SIpik SK68 Best AA boost driver?

[downlinx]

welcome to forum alberto7, keep us updated on your progress.

[ImA4Wheelr]

I second gadabout's recommendation. I have some, but haven't put them in a light yet. I purchased them because a Member I highly respect recommended them to me here in Post 10.

[djozz]

It is a difficult question, good boost drivers for a 1x NiMh cell are scarce. There are some great NiMh drivers in high end flashlights, but not a separate great driver that delivers 600mA, with modes, and is 15mm.

[wight]

17mm drivers can fit under the pill (rather than inside the driver cavity on the pill). Electrical contact can be tricky with the aluminum pill.

[hank]

Are you sure that particular SK68 has a solid pill, not a hole?

[Werner]

On 500mA emitter current a Benefit from a solid pill is questionable anyway…

These boost drivers can also be resistormodded slightly, but the gain in output is often not worth the higher current the cell has to provide. With decreasing cell voltage the tailcap current increases even further and on every resistance in the light(tailcap and driver spring) there is a higher voltage drop which cause even higher current which cause a higher needed current and so on its a vicious circle…

The best bet are 14500s in these lights…

[alberto7]

@gadabout

I’m pretty sure the drivers in the SK68 are 15mm. Just measured one of mine.

The one you linked to is 17mm.

This driver from DX has been recommended here before but I’ve never personally used it. However, it is 17mm also.

http://www.dx.com/p/3w-5w-20-mode-regulated-circuit-board-for-flashlights-7880#.U_HwO2IaySM

Try doing a thread search for SK68 mods - you should find lots of useful info.

Oh, and welcome to BLF

yes is 15 mm, but 17mm will fit buffing.

Thanks for the recomendation!

@downlinx

welcome to forum alberto7, keep us updated on your progress.

Thanks! for sure.

@ImA4Wheelr

I second gadabout’s recommendation. I have some, but haven’t put them in a light yet. I purchased them because a Member I highly respect recommended them to me here in Post 10.

Thanks!

@djozz

It is a difficult question, good boost drivers for a 1x NiMh cell are scarce. There are some great NiMh drivers in high end flashlights, but not a separate great driver that delivers 600mA, with modes, and is 15mm.

I know that its dificult to find. Thanks!

@wight

17mm drivers can fit under the pill (rather than inside the driver cavity on the pill). Electrical contact can be tricky with the aluminum pill.

Yes, its dificult to solder aluminium i don´t know why. Thanks!

@hank

Are you sure that particular SK68 has a solid pill, not a hole?

Absolutely sure! Thanks!

@Werner

On 500mA emitter current a Benefit from a solid pill is questionable anyway…

These boost drivers can also be resistormodded slightly, but the gain in output is often not worth the higher current the cell has to provide. With decreasing cell voltage the tailcap current increases even further and on every resistance in the light(tailcap and driver spring) there is a higher voltage drop which cause even higher current which cause a higher needed current and so on its a vicious circle…

The best bet are 14500s in these lights…

Thanks for the lesson!

[WarHawk-AVG]

And if you want to use 14500 Li Ion batteries…we have several 15mm drivers already created (if you want to DIY)

Oshpark Projects

Put your Oshpark driver projects in this thread and I will organize them here in the op. I would like to put all of the relevant Oshpark projects here as it can take some doing to locate them otherwise but will refrain from snatching them without the approval of their creators. Posting a link here will be considered as tacit approval and I will endeavor to keep this op updated. This thread is for the listing of open sourced DIY projects that are listed on Oshpark not for pirating existing work…

[alberto7]

Hi, finally i decided to use the 3 mode driver that originally came with the flashlight.

The driver is next mode memory, but i read that is possible mod for no memory.

How i do this?

I read something like “pencil mod” but i don´t understand. I think that i don´t understand because mi lenguaje is Spanish.

Can anybody tell me very simple and clear how delete the memory?

Thanks all.

Alberto

[Cereal_killer]

Well its not a sure thing but you can use a pencil and draw a heavy line from one end of the CAP to the other effectivly shorting it, this causes it to drain off, the driver checks the voltage on the cap to know what mode to start in, shorted out with 0v it will revery to the start every time.

