening im going to write more.. ( Some Circuits.. And all the Parts you need to build it =) ).
> The IC, which is regulating the Ampere is the MIC3203! Efficency is about 94%!! And PWM enabled!



The MIC3202 will only source and sink 10mA for driving the gate of the FET, not nearly enough current to drive a FET big enough to handle the 9A needed for the SST-90s. For a 10A FET with high speed switching you will need around 300mA to turn it on and off fast enough to limit it from operating in the linear range and over-heating.

I built a CC 9A buck driver for a triple SST-90 light using a MAX16820 which is just about identical to the MIC3202 but will source 500mA and sink 1A, so it will drive higher current FETs without any problems. The MAX16820 is also a bit smaller only 3.3mm x 3.3mm.

I used a Vishay SiS414DN 20A FET for the project. It’s a very small package with good thermal characteristics and has a nice balance between on-resistance, gate charge and Vgs(on).


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