Ramping is fun but not something I’ll use running on trail. (Planning to put the driver into a headlight). Taking attention away from foot placement could result in a stubbed toe. Like ToyKeeper, I like having solid modes with predictable runtimes. I also have a couple lumodrv s but asked Dr Jones for solid outputs of 5, 25& 80%. ( I love the battery monitor!)
@led4power
Congratulations. The test results show you did a remarkable job and after a little tweaking here and there this will be a helluva driver for high and low current applications. I’m truly impressed.
Eh? Weren’t you purchasing ZL and other proprietary flashlights up until the last month or so? Don’t you use tons of proprietary commodity items on a day to day basis (such as your TV, the BIOS on your computer, the computer in your car, the stereo in your car, almost all your network equipment, definitely your modem, etc)? I like open-source and free-as-in-freedom as much as the next cat, but I get the feeling that this “conscious effort not to ignore” claim is just a high-pressure way of [not] asking people to release sources. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that you make an effort to focus on free & open alternatives when they are available?
It’s very possible that I’m just really happy to have the ability to change the firmware now… but it had been bugging me ever since I first got into flashlights. Even the best stock items could be improved, and it bugs me when I can’t improve it myself. For example, I’ve tried repeatedly to get changes into the Zebralight firmware, but they generally just give me a pat on the head and tell me I’m cute.
I’m not Richard Stallman, so I’ll use proprietary stuff when there’s no other option, but it bothers me and I tend to avoid it. Like… my TV is running a customized version of Cyanogenmod, and my notebook is running modded BIOS, but I haven’t attempted to change the firmware on my microwave. I’m pretty sure though, if I was an active member of, er, Budget Microwave Forum, I’d probably have a dozen microwaves with firmware I wrote myself.
This new driver is pretty exciting, a major step forward for lights… but it’d be even more exciting with source code and a flashing kit.
Oh - btw, I'm trying to fathom what I'm seeing, and was leery of posting this. But, it's consistent and I checked my lightbox/meter against other lights (low and high output) and everything is in order.
So, I got the LD-1 driver jumpered at what should be non-turbo, mounted in a big fat VOB copper pill in a HD2010, 20 AWG wires, XM-L2 U2 1A/Noctigon screwed down using GC Extreme, wired up springs using 22 AWG, NO-OX-ID treatment on contacts, measured this:
LG HE2 4.21v, 5.13A tail, lumens: 1,666 @start - 1,581 @30secs, 105 kcd at 5 meters
It's consistent, and checking other lights, the meter seems fine. The beam pattern sucks because of the off centered LED (crappy centering piece that's too small), but it sure is putting out a lot of light! It's still, I'd say, maybe 100-200 lumens higher than comparable setups, but the difference is with this: screwed down into the copper pill with 20 AWG wire (I was using 22 AWG, not using screws), and of course the LD-1 driver.
Fair enough, I agree with a lot of what you’re getting at. I tend to stray towards more flexible solutions, and those solutions tend to be more open, and… so on and so forth. It’s interesting how stock firmwares become much more flexible nearly simultaneously with the release of aftermarket firmwares (FOSS or not).
You’re right. Ramping is good.
But I used to with fixed mode option.
I just want to know fixed mode firmware will be done.
Can you do that? How many circuits do I have to buy if I want my own modes option?
So are we any closer to a date when this will be released for sale?
I’m in for at least 6 if they are around $15 each.
I'm not sure if I understand.Do you want a combination of fixed modes(0.3%,1.5%,20%,100% or similar) but with additional ramping ability between those modes?
Currently,you have 3 different e-switch UI's:
1st:single press->next mode,double press->previous mode,long press from off state->high mode
2nd:ramping
3rd:single press on-off,double press->next mode
More details in OP.
When I open selling thread
,seriously,I can't guarantee nothing,but I hope for about 4-5 weeks,when all parts and pcbs arrive+time for assembly.
Hmmm… while you are in the process of tweaking…
In regard of the standard 3 (4) mode you might reconsider the spacing.
HKJ’s brightness tests show this:
Second column shows brightness in percent as 0.75 / 2.64 / 32.4 / 100.
