Meanwhile I have received very helpful feedback from Toykeeper, Barry and Kikkoman. As the SP10S driver uses a PIC12F1822 with limited memory it will be difficult but with some changes (e.g. ATtiny85) and a better boost converter we might get to see a new driver with Andúril and AA as well as 14500 support. As soon as I get any updates I will let you know.
New here so I’m seeking a bit of clarity; why wouldn’t we have a boost driver? Aren’t they more efficient and don’t decrease in brightness as battery voltage drops?
Some interim feedback. Please note that I am not well-experienced in circuitry/microelectronics and some information has been translated from German into English. However, I hope this current status will give you a (good) feeling about how things are going on...
Toykeeper and Kikkoman took a look onto the driver and reported the PIC12F1822 is rather inappropriate to use Andúril, so maybe it's worth for Sofirn to check alternative AVRs like ATtiny85 with more memory (at slightly higher cost). Kikkoman reported that with some efforts space will be sufficient on the MCPCB.
The boost converters and their LVP will be more difficult to realize as there need to be two thresholds for NiMH/AA (1.2-1.5V) and 14500 Li-Ion (4.2V).
Kikkoman was able to successfully port Andúril onto his experimental driver. He checked an alternative boost converter TPS61021A that runs very well with NiMH cells but it needs some more tweaks to decrease standby drain and to get more efficiency with Li-Ion cells.
Next steps:
I will try to collate all information into some useful and comprehensible summary as a starting point for Barry and Sofirn's engineering dept. / product development.
I have invited Lexel, gchart, wight and Tom E to join the group, so we can share our thoughts and ideas to get the best result. Lexel and gchart have just expressed their interest. Thank you guys! :THUMBS-UP:
