Hi!
Since its not valkuable anymore for not-US-People to buy from RMM (13$ shipping at least), I would love to know, if the BG FET+1 driver is as good as the DIY FET driver from RMM
Is there any difference between the 100% modes on these drivers or is the BG driver just as good?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried it but would say the BG driver would not be as good quality components.
The quality is uite low, I would recommed a TA driver if you’re oky to spend a little more.
I got one for about 15€ few months ago, the FET+7+1 configuration is ideal and you have a ton of different mode configuation to suit your needs
I am using it with 3*xp-g3, highest current is 10-11A
It’s certainly not as good as the ground contact ring is often quite narrow (as in the picture) and RMM’s drivers have their spring already bypassed, with the + wire going through the board. And cheaper components as CRX wrote. But it does work.
To put it another way: RMM’s drivers are pieces of fine art crafted with pride. The BG driver is a dollar store tool: functional as long as you do nothing too stupid with it.
I would stay away from the other similar BG driver (the BLF X5 one with an ATTiny25). I think it has issues because the Tiny25 is not as tolerant of voltage spikes as the Tiny13a.
The BG FET+1 drivers are fine, I use them all the time, they are in all of my most loved EDC’s. I have had some Mtn bistro drivers too and I did not notice much difference. If you do not need custom options like is possible on Mtn, I would just use the BG version.
But I must say that nowadays I always fix them with a 0.5 Ohm resitor and repostioning C1 and D1, to prevent the drop to moon in high current low voltage mods. And maybe Richard’s version has that fix already done in the newer versions?
I have not noticed any failures with the BG FET-1 drivers (and I have used many of them!), the BLF-A6 driver is rock-solid, and the X5/X6 driver can behave peculiar in high current mods (hence the fix) and when using lighted tails, but that is not different with Richard’s version AFAIK.
I got a bunch of the BG BLF A6 for real cheap, think it was $3.65ea on sale some time ago. I use them in single emitter lights as upgrades. They work fine for what I have used them in so far.
It’s not “good” if you have to fix them 
Not everyone is able to do that. And Richard’s have a pulldown on the FET gate and something else I can’t quite remember to avoid the reset issues. I’m not certain how it all works but it does.
The A6 one is indeed solid and a very good bargain. As far as I know, its only problem is the short/long tap time which changes when it gets very hot. I think some people blamed a cheap OTC for that. It’s a minor problem in any case.
Link? :innocent:
I have two Convoys with the DIY Driver from RMM, one with XP-G2s, one with 219Cs.
The desert tan S2+ is on the way and I want to make another 219C Version with 18350 tube - and I don’t want that thing to be any less bright than the other one
I have it bookmarked:
Denigrating a budget “mass produced at low final price” driver and glorifying a custom-made driver is exactly the type of answers that are all over CPF.
do they have significantly different outputs?
Except that in this case there is a functional difference between the two. Nobody’s saying the BG driver doesn’t work or that nobody should use it, only that Richard’s version is objectively better. And it is.
Besides, CPF has nothing to do with this and there’s nothing wrong with paying extra for custom-made and/or prettier lights that are functionally identical to budget offerings, if the buyer wants to spend his/her money that way.
RMM’s drivers are hardly what I would call custom made. I seem to remember pictures of large plates being reflowed with several dozens of them at once. They’re certainly premium quality products but they are also produced at decent volumes.
And I’m not denigrating the BG drivers. They are what they are: a bunch of cheap parts thrown together with minimum care to make something surprisingly good, considering the price point. I have some and even spent countless hours writing custom firmware to get the most out of them. But just because they’re inexpensive does not mean all flaws must be overlooked and hidden from someone who asks. I believe in informing people and letting them make their own decisions.
Anyway, it’s pretty obvious that a mass-produced driver will never be as good as a “custom-made” driver but thank you to djozz (and jerommel) for sharing a way to turn a “one dollar store” “low quality” driver into something better…true BLF spirit.
BG FET+1 are a total waste of time and efforts:
- the PCB is poorly made
- the capacitors need to be swapped asap, their either bug the main firmware, but mostly the offtime capabilities
- the mosfet isnt original( at least on those that i got)
RMM or other BLF made fet DD drivers( wights 009 fet+1 for instance) are ways better option
I use the BG FET+1 in all my C8s with various LEDs, XP-G2 and XP-G3 triple build Convoy S2s, plus a few other random hosts. I mostly like them, but the short and long click times are not always the same and I couldn’t get the long click working with the illuminated tail cap.
I tend to agree with Mitko, just from my experiences.
U Pay your money U Take your chances!
I’ll stick with RMM, Led4Power, Lexel’s T/A’s and the H17F, Top Notch stuff, Top Notch support,Top Notch people!
Is it a fake, or is it a cheaper type?
The BG BLF-drivers are actually the original drivers for the BLF flashlights. But Richard used more quality components for the drivers he sells.