Test/Review: LD-1 5A PWM-less driver - led4power (Tests in aYezl Y3)

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looking forward to the test! I got mine in the mail today as well, I hope to do some testing on thursday :-)

Mine is not here yet. I think you guys bribed someone. :p

Ill probably be doing most of my testing in a light with a typical mechanical switch.

Why is there a border around the ground ring? Was the millinglayer set wrong or is it smaller in reality?

Oshpark does that sometimes

Subscribed… and happy testing! :bigsmile:

I’ve been waiting for this. Get busy!

that package said authorized personnel only… can I see your ID please?

OSHpark do that all time,at least in my case.They trim 20mils from edge on all copper layers.

Ah, that explains why on some boards I see the top copper layer actually extending beyond the milling layer…to compensate for that cutoff by the manufacturers…thank led4power, can’t wait to see these hit production! :slight_smile:

Very interesting design, and I really like how you did the “stars” solder bridge locations…very cool!

OP update added - 07/23 dated, round #1: amps measured across all std modes.

I always made the copper bigger than milling because of laziness so I never had this problems…I also did some where the milling was in the middle of through holes(thought that would increase GND contact) and they milled perfectly through it.

Is this just a newer phenomenon from Oshpark, did I only had luck or was it the point that I made the copper ring bigger than milling the point?

Request for a run time comparison:
Same cell charged to same voltage
Match current output current between this driver and a Qlite 3A w/ one extra chip and pwm set to 1.1A.
Plot current vs voltage and time when each falls out of regulation.
Plot end of charge for both and calculate efficiency.
If you can get this driver up to 4A then add chips to a Qlite to match and then run the test.

It is a bit unfair to compare them at same current, the LD-1 will be brighter than the pwm driver.

If you compared it to a 5A pwm driver, then the lower settings will be about 50% brighter.

That’s a good point… perhaps if someone does this test, it should be compared at the same lumen level instead of the same current?

(seems like the current would probably not be a very interesting test anyway, since any two devices at the same current will tend to have similar runtimes regardless of what they actually do with the power)

Except that LD-1 can maintain full output to a lower battery voltage.

Agreed, I’m mostly interested in independent confirmation of efficiency differential at equivalent lower mode output modes.

As I wrote above, you get about 50% extra brightness compared to a 5A pwm driver. This is because the led has higher efficiency at lower currents.

You could also use a triple XPG2 as the test LED, to mostly avoid the high-Vf-limiting-max-current issue.

HKJ, I was agreeing that the comparison should be based on lumen output rather than just current but that does make for a more complicated test.