Driver giveaway: Constant current 17mm drivers, winners (finally) announced, post #2.

Giveaways and Contests
44

Considering the relationship between driving current, related emitter output and the way humans perceive light intensity (sort of logarithmical way), noteworthy increases in output are required for noticeable, practical mode spacing. Starting off high mode (100%) and dividing it each subsequent time by 1/3 is a good way to attain a simple set of well spaced modes which can be rounded off with a super low mode. Let's say 100%, 33%, 11% and then some moonlight (0.1 - 0.5%) mode. Just an example.

Cheers

45

Count me in. I like the narsil firmware for the option of stepping or ramping, dr jones lucidrv for the ability to set the number of steps and tune the level of each step, and the max current configurability in the firmware used in the led4power ld drivers. For me, option of ramping or configurable steps, max current options, double click turbo, hold for moonlight, configurable thermal step down, configurable pwm fan control, and a jumper configurable 1s/2s would be the ultimate.

46

Thanks for the suggestions, looking at them all. Keep’em coming!

My firmware has the ability to select number of modes (currently up to 6) and adjust them to your liking. All your other preferences are already in my “normal” firmware, I just have to wrap it all together. It’s basically the setup menu system I am currently working on.

From that photo it looks like it should fit, I can’t see why it wouldn’t.

47

The regulators I’ve used in Fat-3 and Slim-4 are rated for max 6 volts so I haven’t made a 2S version. They seem to be able to handle more, but how much more I don’t yet know, maybe I’ll test a few to death and see.

These drivers are based on a previous driver design where I used CAT4104 regulators. I’ve used CAT4104s on 4S XHP35 HI configuration with this light: Mod: BMF SRK v2 Roche Edition (Rebuilt into triple XHP 35 HI) - #18 by Mike_C
They work pretty well, but for 1S I prefer these CN571x regulators by far. They are much cheaper and handle heat much better than the CAT4104s. The 4104s have thermal shutdown, not throttling like the CN571x. It’s annoying when a few of them overheat and enter the cycle of overheating and cooling. If LED vf is much lower than battery voltage they overheat rather quickly.

48

Normally in the host, with battery inserted and body fully screwed-in the spring is fully or nearly fully compressed, it’s basically flat. So any component being as high as a flattened lens or nearly as high may collide with battery.

I haven’t measured what “nearly” is in the “nearly fully compressed” though. All I know is that it’s a small value.

49

What’s the spring on the tailcap like? Can you replace it with a smaller one to ease the load on the front spring? I’ll be installing a small Nanjg style spring on each of these drivers, it’s the only spring that will fit. They can be shortened if needed I guess.

Edit: possibly them small brass pucks could work… I have a few, gotta check when I get home.

50

It’s the same spring on both sides, 1 mm compressed. I guess I could halve the space used on one side with a solid contact. Maybe I could gain another fraction of mm by replacing the fibreglass PCB with a solid copper sheet at the tail. But it would be easier to just add a piece of solid wire like people who add clips do:

So…one way or another I can make it work. :slight_smile:

51

Isn’t the construction of D1 and D4 similar regarding the driver part?
If yes, a double sided driver can be used, I did this in my D4 RGBW mod, see link below.
But the stock driver is 22 mm in diameter.

52

Just a question to anyone and everyone who likes moon mode with a “traditional” mode up/down interface. Is it preferred to have moon mode only accessible with a shortcut? If so, what shortcut? I’d like to know for both E-switch and off-switch/clicky lights. Or do people prefer to have moon mode in the regular mode cycle?

53

I have 2 different perceptions on this, through the use of different lights:
a) using the S2+ with guppy3drv FW + forward clicky switch (that I mentioned before), I do like having moonlight on the regular cycle mode as I can have a momentary ON by half pressing the tail of the flashlight (with memory turned OFF, if I release the switch it always starts on ML);

b) in another situation, using the Olight S1R Baton or the Olight M2R Warrior, both have the option to access moonlight from a long click&hold when OFF. When advancing the modes (ML > L > M….) , the ML is no longer on the way unless you switch the light OFF and then do the click & hold again.

