Shadow SL3 + RGB SST-90's + custom 4ch driver (new CC driver in post 101)!

This will be the build thread for my newest project, its quite a ways off from firing up for the first time but I have the emitters ordered as of today and am working on the driver board and I already have the heatsink (solid copper) built and installed in the host and the reflector holes opened up for the SST-90's domes. The driver is a FET based driver ran by an ATTiny85 which at first will be supplied by DrJones and his FW till I'm able to write my own (also looking at the possibility of using a PIC MCU from tterev3 like used on his MLEV)

edit 8/7 new RGBW driver (not for this project) in post 101, an independent channel driver that takes a PIC MCU bought from tterev3 preloaded with his MELD UI.

Anyway dont expect daily or even weekly updates, just teasing you for now but I will update this thread as things progress.

I posted these same two pic's in the OSHpark thread, this is my first real project, could of choose something simple but nope, thats not my style, I go balls out!

So here you can see the DPAK FET, the MCU and the other components on the front of this 22mm board:

looks good right? But wait, whats that on the back side?

Its just two more FET's! Running the 3 SST-90's together in parallel would be bright sure but I could do that with an existing BLF driver, this one has independent channels for all the cool color mixing and other functionality both DrJones' and Everett's UI's are capable of. Any of the 3 channels can be ran at any level independent of the other channels, one, two or all 3 emitters can be on at any time and all 3 can be on for "white".

This will be my second RGB only (no white emitter) light and I'm really liking the idea, sure colors arn't true but its just to fun to matter plus strobe is much more effective than white only, you literally cant walk when having a 19khz RGB strobe blasted at your face (ask all my friends if you dont believe me, it literally makes you loose your sense of equilibrium). Last weekend we took my RGB light out to the river and shining it down at the ripples on the water while walking on the beach made it even worse, my one [albeit slightly inebriated] buddy went down in the water about 3 steps after turning the strobe on lol.


Anyway thats all for now, check back for updates and stuff but this is probably gonna be a few month project, customer orders come first especially over my "toy's". For you're guy's entertainment I'll try to get some pic's of the shiny heatsink and the host up today too.

Reserved

:o

NOICE!!!

Here’s the HS, its perfectly slip fit and has 2 screws from the bottom to hold it even tighter, the ano under it was chemicly stripped.

It’s polished to 2000 grit (you can see my ugly mug in it!) but I finished it last week and it’s got a hazy layer of oxidization on it already, I’ll re polish it when it comes time for assembly after drilling the wire holes.

The bottom of the SL3 reflector is nearly flat and will be almost impossible to fit the large Ga wires the current levels require so I’ll be using 28ga copper strips sheathed in heatshrink tubing.

One more pic for now, this is how the Noctigon’s have to be shaved to be able to fit them all (this is just a white SST-90).

this project looks extremely interesting to me!

This project is great ! And this driver has more uses than just as an rgb driver (not sure what yet...)

Thanks man, I knew you would like it!

The driver could be useful for tint mixing of white emitters too, or emitter mixing and it wont be hard to mod it to 4ch for an XML color. With the big FET’s it’ll be overkill for a lot of projects (including pretty much anything XP based or an XML color) but I plan on adapting it down to 17mm using SOT-23 package FET’s (such as the IRLM2502 we use on 15/12/10dd’s), in that case instead of “white” being RGB all on at once white would have its own channel and its own emitter/die.

I love that idea of making a 17mm rgbw version with small FETS, (dream: especially if you manage to squeeze everything on one side of the board, that makes it suitable for more hosts).

Two concerns: 1) apart from those SST90 monsters there are no colour leds that can handle direct drive from a li-ion, so there must be space reserved on the board for current limiting resistors. 2) designing the board is a lot of work probably, and the group of people these boards are targeted at must be very small I guess?

I can mill wire clearance areas/pockets in the base of the reflector, if that would simplify things.

Man that thing is going to be sweet…Googled what a Shadow SL3 looked like

Daggum…and that is an INCREDIBLE job for your first Eagle design man!

If I was building a driver to try and sell (first I would have to take a different approach to the FW issue’s since I dont own either of the options I’m considering) and second I’d probably try to come up with a project that had a wider array of possible applications, this is purely for my own enjoyment and cause I have yet to find a commercially avaliable RGB light that is even the slightest bit interesting to me. Your concern about the limiting resistors is right inline with my to-do steps still, I was just talking with a few people about that last night and it will be how its done. Not only to limit total current but also to allow fine tuning of the output of each emitter without coding (eg the red channel will need much more resistance inline to make it not be overpowering at the same PWM levels in the code cause of the lower Vf of red emitters). I will try to see what I can do with the SOT23 FET’s to make it single side, you would like a center batt+ pad on the bottom for direct batt contact I assume (or + and- connections)? One thing I worked hard on with the current design was to make it so every connection (all LED +'s and - 's, switch + and - and power/GND in) all have via’s so the connections can be made from either side, you can run power and switch wires down and LED leads up or vice-versa or everything from either side. Can someone suggest the size and power rating for the limiting resistors? They would work best put between the FET’s source leg and GND correct (like on the old BLF 15DD)? Or it’d be better to put them on the FET’s drain inline with the LED-?

CC is that an offer or your just saying its possible? If its an offer I'll definitely take you up on that! I'm not looking forward to trying to shove all the copper banding in there, the driver compartment on this thing is only 10mm tall so there is very little room.

Thanks man, I made a few library parts last week but I pretty much went from knowing nothing to having that board made up in <48 hours, I made eagle my bitch lol.

this is my host, its a really nice grey color (excuse the very dirty lens, the reflector under it is perfect tho).

Not sure if its true with every SL3 but this one has an actually stainless bezel instead of aluminum. I’ll probably end up heating it up to turn it rainbow to match the RGB aspect before its back together.

What are the reflector dimensions? I have at least one spare 3x SRK reflector, but I think the SL3 is bigger.

Total diameter is 56mm and each of the cups are larger / deeper as well.

weeellll doggy! I'm pulling up a chair, popcorn, and beer for this one.

A disco in your pocket!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M

17mm for direct install into lights without having to be piggybacked (yes I forgot to bStop the bottom batt+ pad but thats where the spring would go). This one has the correct size MCU pad (for the 85-20SU) and 2502 FET’s!

There are several known problems (and probably several more I dont yet know about) but I’m working on it. just wanted to show off for now. The bank of resistors at the top are limit resistors (right most is C1).