VeryLow to Low is factor 3.5
Low to Medium is factor 12.3
Medium to High is factor 3.1
So there is only a little gap from VeryLow to Low, a huge increase in brightness to Medium, followed again by a much less significant increase to High.
I’d suggest to considerably lower the Medium mode to smoothen the steps.
I’d also suggest to lower the VeryLow, as 22mA is too high for a VeryLow mode especially with this efficiency. The first Qlite revision had 20mA as “Moon” which was considered completely useless. Simply too bright. And Qlite is a PWM driver so your driver will be even brighter at 22mA. 10mA might be a good compromise, not Moon, but a good VeryLow.
In my testing in a HD2010, the low-low appears to be close to the low, and big jump to medium, and big jump to hi. I'd suggest up'ing the low a little, and up'ing the medium slightly. The low is nice as-is if you have the low-low disabled, but combined with the low-low, they seem too close. 36% or so of brightness in medium would be nice, and 4-5% in brightness for low.
Just my own opinions of course 
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Are you hand assembling the drivers?
So it’s not theoretical but visible in practical use.
Yeah, modes is a matter of taste and led4power will never please ’em all.
I like an 80mA Low, so I’d keep it and prefer something like 10mA / 80mA / 750mA / 5000mA.
If Medium is already 1/3 Brightness of High, it takes the fun away… you know, the Wow-Factor. (“Oooooh, that’s bright!” - - - “That’s only Medium, my friend…”) J)
But, joking aside, the only thing that truly matters is that any mode change should neither be huge nor insignificant.
Led4power, would you be able to provide this driver in a max 3A output version? I love the current controlled/ greater efficiency aspect of this driver but have little use for a 5A mode. I also assume that since max output is less, the actual output of the lowest mode would be less too? IMHO, ~21lumens (as Tom E’s preliminary tests showed) is a too high for me.
Yes,I know that low-low is too bright,this is the lowest with current hardware.You must understand that sense voltage at 20mA on 10mohm shunt is 0.02*0.01= 200uV (microvolts!).Input offset voltage of current op-amp on your test drivers is 150uV,which is much better than typical few mV for common op-amps such as lm358,but even 150uV is not good enough for <20mA.
So,I already have a prototype with auto-zero op-amp with 8uV max. input offset(pretty exotic and expensive stuff).
With this I got nice 12-13mA on full battery,and that linearly drops to around 8mA when battery is empty(2.8V).On Low-low mode current linearly drops with battery voltage because of finite(10-bit) voltage reference resolution,but I think this is actually good,no noticeable change in brightness and slightly extended run time.
Maybe I'll do the same with low mode(for ex. 90mA on full battery that linearly drops to 60mA as voltage drops to 2.8V).
Drivers will be hand assembled(stencil for solder paste) for now.
I'll probably offer modes,mode-memory,max. current change for some small fee(cca 2$/driver),for those who don't like stock settings.
Waiting and watching and hope I can be among the first. I’d love to put this driver in one of the Eagle Eyes X6 lights with an XP-L or XP-G2 de-domed. This would make an excellent EDC in my opinion.
Would potting be good or bad? I’d like to lock it in once in this light, glue in the lens and make it as solidly reliable as possible. Then wear it like a wristwatch. (meaning always have it on me)
With the Low Low straightened out and the Low/Med modes being spaced properly this is a no-brainer for EDC. Great Job! Very much looking forward to it.
And thanks for the testing Tom, prc8 it
Very nice. Looking forward to your offerings.
Not sure, anyone else test the multiple mode sets in the LD-1 with an e-switch? I'm having trouble using ramping.
I did test it. You first click the light on, then you ramp up.
And be careful not to hold the switch down to long, it must be released when you see the two flashes.
Ooops, wut if you hold it too long? 
I had it sort of working - least I saw it ramp up, and ramp down, but could not follow the procedure to get it to ramp down. Also there seems like a timeout is involved, like you have it leave it on maybe 3 secs before you can turn it off - really didn't figure it out. I might have "bricked" it now, not sure - waiting to hear back from led4power.