New converter design. What should it be?

[kenny]

I throw my vote toward the small single AA or AAA NiMH rechargeables or N's are good too. I would especially like the AAA's or smaller. If you bust open a 9V batery you can get some really cheap AAAA's as well. Small and bright.

Of course a lot of guys are into big. Seems like a lot of the middle ground is covered, so go either big or small.

I personally could use a really small, AAAA or AAA (diameter sized) step-up board for a regular led (3.6V). There are comercial lights available, but Id like to home-brew, and I'm having trouble finding anything that small -- button batteries are expensive and a pain, but the AAA or AAAA's are easy to come by.

 

[gadget_lover]

I'd like to see a converter small enough that I can put in a AAA light like a minimag 2aaa or a solitaire. I'd like at least 1/2 watt or better from a single cell.

But I'd also REALLY like an improved wizard, even if it is too big for an AAA body. It would be wonderful if it could handle a single cell and go up to 16 volts, so that one head could be used as a pocket light off 1 AA, a micro light with an A21 12volt cell or a long running lighthouse with 6 D cells. Of course, there's also plugging it into the car's cigarette lighter for unlimited run time.

Some of the common questions I hear from first time modders goes back to the mis-conception that a boost converter can be run from supply voltages higher than the Vf of the LED. They go through a lot of LEDS while learning. A good high powered buck/boost would solve that problem.

A minimum Vin of 1.5 will allow the use of Lithium AA, so I guess that would be OK, but I would not be able to give a light like that to my father.

Thanks for the chance to sound off.

Daniel

 

[NewBie]

Actually gadget lover:

"Some of the common questions I hear from first time modders goes back to the mis-conception that a boost converter can be run from supply voltages higher than the Vf of the LED. They go through a lot of LEDS while learning. A good high powered buck/boost would solve that problem."

The TPS61020 boost converter can run from voltages higher than Vf of the LED, it runs in a analog regulator mode (think resistor), until the battery voltage would drop below the LED Vf.

I know it does, I already have lights with it running in them.

"Output Voltage Remains Regulated When Input Voltage Exceeds Nominal Output Voltage "

http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/tps61020.html

 

[Justintoxicated]

I would like to see a 1000ma Buck/Boost (for 3 cell flashlights), and also a converter that can boost to 350ma and run on a single nimh AA or AAA if it was possible.

Preferably semi high effiency with the 3 cell boost. I'm sure these would sell like crazy! Of course I dunno if it is possibly to boost a AA that high...

 

[Lux Luthor]

Another vote for better buck/boost.

I would also like to see built in support for rechargeable lithium, like the Arc 4 has. In fact, the Arc4 design, with its buck/boost, microprocessor control for dimming, rechargeable support, etc. would be the ultimate thing to strive for.

This is probably too much to ask for, but just imagine a firefly like that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif