Hej,
I got a bag of Nanjg AK-47A 7135*3 1.05A driver from the U.S. from MOUNTAIN ELECTRONICS LLC but found no wiring schematic on the vendor’s website. In the description it says…
Mode groups (default AK-47A firmware): 3 Mode. Low-Medium-High
…but where do I wire /- battery,/- LED and a momentary tactile button so I can switch between those three modes? Also, I need a separate on/off switch, right?
Any help much appreciated!
Like this:
afaik the basic driver is for clicky flashlights, not momentary.
Ok, that’s the battery pack connection I guess?
But where do I wire the LED though, and where the switch for the low-medium-high modes? What’s a “clicky” switch opposed to a momentary, rocker, etc. type switch? Is there no PDF available somewhere that explains where the connections go?
Thanks!
The red (+) and black () wire go to the led. On the other side of the driver you will find (room for) the spring that connects you to the + pole of the battery. The outside rim of the driver makes contact to the body of the light. On the tailcap side of the light you will find a switch. The spring of which is is in contact with the pole of the battery. And there also is an outside rim that makes contact to the body of the light. The (closed) circuit goes as follows.
+pole on battery
spring on driver
driver
red wire to led
led
black wire from led
driver
body of the light
tailcap pcb
switch
tailcap spring
-pole on battery
In this case the switch is at the back of the light. Long press (click) is on. Long press (click) is off.
Fast presses, when on, without click, are used to change modes.
It is all about closing/opening the circuit. They call it a “clicky”, because the switch goes click.
You call it a “twisty” if the closing of the circuit is done by screwing the head tighter to the body/battery.
And vice versa, of course.
Ok, thanks for helping!
I’m using the driver in a series of garden lanterns. So that means I solder + to the spring contact, and I solder - to the rim of the driver. That should work, right?
But how about the three modes? How do I wire a switch for the three modes? And how do I wire an on/off switch (if I really need another one)? This is the current set-up…
You only connect one switch, the on-off switch, mode-changing is controlled with the timing of the switch.
From the description on the link in your first post i “think”:
If you turn the switch off and then turn it back on within 2 seconds the driver switches to the next mode.
If you turn the switch off and then wait longer than 2 seconds before turning it back on the driver comes back on in the same mode that was selected when you turned it off.
For example, if you’re in low mode:
Switch off - wait 3 seconds - switch on = driver comes on in low mode.
OR
Switch off - wait 1 second - switch on = driver comes on in medium mode.
If you’re in high mode and switch off/switch on within 2 seconds the driver will cycle back round to low mode.
Thanks!
How do I connect the switch in the circuit above; between BAT and the Nanjg's + pad?
And as mentioned above, I cannot use a momentary switch, but need an SPDT type on/off switch?
You connect switch between battery and driver. You can put it on positive OR negative side, your choice.
If it’s easier for you you can use push button switch for changing modes, but one that has contact when not pressed and breaks circuit when pressed (n/c - normally closed).
But it has to be rated over 1A as all current will pass on that switch.
Ok, thanks, that’s helpful. I really want small pushbuttons on the lanterns. N/C it is then.
If you wanna cheat, you can make it a 3-wire connection. Or leave it as 4-wires if it’s easier.
The positive end of the LED goes to the positive end of the battery as well (verify with a meter). Think of it as “positive ground”.
The 7135s control the low-side of the LED.
The ring around the periphery is likely on both sides of the board, so you can tap it on either side. Again, verify with a meter.
So… you might want to keep the drivers near the LEDs, and have them hardwired together with the included wires.
Then either daisychain all the positives (where the spring is) or negatives (around the periphery), have one hardwired, the other switched.
Switch modes? Flick the switch off/on quickly. Leave on when you got the mode you want.
Done.
Judco makes both forward and reverse clicky through - hole switches with a screw on button cover to seal them. Can be found at digikey. Rated at 10 amps.
Why do you need a double throw switch?
The difference between forward an reverse clickies is:
A forward clicky a partial press from off makes the connection.
A reverse clicky a partial press from on breaks the connection.
Many flashlights use reverse clickies since mode changes a done after the light is on. A partial,press and release brings the next mode and you simply stop when you reach the correct one. A forward clicky you would partial press to on and then release the button and press it again to get the next mode, pressing to full click when you reach the cirrect mode, a bit awkward for mode changes but better suited to signalling.
Ok, signalling is not needed; it’s for garden lanterns. I just need one switch to provide
ON/OFF
LOW
MID
HIGH
modes, the three-mode setting done by connecting the two rightmost stars to the large GND pad on the PCB.
From what I just saw in the spex, unless you specify any UI other than the base model, it’ll be the much-hated 3/5-mode blink-on-low one.
Ignore it. It’s torture in a light, but in a garden, you probably won’t notice it.
I’ll let someone else go into details, as every time I think about it, it freezes up my insides solid.
The basic version I bought from Mountain Electronics in the U.S. features a LOW/MID/HIGH mode, which is ok, since for a balcony, terrace or garden lantern, that’s well enough.
So far I have not found the necessary “reverse clicky” type switch at Farnell, Mouser or Digikey. It’s a latching NC switch with momentary function, isn’t it? Or what is such a switch properly called?
You could use a regular bangbang toggle-switch just like those mounted on a wall. Flick it on, then off/on quickly to change modes.
Otherwise, look for “normally closed” if you want pure momentary, just to change modes (and a different power switch for just on/off).
Hmm… I think it’s best for lanterns to have a single ON/OFF - LOW/MID/HIGH switch. I think for lack of the proper terminology, the fastest option is to get this one from Mountain Electronics?
Apparently, a “reverse clicky” switch is an “SPST ON-OFF latching push-button” switch.
Did this switch work? I can’t manage to find a switch that works for a both on/off-low/mid/high. Right now I have two switches, one for on/off and one for low-mid-high. I have tried to push longer to turn on/off but it doesn’t work… do I need an other driver or an other switch?