MrAl
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hi,
What happened to the
"Making the Zetex Circuit Available to everyone" post?
--Al
What happened to the
"Making the Zetex Circuit Available to everyone" post?
--Al
What happened to the "Making Zetex Circuit Available" Post?
- Thread starter MrAl
- Start date
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- Status
ElektroLumens
Flashlight Enthusiast
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MrAl:
Hmmm, that's nice of him.
What, delete a thread? It's that hard?
Hee hee.
--Al<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
MrAl, Duggg,
Sorry for the confusion. I should have contacted those directly involved, before I made the offer.
When I deleted the post, everything under it disapeared. I always wondered what would happen if that were done? Everything vanishes to ?
I apologize to anyone I may have offended.
Wayne Johnson
Hmmm, that's nice of him.
What, delete a thread? It's that hard?
Hee hee.
--Al<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
MrAl, Duggg,
Sorry for the confusion. I should have contacted those directly involved, before I made the offer.
When I deleted the post, everything under it disapeared. I always wondered what would happen if that were done? Everything vanishes to ?
I apologize to anyone I may have offended.
Wayne Johnson
ElektroLumens
Flashlight Enthusiast
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Klaus:
Wayne,
how can one not having posted the first post delete the thread ?
What offer are you talking about ?
Thx
Klaus<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I started the thread, so I deleted the first post, and everything else disapeared.
I was going to make an offer to produce the Zetex circuit as a kit for CPFer's. Someone was bothered by it, so I recinded my offer.
Wayne
Wayne,
how can one not having posted the first post delete the thread ?
What offer are you talking about ?
Thx
Klaus<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I started the thread, so I deleted the first post, and everything else disapeared.
I was going to make an offer to produce the Zetex circuit as a kit for CPFer's. Someone was bothered by it, so I recinded my offer.
Wayne
JollyRoger
Enlightened
I think this offer would have been great, too. Offering something not many CPF members might have easy access to. Since this is a "CPF-owned" concept, why not have someone on the CPF provide the parts that others might have trouble doing themselves? It seems lik a perfect hobby kit. I don't think you were trying to profit from the sales of the kit, Wayne. It seems like your gesture was a good one.
That said, for those of you wishing to construct circuits but don't really have all the means, Wayne has been a great source for me. He is really open-minded and great for bouncing ideas around. He also makes regulators and other circuits/mods at reasonable prices.
That said, for those of you wishing to construct circuits but don't really have all the means, Wayne has been a great source for me. He is really open-minded and great for bouncing ideas around. He also makes regulators and other circuits/mods at reasonable prices.
The Zetex Circuit, Wayne's Offer And What the Heck Happened
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ElektroLumens:
I was going to make an offer to produce the Zetex circuit as a kit for CPFer's.
Sorry for the confusion. I should have contacted those directly involved, before I made the offer.
Wayne Johnson
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ok.... This has gotten alittle complicated already and I think a lot of people don't really know what has transpired up to now.
First off, Wayne can go ahead and offer the
Zetex kits and or completed circuits if he still wants to do so.
Here's what happened, mostly through personal correspondences.....
First though, some background:
Duggg, MrAl and myself were very involved in the Zetex 300 project. I was not as visible on the thread as was Duggg and MrAl. Although, I did one hell of a lot of work behind the scenes throughtout the three months that the topic was active. The three of us wrote to each other daily, I procured many of the parts used in the R&D and worked on the various circuit board designs. Once the Zetex circuit was developed, tested and proven, we all got together and compiled information for the webpage devoted to the circuit and Duggg's MiniMag conversion. I wrote the HTML and hosted the page on my server for the public benefit of all. For that matter the whole project was, from the beginning, in the "public Domain" as it were.
Delevopement of the Zetex ZXSC300 as a driver for the LS was never meant to marketed and no one had serious desires to profit from the work they devoted to the project. If there had been a desire to market the completed circuit design for a profit, the work would not have been done in public as it was on the forum.
For all of you that stuck it out through the three months and the 32 some pages devoted to the Zetex topic, you realize that after a short while it became more of a "Labor of Love" type thing more than anything else. Everyone just wanted to come up with one of the best circuits for driving the LS LED's and make that circuit available to anyone interested in trying it out on their own.
Knowing that 32 pages of text to read through was a bit too much for anyone to digest in order to build a working Zetex 300 regulator, We condensed the pertinent information into a single webpage.
