The driver as is, will easily fit on a 17mm or 20mm PCB with little modifications, making it an ideal candidate for ~12A ~4V output buck driver with 2S to 3S input, for driving say a 3V XHP50 LED. Keep in mind that this entire project is smaller than you may think it is, only 8% larger footprint than a regular credit card.
However, I see no reason why the envelope can't be pushed to make say a 20A buck driver (as long as the cells can supply the power, etc), with an improved topology.
So, asking BLF, what would your ideal flashlight buck driver be? If I create one, would it be useful? The GXB series could do with a good buck driver..
I tend to think that buck + linear FET would be a great combination.
High current buck needs a huge inductor so it’s not compact.
Linear FET can supply very high current but is inefficient at low levels.
A driver that is unregulated at Turbo, linear at high-mid and buck at low would offer superb peak performance with good efficiency all around. And it would be smaller than a 10+A buck driver.
I work with high power IR laser drivers on an optical network, single mode fiber driven 120 to 140 km. They are pretty cool lasers. The University has developed a chemical concrete cutting laser for reactor work, it is on tracks and fully remote control. Got to see it do its thing in a lab one time, talk about a laser! My best personal laser is a blue in about 33mW, would love something hotter… but really do not need it.
The GXB series could do with a good buck driver..