Modding question > spot light for motorcycle XHP35.2 Hi or SFT40 ?

That is not a driver. That’s just a dc-dc step down (buck) converter. It doesn’t limit current.
Probably, it still can do the job under some circumstances but that is not optimal.

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The ss2 casing is too bulky for that location (front wheel fender’s bolt area).
I wish DD had some SS3s series with SFT40 or 25 in 4000k or 3000k because the Osram emitter are really too cold. They work extremely well in fog configuration because of the very defined cutoff but for pure spot light, color isn’t great. I think I will replace one of the SS3 “driving lens” with a “spot lens” in order to get a little more throw on high beam… In fact, my configuration is already very good lol It’s more of a hobby thing than a necessity ah ah…

The actual setting looks like this :

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What would be a good driver for such configuration?

If it doesn’t limit current, why can I choose between 5A, 10A, 20A output options for that model?

Those are maximum current ratings… so anything up to that max (and possibly beyond it…until you burn it up) will be supplied to the load.

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Dream configuration > Imagine a D7 pro using 4x SFT40s 5000k and 3 SFT 3000k in the center… That would be perfect/complete setting with the SS3 max fog at the lower bar crash position. That would provide warm white high beam spot for rainy/foggy weather and 4500k at full power :slightly_smiling_face: keeping the clip diffusors for off-road situation. They should call it the D7 Pro “Racer Edition” that would be the best pod ever made…

Diode dynamics now offers the darker amber filtration lens for the Max pods in spot and driving configuration as well. It will be selective yellow, same color as the fogs, so technically not legal for use as a driving light color (and if that’s a concern both the max with driving and spot lenses is too high intensity for legal road use), but they are available now.

I see what you mean about the mounting space. The SS2s are fairly deep.

I was not aware that those type of power supplies were not current limiting, that explains why I was popping fuses when I attempted to power a string of LEDs with them. Misunderstanding it seems, on both our parts. This still leaves me (and OP, I suppose) trying to find high power drivers, although now we can at least search for a power supply arrangement that drops voltage low enough to use ttpical 2s li-ion drivers.

That converter from the picture above supplies 12 volts, so it can be used to power four SFT40 in series. With 3 volts per LED SFT40s will pull about 3 amps, so the setup will probably work fine. But in such circuit nothing limits current, so as LEDs heat up the current will grow. Unlikely to exceed 5 amps though but I’m not sure.
Resistor can be added to limit the current but I can’t provide specific calculations.
Also this setup of four SFT40 with 3 amp current will produce a lot of heat.

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Yes, I saw it. The interesting fact is the yellow Pro version (with the XPL-Hi @4000K) have a lighter, more translucid yellow filter that makes the overall package more efficient than the yellow Max version which has a darker amber lens (to compensate with the blue light emission of the Osram…) For that reason, I decided to use the lighter yellow lens from the Pro on the Max version. The color is not “as nice as the Pro” but the brightness is higher.

As much color rendition on automotive applications isn’t as important as for flashlight aficionados, color temperature is indeed crucial for long term use. Therefore I still believe that Baja Designs are the smarter guys in that field. All 5000k (yes, greenish high flux) but much more comfortable on the eyes than 6000k and above.

Back to the Diode Dynamics, the Pro version yellow are the best pods if efficiency and tint is the priority, but for pure “fog light” applications, the Max with the Osram and the lighter “selective yellow” lens give the best result. The cutoff is much more clean with the Osram than the XPl-hi which in urban situation is appreciable. The spread of horizontal light is also excellent. In term of conspicuity it works very well too! On this picture, I still had the pro on fog position, the tint is really nice but notice how bluish are the Max on top…

I found a lot of good information on pods on this website (excellent content!) First time I see somebody testing pods such in details, even CRI :slightly_smiling_face: :upside_down_face: :slightly_smiling_face:

The LED SAE J583 Fog Pod & Fog Light Review | Page 137 | Tacoma World

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I’ll temporally stand by the project.
Of course, if someone magically may provide a link to a suitable driver that match that exact configuration, I think that mixing a “spot” with a “driving” lens should do the trick to get that little “extra throw”.

2 sets of SS3s is already excellent, adding extra pods would makes the bike look too “Christmas tree”. I only see the option of 2 DIY TIR single emitter at the fender or the lower fork area, but the fender fixture is the most discreet location and easy to attached (wiring would follow the brake line and mini bracket would directly mount on fenders bolts…) Well, thanks guys for your participation.

Cheers

Edit

How about this stuff? It says “Driver constant current voltage”(?) ^V 2.8A for 2 sft40 in series, sounds good(??)

This is the highest amperage output driver I have been able to find with a suitable input voltage without scouring the web. You’d need 1 per LED though, and it must be heatsinked. It’s potentially viable without that power converter in the circuit, assuming your bikes voltage is fairly free of high voltage spikes.

The SFT40 really comes into its own around the 5A mark, but most drivers with suitable voltage ranges don’t allow for multiple LEDs per driver.

