Fried board (not sure if this is the right forum)

[bstrickler]

Hey all, I kinda fried my driver board on my UltraFire WF-1000L flashlight when trying to check the current the LED was getting. I've seen videos of people just putting the DVM probes in line with the LED, but when I did that, the DVM started reading ~6.5, and dropped to ~4.75 after about 30 seconds, then I started seeing the magic smoke, and immediately pulled the DVM probes off. Now it just turns on/off.

I had the DVM set to the 20 amp reading, so idk why it was reading 6.5 amps, and slowly dropped to 4.75

Is there any other driverboards that fit the flashlight? I'm looking at getting http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.20330

Does anyone know if that one will fit?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[lolzertank]

Did you do anything to disconnect one of the wires connecting to the LEDs (a) ? If you didn't (b) then you're creating a short across the LED. I know you say you put it in line, but these things can get confusing.

a) LED
======== +(|||)-===========
| | <-DMM Probes

b)
===========+(|||)-=============
| | <-DMM Probes

Use A for measuring current and B for measuring forward voltage.

 

[bstrickler]

No, I didn't disconnect any leads from the LED, because I've seen some video's of people who also didn't, so I assumed I wouldn't have to do that with my flashlight.

~Brian

 

[Mr Happy]

Let me fix that for you:

a) Current measurement (probes in line with LED)

              LED
=======|    |+(|||)-===========
       |    |
       |    | <-DMM Probes

b) Voltage measurement (probes across LED)

              LED
============+(|||)-=============
            |     |
            |     |
            |     | <-DMM Probes

 

[Mr Happy]

No, I didn't disconnect any leads from the LED, because I've seen some video's of people who also didn't, so I assumed I wouldn't have to do that with my flashlight.

~Brian

Oops

As lozertank said, if you put your meter on the 20 amp setting it creates a direct short circuit (straight piece of wire) between the probes. You never want to use this setting unless you make the current pass through the meter on the way to the LED or other item to be measured. (This is because current passes through a piece of wire in the same way that current passes through the meter.)

 

[bstrickler]

Oh well, poop happens.

I just hope that the driver I'm looking at has the same, or similar protection circuit like the one in my flashlight had. (When the batteries were low, it'd start doing a slow strobe in low mode, and in high mode, it'd sometimes flash about 2 times a second, and others, it'd just shut off)

The protection circuit was very useful, since all I have is unprotected cells (don't feel like spending ~$100 to protect all my cells, since I have ~ 100 unprotected cells)

~Brian

 

[bstrickler]

Okay, so I remembered I had the 3-mode p7 driver from KD (this one: http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1866)

Now it drives the LED at ~4.2 volts at only 1.8 amps, and won't change modes. The description says its a 3-mode, and drives at 3.0 amps on high (and people have gotten the 3.0 amp on theirs)

Is there a special thing I have to do to get it to change modes/run higher?

~Brian

 

[old4570]

Brian - I think you fried some components on the controller board .
6.5A is a lot of current .

To fix , you need a new controller board .

 

[bstrickler]

I have a new board in it. Its the 3-mode one from KD, but it's only running on High mode. It won't switch out, and it shuts off after about 30-60 seconds, because it gets hot (The LED heats up the head of the flashlight damn quick compared to what it used to do with the original driver)

I just need any tips on how to be able to switch out of high, and go into low/medium mode. I've tried quick-tapping the switch to see if there was something different, I've tried putting in freshly charged batteries, and even tossing it in the freezer for a few minutes so it would be able to get a cold start, in case there was some kind of temp issue causing it to refuse to change modes.

~Brian

 

[Linger]

I don't know that particular board, but it shouldn't matter.
I'm certian you know this, but incase anyone else comes looking for mode changing...
To change modes with forward clicky (light press gives momentary on before 'click' sound is heard) just press / full release , press again.
To change with reverse, click the light on, soft presses (partial, does not fully click) on the switch.

If it's not changing, is it possible you've by-passed the board and it's actually running direct drive?

 

[bstrickler]

The problem is that I hooked up the driver properly, and I've tried all kinds of mode switching (even shorting the negative terminal manually), but it refuses to switch modes. I would think that doing that would let it change modes.

~Brian

 

[old4570]

Ok ..