This is NOT a for sure thing, it works on many of the cheap next more drivers but no telling if it’ll work on yours or not, just have to try it.

[alberto7]

@Cereal_killer

Well its not a sure thing but you can use a pencil and draw a heavy line from one end of the CAP to the other effectivly shorting it, this causes it to drain off, the driver checks the voltage on the cap to know what mode to start in, shorted out with 0v it will revery to the start every time.

This is NOT a for sure thing, it works on many of the cheap next more drivers but no telling if it’ll work on yours or not, just have to try it.

I don´t understand you. So, i take a photo of the driver:

Please teel me to do.

Thanks

[WarHawk-AVG]

@alberto7

@Cereal_killer

Well its not a sure thing but you can use a pencil and draw a heavy line from one end of the CAP to the other effectivly shorting it, this causes it to drain off, the driver checks the voltage on the cap to know what mode to start in, shorted out with 0v it will revery to the start every time.

This is NOT a for sure thing, it works on many of the cheap next more drivers but no telling if it’ll work on yours or not, just have to try it.

I don´t understand you. So, i take a photo of the driver:

Please teel me to do.

Thanks

See the little brown box next to the chip…scrub a pencil trace from metal to metal over the top of it…it will allow that cap to drain faster and “reset” back to the first mode after a few seconds of being off

[Cereal_killer]

I’d say try the one further away from the red wire first.

[WarHawk-AVG]

@Cereal_killer

I’d say try the one further away from the red wire first.

Right…the one right next to the 6 pin IC…

[wight]

@WarHawk-AVG

@Cereal_killer

I’d say try the one further away from the red wire first.

Right…the one right next to the 6 pin IC…

I think you guys have it wrong. See my reply #1 in my thread here. Note that I used the capacitor next to the inductor. I soldered on an 8.2k ohm resistor, but I think something in the range of 8-20ohms would be good depending on your preference. (placing graphite with a pencil is an alternative) The driver in mine appears to be exactly the same as what alberto7 has based on the PCB markings.

[alberto7]

Finally i abandoned this project. The 17mm drivers don´t fit and after cut to 15mm don´t work J)

I will buy a Solarforce z2, that its seems to be much more quality.

Thanks to all.

Alberto

[Fritz_t_Cat]

A 17 mm. driver will fit, if you fiddle with the lengths. (Since you want a boost driver, I assume you don’t need space for the longer protected cells.) You may not be able to screw the pill down all the way, and it takes the space that could otherwise be filled with metal to connect the pill and battery tube better thermally, but the discussion above doesn’t sound like cooling the LED will be a problem.
Mountain Electronics has UltraOK SK-68s, which some consider to be the best SK-68s. They are cheap, except that you have to pay for shipping.

[VrestoTaylor]

hallo.i dont want to open new thred ,so i ask here-i want to change the driver in sipik sk68 because the strobo…its for aa/14500…nothing special,only want to get modes-low mid high,or so…no strobo.it must be not boost driver…

[Fritz_t_Cat]

Usually, that would be a Nanjg 105c type driver. You can either try to squeeze in a regular 17 mm. Nanjg or Qlite, or you can strip the components off one and put them on a BLF SK68 board from OSH Park. Maybe someone, has them you can buy already assembled. That gives you options with no or hidden flashy modes, a choice of maximum high mode current, and no boost plus low voltage warning.
The 17 mm. driver will fit under the pill if you don’t screw the driver and tail cap all the way down and don’t intend to use protected cell (which you probably don’t need with the low voltage warning). And if you aren’t running such high current that you need to improve the heat flow by adding a ring to fill the space between the pill and the thick finned part of the battery tube.

[ma_tumba]

Well, eventually, the bright idea of modding a sipik clone reached my mind as well. This driver is still listed on DX but “is being restocked” which may mean that its not going to happen. So I wonder if there is a good 1.5V replacement which is available? Not interested in 4V drivers for I already have a neat 18650 Vinh’s aspheric.

Thanks a lot.