Lack of drivers has really been the limiting factor in my attempts to modify lights. It’s a niche that could probably sell well given how many people have quads, utv’s and other offroad vehicles.

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Is there any reason you cant use a chinese cc cv buck module? With adjustable current and voltage? What voltage/current output do you need?

I am planning on doing a similar setup for my BMWs (car) high beam as have found Morimoto high beam projectors disappointingly useless and led bulbs give a good spread of light but no real power at any distance

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It’s been about two years since I was looking. The last project I was starting was replscing the driver/led pcb in my diode dynamics ss12 driving light bar with osram white flat 2’s. I figured if I could power them at 5A, I’d still be achieveing higher performance even if I ended up only using 6 (one behind every other TIR) so there’d be sufficient airflow to keep them cool at normal highway speeds.

I was looking over charts for the sft40 5000k once DD released the darker amber selective yellow driving light lenses for both the SS3’s, intended for use with the higher color temperature osram boost chip those pods use. But I don’t think I can fit the sft40 under the optic at the appropriate height, likely reducing performance and requiring a modification to the mating/gasket surface of the bezel with the pods. The SFT25r offers enough of an increase in performance over the xp-lHI the Pro series pods come with, and will also work with the optics as they share the same 3.5x3.5 footprint. These can also reasonably handle 5A, offering higher surface intensity than the sft40 at that drive current, combined with the smaller chip size, the sft25r would be an excellent candidate imo.

I’m completely unfamiliar with driver circuitry. I’d honestly love it if I could simply buy a Pro SS3 pod and reflow solder the xp-l’s, and modify the existing driver circuitry to increase the drive current, but I do not think that can be done. I’ve reached out tobdiode dynamics with several of the LED test threads with various LEDs to ask if they’d consider producing a very hot-rodded model lamp with a limited warrantee period with sft40’s or sft25’s, but they have expressed no interest in that.

Back on topic- I haven’t looked for high output buck/boost circuits in a while.

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I read your comments guys and I am exactly in the same struggle, same “questioning” lol I also thought about picking up a SS2 sport and reflow my own leds on it, but not being an expert on driver’s stuff, I preferred to start from scratch :slight_smile:

I was even thinking about using an extra Cansmart to control my DIY pods… The Cansmart output is constant 12v and should use pwm to adjust led’s output (?) Each line has also a dedicated fuse setting (2 to 25A)… The voltage output of this device is 12V, why not connecting in parallels a pair of XHP35.2 Hi (?) Testing the temperature limit (fan + bench) under different setting until finding the sweet spot?

SFT40 3000K only produces around 1200 1000 lumens at 5A, whereas a XHP35.2 Hi 4000k can do the same at 1A (4000k would be a winner in term of tint matching with my existing XPL-Hi pods)… Less throw but still can provide some good candela through those TIR…

QUESTION : Am I going to fry my led if I connect them directly to the Cansmart at 10% intensity? I don’t mind spending 250$ for a dimmable driver at the moment I can use the exact size of pods I need for that application… Moreover, such experience would not damage the Cansmart as each line is electronically fused.

Any suggestion from experts are welcome :grin:

That’s an interesting idea, but I have no idea if that would work.

Perhaps you could test it if you also add a large heatsinked 12v resistor inline? Maybe not on the bike itself to minimize risk to the bikes electronics, but if you pulled the battery for testing you could hook up your LED string after the resistor, and use an ir thermometer to watch the tempersture rise in the resistor. Maybe add an inline fuse before the resistor below at just over whatever the calculated load might be to prevent damage to the cansmart?

The cansmart may be capable of doing pwm control, but they’re intended for lights that have their own driver circuitry, so it may not work.

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I’ve done that for 12V outdoor security lights. I’m using cheap gutted flood lights from AliExpress and a small module that allows the setting of the current and voltage maximum. I’ve done it in two lights and they are automated to turn on every night and run until dawn. They’ve been running like that for in excess of five years and I haven’t had any failures. (I have had a couple of off the shelf AliExpress 12V flood lights die in that same time.)

I set them up using the XHP50 data sheet for setting the limits.

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I may try this option. I have a 12v car battery on charger at the workshop, the Cansmart can easily used for experimentation. I will try to connect 2x3V sft40 in series to one of this 12V-6V buck converter with 5amp max and see how they handle the Cansmart modulation. If no mistake, some of those “drivers” are labeled as dimmable, which should do the job. I will update accordingly… I did also used some Russian drivers previously for 2x triple 219c reverse light, they are still working fine.

Also, the sft25 looks interesting too, but the 35 footprint may not match those sofirn heads/TIR that I want to use as pods.

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Keep in mind that none of the above listed options have temperature feedback so you will need to do extensive testing to keep your LED temperatures under the datasheet max. Overheating the LED and causing the phosphor to saturate will decrease brightness and increase power dissipated locally which can cause a thermal runaway of the LED.

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