MiniMag 2AA 3W Luxeon recipe help

[utomatoe]

If I wanted to make my own 3W Luxeon sandwich, which converter should I be getting? The datasheet for the 3W says 700-1000mA, so for a 2AA, I would need a stepup to 700mA or 1000mA?

Next, will 2AAs be sufficent to drive the 3W luxeon efficiently? I'm not sure how to interpret the Vf on the datasheet, I'm assuming the closer to are to Vf, the more efficient you are driving the led? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Honestly, I just want a few MiniMag sandwiches, but I'd like to avoid the 1W lottery, but I don't see any recipes for a 3W sandwich /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Kabible]

Wayne has offered a 3w Luxeon sandwich with either a current regulated 750ma Bad Boy or a voltage regulated 800ma MadMax.
Brian

 

[utomatoe]

He seems to be sold out. All I see are Madmax Q2 sandwiches, I know more sandwiches are in the works, but I'd like to try it myself, rather than wait...

 

[cy]

utomatoe,

if you use a Q2k lux (typical), it would have a vf of 3.5-3.75. Your 2x AA will put out max 3.2 X 2 new, but drop quickly from there. look at the spec for a BB or MM+, I believe you can go over by 1/2 watt, but not much more. It's fine to have input volts lower, until you go out of regulation.

The Q2K or Q3K on lamda's $20 sammie also includes NX05 and rubber collar for Nxo5 to sit on. The output is almost the same as an LSHP, with the same beam pattern. This is what my pill did, yours may be different.

BB500 R2h is 50% brighter, MM TWAK is 2-3X brighter than my electrolumen sammie. (your may be different)

Lamda's pill kit for mini mag is a totally high quality kit for $20. I purchased one direct from lamda and just purchased another Q2K sammie on BST for $19.

I hope this helps. When Dat2zip's sammies come up in BST ($45-65), they usually don't last too long.

If you want max output go with a BB750 and a TWOk or TWAK. About the most you can hope to get out those two AA is aprox. 800 milliamps using 2x nimh. If you want better run time, go with BB500 TW0k.

Thanks,
CY

Edited:ill pill is from lamda.

 

[utomatoe]

Hi, I don't see any pills available on Elektro Lumens site, how would I get one? Or limited supply again?

Hmm, I've ordered the 3W SWAM from the shoppe and a BB with R1=R2=0.12, giving me 800mA (according to the calc).

But between K and M, is a pretty big gap, Vf on the M is 3.99-4.23! I'm worried that this combination isn't that great, maybe I'll go with the SV1K at the shoppe (if it's not too late). I'll probably have trouble finding T binned LuxIIIs...

Edit: Would a MM be more useful? Since it's voltage regulated? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif sorry, I haven't done any electronics for at least 10 yrs...

 

[ubermensch]

Cy did you mean Lambda's sandwiches?

 

[Justintoxicated]

I'm also searching for a way to mod my 2AA mini Mag. I really wanted the electro lumnes setup for $20 but they are all sold out and I wanted to make this light as a gift for my step-dads B-day at the beginning of march. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I have a 2AA mag with a broken switch (don't ask) and I have an SX1J binned Lux III and some spare NX05's I could possibly use for it.

Would this LED work good? I don't care about runtime much as long as the batteries are good and dead when I'm finished. I want the light to be as bright as possible while it lasts. What do I need to order to compleatly mod a MiniMag?

 

[inluxication]

Kabible writes
> Wayne has offered a 3w Luxeon sandwich with either a current regulated 750ma Bad Boy or a voltage regulated 800ma MadMax.

This is something that puzzled me on the Sandwich Shoppe site too. I think I understand "current regulated 750ma": that's a source that just wants to pump out 750ma, no matter what load it sees. But what's a "voltage regulated" 800ma?

If the answer is to do with the internals of the current source, and either a voltage-regulated or current-regulated source is ultimately putting out constant current, then why should we care which it is? Is one more efficient than another? Better in some other way?

Dat2zip? Someone else?

Thanks,
Inluxication

PS A Luxeon III sandwich would be tempting... especially if Gadget_lover's high/low tailcap trick could be used (with a Kroll replacement for the Mag?).

 

[Chop]

Justintoxicated,

An SX1J would work really well. The lower forward voltage really helps too. The S binned luxeons are pretty darned bright and the X1 color bin has been preferred by many here on CPF, as you may well know.

Anyway, if you want to kill the batteries dead, you should go with a MadMax converter, but the MadMax dims as the batteries drain. If you go with the BadBoy, you'll have regulated light until the batts drain to a point where the light falls out of reguation. I suppose you can't have your cake and eat it too. To tell you the truth, I use a lot of BadBoys in my mods and builds, but I like the MadMax. It has it's high points. For example, you'll never suddenly be stuck with a really dim light. You'll be warned by the output that it's time to change the batts.

Maybe you should just get a sandwich with the SX1J emitter on top and choose a board. You'll love either one.

If you want to build it on your own, you'll need the emitter, the emitter board, a circuit and some sort of potting compound. I like AA epoxy. It's worked well for me. Building the sandwich can be a little intimidating, but once you're finished, it'll be worth it. You might also want to grab a Kroll swich to replace the tailcap.

I gave my father one of these and he loves it.

 

[kitelights]

The BB is current regulated - it maintains a constant output as long as there is enough juice to do so. The MM output has a drop (slope) as the cells drop. It will actually utilize the cells more than the BB. The MMs have been a more efficient circuit than the BB due to the chip used in it. Wayne was talking about upgrading the chip in the BB, but I don't know if that's been done yet.

It's really a question of what you want. I have 2 - 3 of each and like them all. Both BB and MM are more efficient than Lamba's entry level $20 pill.

 

[cy]

Last night after a runtime test on BB750 X3T. I took one of the 123 batt measuring 1.15 volts and stuck it my firefly MM+TWOK. The MM+ ran that almost dead cell for another 15min until I turned it off. (would have gone longer) the output of course was dimmer.

 

[inluxication]

Kitelights,

Thanks. I'm still at a loss for how a current source (800mA or whatever) is "voltage regulated", but you have clarified the qualities of the BB and MM units.

-Greg

 

[Justintoxicated]

[ QUOTE ]
Chop said:
Justintoxicated,

An SX1J would work really well. The lower forward voltage really helps too. The S binned luxeons are pretty darned bright and the X1 color bin has been preferred by many here on CPF, as you may well know.

Anyway, if you want to kill the batteries dead, you should go with a MadMax converter, but the MadMax dims as the batteries drain. If you go with the BadBoy, you'll have regulated light until the batts drain to a point where the light falls out of reguation. I suppose you can't have your cake and eat it too. To tell you the truth, I use a lot of BadBoys in my mods and builds, but I like the MadMax. It has it's high points. For example, you'll never suddenly be stuck with a really dim light. You'll be warned by the output that it's time to change the batts.

Maybe you should just get a sandwich with the SX1J emitter on top and choose a board. You'll love either one.

If you want to build it on your own, you'll need the emitter, the emitter board, a circuit and some sort of potting compound. I like AA epoxy. It's worked well for me. Building the sandwich can be a little intimidating, but once you're finished, it'll be worth it. You might also want to grab a Kroll swich to replace the tailcap.

I gave my father one of these and he loves it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Chop! Thanks for the info!
I ended up buying the Pill kit because it was only $5...I kinda hate to give away my SX1J bin lux III since there arent any more available at a decent price untill April...But maybe I'll buy myself a BB when the new versions come out, I want constant brightness so that sounds like the ticket...

What is the brightest I should use for a MiniMag?

What about for a flashlight driven on 3C?

thanks again.