It sounds to me like 1x7135 + 5A CC (+ FET?) driver might be a means to achieve this.
I don’t think Loneoceans’ lume1 inductor would fit in the shallow driver cavity of the D4, nor do I know how low that driver can go, but the buck-boost + FET approach seems appealing, too.
A 7135 chip does 350 mA. To make this work well, it would probably need to be significantly smaller… and ideally a nice power-of-two ratio to the higher power channel, like 5A * 1/64 = 78.125 mA.
What we have now:
It uses 10-bit PWM, or 1.95 lm per step. But 1.95 lm is pretty coarse resolution at the bottom end of the ramp… so the idea is to add a second power channel to fix that. It’d make better moon levels, and make the bottom of the ramp smoother instead of having visible steps.
If the second channel used a 7135 chip, it would effectively be an upgrade from 10 bits to ~11.5 bits. It’s not nothing, but it’s not a big upgrade. The effective resolution ends up at about 0.6 lm per step. And the math gets really awkward since it’s not very close to a power of two ratio between the power channels.
So I’m hoping for something smaller with a cleaner ratio.
If the second channel has a power-of-two ratio to the main channel, we can treat it like it’s just extra resolution on the main channel. Like, let’s say we run the main channel in 8-bit mode. It then has 256 steps, and each step is 7.8 lm. Then add a second channel with a 1/64th ratio. Now instead of 8 bits, we basically have 14 bits… and each step is 0.12 lm.
Or it could even go as far as 16 bits… 5A for the main channel and 20mA for the lower channel. This gives 16-bit resolution where each step is 0.03 lm. And it would still run at 16 kHz so there wouldn’t be any visible PWM.
Basically, if 7135 chips or other linear regulators come in a 20mA variety, that would probably be about right.
Output tested using Texas Ace Lumen Tube calibrated with Maukka lights at 2 seconds. Light quality measured using Sekonic C-800-U. The E21A 4500K is just as rosy as the 219B sw45K but with cooler tint. It is a very beautiful tint but I think mixing it with 8x4500K with 8x3500K will result in somewhere near 4300K, which would be more idea. Also the E21A 4500k does not reach 9080.
The E21A 2200K is much rosier than I expected. The 2200K batch that Clemence had was on the BBL. This batch is nicer IMO and exceeded my expectations. Because of the negative duv, it doesn't take long for your eyes to adapt because it doesn't look very yellow. The 2200K tint is similar to a pinkish sunset whereas the E21A 2000K that Clemence sells look like real candle light.
Also pay attention to how much output the bezel kills on the mule lights. Even the color of the bezel (stainless steel vs dark gray) makes a big difference in output. I think Hank should use white mcpcb for the mules to reflect as much light as possible to minimize output loss.
The D4v2 TI with the 16x E21A 2200K is the only light with a loud electronic whining noise on turbo and it smokes as if there's a fire burning. At first I thought it might be moisture that its burning but the smoke doesn't stop and it sure doesn't smell like water. I wonder what is the cause. I don't get this on the KR4 16x E21A 4500K mule or any of the other Hank lights. Anyone have this experience?
| D4v2TI 16x E21A Mule Warm White Switch (Aux Light) | 0 lumens | 2370K | 0.0079 DUV | 68.4 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.19 | -12.2 R9 | 20.5 R12 | 72 Rf | 90 Rg | Molicel P26A | |
| D4v2TI 16x E21A 2200K Mule 5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo no bezel | Turbo | 3,612 lumens | 2370K | -0.0054 DUV | 89.6 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.24 | 49.3 R9 | 92.4 R12 | 87 Rf | 102 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2TI 16x E21A 2200K Mule 5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo | Turbo | 2,991 lumens | 2319K | -0.0050 DUV | 89.8 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.23 | 49.3 R9 | 93.0 R12 | 87 Rf | 103 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2TI 16x E21A 2200K Mule 5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo | Top of Ramp | 1,200 lumens | 2234K | -0.0034 DUV | 92.2 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.20 | 59.3 R9 | 92.7 R12 | 90 Rf | 103 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2TI 16x E21A 2200K Mule 5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo | lowest mode | 4 lumens | 2148K | -0.0026 DUV | 92.6 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.17 | 62.2 R9 | 88.8 R12 | 91 Rf | 101 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo No Bezel | Turbo | 4,733 lumens | 5218K | -0.0137 DUV | 91.5 