Review of DP50V5A & DPS3012 bench top power supply modules, best bang for the buck around!

^ Yes, good idea. TA is talking about something like this that you just connect to your pack's balance harness. I have a couple. They work great. Displays Total Voltage, Voltage of each Cell/Bank, and sounds alarm if you wish at voltage level you specify. Word of warning, the alarm is loud. I about cr_pped my pants the first time it one went off on me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8S-Lipo-Li-ion-Fe-Battery-Low-Voltage-Meter-Tester-Buzzer-Alarm-Hot-DP-/112070335396?hash=item1a17e99ba4:g:-GgAAOSwARZXlhG1

Hello,

OK, I will listen to you, but I will not take this one, because its specs are too close to the maximum I want to use it (3 Amps), I prefer to select something that could manage more Amps (at least 5 or more) to use it safely. Honnestly, I do not trust a lot this cheap products, I prefer to pay more for a reliable and proven driver, I do not want my lamp to stop working when I am in the middle of the forest…

So you convince me, so I will go back to my intial choice of a boost converter, to use my smallest and lighter batteries, 3 or 4 cells, and not limit my lamp to a maximum of 4 XML but 6 as I initially planned.

Can you suggest some boost driver of good quality ? in my radar, I have the HBFLEX from taskled, which seems to be the reference, but difficult to buy for someone like me living in France.

And so, I will plug an external voltmeter and amp meter, grrr, more work for me to connect and solder all this in the correct way…I immagine that I should connect the voltmeter to the 2 wires from the battery before the driver, and the amp meter at the output of the driver (if I want to measure simulteanously battery voltage and current pushed to the LEDs), is it rigt ?

once again, thanks to all of you for your patience and advices.

Kind regards,

Richard.

It will be really hard to find a single boost converter with enough amp capability for what you want. The better idea is to use several boost converters and connect one to each LED.

Several smaller boost converters would also be more reliable since if one fails you still have the rest that would work.

Hi Texas_Ace,

I like your idea to use independant boost driver for each led, but in this case it makes it impossibleto connect a single amp meter…

Do you think the selected boost driver below can manage alone my 6 Cree XML2 at 3 Amps ?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019W4C5IE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dp059-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B019W4C5IE&linkId=bdb0fd8cf8b561b9b012d591fabdbd14

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NKNHSG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008NKNHSG&linkCode=as2&tag=dp059-20&linkId=4FBDGVVPTBXFEGS4

Thanks

Hi,

when I look in detail these 2 products, I think only the 1st one is capable of constant current (mandatory to drive LEDs), I can see 2 potentiometers to adjust output voltage and current.

The second one has only 1 potentiemeter to adjust output voltage.

Do you confirm my understanding ?

Thanks

Yes, that first converter appears to have the correct specs and should work, although I have no experience with them. I would mount it to a heat sink of some sort as it looks like it will get hot with high outputs.

Other then that though, it should work well based on the specs.

With a dual voltage input, it would make a great internal resistance mearuring tool as well.

I just bought this enclosure. Hope it’s not too big?

It should work great, just make sure you get a 5V fan and install it somewhere blowing over the board along with exhaust holes as well. You can tap the fan into the existing fan output.

Does the module control the fan or will it run steady?

It controls the fan, which is why I like to tap into it. It only kicks it on when it gets hot or when outputting above ~6 amps. It also appears to be PWM as it blows harder the hotter it gets.

Oh. Great!

^
I imagine you could run a duct to the existing fan if you don’t want to add a separate fan. Just a tube going from the fan to the opposing side with vent holes to let the air get pushed out/drawn in.

You could but the existing fan is undersized for extended periods at high amps IMHO. The Shunts could also use some cooling as well which the stock fan does not do.

Now electronics can work fine at higher temps, I just don’t like them to be hotter then needed.

^

Looking at your pictures in Post 2, I get a sense for what your saying. That stock fan is so tiny. Good info. Thanks.

Yep, it seems to keep the mosfets reasonably cool for the 5-10 mins I have tested it at max amps but doesn’t do anything for the rest of the board.

You will note that I placed the vents next to the shunts in order to ensure the airflow goes over them.

This is really cool, way past well enough done for the job. I'll just point out though that there is something called acrylic glue. It's rated for something like 2000 lbs per square inch too if used well. Not to criticize. Mine will look worse. I'll probably end up taping it to a shoe box and leaving it that way for 10 years.

Yeah, I knew there was glue for the job and I actually really wanted to make it screw together but I was in a hurry and didn’t feel like waiting for special glue lol.

No to mention that the hot glue is removable if I really wanted to and since I was not sure at the time how it would work in this, I wanted to be able to take it back apart if needed.

Do you disconnect the small fan or run them both together?

I just spliced the new one into it, they both turn on.