Mike C drivers: v8 series, ATtiny1634 based.

Chapeau Mike C
That looks nice
I really like the through-hole programming. :+1:
This might be handy for another driver

Useful for single sided drivers that might be getting firmware updates. Basically all my lights are eligible for firmware updates :slight_smile:

Done. I fiddled around a bit in Eagle and managed to move the BAT+ via almost dead center (it’s a little off). I also made it bigger with a 1.6mm drill size. I had to sacrifice one of the 0805 C2 caps in order to keep both 7135s but I’m pretty sure only one is needed. I’ll upload v5.3 to OSH Park and share it once v5.2 is tested.

You didn’t have to do that… it was already very good. :slight_smile:

My only concern of any substance is whether it’ll be able to fit in common 17mm hosts. But I’m guessing it could have ~0.4mm filed off the edges if necessary? I’d love to hear whether it fits into popular 18650 tube lights, since that size of driver gets used so widely.

To be honest I did it for myself. I hadn’t thought about wiring the LED that way, it’s pretty neat. I also needed a break from coding, so a bit of mucking about in Eagle was welcome.
I changed the via size down to 1.5, but there is enough clearance for a 2mm hole if one wanted to drill it out. I was thinking about putting a hole instead of via, but that would mean a little extra hassle for my lights where I don’t want a driver spring.

I’ve used this same 17.8mm diameter drivers in my S2, S3, M1 and M2s since a long time. I use that diameter so I can file down for a snug fit, although I haven’t had to file anything off but the fabrication panel tabs for the shelfless S3 and M2. Filing all the way down to 17mm would be no problem, there would still be some ground ring left, you would have just hit the holes in the ground ring vias.

Mike C wrote:

4S. However, my attempts with 7135s on 4S where not successful, so for 4S I have shifted my attention to a 3 amp LDO (LT3083). I haven’t gotten around to testing them out yet though. I have all the parts, I just haven’t taken the time (been more interested in getting the ATtiny841 boards ready.

Do you have any more details on the LDO and design you used to get 7135s running on 4S? I’ve got everything working with 4S except the 7135s.

When I get a chance, I'll dig up one of my lights that I did it in and double check that they do work properly. If it does, I'll report back.

Cool. Thanks.

Well, one thing led to another… now there is a F-4. It’s the same as the F-2 except with two additional 7135s that are on the back side, which in turn required a slightly smaller spring pad so they could fit. Of coarse the two new ones are on another pin, so any number of one to four 7135s can be turned on in constant current, and for any level between I will PWM the 7135 on PB2.

I’ll still keep the F2 available as it has a larger spring pad, otherwise there is no need for it if Nanjg sized springs are used. If only two 7135s are wanted, don’t populate the ones on the back (spring pad) side. I also put another 0805 cap on the back side since I removed one from the F-2. If the F-4 is made with four 7135s, then it’s a double sided board anyway, so two OTSM caps can be used for longer measurable off times if desired.

I also managed to squeeze in another switch via, so if a E-switch is soldered in place there is still an available via for acupuncture style flashing. This is for both the F-2 and F-4.

I want to test that the F-2 v5.2 works before making the v5.3 F-2 and F-4 available. As far as I can tell, no one has ordered the current F-2 so I’ve un-shared it for now because the new v5.3 (that the firmware will be working for) will have a pin change.

Work is getting the way though, I’m being sent of to Israel tomorrow, and then on to New Delhi, so this stuff will be on hold. I don’t want to take small electronics and development stuff will cells, buttons and wires with me because Israeli airport security is a lot tighter than most other countries.

You are a true jet setter Mike. :stuck_out_tongue:

It sounds really nice. I should probably get or make one after it’s known to work, for development purposes. It seems avr-gcc didn’t add support for the tiny841 until fairly recently though, which means I’ll have to upgrade some tools…

BTW, before you finalize anything, do you think there’s any chance of getting a trace from an ADC-capable pin to LED- ? This would allow the driver to sense the ambient light level while the LED is off, which means it could be configured by pointing it at a computer screen with binary code blinking in black and white. Or it could maybe sense whether to skip moon mode when the ambient light level is too high for moon.

I will do that on a next version. For testing in the meantime there is a via used for flashing that is otherwise unused. It’s on PA5 which has ADC capabilities.

TK, that really sounds wonderful. I love a true moonlight mode in almost every light and if it were there or not based on existing light… that would be awesome! The programming idea is interesting, thus having the extra space in the chip might be huge!

We seem to have new drivers showing up every day that have lots of potential right now. It is awesome! Just wish I could wrap my head around building them. I can see I will be ordering parts soon and testing this bad boy out!

Any news on this?

Updated OP with info on new v6 design.

Nice work Mike. Just wish I understood the workings a lot more than I do. :beer:

Holy super driver, batman! Great stuff, Mike!

Thanks!

I’ve just received the new v6 design for the F-2 and F-4, so I’ll build a few and make sure there aren’t any screw-ups.

The v6 component and pin design is already tested and working nicely though. I made a L4 dedicated version with 14 x 7135s which is the first of my v6 drivers to actually make it into a light: What did you mod today? - #2984 by Mike_C

I used a 22uF X7S rated OTSM cap on the L-14 which consistently gets over 10 measurable seconds at 4V and room temperature. I’ll have to lower the voltage and heat it up to test the margins.

Nice
Gotta love those many pins on the MCU :slight_smile:

This acupuncture way of flashing, is it more reliable then a clip?

Well, with the ATtiny85 without bending pins I found that the clip would pop off every now and then, and was sometimes difficult to get on right. It was much better when I bent the legs but would still sometimes be annoying to get on correctly and could still pop off easily, at least when it was installed in a light:

The acupuncture style has it’s drawbacks too, in particular if the wires used are too thin. It has happened that I’ve had to push on the wires as contact was lost, but it happens so seldom so I much prefer this method. Now I can have the MCU on the inside, keep a spring pad and flash the driver without taking it out. That’s a real advantage for a firmware developer :slight_smile:

I have a dedicated development platform which makes development and testing much easier. Without the clip I find it even easier, but having the right size “needles” is key. The paper clips I use are pretty much spot on for the via size I used:


Those are some nice looking driver boards, Mike!