Ordered Kr4 e21a,will order Ti Kr4 e21a(hopefully Ti body with copper head design) as soon it become available.Thanks for your time answering our questions.
I'm just getting deeper into this topic, so please excuse me if this is a FAQ:
I'm trying to wrap my head around the whole "no FET" business. If understand this correctly, a common driver design is using a combination of linear regulators for better efficiency on lower brightness levels and a FET to switch a pseudo direct-drive straight from the battery for the top end. So when you're referring to "no FET" does this mean that linear regulators are used all the way up to the brightest output level? Are there physically no FETs populated on the PCB or are they bypassed in firmware?
Are there schematics available for the driver used in the KR4 or similar designs? I want to understand this!
DHart, it is not just the CRI to be considered. It is also the tint. The E21a offered by Hank are all under or on the BBL, if I am not mistaken, while the SST-20 are above it. Also, the SST-20 have a notorious tint shift.
People call FET what is infact direct drive, most imagine a buck driver does not have a FET or for that matter it can have more than one FET easily after all it is a MOSFET.
You do not need a combination of linear regulator to regulate current ( maintain it constant as long as the Vin+voltage drop is above VF) just one linear regulator is enough and a FET is needed to achieve that.
A linear regulator is a regulator, not to be confused with direct drive that as a resistor in series just to limit current like it was done several years with flashlights, then they added a FET in order to PWM it for having modes.