Duggg ended up with several surplus PCB's and
at my suggestion, offered them to the CPF members through a auction. The proceeds of that auction were not to realize any personal profit or gain. The main goal was to simply recover some of the R&D costs. Those few extra boards and parts kits sold rapidly and there was some discussion (behind the scenes) about making another offer for more boards and kits. We hadn't come to finalize any plans to make another offer, but there still was the possibility of doing so. Again, only to recover some more of the R&D costs.
Then..... Wayne made his offer on the forum to make boards and parts kits available and sell them to anyone interested. I first noticed his topic and thought that he should have first taken the time to see if MrAl, Duggg, or myself had plans to offer more kits . I wrote to MrAl and Duggg to see if Wayne had contacted them first. When I learned that he hadn't, I then wrote to Wayne and explained the situation and how we had wished that we had been contacted before he made his offer public. After Wayne received my letter, he deleted his original post in order to sort this matter out, without it having to be hashed out in public. A very noble thing to do.
In my correspondence with Wayne, I expressed our feeling about not having been contacted first and how we weren't too keen on having someone, anyone, making a large profit from the hard work and efforts of others. Especially since, it never was anyone's intent to profit from the development of the Zetex circuit.
Since Wayne has the ability and skills to work with the circuit and the ability to produce the boards. And... most importantly, assured us that he was not about to do so soley for personal profit. Although, a small profit to him, would be in order for the time and efforts he would have to devote. We agreed that he could go ahead as he had planned.
I'm not sure at this time, if Wayne still wants to undertake his original offer or not.
But, he certainly can do so, if he wants to.
If for what ever reasons, he doesn't, Then I'd like to see someone with the abilities to do so. I've got a freeling that there is still several CPF members interested in trying out this circuit, but don't have resources to do so in their own.
I hope this clears up some of what's happened in the last few days.
The Zetex Circuit definitely has it merits and has thus far, proven itself to be a very small and efficient circuit to drive a single LS on just two 1.5 volt cells. I feel that we all would like to see this circuit in the hands of anyone interested. In that way, we could see how the circuit performs in the real world and give anyone the opportunity to improve upon it.
-Mercator-
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ElektroLumens:
I was going to make an offer to produce the Zetex circuit as a kit for CPFer's.
Sorry for the confusion. I should have contacted those directly involved, before I made the offer.
Wayne Johnson
Ok.... This has gotten alittle complicated already and I think a lot of people don't really know what has transpired up to now.
First off, Wayne can go ahead and offer the
Zetex kits and or completed circuits if he still wants to do so.
Here's what happened, mostly through personal correspondences.....
First though, some background:
Duggg, MrAl and myself were very involved in the Zetex 300 project. I was not as visible on the thread as was Duggg and MrAl. Although, I did one hell of a lot of work behind the scenes throughtout the three months that the topic was active. The three of us wrote to each other daily, I procured many of the parts used in the R&D and worked on the various circuit board designs. Once the Zetex circuit was developed, tested and proven, we all got together and compiled information for the webpage devoted to the circuit and Duggg's MiniMag conversion. I wrote the HTML and hosted the page on my server for the public benefit of all. For that matter the whole project was, from the beginning, in the "public Domain" as it were.
Delevopement of the Zetex ZXSC300 as a driver for the LS was never meant to marketed and no one had serious desires to profit from the work they devoted to the project. If there had been a desire to market the completed circuit design for a profit, the work would not have been done in public as it was on the forum.
For all of you that stuck it out through the three months and the 32 some pages devoted to the Zetex topic, you realize that after a short while it became more of a "Labor of Love" type thing more than anything else. Everyone just wanted to come up with one of the best circuits for driving the LS LED's and make that circuit available to anyone interested in trying it out on their own.
Knowing that 32 pages of text to read through was a bit too much for anyone to digest in order to build a working Zetex 300 regulator, We condensed the pertinent information into a single webpage.
Duggg ended up with several surplus PCB's and
at my suggestion, offered them to the CPF members through a auction. The proceeds of that auction were not to realize any personal profit or gain. The main goal was to simply recover some of the R&D costs. Those few extra boards and parts kits sold rapidly and there was some discussion (behind the scenes) about making another offer for more boards and kits. We hadn't come to finalize any plans to make another offer, but there still was the possibility of doing so. Again, only to recover some more of the R&D costs.
Then..... Wayne made his offer on the forum to make boards and parts kits available and sell them to anyone interested. I first noticed his topic and thought that he should have first taken the time to see if MrAl, Duggg, or myself had plans to offer more kits . I wrote to MrAl and Duggg to see if Wayne had contacted them first. When I learned that he hadn't, I then wrote to Wayne and explained the situation and how we had wished that we had been contacted before he made his offer public. After Wayne received my letter, he deleted his original post in order to sort this matter out, without it having to be hashed out in public. A very noble thing to do.
In my correspondence with Wayne, I expressed our feeling about not having been contacted first and how we weren't too keen on having someone, anyone, making a large profit from the hard work and efforts of others. Especially since, it never was anyone's intent to profit from the development of the Zetex circuit.
Since Wayne has the ability and skills to work with the circuit and the ability to produce the boards. And... most importantly, assured us that he was not about to do so soley for personal profit. Although, a small profit to him, would be in order for the time and efforts he would have to devote. We agreed that he could go ahead as he had planned.
I'm not sure at this time, if Wayne still wants to undertake his original offer or not.
But, he certainly can do so, if he wants to.
If for what ever reasons, he doesn't, Then I'd like to see someone with the abilities to do so. I've got a freeling that there is still several CPF members interested in trying out this circuit, but don't have resources to do so in their own.
I hope this clears up some of what's happened in the last few days.
The Zetex Circuit definitely has it merits and has thus far, proven itself to be a very small and efficient circuit to drive a single LS on just two 1.5 volt cells. I feel that we all would like to see this circuit in the hands of anyone interested. In that way, we could see how the circuit performs in the real world and give anyone the opportunity to improve upon it.
-Mercator-
JollyRoger
Enlightened
In all honesty, Mercator, I think I'm partially to blame for the confusion. You see, I had mentioned to Duggg that Wayne was making some boards (for himself) but had expressed to me that he could make more for others (solely for the purpose of enabling others to try this mod). After Duggg expressed some positive interest in this (that someone was willing to do this), I went ahead and suggested to Wayne that he make a post about his services...I only mentioned this to Wayne b/c he was willing to make more for others and it seemed that after the Dutch auction, supply for CPFer's would be limited...
Wayne, I think it's great if you are still willing to offer this service to others...
Sorry about the confusion!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
Wayne, I think it's great if you are still willing to offer this service to others...
Sorry about the confusion!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
papasan
Enlightened
a few thoughts on this...
i hardly did anything for the zetex thread, mostly just asked alot of (i'm sure) annoying questions =), so take what i say as purely an outsiders viewpoint...
as mercator has said, anything discussed on this board is done so in the public domain. everything that is shared here is shared with everyone.
having said that, i don't see why *anyone* reading all this stuff (and i'm sure some of them don't have the morals nor the ethics of wayne) couldn't take the information and do *whatever* they wanted with it. if mag-light had read the zetex thread and decided to market their own zetex-based 2AA upgrade for $60 they could do so.
i understand mercator's view point, and i agree with it. the information was put out as a purely educational and informative project. and i agree that after having done alot of work developing and building and testing this circuit to have someone come along and just scoop it up and make thousands of dollars would be reprehensable...but what's morally wrong and what's legally wrong are two different matters.
anyhow, i don't see why wayne and duggg and mral and mercator couldn't sell variations on the same thing. it's up to, as always, the consumer to decide...
i also think sure-fire's timing of their LS based light is a little odd, but i didn't say anything =)...
i hardly did anything for the zetex thread, mostly just asked alot of (i'm sure) annoying questions =), so take what i say as purely an outsiders viewpoint...
as mercator has said, anything discussed on this board is done so in the public domain. everything that is shared here is shared with everyone.
having said that, i don't see why *anyone* reading all this stuff (and i'm sure some of them don't have the morals nor the ethics of wayne) couldn't take the information and do *whatever* they wanted with it. if mag-light had read the zetex thread and decided to market their own zetex-based 2AA upgrade for $60 they could do so.
i understand mercator's view point, and i agree with it. the information was put out as a purely educational and informative project. and i agree that after having done alot of work developing and building and testing this circuit to have someone come along and just scoop it up and make thousands of dollars would be reprehensable...but what's morally wrong and what's legally wrong are two different matters.
anyhow, i don't see why wayne and duggg and mral and mercator couldn't sell variations on the same thing. it's up to, as always, the consumer to decide...
i also think sure-fire's timing of their LS based light is a little odd, but i didn't say anything =)...