If its not switching modes = a short ... [ Possibly ]

A short will stop it from switching modes ...

Look for a short at the LED / reflector ..

And possibly the driver board if you did any soldering on it , + Make sure no components are touching the pill wall etc ...

:wave:

To be sure , you can unsolder the Driver from the pill ..

And test to make sure all works before assembly ..
If it works , then something is shorting ..
If its same-0-same-0 , then a faulty driver .

 

[bstrickler]

None of that worked

~Brian

 

[Justin Case]

Okay, so I remembered I had the 3-mode p7 driver from KD (this one: http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1866)

Now it drives the LED at ~4.2 volts at only 1.8 amps, and won't change modes. The description says its a 3-mode, and drives at 3.0 amps on high (and people have gotten the 3.0 amp on theirs)

Is there a special thing I have to do to get it to change modes/run higher?

~Brian

When you say 4.2V and 1.8A, are these the nominal voltage for 1xLi-ion and the tail current draw? Or are they Vf and If, respectively?

If your numbers represent input voltage and input current, then according to the specs for the KD board, you aren't driving the board with enough voltage, which probably explains the low tail current and perhaps the lack of modes. Try using 2xLi-ion.

 

[lolzertank]

Let me fix that for you:

a) Current measurement (probes in line with LED)

              LED
=======|    |+(|||)-===========
       |    |
       |    | <-DMM Probes

b) Voltage measurement (probes across LED)

              LED
============+(|||)-=============
            |     |
            |     |
            |     | <-DMM Probes

Oops! I should have checked the preview...

 

[bstrickler]

When you say 4.2V and 1.8A, are these the nominal voltage for 1xLi-ion and the tail current draw? Or are they Vf and If, respectively?

If your numbers represent input voltage and input current, then according to the specs for the KD board, you aren't driving the board with enough voltage, which probably explains the low tail current and perhaps the lack of modes. Try using 2xLi-ion.

I'm running it with 2x 18650's, which is what the WF-1000L uses. It's regulating the power down, but it's refusing to change modes. If I had a 3x Li-Ion battery pack, I'd try using that.

Thats the voltage and current TO the LED. I haven't checked the tailcap power yet.

~Brian

 

[Justin Case]

Sounds like the driver is defective. If it is delivering 4.2V Vf to the LED, the P7's V-I curve should mean that the LED is getting way over 2.8A.

First of all, the driver shouldn't be sending 4.2V to the LED. Second, maybe the driver is stuck in Med mode, hence the low drive current.

Unfortunately, IMO this is what you get from these cheap Chinese flashlight parts sources when you push beyond the norm of basic, constant current 1A drivers. Even within the norm, it seems that key parts are often hit or miss for otherwise solid drivers, apparently depending on whatever is at hand.

 

[bstrickler]

Sounds like the driver is defective. If it is delivering 4.2V Vf to the LED, the P7's V-I curve should mean that the LED is getting way over 2.8A.

First of all, the driver shouldn't be sending 4.2V to the LED. Second, maybe the driver is stuck in Med mode, hence the low drive current.

Unfortunately, IMO this is what you get from these cheap Chinese flashlight parts sources when you push beyond the norm of basic, constant current 1A drivers. Even within the norm, it seems that key parts are often hit or miss for otherwise solid drivers, apparently depending on whatever is at hand.

Oh well, poop happens. I'll save up money later for another couple drivers from DX (the CC/CV driver), so I'll hopefully have a working one, until I get a job, so I can get my dad to teach me how to design a driver that will work well for the P7 (probably done in 25% increments, and a 5/10% setting, with memory, and a separate group for strobe, if people want strobe).

~Brian

 

[bstrickler]

Well, I used my P7 driver from KD that I was originally gonna use with my Mag, but well, I ended up blowing that one, too! I haven't even put 4 hours of use into it, either!

Well, it still runs fine. The thermal protection kicks in when the light gets hot, and the thermal protection shuts it off for a few minutes.

The resistors are all blown, and a few diode's are starting to blow, too.

I hooked everything up right, and yet I blew the damn driver. Ugh!!:scowl:

I think I'm just gonna get an aluminum bar to replace 1 18650 in my flashlight, so I can use it with ShiningBeam's driver.

~Bstrickler

 

[bstrickler]

double-post, oops.