I highly doubt that the LD-3 will handle a quad build.
At 12A it will have to dissipate roughly 6W+. It is only rated for 3W with thermal cubes IIRC. Same issue I have ran into with the Texas commander.
Although you should be able to get away with a normal FET driver in a quad. I have an S41 quad 219C 4000k and it works fine. It pulls around 21-22A in turbo but that is ok as it is around 5A per LED which is about perfect.
Although it gets VERY hot. If you use long thin wires you could drop that down a bit. 24AWG is about the thinnest I would go.
Nope, they make peak lumens at around 6A, so 5-6A is perfect. I tested them to 12A and they lived just fine, they just put out the same lumens at 12A as they do at 2.5A except with a ton more heat.
Just curious, are there any multi output (3-4 outlet) drivers small enough for flashlight applications? That would be a good option.
How about RGBW drivers? We can use 1/2/3/4 output or even combine them all.
There are some great branded multi colour flashlights, right?
For the same reason the Cree says that an XP-L2 max is 3A but we run them at 8A+. They rate them first off for non-DTP mcpcb which makes a massive difference. Then they also need a safety factor built in.
Heck I tested the XP-L2 to 15A and it still worked! These latest gen LED’s without bond wires are super tough when mounted on a DTP star and have a good heat path.
Yes, they can handle it.
It’s a matter of opinion and preferences etcetera.
I just don’t like the idea of a modern LED doing less than 100 Lumen per Watt.
5 Amperes is excessive i.m.o.
3 Amperes is still okay for a 219C, maybe 3.5 Amperes.
But with a linear driver you run into problems when the battery can not provide the Vf at such currents.
The party is over pretty soon, even with modern low Vf LEDs.
DD FET drivers and how they’re usually implemented makes matters even worse.
Folks are limiting the current by means of thin wires and what not…
Sure, that’s what you would want when the battery is fully charged, but that’s only a short while…
Yes please.
I don’t mind if it can produce high lumens for more than seconds too (it heats up to unhealthy temperatures darn fast when you drive it hard).