D.I.Y. Illuminated tailcap

I think that’s the one I’ve used a bunch of without issues, so the problem isn’t in the file.

Contact Oshpark customer support. They are super fast to respond and will rush you replacements for free

Hmmm… I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not? :confounded: I thought I had to have been missing something so I looked at it for quite a while before I gave in and posted. Thanks for the help! I’ll contact oshpark. :slight_smile:

I checked with oshpark and they believe it is a result of the copper layer being too close to the board outline. She says it must be 15mil or sometimes the mill with cut the wrong side of the line. IDK?

I want to try this little hack on Manker E14, I see that it’s already using custom board for the switch.

I have soldered 2 SMD (with code 103 and 104) resistors and 2 nichia LED as following, but it still doesn’t work. Do I need to add another resistor on the driver as well?

I know my soldering job is not great but I tested with my multi tester and they turned on.

Please advise.

The Manker E14 has the BLF-A6 driver, but a (bleeder)resistor must be added, try 470 Ohm between batt+ and ground (one way to do that is from the led+ wire-pad to the outer ring).

I have wanted to try this for some time, I love it on the X5. The issue is reading all 1140 posts to see where exactly things stand.

Is the OP updated with the latest developments?

Also which boards should I order, there are so many options and it doesn’t make a lot of sense as to which one you should actually order without the background on why there are so many.

I basically want the most universal setup that can be used in the widest possible number of lights and be reliable. It also still need to offer high current carrying capability to the switch.

Pots are nice but not a must.

I would be using it in S2 tube lights mostly and other lights with similar sized tailcaps.

Thanks djozz, I have made it glow.
Just need to tweak the R size to get my desire brightness.

Are you using that green tailcap in the picture? My thought is that they might be turning on in the flashlight, but so faintly that it can’t be seen through the green. Adding the bleeder to the driver might help.

I’m not up on my resistor codes. What are those values on the tailcap? (103 and 104)

edit: just saw your new post. glad it is working. It definitely takes a lot of playing with values, with is why some started using pots

The OP is mostly updated, there are links for each board that go to their more detailed descriptions in this thread.
———————————
For one design that can cover a lot of functionality, I recommend either Rev5.1 or Rev5.2 (get the default Oshpark option). These will work with stock switch pcb’s

If you pair it with either Rev5a or pyro1son’s board (Usually the 2oz board will be better for this one) you can adjust it without opening the tailcap.


you may be interested in this as well

And it’s nice that the led rings can be used with most stock switch pcbs

Ok, I think I figured out what was throwing me off.

You need 2 different boards, the first is the tailswitch board like normal except with resistors/pots and outputs.

You then use a second board that holds the LED’s and it mounts in place of the washer that is normally on top of the switch?

How does the switch boot seal/not damage the LED’s?

The pictures do not show the 2 boards, they just show a single board and a clear washer. The oshpark pics didn’t make it clear there was a hole in the center either, this was what was causing the confusion for me.

Does anyone have a picture of the completed setup for the stacked board design?

Also besides letting more light through to the tailcap, does the stacked design offer anything else over the single board setup? I could make washer out of acrylic easily so light loss would not be a big deal.

I already have a few of those high amp tail switch boards, I use them in the triples and such, I was hoping the lighted boards incorporated a similar design, which they appear to do.

I re-edited my post for more clarity. The ring/washer shaped pcb’s were designed using measurements of the common rubber boot sizes so the led’s themselves shouldn’t even be getting contacted during operation. Likewise the pads on the bottom are spaced for the small omten 1288 to have clearance. You may have issues with other (larger) switches.

You can also use the rings by mounting resistors right on them, and keeping the stock switch pcb (or the “high amp” one).

Even using crystal-clear acrylic, the rings let out way more light, meaning you can turn the power down and get tiny tiny power draw measurements. You also get more well-spaced even light. They all have pads for 6 led’s, but I usually only use 3. Here’s one picture

For instance, in my next build, I am going to use Rev5.1 to hold different colors of led’s, and use the onboard resistor pads to balance those different colors if their Vf are different from each other.

Then I will pair it with Rev5a and two pots, so I can easily make the switch brighter or dimmer with a flip of a switch

Yes, I’m using that rubber cap. I found that the LED is lit after I removed the rubber cap and I see the faint glowing LED :smiley:

About the resistors, they’re scrapped from any discarded PCBs so the value is quite vary and hard to get desired ones. Now I’m purchasing new SMDs from local online stores.

One more question, the smaller the value, the LED will be brighter or dimmer?

Thanks!

Less resistance = more power flowing = brighter LED

Too much power flowing can mess up your driver function though, so be mindful of that

Ok, that makes way more sense. You might want to add that picture to the OP, a picture is worth a thousand words as they say.

IIRC the stock switches in the S2 are the small 1288 correct? I have a bunch of those laying around so hopefully they will work.

Many thanks!

I yeah I should add it or another one. I’m due to go and make sure all the links are still active too.

If you get Rev5a, don’t forget to order some of the little slide switches too.

Yes, the S2 uses the 1288.

Ok, think I am about ready to order some of these. Think I am going to go with pyro1son switch as I can’t find the right slide switched on digikey for cheap (making an order anyways) plus if I want to turn it off I will just lockout the tailcap I think.

Or do you know of the right switch from digikey? Might grab a set of the 5.1a as well.

My only real question now is what components should I grab while making a digikey order anyways? I already have some 470, 560, 680ohm resistors in the cart for the bleeder. Any other sizes I should add for the LED’s themselves?

I have no idea on digikey, but here are some on ebay shipped from the US. They’ll probably get to you long before the oshpark boards.

It’s up to your preference anyways. I can understand having access to the pot from the bottom, but I prefer having “presets” of levels I can just jump between with the switch.

We started using pots because it can be annoying to be swapping resistors trying to find the right balance. For pots get either 50k or 100k. For LED resistors it could be anywhere from 2k-50k based on how bright you want them to be and how your leds behave under low power.