D
**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Anything discussed on this board is done so in the public domain. Everything that is shared here is shared with everyone.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I absolutely agree. From day one, my primary goal was to develop a circuit that anyone could build, one that would be relatively inexpensive, easy to put together, and small. We accomplished that.
But when Mercator offered to supply the parts, my secondary goal was to recover some of his R&D costs. The only way we could do that was to sell some surplus boards, and, much to our surprise, we accomplished that as well.
Once we saw that there was still additional demand for the boards, our third goal was to find someone willing to etch the boards and sell the components to fellow CPFers at a reasonable price. We had sent out some feelers when Wayne made his sudden surprise announcement and caught us off guard.
Our concern with Wayne was that others were planning to sell boards and kits as well, and we really didn't want to see several CPFers "competing" for such a limited market. We didn't want, for example, three people trying to get a Digi-Key group order together, because it would take forever! Far better to get a single group order.
Now, all involved are in agreement that Wayne is the best person to do this, and we hope he'll reconsider providing this valuable service to the CPF members.
I absolutely agree. From day one, my primary goal was to develop a circuit that anyone could build, one that would be relatively inexpensive, easy to put together, and small. We accomplished that.
But when Mercator offered to supply the parts, my secondary goal was to recover some of his R&D costs. The only way we could do that was to sell some surplus boards, and, much to our surprise, we accomplished that as well.
Once we saw that there was still additional demand for the boards, our third goal was to find someone willing to etch the boards and sell the components to fellow CPFers at a reasonable price. We had sent out some feelers when Wayne made his sudden surprise announcement and caught us off guard.
Our concern with Wayne was that others were planning to sell boards and kits as well, and we really didn't want to see several CPFers "competing" for such a limited market. We didn't want, for example, three people trying to get a Digi-Key group order together, because it would take forever! Far better to get a single group order.
Now, all involved are in agreement that Wayne is the best person to do this, and we hope he'll reconsider providing this valuable service to the CPF members.
ElektroLumens
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hello All,
Wow, things got stirred up a bit, huh?
This is what I am thinking we might do. One of those among us, either myself, or someone else, could collect the names of all who want a Zetex circuit kit. That person would collect the funds from everyone, by a certain cutoff date, and then place an order from Digikey for all the necessary parts for each kit.
The only part which requires some labor is the PCB boards. I myself do have the ability to make the PCB board, but I am sure there is someone who it might be easier for them to do this than it is for me. Perhaps someone wants to make the PCB boards, once the total number of boards required is known.
Multiple boards per person might be possible, but care must be taken to make sure everyone that wants one could get at least one.
This would not be done for profit. The only money collected would be used to purchase parts and shipping costs. If any of the proceeds are left over, it should go to the ones who have invested some cash. Or, we could add a little to the cost intentionally, and this monies would be divided among those who have a cash outlay, just to reimburse them. If the amount collected goes over this amount, it could be given to some charity organization?
Just some thoughts of mine. Any responses or replies, as to how we might proceed?
I would like to add that I am not personally offended. I think I was the offender, not the offended. Again, apologies extended to all involved.
(The kits would be completely unassembled. I never had any intentions to mount the components on the PCB boards.)
Sincerely,
Wayne Johnson
Wow, things got stirred up a bit, huh?
This is what I am thinking we might do. One of those among us, either myself, or someone else, could collect the names of all who want a Zetex circuit kit. That person would collect the funds from everyone, by a certain cutoff date, and then place an order from Digikey for all the necessary parts for each kit.
The only part which requires some labor is the PCB boards. I myself do have the ability to make the PCB board, but I am sure there is someone who it might be easier for them to do this than it is for me. Perhaps someone wants to make the PCB boards, once the total number of boards required is known.
Multiple boards per person might be possible, but care must be taken to make sure everyone that wants one could get at least one.
This would not be done for profit. The only money collected would be used to purchase parts and shipping costs. If any of the proceeds are left over, it should go to the ones who have invested some cash. Or, we could add a little to the cost intentionally, and this monies would be divided among those who have a cash outlay, just to reimburse them. If the amount collected goes over this amount, it could be given to some charity organization?