I find both situations very useful although very different, once on the first we have a momentary clicky switch (the way I use it: 3 or 4 modes + turbo with double click, with ML on the regular cycle) and on the second an e-switch (ML only accessible from click & hold from OFF and then out of the regular cycle).

If I had to chose, I guess a shortcut from OFF to ML is always a good thing to have, with the possibility to advance further on the modes and then letting ML out of the cycle (as Olight does). But always with the possibility to access ML from OFF.

Also, Emisar D4 , with ramping IOS, has that possibility, to click & hold from OFF and starting to ramp from the lowest level.

In my opinion, that is a nice feature to have, as a configurable memory (so that we can set the light to start on the lowest, highest or last used mode) :wink:

54

This exactly. I like the click-hold from off shortcut to Moonlight and thereafter normal modes (without Moonlight in the cycle). It would also be great if it were possible to go two directions through modes, especially in cases of more than four modes being available. In that scenario, being able to hit Moonlight by cycling backwards into it would also be nice.

55

Click hold for moonlight is good then forward cycle low medium high. Alternative moon on then L/M1/M2 in cycle double click to high. Keep the blinkies or add another cycle mode three clicks from moon for blinky modes only. (slim4)

56

My favourite is starting ML and going up, with direct shortcut to moon.
I also find it useful to have direct shortcuts to:

  • turbo
  • maximum thermally sustainable mode

I guess the last one could simply be a configurable “favourite mode”.

57

Thanks for the input! I’ve always had click and hold from off (E-switch) starts setup menu selection and hidden modes. I can easily change that to double click and hold on second from off.

In my “traditional” mode up/down interface for E-switch lights I go in both directions. Click and keep holding cycles up and stops on highest mode/boost. Double click and hold on second cycles down and stops on lowest mode. Wrap around is only enabled if mode change is initiated from one of the ends, like mode up from boost or mode down from lowest mode.

For clicky switch lights I have short off press for mode up, long off press for mode down.

I will implement a few settings for moonlight options. Menu settings and changing options is more challenging for clicky switch lights, in particular forward clicky. In these cases I think setting up the light as desired during flash faze is essential, even though menu options will still be available.

58

Exciting drivers Mike C. Thanks for the opportunity. The SLIM-4 most interests me. The high-side regulation would make it these great for emitters with cathode connected thermal pads and lights with no thermal pad.

My favorite UI (with a momentary switch) would do the following:

From Off:
1 Click - On with last used mode memory
2 Clicks - Highest Mode
3 Clicks - Strobe (dual frequency like NarsilM, but not that super fast high frequency it has)
Medium Length Hold - Moonlight Mode
Long Hold - Lockout with no out other than disconnecting power

From On:
1 Click - Change output level
2 Clicks - Highest Mode
3 Clicks - Strobe
Medium Length Hold - Off

59

——Option 1————————————————————————————————-
Thanks for the giveaway.
When it comes to UI my preferences are modes:
2 switches, one mechanical only for power on/off and second electronic switch for mode operation.
3 modes in total, about 20, 50 and 100, no moonlight/firefly, no strobe, sos, only blinking mode I would accept would be bike mode (and it’s not actually blinky, more like pulsating, 60 constant output with occasional (every second or third second) short “spike” to 100%. But this has to be “hidden” mode.
It remembers mode you used when powering off regardless how long you used it for.
Low battery warning at about 3.2-3V, power off at about 2.7-2.8V
Small red led around the e-switch to indicate low battery.

——Option 2————————————————————————————————-
There is an alternative for mechanical switch + e-switch lights.
I call it “How Crelant should have made their UI” UI :smiley:
Mechanical switch only turns light on and off in last used mode, does not change mode
E-switch only changes modes,
short click to advance to next mode (mode 1, mode 2, mode 3 -> mode 1, mode 2…. and so on)
fast double click to go to turbo,
press and hold to adjust the current mode slot,
3 or 4 slots for modes,
you select a wanted mode slot with short clicking, then press and hold to adjust output level, light will ramp up thru 10 or 12 intensity levels, when it gets to max you get 2 short blinks so you would know “this is the max”, if you keep holding e-switch you are going to min and ramping in steps starts again.
Basically you have 3 (or 4) memory slots to set modes as you wish, you can do something like: level 2, level 10, level 5, level 12 or 1-5-8-12 or 12-8-5-1 etc…
Memory is instant, it does not depend on time, if you click e-switch to use 3rd memorised level and then instantly turn off the flashlight with mechanical switch it will power on in 3rd memorised level.
Low battery warning at about 3.2-3V, power off at about 2.7-2.8V
Small red led around the e-switch to indicate low battery.

