Sold/Expired Introducing FLuPIC V2.1 firmware! Updated 8/4/2005

[goldserve]

I'm glad you are all liking it. Do you think by lowering the price to like $20, it would help push these things out the door?

 

[LumenHound]

Certainly, but IMHO, for 25 dollars, when compared to other full featured driver sammie sized boards, this one is a darn good deal.
When they are gone there is sure to be some fence sitters who will realize they should have acted sooner and purchased one.
Snooze, you loose.
:sleepy: :sleepy:

 

[goldserve]

Hah. That's funny!

As you can see, I lowered the price to $20 to be inline with other converter boards out there. To be honest, the programming took two months from a newbie about PICs to a working product. I bought myself a oscilloscope to do timing measurements and that wasn't cheap =P

Anyways, I'm trying to push these boards out the door so I can get some funds to order new boards and new projects (like the JIL DD with FLuPIC!!!)

 

[icthelight]

Goldserve,
Is the FLuPIC board a direct replacement for the original Q3 driver board - so I don't have to modify my original board, just remove it?

I see the max current at the highest level is about 500 ma. How does this compare to the stock circuit? I have a SX1J in my Q3 that draws 720 ma off primaries, but I'm not sure what actually gets to the emitter. I'm switching to rechargeables soon (3.6 V Unprotected). Will my 'J' bin run Ok with the FLuPIC and these batteries (3.6 V is just above the Vf of the 'J' bins)?

Your board sounds like a great upgrade for my Q3, I just want to make sure I won't be losing any performance on the high end by using it.

 

[goldserve]

No, the boards are not a direct replacement of the Q3 board. It is easy enough to do some modding and stick the FLuPIC board into the head of the Q3 just above the original board (removing the components).

The batteries (4.2V) will run perfectly and will give you up to 1.1A of power in burst mode. In high, you can get all the way up to 600ma. 600ma and 700ma will not be noticable to you.

Goldserve,
Is the FLuPIC board a direct replacement for the original Q3 driver board - so I don't have to modify my original board, just remove it?

I see the max current at the highest level is about 500 ma. How does this compare to the stock circuit? I have a SX1J in my Q3 that draws 720 ma off primaries, but I'm not sure what actually gets to the emitter. I'm switching to rechargeables soon (3.6 V Unprotected). Will my 'J' bin run Ok with the FLuPIC and these batteries (3.6 V is just above the Vf of the 'J' bins)?

Your board sounds like a great upgrade for my Q3, I just want to make sure I won't be losing any performance on the high end by using it.

 

[icthelight]

Got it, I would still use the original board for the battery contacts. These are $20 now? I'll take one. Do you have a paypal address?

 

[goldserve]

Yes, correct.

Please PP [email protected] (Cash)
[email protected] (CC + 3%)

Thanks.

 

[icthelight]

I also saw some pictures of a board that was covered with thermal epoxy. Where would I get this thermal epoxy, and does it actually cure like epoxy?

 

[goldserve]

I also saw some pictures of a board that was covered with thermal epoxy. Where would I get this thermal epoxy, and does it actually cure like epoxy?

The stuff I use (blue stuff) is not really epoxy. It doesn't dry very hard. You can just use regular epoxy, or some very expensive AA Silver Epoxy for very good thermal conduction.

 

[icthelight]

PP/CC sent for 1 board.
Interesting, I didn't think that regular epoxy had very good thermal conductivity.

Thanks!

 

[goldserve]

PP received. Will send out tomorrow. Buy some AA Epoxy!

 

[goldserve]

I have removed support for 2 x CR123 due to reliability concerns. Even when 0.4V is dropped, the voltage difference between the LED and the BATTERY is too great and a cuase for concern. Some may still try this with a 'M' or higher lux voltage but I am not responsible for any losses.

 

[goldserve]

Lux III Emitter, WH, HD, UX1N from PhotonFanatic is perfect!

The voltage of these things are 4.23V - 4.47V which is still an acceptable range of 2 x CR123 - 0.4V = 5.6V. The voltage difference is only 1V so the LDO regulators aren't working too hard.

Anyways, I've gone and ordered a few U bin emitters and will like you guys know if the 2 x CR123 option is still viable with UX1N emitters.

Cheers!

 

[chesterqw]

hey! i recieved the flupic board! when did you send it to me?
btw, that thing is really small
so i just connect the gnd to - and the led to + then i use it like any other normal light?
can it be use with a red/orange g2gh lux 3? i forgot your answers for that(and the other 2) questions.
do i need any resistor for a R/O lux 3?

that is looks dang hard to solder wires on. can you send me some pictures of where, and how to solder to it? coz i am afraid i will mess the thing up... send them to : [email protected]

anyone else wants a gmail acc can email me too.

 

[goldserve]

Yes, these can be connected to a RO lux three. I belive the VF is so low on these things, you can even use regular CR123 or CR2 batteries.

Are there pictures of the connections, no. It's relatively simple. Stick a wire through the two holes, GND and LED + and put a little solder on the back to secure it.

Enjoy!

 

[LumenHound]

Here is the photo showing the led positive and negative connections.
FLuPIC led connections
That red/orange star's metal base is electically positive so if you are using the body of your flashlight as a heatsink you will need to either electrically isolate the star's base with a thin heatsink insulator or turn the body of your flashlight positive by reversing the way the batteries go into the flashlight.

 

[goldserve]

I believe the emitter's base was electrically tied to positive but in a star from lumileds, they are not electrically isolated?

 

[LumenHound]

The red and red/orange are unique in that the base of the star is positive and not nuetral.
Also, if you drive the R or R/O at their full power they really, really kick out some heat.

 

[chesterqw]

i tried to fit it into my going-to-mod light and well.... the board is small ^_^ don't know how i am gonna do it but some how, i must connect the wire to the bloody heat sink.(which actually is just some thin piece of metal going to use a al ring to help me)

i don't think i will be able to turn the battery around as the holder suxxors, or maybe i just drop a blob of solder onto the board to make as tip ?

so i solder BEHIND everything on the board? no need to solder the wires on top? coz the led + is so close to - trace...

lets hope my thermal compound don't fail me in electricity isolation(which i am going to get some from my father)

how small the board was? well...if you see the butt of a AA cell, i believe thats it.

now just need to get the r/o and reflector from NotEnoughLight and poof, a blinding light.

and about the "heatsink" it is just around 0.1 to 0.2 cm thick. sad huh?

going to use a double covex lens to see wat will happen who wants a pic of that beam

 

[goldserve]

Is it really that small?...i guess you feel my pain of soldering the top components =P Anyways, you can just put solder on the bottom and solder on the top is not required because they are Plated Through Hole which means they are connected inside the barrel. I find when soldering small things, some flux helps a lot. Watch out the +'ve on the back is pretty close to the ground ring as well. Cheers!