Just some thoughts of mine. Any responses or replies, as to how we might proceed?
I would like to add that I am not personally offended. I think I was the offender, not the offended. Again, apologies extended to all involved.
(The kits would be completely unassembled. I never had any intentions to mount the components on the PCB boards.)
Sincerely,
Wayne Johnson
Luff
Enlightened
I just hope each of you who've been so careful to give your explanations can sit back for a moment and take some pride in the fact that you've treated each other with respect and courtesy.
Where else but on CPF do we have the opportunity to see mature people respond to one another this way? No flames ... just a concern to get it right and be fair to one-another. You've provided yet another form of illumination ... this time in dignity.
FWIW - I hope Wayne renews his offer so those without the resources to make this circuit on their own have the opportunity to share the joy and excitement your combined efforts have made possible. That's the true reward for your work, yes?
Your diplomacy & integrity are appreciated by at least a few who hang around here ... I applaud and thank you.
Mark
[Edit - If there's an excess profit, is there a way for CPF to benefit?]
Where else but on CPF do we have the opportunity to see mature people respond to one another this way? No flames ... just a concern to get it right and be fair to one-another. You've provided yet another form of illumination ... this time in dignity.
FWIW - I hope Wayne renews his offer so those without the resources to make this circuit on their own have the opportunity to share the joy and excitement your combined efforts have made possible. That's the true reward for your work, yes?
Your diplomacy & integrity are appreciated by at least a few who hang around here ... I applaud and thank you.
Mark
[Edit - If there's an excess profit, is there a way for CPF to benefit?]
D
**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
I think it would be great if someone is willing to do the SMD soldering, since it takes skill and the right tools to do it right.
However, keep in mind that each board needs to be properly "tuned" to the power source and the specific LS, and this tuning really should be done by the builder, not the buyer. Of course, this isn't an issue if we're talking about complete flashlight units.
Finally, for those wanting a finished product, I might suggest waiting a few weeks in order for the boards we just sold to be built and tested "in the field". That way, we can incorporate any adjustments and improvements.
However, keep in mind that each board needs to be properly "tuned" to the power source and the specific LS, and this tuning really should be done by the builder, not the buyer. Of course, this isn't an issue if we're talking about complete flashlight units.
Finally, for those wanting a finished product, I might suggest waiting a few weeks in order for the boards we just sold to be built and tested "in the field". That way, we can incorporate any adjustments and improvements.
And I would like you guys come up with some great name for the thing - Zetek-circuit doesn´t do you guys justice maybe some CPF member can invent something nice and flashy ?
Mmmh - the MAD-project or MAD-mod might be a first trial. (Mercator,Al,Duggg - ok ok no fight over the positions - this just worked out that way - and yes its intended as a joke - nono - not the idea - just the mad name
)
Klaus
Mmmh - the MAD-project or MAD-mod might be a first trial. (Mercator,Al,Duggg - ok ok no fight over the positions - this just worked out that way - and yes its intended as a joke - nono - not the idea - just the mad name
Klaus
Duggg,
understood and agreed - this is why I went beyond the soldering in my post and also mentioned the possible "assembly" into a finished Minimag.
And I have to redo my wish-list
I would love to have one MAD-moded (not Zetek´ed) lambertian white Minmag - can´t wait
Klaus
understood and agreed - this is why I went beyond the soldering in my post and also mentioned the possible "assembly" into a finished Minimag.
And I have to redo my wish-list
I would love to have one MAD-moded (not Zetek´ed) lambertian white Minmag - can´t wait
Klaus
ElektroLumens
Flashlight Enthusiast
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Duggg:
I think it would be great if someone is willing to do the SMD soldering, since it takes skill and the right tools to do it right.
However, keep in mind that each board needs to be properly "tuned" to the power source and the specific LS, and this tuning really should be done by the builder, not the buyer. Of course, this isn't an issue if we're talking about complete flashlight units.
Finally, for those wanting a finished product, I might suggest waiting a few weeks in order for the boards we just sold to be built and tested "in the field". That way, we can incorporate any adjustments and improvements.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Duggg, MrAl, Mercator, et. al.,
I just received an email from dat2zip, offering to do this service for all interested. He cannot post as he doesn't have his password with him at work. It seems he is willing to make the boards and solder the components. He says it must be finished before baseball season starts. I suppose he can post more later
I was going to email you with this suggestion, but I see more post have been made, and it seems appropriate to make a public post here.
