6V LEDs use closer to 7 or 8v especially when driven at higher currents, so you won’t get stable output for very long using a 2S battery unless you had a special buck+boost driver that will keep a constant current even when the battery voltage drops below the LED voltage.
A buck driver would be something like 3S or 4S to 6v LED, 2S+ to 3v LED, or 4S+ to 12v LED.
Right now i would like to have boost driver with 2S input and output of about 100-150W and output voltage for 6 x XM-L2 in series, or maybe 12 in series. I have that 12xXM-L monster but can’t find good driver for that. Leds are now 3S2P x 2 and 2S input with FET just won’t work.
A good 1S driver to drive a 6 Volts LED would certainly sell.
Nearly ordered a H1-A from Kaidomain, but it has PWM at a clearly audible 3.6 kHz.
I don’t want PWM at all actually…
I now made a PCB for a 1S 2A max buck-boost converter, but somebody needs to write some code for it. It works pretty similar to loneocean’s gxb20: Oshpark Link
Current range is from 14mA to 2A. Regulator IC is TPS63027, MCU is an ATTiny1634. To build the driver, you need a hot air soldering station or an oven, because the regulator IC is a BGA chip.
This is why I have not pursued making any next gen drivers. We don’t have any firmware for the latest MCU’s. Until a new MCU is selected and firmware is ported over to it, we can’t really improve past what we have been ding sadly. The Attiny’s we have been using are simply too large.
Once some firmware for the 1617 or 1616 mcu comes out, then we can really start moving things forward.
So the real discussion should be what ia the best MCU to adopt?
If people like Mike C, Tom E and Toykeeper can come to a MCU to use with more pins then the AT85 this opens the way for next gen schematics right?
From my non technical and non programmer way of looking at things I hope the costs and availability of the MCU can weigh in for it will make it easier to implement in BLF specials if it is good to source and affordable, each cent helps here.
Kinda, we have already figured that the latest 1616 or 1617 MCU is the best candidate for the next gen MCU. The issue is the firmware to make it work and being able to program it. Last I knew the programmers had not been updated to flash the new MCU’s yet. Only a matter of time until that happens.
The extra pins are important but the extra space and other features of the latest MCU’s is just as important. Particularly with all the features we are wanting to cram into the firmware now days.
Price is not a big deal, even the latest 1617 mcu is cheaper then the attiny85 IIRC.
Meh, i’m probably ‘a stick in the mud’ but who really needs more than 3 or 4 modes spaced like 3% - 10% - 30% - 100% ?
Maybe add a 1% mode and a ‘long press’ to go to the previous mode for lumen canons, but what more do you really need?
You only need low voltage protection to be added, and that’s it as far as i’m concerned.
+1
It would be nice if it could be easily adapted for 3 Amperes though (for Nichia 144). This could be done with the firmware or by changing the ‘sense resitor’
And no PWM ! please…
A 17mm version would be awesome too.