My hat is off to you. This is an absolutely amazing build.
More photos in the OP. That's it till supplies come in.
Thanks to everyone for the responses. Always nice to know someone is looking.
I think what you’re seeing with the 3*AA is actually just due to the very low Vf of red emitters. [A lower Vf with DD will produce higher drive current.] Blue and green emitters should appear brighter than red when driven at the same current IIRC.
The battery holder / charger continues to look good.
I’ve never done it with high current set up and a driver quite like this but what happens on my 4*AA and solar/wind generator pond pump setup is that when the generator is on, the pump is powered by the generator and what the generator can’t supply, the battery will make up. If the generator is producing more than the pump needs, the batteries appear to charge. The net effect most of the time is when the pump is running, the batteries never charge but thats with a very simple circuit, not something as complex as this.
The charger project has been scrapped. After ruining the tail cap and two charger boards. I am giving up on it. Too hard for me to do with the limited tools and knowledge I have. It will just be a regular build from here on, with a dummy cell replacing the charger idea.
It's been a real bad evening.
Natch! Sounds crappy. 
Walking out the door now for errands and crap but later today PM inconing on this…
OL has been known to turn bad days around, after a week. Good luck. 
Aye… Yeah he got it- maybe some good sleep
If this was easy everyone would do it
+2 
You never know for sure do you? Well, to say it’s a burr under my saddle right now, would be an understatement. The only burr I like is in burrito, so it’s nagging at me somewhat fierce, but I won’t do one unless I can come up with something that is safer than the one I was attempting.
Ever think of a standard spade connector instead of trying to cut a hole for a micro or mini USB
Something like this
Then just solder the male jack to a USB connector…done
I feel today is a very sad day. It sounds like the Occupational Health and Safety government department has threatened to close down the OL custom light shop over a dodgy usb charge port. This is a shocking situation that OL has found himself in. We can all import thousands and thousands of dodgy usb chargers from a dozen developing countries yet we cannot build dodgy chargers ourselves. I hang my head in wonder and ponder what we have turned this world into. What next tomorrow? Maybe sneezing while driving or just having a good time is on the hit list.
The padded rooms we always joked about locking our kids in to prevent them from hurting themselves seems like tomorrow will become a reality. One or two generations down the track and the padded room will not be safe enough. What will they do then. Maybe we should not be here at all. The world would be a lot safer place. Thats it I'm writing to our politicians explaining to them the benefits of a world without humans. Oh what a wonderful place the world would be then and we can all thank OL's for this.
Sir, I thank you for building a dodgy usb port. The world is going to become a lot better place to live in if you are an animal like me, a Moose.
Yes, but the micro USB was a specific request, or I would have gone with that type. Any more everything is micro USB. My wife said something about micro the other day, but I don’t know if it was USB.
The charger project is scrapped. I ended up ruining the tail cap and two charger boards, so it will just be a dummy cell. I think this dummy can make that much. The Phoenix may arise from the ashes, time will tell, but you know I just hate to be defeated, especially by myself.
See more in the bottom of the OP.
. I've said enough so I'll say nothing.
I’m really hoping you can do this. If it works I can see a rework of that board to change the shape and size through Oshpark.
More photos in the OP. Looking good so far. Charger board is in place in the plastic holder.