Just reporting that I have a more definite answer on this. Simon has found a source and ordered some for his store. The only thing that can stop us now is if that supplier backs out.
I HAVE LIGHT!!!!
I tried a couple different things, here are my results...
MTN17DD driver with guppydrv rev2 in a Sinner host.
560ohm driver bleeder between + spring and ground ring.
15k resistor on the diode pads
NO LIGHT!
560 ohm driver bleeder resistor
560 ohm resistor on diode pads
pot turned full left, no light
pot turned half, no light
pot turned full right, very very dim light!!!
so then I removed the resistor on the tailcap pcb and used half the strands from a piece of 20ga wire to bypass the resistor pads.
560 ohm driver bleeder
bypassed diode spot with wire
pot turned full left, no light
pot turned half, no light
pot turned 3/4 right, very very dim light
pot turned full right, decent but dim light!!! Not visible through switch boot.
so my modes don't switch at all not with guppydrv, I swapped the 15k driver bleeder resistor hoping to change that and have very very dim light that may charge the gitd switch boot, but even with the 15k driver bleeder the firmware still will not function right.
I'm going to have to try more experiments with the blf a6 firmware I have on order. For now I'm going to put the 560ohm resistor back on the driver and leave it at 30% so I can have some light and see if the dim light is enough to keep the boot charged. I am going to order brighter leds from lighthouse as well as more resistors from digikey and go from there.
For the record, normally you would need a lower resistance for the bleeder to help make the modes work better. I am not surprised at all that 15k on the driver didn’t fix it. That being said, I have never used guppy so I don’t know it does memory.
BLF A6 might cause you even more problems. It definitely takes playing with, there isn’t a 1-step solution to making these things work. Hang in there.
For reference I’m using 120 ohm bleeder resistor on driver and 10K POT on the tail
I’m thinking we can get the same brightness from a lot less battery drain by using XQ-E’s instead of the little 0805’s. They’re a bit more expensive, but maybe it’s worth it?
Possibly.
With the new option from OSHPark we can get thinner boards with double copper!!!
Hey guys, the 16mm clear boots are at Convoy now. Lot of 10 is $4.05, free shipping.
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Flashlight-tailcap-translucent/330416_32596868733.html
I ordered a batch. Hopefully they will arrive in decent time.
Thanks for the heads-up PD!
The only thing missing now is that beautiful glow. And I have to remind Simon that the clip goes one groove back! :bigsmile:
I ordered a couple batches of those :) thanks for the pot board!
I went to lowes yesterday and picked up a piece of plexiglass and a hole saw. Ended up making about 50 clear washers that let practically all the light through. Pretty much doubled the brightness in my sinner tailcap!
I got the sinner with mtn17DD/guppydrv rev2 working like it's supposed to. I didn't have the right resistors but I had 2 200ohm ones here, those in parallel make 100ohms, and after adjusting the potentiometer a few times everything is back to normal with the firmware.
I put in a couple rather large orders for everything. Hopefully I got the right diodes.
I’m beginning to think my nylon washers are blocking more light than I originally thought, even though the light diffusion is nice. I think I’ll do the same with the lexan and a hole saw. Maybe I’ll add some DC Fix too, we’ll see.
Also, my potentiometers came this week. I ordered the 20k range, and they work quite well. Thanks pyro for sharing the Eagle part, it fits perfectly.
Tight fit but looks pretty good nice job
Yep, it’s definitely tight. This is the little 16mm board, the 20mm is a bit more roomy.
Ok, just got back from Home Depot. I grabbed a 7/8” hole saw bit and a sheet of the cheapest and thinnest plastic sheet. It is sold as a replacement for glass in picture frames. On the left is the ring I made from that sheet, on the right is the nylon ring I had been using. In the middle is what I think I will be using from now on. As you can see the middle one is a lot more translucent than the nylon washer, but should give a more even spread of light than the totally clear sheet from HD. It’s also stronger and less brittle than the clear sheet. Anybody want to guess what plastic I made it from?
PVC plastic, some food packaging? (But which?) :~ How’s that for a non-answer!
How thick is it?
It’s about the same thickness as the nylon washer, approx 0.07”. And no, not from any kind of packaging
I’ll just tell you. It’s the same plastic I used to make a replacement lens for my Nitefighter L1A. I cut it from the drawers of a set like this:
Lol brilliant! I ordered 10 and 20k pots, wasn't sure which one would be better.
The sinner modes went finnicky on me yesterday. It wouldnt change groups then it was fine. 20 minutes later it quit changing modes and started comming on on high, 3 minutes later it was back to normal. I don't know why it's doing that, hasn't happened today.
Zoom: that’s weird about the modes, any chance heat could have something to do with it?
………………………
Has anyone tried removing the metal button on a colored S2+?
TK posted pictures of a disassembled button. Somewhere.
yea I think heat has something to do with it. it would go back to normal after it cooled down. I got the pots and new resistors in, and diodes. I ordered 200mA/30V schottky diodes which seem fine as long as the line is on the right side, which is the left, closer to the LED. With these 120ohm resistors and the new brighter leds I cannot get the modes to work 100%. There is only one spot on the 100k pot that modes will work at all, between 75&80%(3/4 or a little more from full right) and it is always a "next mode memory" even when there isn't supposed to be memory. I am now using a convoy s6 with triple nichia and BLF A6(mtn17DDm) firmware as well as a triple XPL sinner with guppydrv rev1(mtn17DD) for testing, both with 120ohm bleeder resistors.
The 10k pots are small, I haven't tried to fit one yet, kind of doubt they will work. The 20k pots were the right size but they have a tab right between the two legs that wants to contact one side or the other which causes the pot (and leds) not to work at all. More searching through digikey is required for a 20k pot that might work easier, for now I'm just using the 100k.
I paralleled 120ohm resistors and I have the same issue, with modes working fine until the light warms up, and then the modes do weird things, stuck on low, no memory, reverting to turbo then strobe and beacon with normal fast presses, until the light cools and it goes back to normal.
I can't help but wonder if swapping for a different value capacitor would remedy the situation, I hate to go with a bleeder resistor that will let too much more power leak off. Richard told me that I could try it, so that will be the next thing I try.