In my private email correspondance with dat2zip, i am more than confident of his capabilities to do this job.
In relation to the fine tuning the circuitto each Luxeon Star, I have a idea. I am not sure I can explain it though, but I'll try: As the strand of wire used to fine tune the Luxeon can vary, it could be soldered on one end. and left unsoldered on the other end. It would be held down to the board by another small wire soldered on both ends, but not in the middle, but pressing down against the copper, in which the tuning wire would be slipped beneath, thus providing contact and current control, yet still be variable. Once the circuit is connected to the Luxeon, solder could be applied to secure the wire and finalizing circuit current control. Do I make any sense at all here?
Wayne www.elektrolumens.com
Hope to hear from dat2zip soon.
I think it would be great if someone is willing to do the SMD soldering, since it takes skill and the right tools to do it right.
However, keep in mind that each board needs to be properly "tuned" to the power source and the specific LS, and this tuning really should be done by the builder, not the buyer. Of course, this isn't an issue if we're talking about complete flashlight units.
Finally, for those wanting a finished product, I might suggest waiting a few weeks in order for the boards we just sold to be built and tested "in the field". That way, we can incorporate any adjustments and improvements.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Duggg, MrAl, Mercator, et. al.,
I just received an email from dat2zip, offering to do this service for all interested. He cannot post as he doesn't have his password with him at work. It seems he is willing to make the boards and solder the components. He says it must be finished before baseball season starts. I suppose he can post more later
I was going to email you with this suggestion, but I see more post have been made, and it seems appropriate to make a public post here.
In my private email correspondance with dat2zip, i am more than confident of his capabilities to do this job.
In relation to the fine tuning the circuitto each Luxeon Star, I have a idea. I am not sure I can explain it though, but I'll try: As the strand of wire used to fine tune the Luxeon can vary, it could be soldered on one end. and left unsoldered on the other end. It would be held down to the board by another small wire soldered on both ends, but not in the middle, but pressing down against the copper, in which the tuning wire would be slipped beneath, thus providing contact and current control, yet still be variable. Once the circuit is connected to the Luxeon, solder could be applied to secure the wire and finalizing circuit current control. Do I make any sense at all here?
Wayne www.elektrolumens.com
Hope to hear from dat2zip soon.
D
**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
That's similar to an idea I had, where a 4cm Rsense loop would be installed, then the buyer, using tweezers, could start a small twist in the middle of the loop, essentially shortening it. The more one twists, the shorter the loop becomes. The buyer would just keep gently twisting until the target LS current was eventually reached.
Both of our ideas sound great in theory, but it's tricky in practice, and not something I'm really comfortable with. The buyer could easily overadjust or break the Rsense wire(s).
But the biggest concern is setting up the milliammeter in series with the LS, where a loose connection could spell disaster. If the connection opens while power is applied, the capacitor may be destroyed, as its potential could suddenly exceed 10 volts. Then if the connection closes again, the LS may be damaged by the capacitor as it suddenly discharges.
The safest and recommended approach is to temporarily solder a current sense resistor in series with the LS, and measure the voltage across it. But most buyers won't have a current sense resistor available, and it seems silly to make them buy one (for $1.50!) when the adjustment can easily be done by someone more familiar with the process.
Both of our ideas sound great in theory, but it's tricky in practice, and not something I'm really comfortable with. The buyer could easily overadjust or break the Rsense wire(s).
But the biggest concern is setting up the milliammeter in series with the LS, where a loose connection could spell disaster. If the connection opens while power is applied, the capacitor may be destroyed, as its potential could suddenly exceed 10 volts. Then if the connection closes again, the LS may be damaged by the capacitor as it suddenly discharges.
The safest and recommended approach is to temporarily solder a current sense resistor in series with the LS, and measure the voltage across it. But most buyers won't have a current sense resistor available, and it seems silly to make them buy one (for $1.50!) when the adjustment can easily be done by someone more familiar with the process.
ElektroLumens
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hmmmm. Well, it was just an idea.
Wayne
Wayne
remuen
Enlightened
I'm one of those who didn't get through the whole Zetex thread. During the last few weeks I only asked some boring questions but always got a good answer. Mercator, to be honest in this time I didn't really realize that you also have been deeply involved. Sorry for this and thank you very much for all what also you have done for all of us!
