This driver was bought from: http://www.intl-outdoor.com/4a-3mode-2745v-circuit-board-p-546.html
The circuit I received is FULL of surprises!
I’m powering this driver with three NiMH, LSD, Tenergy, C size cells.
All measured values are in the correct order. For example, in GroupA (H, M, L), the first high, medium and low outputs were taken at the same time. The values inside the asterics (*) were taken when the cells were fresh off the charger with an open circuit voltage of 4.32V.
This driver has FOUR gropus and 9 modes.
Groups follow the order A—>B—>C—>D—>A…
To change groups; in the lowest output of groups A and B , the steady mode of group C or the single mode of group D, after the three fast blinks (3.5secs), turn off then on the light.
GROUP A: HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW. High= 3.70A, 3.80A, 3.73A, 3.75A, 3.74A. Medium=1.72A, 1.78A, 1.67A, 1.67A, 1.67A, Low= 172mA, 178mA, 320mA, 300mA, 310mA.
From the values above, current consumption approximates High 100, Medium 44.5 and Low 8.5%.
GROUP B: RAMPING. Here, the group starts out in the lowest output, ramps up to medium where it blinks three times slowly before ramping up to high output where it blinks three time slowly then back to low and another three slow blinks. To start ramping the output, from the lowest output, turn off then on the light quickly. The light will blink three times slowly then start ramping up in brightness. To remain at a particular output, turn off then on the light quickly.To change GROPUS, in the lowest output, after 3.5 seconds, when the light will blink three times quickly, turn off then on the light.
Low= 30mA, 50mA, 50mA, 60mA. Medium= 1.62A, 1.51A, 1.63A, 1.49A. High= 3.79A, 3.74A, 3.70A, 3.75A.
From the values above, current consumption approximates: Low 1.4, Medium 42 and high, 100%
GROUP C: BLINKY OUTPUTS: Medium (700mA, 750mA, 760mA), Police strobe, Strobe, SOS.
GROUP D: High alone.
There is a special way to change from Group B back to Group A without going through groups C and D. When the light blinks three times quickly to change groups, turn off the light and put it back on AFTER two seconds. EDIT 30/10/12/11:12pm From ALL groups, when the light blinks three quick times (to change groups) if the light is turned off and put on after two seconds, it goes back to group A in low mode.
There is a really low output with a current draw of 10mA (probably around 2 lumens) which I sometimes get by fiddling with the switch however, this is not a mode option that can be chosen at any given time.
In general, I like this driver. There are a bunch of modes to choose from depending on your particular needs. The lowest output of this light is in the range of 12-15 lumens which considering the max current draw of 3.80A is quite low. I really like the option to bypass groups C and D since groups A and B are what I’ll be using the most.
What I don’t like is the three fast blinks you HAVE to tolerate. In high output in particular, the flashes are annoying. PWM is present but, it’s not such a low frequency that it’s annoying in the short term.
I’ll give this driver 4/5 stars.
Richard.