——Option 3————————————————————————————————-
More complex version would be for e-switch only lights.
Short click to turn it on in last used mode, also to advance to next mode,
Double fast click for instant turbo from off state or from any other mode,
Long (0,5 seconds or so) press from off for moonlingt mode
Long (0,5 seconds or so) press from any mode to turn it off.
4 modes, that includes moonlight and “turbo” + described hidden bike mode.
Low battery warning at about 3.2-3V, power off at about 2.7-2.8V
Small red led around the e-switch to indicate low battery.

that would be about it :smiley:

60

Nice drivers, here’s a new idea:

Maybe we can use an e-Compass to create a pretty unique UI. Click for on and off (with double click for turbo, and all the other fancy shortcuts), but then hold, and rotate the light to control brightness. Clockwise for more, counter-clockwise for less output. Something between 90°-120° from low to high could be great. Involves communication between MCU and magnet field sensor though.

61

People's too fond of super-low modes, they're handy for some situations. With regards to modes I prefer even spacing, up there I suggested 11.1% - 33.3% - 100% (by 3x each time), albeit for slightly less difference a smaller multiplier can also do: 16% - 40% - 100% (by 2.5x each time). Of course this is just my point of view, but please bear in mind whateverfold increases in driving current/power at the emitter do translate in lesserfold light output increases.

Cheers ^:)

62

Always great to see your work, Mike C, nice to have a chance to see what you have in the making.

I’m not in for the giveaway, for a reason you might understand more than anyone else: I don’t use what I can’t program myself :smiley:
And it would be a pity just to have such a great driver lying here, knowing that someone else might have use for it.

But I’m happy to chime in on your UI question.
I don’t want wrap around - ever. Which rules out about every stock clicky firmware in the repository…

1. clicky lights

- 2 to 7 modes, evenly spaced in brightness

- usually 4 mode groups: 7 modes, 6 modes w/o turbo (for muggles), 4 modes, 2 modes

- short press (tap): brighter mode

- medium press (1sec): darker mode

- no wrap-around = no accidental moon after turbo, no accidental turbo after moon (you know: wham! ugh! here goes my dark adaptation) and several short presses in a row always reliably result in highest mode

- 12 short presses to battcheck

  • 15 short presses to config mode (modegroup, memory, turbo timeout and LVP can be toggled)

2. momentary lights
a)
similar as the clicky UI (modegroups, battcheck, config mode) with

- no memory

- short press from off = moon

- long press from off = turbo

- long press from on (any mode) = off

- short press: brighter mode

- medium press (1sec): darker mode

- no wrap around
b)

- short press (tap): on/off with memory

  • hold when on: ramping up and down and up and down and…
63

Interesting idea, thinking out of the box, that’s for sure. I don’t think I would use it myself though, I mostly use my lights when moving underground and a simple UI with a few clicks will always be easier.

Oh yes, I understand completely! Be it a headlamp, bike light or hand held, if I can’t stick one of my own drivers in it I’ll either make a new driver for it or bin it :slight_smile:

I haven’t thought about it like that. It’s a good idea indeed, in particular for clicky lights. I’ll make a user setting for it. Thanks for that one.

This differs some what from most people. Almost everyone seems to prefer short press from any mode to be off, regardless of UI type. I used to prefer long for off myself but thought I was alone so I made some UIs with short off to see what the fuss was about. I had to put some effort into thinking about the other button sequences and ended up being converted myself, now I prefer short for off too. I did have multiple UI options for off selection in some older firmware, I might bring that back to life. In any case, it is refreshing to see other options than short for off. Apparently I wasn’t alone like I thought.

Thanks for the input!