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 69.9 R9 | 84.0 R12 | 90 Rf | 106 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo SS Bezel | Turbo | 3,879 lumens | 5075K | -0.0125 DUV | 92.2 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 73.6 R9 | 84.4 R12 | 90 Rf | 106 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo Gray Bezel | Turbo | 3,578 lumens | 5120K | -0.0126 DUV | 92.2 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 73.8 R9 | 84.3 R12 | 90 Rf | 106 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo SS Bezel | Top of Ramp | 1,578 lumens | 4922K | -0.0086 DUV | 94.4 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 75.0 R9 | 77.3 R12 | 91 Rf | 105 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo Gray Bezel | Top of Ramp | 1,477 lumens | Molicel P26A | ||||||||
| KR4 16x E21A 4500K Mule 7.5A Regulated w/ DD Turbo SS Bezel | lowest mode | 5 lumens | 4692K | -0.0055 DUV | 94.7 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 73.3 R9 | 74.2 R12 | 91 Rf | 102 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x XP-L HI 4000K 5D | Turbo | 3,388 lumens | 4381K | -0.0049 DUV | 72.8 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | -12.7 R9 | 47.3 R12 | 67 Rf | 99 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x XP-L HI 4000K 5D | Top of Ramp | 1,621 lumens | 4313K | -0.0039 DUV | 72.5 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | -14.6 R9 | 46.7 R12 | 67 Rf | 99 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x XP-L HI 4000K 5D | lowest mode | 7 lumens | 4047K | 0.0007 DUV | 73.7 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | -15.9 R9 | 44.9 R12 | 71 Rf | 98 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x E21A 3500K | Turbo | 1,135 lumens | 3903K | -0.0070 DUV | 96.6 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.89 | 92.0 R9 | 85.0 R12 | 94 Rf | 103 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x E21A 3500K | Top of Ramp | 978 lumens | 3748K | -0.0054 DUV | 96.6 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.82 | 92.5 R9 | 86.3 R12 | 94 Rf | 104 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR4 4x E21A 3500K | lowest mode | 7 lumens | 3637K | -0.0010 DUV | 95.8 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.75 | 82.3 R9 | 81.9 R12 | 93 Rf | 101 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2 SST-20 Red LED | Turbo | 1,175 lumens | Molicel P26A | ||||||||
| D4v2 SST-20 Red LED | Top of Ramp | 545 lumens | Molicel P26A | ||||||||
| KR1 W2 | Turbo | 1,174 lumens | 8831K | -0.0141 DUV | 68.7 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | 10.7 R9 | 42.1 R12 | 56 Rf | 100 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR1 W2 | Top of Ramp | 975 lumens | 8118K | -0.0113 DUV | 67.3 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | -0.1 R9 | 40.6 R12 | 56 Rf | 99 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| KR1 W2 | lowest mode | 10 lumens | 6040K | -0.0020 DUV | 67.8 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 1.00 | -21.7 R9 | 37.1 R12 | 61 Rf | 97 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2 SST-20 2x4000K + 2x2700K | Turbo | 1,940 lumens | 3107K | -0.0050 DUV | 96.6 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.44 | 81.7 R9 | 91.8 R12 | 94 Rf | 102 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2 SST-20 2x4000K + 2x2700K | Top of Ramp | 1,108 lumens | 3306K | -0.0017 DUV | 97.1 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.57 | 91.1 R9 | 87.9 R12 | 94 Rf | 103 Rg | Molicel P26A |
| D4v2 SST-20 2x4000K + 2x2700K | lowest mode | 3 lumens | 3486K | -0.0015 DUV | 97.0 CRI | Blue light relative amplitude 0.72 | 95.4 R9 | 80.1 R12 | 91 Rf | 99 Rg | Molicel P26A |
(disclaimer: I do not know electronics well so I could be wrong)
A very simple 20mA channel could be no more than a resistor inline with battery and led, switched by a tiny FET. The current (and so the light output levels) would not be truly constant but vary somewhat with battery voltage but maybe that is not such a big deal.
Thanks for all these measurements. The output loss due to the bezel is significant, I did find it weird that the LEDs were packed to the edge of the MCPCB , I think they should be centered with the wires and screws on the edge instead.
The color measurements are not integrated but at the center of the beam right ? E21As do have quite a bit of tint and CCT shift so that explains the low duv and higher CCT.
@SKV89 Interesting data thanks. RE: smoke my guess would be flux? Be careful not to burn out those puppies!
KR4 4x E21A 3500K
D4v2 SST-20 2x4000K + 2x2700K
SST-20 mix seems superior, surprising. Less tint shift, higher output, r9 vs r12 break even. More optics choices too.
