Any way to build a pr-base luxeon with a step up in the base?

[JollyRoger]

OK, this might be a stupid question...and I know maybe this is the whole reason for the ZLT+, but...similar to Technology Associates' Versalux PR bulb, is there any way to build the step up into the base of a pr-base luxeon? I know the power requirements for the luxeon are significantly greater....but if it were possible to build a simple step up...even to be able to power the luxeon at 150 or 200mA from 2.4V in (2AA nimh)...

 

[bikeNomad]

You'd have a bit of a challenge getting a good inductor to fit in that size along with an IC and caps. Doing it on a rigid circuit board will waste quite a bit of space. I'd thought about a hand-wired circuit using one of the SOT-23 packages, an axial inductor, and a couple of axial caps. Then pot the whole thing in thermal epoxy inside the bulb base.

Then there's the challenge of getting the heat out of the LS itself. Typical PR base sockets don't offer too much in terms of heat sinking. The best you can do here for a general-purpose design would be to attach the emitter onto a copper disc no larger in diameter than the glass of the PR-2 lamp, and have that disc soldered to a copper tube that is the body of the lamp. However, the thickness of the copper tube will further reduce your circuit space.

 

[JollyRoger]

Hmm...true....I guess if you can pack the base with good heat sink epoxy..and have this base in contact with the flashlight body, then maybe it would do well enough to transfer the heat from the luxeon?

 

[lemlux]

Has anyone actually shelled out $40 for the LedCorp Pro3 LS bulbs? The bulbs do have step ups and step downs as required for two, three and four cell useage.

I gather that SF is about to introduce a new modular Bezel or lamp for its E2 that drives one LS.

In the meantime, I'm happy using my Inova X5 which sells locally at Frys for $39.95 to squeeze the final juice out of Lithium 123s from my E2 and my Scorpion.

From the preliminary information I've seen at the LedMuseum site, I'm not persuaded that the LS will be appreciably brighter than the Inova X5. I'm not sure what I'll be willing to pay for it.

 

[Brock]

moving over to "Electronics Forum. Batteries Included"