I just got a lighted tailcap working with your 17DD driver guppydrv rev2 today. It isn't very bright but definitely noticable at night. honestly it's awesome because it lights up the GITD boot.
I lost all my modes though. I only have moonlight. Using a 560ohm resistor on the driver, I even tried a 15k resistor and still didn't have any modes, and it was too little power for the tailcap leds to even light up.
Is there anything I can adjust on the driver (like a different value capacitor?) to get this to start working? With 4.2v battery and 560ohm resistor it is a .0075A (7.5mA) draw at max. The leds are rated for 20mA. I bought the wrong leds, everyone else is using 160MCD rated ones, the highest rated ones I have are 16MCD.
The lighted tailcap thread would probably be a better place for questions about it. It’s not technically any issue with the driver.
The 16MCD leds you bought sound like they might be contributing / one of the problems.
The driver works fine by itself, but with Any parasitic drain (no leds just stock tailcap with 15k resistor on the driver) it won't switch modes. I think that is a driver issue for my application so I was hoping richard would have some input, short of a fix I'll have to use a whole different driver, and since I plan to do these in all my future lights I really hope I can continue to use his mtn17dd/guppydrv drivers, or at least he might be able to suggest an fet driver that will work with some parasitic drain.
Hey Zoom Zoom, I feel your pain. I have made a couple of different FET drivers work… But, it is not nearly as easy as a 105C. First, I would suggest a very complete read of the GITD Tailcap thread.
At this point I could say or type something that is not 100% correct, but there are folks on here who can correct me! I took the leap and made the BLF A6 firmware work, it has long, medium and short presses involved. These presses are measured by looking at the voltage decay in a capacitor during the off time involved in mode switching. Adding a bleeder resistor causes that decay time to change, it slows the decay. The stock values will not work, you may not be able to change modes, they may change on their own or you may not even be able to turn the light off or on. There is firmware in our repository that displays the ADC converter readings in a series of blinks. You will need to load that firmware and characterize your capacitor in your install and build your off time profile based on those numbers. While you are at it, if you have LVP you will want to calibrate you drivers firmware to the ADC that measures battery voltage so the LVP shutdown happens at a known and correct point. In the GITD thread, I posted some of the issues and solutions to the problems that I had making the combination I was using work correctly. It is still not perfect and if I ever remove the driver I will refine the numbers further, but I am close!
While the GITD tailcap is pretty cool, it may not be for everyone or every driver. The learning curve can be steep, I know it was for me. It is very likely that the driver is not at fault, but it could be and without testing it… it would be hard for any of us to be completely sure. The GITD thread would be a great place to learn, document and comment further and I will get eyes from folks that may not catch your problem in this thread.
What I meant was, since none of RMM’s drivers are advertised as working with bleeder resistors / lighted tailcap then Imho you can’t call it a driver issue / problem. And so the lighted tailcap thread is the more appropriate place for help getting it working.
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Since it switches modes without the tailcap/resistor in place, it sounds like it is affecting the off-time timing. You could try and piggyback a second 10uF capacitor on top of the existing 10uF capacitor and see what that does. A picture of where you put the bleed resistor would also be helpful.
A stock 105C won't have this issue because it uses on-time memory. Even with off-time memory, I suspect that a 105C wouldn't be affected as much because the main "C1" capacitor sits after the diode.
Any idea on the arrival of more silicone wire? I had it in my cart and waited too long. Now it’s out of stock:( I’ve got some that will work fine for now though:)
I will look through my stock and see if I have some more later today. I probably do have a bit more held in reserve, even though I do have more on the way.
Last Tuesday my grandfather passed away suddenly at age 85. He was at home, as he would have wanted it (he thought that care facilities and hospitals were like prisons for 'old people'). We live about ten minutes away, so when my grandma called my brother and I were able to get there very fast. What a blessing it was to be able to be there as he passed away and to give comfort to my grandma. The outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and neighbors alike has been overwhelming. It is comforting to know that in times of great need there are so many who are willing to sacrifice their time to help and uplift.
I could not have asked for a greater example than my grandpa, who taught me so much by both and deed. He was a hard working, kind, humble, and loving man who always put his family first. He faced many difficulties in his life, from the loss of his leg at an early age, to the loss of his first wife, which left him with several young children to raise. He never thought of himself as handicapped and continued to ride his horses and drive his big trucks (he was a house mover and dump truck driver) until he physically couldn't do it anymore. He had one of the sharpest memories I knew of, even until the day he died, especially when it came to remembering what his family and friends were doing in their lives. He was a man of true integrity, without guile or dishonesty. Loyal to his friends, family, and wife throughout all of his life.
Of course, this is but a very small portion of what I think of him, but I felt like sharing at least this small portion. Of course I will miss him, but I am grateful for the example he was in my life and for the time I was able to spend with him. At his funeral I could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness; it was truly a celebration of a life well lived.
Make sure to always take time to be with those who are most important in your life and to perform acts of selfless service; you will never regret that time spent.
Sorry to hear of your loss! I am glad to hear of the peace you felt. It makes a difference when this is the case. it sounds like your grandfather was a noble man. I hope the same will be said of me someday. I will keep God and family first and let the rest fall in place. But this is easier said than done and that’s why men like your grandfather bring hope and inspiration to the rest of us.
Note: I can’t speak for everyone, but I am glad to wait on my orders and requests when I know you are keeping your priorities straight. You’ve been a blessing to many of us and your services are appreciated!