You’re not wrong. That is one way to do it… and it’s basically how the aux LEDs work. But as noted, the output is not constant; it varies with battery voltage. That’s not really an issue for aux LEDs, but it’s kind of a problem for the main LEDs.
I hope this image explains the idea, and why I want the 20mA channel to be regulated instead of just a resistor. It’s meant to smooth out the ramp between steps, but the ramp will only be smooth if the extra channel has a consistent slope.
Basically, the point is to make it look like the “4.0V” bottom center image… no matter what voltage the battery is.
It’s a different method than how FET+7135 or FET+5A works. With those, the lower power channel ramps up to full power and then stays on while the higher power channel ramps on top. But I’m thinking of doing a totally different method where the lowest power channel does miniature ramps between each step of the higher power channel.
I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, because it’s more difficult to do correctly… but it sure would be nice to have a truly smooth and stable ramp all the way down to firefly levels.
Also not sure if I should suggest it, because it means I’d have to rewrite a bunch of code. Would be nice once it’s done though.
On a lighthearted note, I just placed an order for a KR4 Ti. E21A mule, 2200k.
I can hardly wait!
I’m now up to
4 D4V2 Ti (various flavors)
2 D4V2 Brass (XPL-Hi V3 & E21A)
2 KR1 (cyan, XPL-Hi V3 & Osram W2
3 KR4 (black, cyan and Ti, all E21a)
1 D18 (black, SST-20 4000k)
Damn Hank! Great products.
Ok, I think I understand what you’re suggesting - the low channel tops out around the lowest stable level of the 5A channel.
I was thinking of using a 1x7135 channel full range, then either switching on the 5A channel in parallel as is done in 1+N x 7135 drivers. Alternately, if the different driver types don’t play well in parallel, then once the first channel reaches 350mA, the next step turns off the 7135 and turns on the 5A driver at the next logical step above 350mA.
But I hadn’t thought through what that would imply for the ramp resolution or scaling.
SKV89, thank you for sharing all those measurements.
I was under the assumption that 16x E21A mules would be limited to 7.5A CC only, and there would be no direct drive, because it isn’t safe. I am surprised that direct drive is enabled. Are you sure it is safe to use Molicel P26A for this?
D4v2 SST-20 2x4000K + 2x2700K seems really good.
How hard would it be to implement multiple drivers into a singular light say an Emisar D18? My use would be controlling pairs of emitters separately.
Actually I like the E21A 3500K better in person than the 2x4000K + 2x2700K. The tint is more uniform and rosier.
With 16x direct drive should not be a problem. I’m guessing it would push each E21A to about 1A or a bit more.
I have two, and both show it to the same extent.
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I appreciate the response, TK.
I cleaned the contacts, and actually very lightly sanded them to make sure there’s nothing blocking the connection surface, but the flicker is still there. Now, when I say flicker, it’s very subtle. It’s only really noticeable when you’re not moving the beam.
I tried varying the floor from 1/150 to 3/150, and the flicker is evident on 1/150 and 2/150, as expected.
When moving it to 3/150, though, it’s as if the very low level flicker from 1/150 and 2/150 is still there, but is masked by the higher brightness of 3/150. I hope that makes sense.
It’s tolerable, I guess, but it’s also annoying when I notice it, and just knowing that one of my favorite lights isn’t stable at moonlight drives me mildly nuts since I use it every night.
Do you think there’s anything on the code side that could be done to eliminate this? I’m not familiar with the coding at a hardware level.
Thanks, again.
Edit: Would increasing the clock speed at level 3/150 make a difference? Or, maybe just disabling dynamic underclocking would be a reasonable test.
Might just be a flaky 7135, either the part or the reflow.
Yes, it makes sense… and is quite possibly what’s happening. There’s going to be a little bit of ripple. Let’s say there’s 1 unit of ripple. At a brightness of 2, it’ll be pretty noticeable as it ripples from 1 to 3. But at a brightness of 100, it’s not noticeable since it only goes from 99 to 101.
Lowering the clock speed threshold level might help a little, or it might not… it’s hard to tell without trying it on affected hardware, and I don’t have affected hardware.
Regardless, I sent Hank an idea for how to improve the low levels. I also posted it here a few comments ago. I don’t know if it’ll happen, but it’s at least being discussed.
Whatever BOD setting you had me change on the MTN FET+1 fixed it for me.
Is that what you are suggesting here too? Why not have someone try it?
Have anyone flash your D4V2 E21A with this “anduril.2020-07-08.emisar-d4v2.5-nofet.hex” firmware? Feedback appreciated!