I don't want to give a comment to what happend here. It seems that the communication now works and you guys settled down all missunderstandings. That's great and shows that the CPF has some leading personalities not only in technical concerns.
When I came into this board I noticed that most CPF fellows are doing easy mods as I did before. The reason for this is that most of us are not able to design a booster circuit.
Therefore the idea of selling the pc boards and the Zetex kits to the public is a very good idea. I'm sure you will find a good solution on who will do this and at which price and what you will do with a profit.
I think it is more than only legally when the ones who have invested money and time for all the R&D should profit first. It is really fair that you Mercator, Dugg an MrAl say that you want only cover your costs!
Selling these kits IMHO you should consider two points:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>There are a lot of CPF fellows who are not able to solder these SMD parts. Therefore it would be great if someone could offer the service to assambly(solder the pc boards including adjusting the Rsense according the needs of these guys because this is also not an easy part for most of us.
Whoever this will do it would be fair if he would be payed for this service.
<LI>You have done a great job with this Zetex booster development and it seems that very soon all CPF menbers can order the kit. Really all? What will be with the ones joining this board in two months or half a year? I think it would be a good things if new members also would have a chance to get such a kit means you should have an ongoing sale.
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Writing this post I had an idea. I'm wondering (
) what you think about this: There are some of us highly interested in using DC-DC converters. Would it be an idea to establish something like a 'booster club'?
The idea is to share informations, help each other (each member according his abilities and possibilities) and bring this idea among other CPF fellows and help them. I know from my own experience that Duggg and MrAl are already doing this and it would be great if experts like you three Zetex guys would be the leaders. (I must admit that I would be one of those who would not be able to contribute a lot because my knowledge is almost nothing compared to the one of you 'Zetex people'.)
If you don't like this idea please don't blame me - it was only a sudden idea and is not a plan.
I don't want to give a comment to what happend here. It seems that the communication now works and you guys settled down all missunderstandings. That's great and shows that the CPF has some leading personalities not only in technical concerns.
When I came into this board I noticed that most CPF fellows are doing easy mods as I did before. The reason for this is that most of us are not able to design a booster circuit.
Therefore the idea of selling the pc boards and the Zetex kits to the public is a very good idea. I'm sure you will find a good solution on who will do this and at which price and what you will do with a profit.
I think it is more than only legally when the ones who have invested money and time for all the R&D should profit first. It is really fair that you Mercator, Dugg an MrAl say that you want only cover your costs!
Selling these kits IMHO you should consider two points:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>There are a lot of CPF fellows who are not able to solder these SMD parts. Therefore it would be great if someone could offer the service to assambly(solder the pc boards including adjusting the Rsense according the needs of these guys because this is also not an easy part for most of us.
Whoever this will do it would be fair if he would be payed for this service.
<LI>You have done a great job with this Zetex booster development and it seems that very soon all CPF menbers can order the kit. Really all? What will be with the ones joining this board in two months or half a year? I think it would be a good things if new members also would have a chance to get such a kit means you should have an ongoing sale.
[/list]
Writing this post I had an idea. I'm wondering (
The idea is to share informations, help each other (each member according his abilities and possibilities) and bring this idea among other CPF fellows and help them. I know from my own experience that Duggg and MrAl are already doing this and it would be great if experts like you three Zetex guys would be the leaders. (I must admit that I would be one of those who would not be able to contribute a lot because my knowledge is almost nothing compared to the one of you 'Zetex people'.)
If you don't like this idea please don't blame me - it was only a sudden idea and is not a plan.
D
**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Klaus:
And I would like you guys come up with some great name for the thing<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
It actually does have a name: ZLT+, as found on Mercator's web page http://www.5thcolumn.org/zetex/project
It's a play on the abbreviation BLT, which stands for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. The analogy is that the circuit is sandwiched between the inductor and the LS.
The Z stands for Zetex, L for inductor, and T for transistor. The plus represents the diode and capacitor, I guess
And I would like you guys come up with some great name for the thing<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
It actually does have a name: ZLT+, as found on Mercator's web page http://www.5thcolumn.org/zetex/project
It's a play on the abbreviation BLT, which stands for Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich. The analogy is that the circuit is sandwiched between the inductor and the LS.
The Z stands for Zetex, L for inductor, and T for transistor. The plus represents the diode and capacitor, I guess
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