XP-G R4 @ 16Watts

Wow !!! :naughty:

Measured @ the tail 7.3volts x 2.2A with 6xAA

Yes this is my 2D Mag , I swapped in another heatsink with another XP-G R4 and a SSC P7 Driver , and viola , from just under 5 Watts before , now or 16 Watts ... Again from the batteries .

The LED is smoking , and I mean smoking !! I dont know how long it can possibly last :mecry:

Hopefully it might live long enough for a beamshot !!!

Thats a little more than 3 times the current draw from my first effort , and if the driver is inefficient , possibly double the current to the LED or a 100% Boost .

Hmmmm , a few hours to go till it gets dark ...

Some readings :

7.8v
Lo = 0.2A / 1.5W
Med = 0.66A / 5.1W [ Thats more than on high before ]
Hi = 2.2A / 17W

Its just too much .. It starts over 700Lumens but quickly droops to under 300 Lumen on high .
Same with throw , starts @ over 24000Lux @ 1 Meter but quickly sags ..
Just too much current for the little XP-G ..

Back to stock I go .. 5Watts .. and 19000Lux Throw @ 1 Meter

2.2A Vf 3.4V ~7W

ma_sha1 said:

2.2A Vf 3.4V ~7W

Click to expand...

Sorry , dont work like that ...

old4570 said:

Sorry , dont work like that ...

Click to expand...

p=iv at the led right? where else are you measuring power losses?

opps lol your measuring current at the tail of a 7.3 volt battery how many amps across the led do you figure? sounds like that little thing is tough!

I would expect a 25% loss with the driver .

But there was smoke rising from the LED after 5 seconds , I might actually measure the current from the driver just to see , as I would imagine the LED has been at least slightly damaged from the experiment .

old4570 said:

I would expect a 25% loss with the driver .

But there was smoke rising from the LED after 5 seconds , I might actually measure the current from the driver just to see , as I would imagine the LED has been at least slightly damaged from the experiment .

Click to expand...

I'm glade I'm not the only one that's nearly smoked an XP-G.

Someone's been sniffing too much magic smoke :duh2:

Well , I think I see the problem ..

vF = 6.25 from the driver to the LED
Amps = 3 from driver to LED

so = Im using 2 fresh 18650 of the charger .

Anyway , I dont understand why this driver is pushing 6.25volts
It should be 3.7v / ooooh KD :sick2:

I can see why the LED is cooking now . A combination of high AMPs + way to much vF .

Looks like this driver is headed for the scrap heap , and that poor XP-G it just keeps pumping out the smoke and no dying , tough little bugger .

old4570 said:

Wow !!! :naughty:

Measured @ the tail 7.3volts x 2.2A with 6xAA

Yes this is my 2D Mag , I swapped in another heatsink with another XP-G R4 and a SSC P7 Driver , and viola , from just under 5 Watts before , now or 16 Watts ... Again from the batteries .

The LED is smoking , and I mean smoking !! I dont know how long it can possibly last :mecry:

Hopefully it might live long enough for a beamshot !!!

Thats a little more than 3 times the current draw from my first effort , and if the driver is inefficient , possibly double the current to the LED or a 100% Boost .

Hmmmm , a few hours to go till it gets dark ...

Some readings :

7.8v
Lo = 0.2A / 1.5W
Med = 0.66A / 5.1W [ Thats more than on high before ]
Hi = 2.2A / 17W

Click to expand...

old4570 said:

Well , I think I see the problem ..

vF = 6.25 from the driver to the LED
Amps = 3 from driver to LED

Click to expand...

That's a magical driver. Draws 17W from the batteries but delivers 18.75W to the LED. What driver are you using?

Justin Case said:

That's a magical driver. Draws 17W from the batteries but delivers 18.75W to the LED.

Click to expand...

Hardly !!!

Different batteries in each case ....

First one was 2x18650 Grey Ultrafire Protected
2nd was 6xAA

And this last one was 2 x 18650 Unprotected fresh of the charger [ These have better output than the Ultrafires ]
Magic ??? , just different batteries .

Well, it's impossible to know when your reported measurements are apples-apples consistent and when they are not. I have to go on good faith that your reported data is internally consistent. I guess in this case, they are not.

Even if you are using different batteries in the measurements you report in those two separate posts, your driver looks highly suspect, as do your measurements.

If your first measurement of 17W draw by the driver has any consistency at all, then you'd expect that the 17W value wouldn't vary all that much as a function of battery source. So in the second measurement where you claim 18.75W draw by the LED, how much do you think your driver is pulling from the batteries? Presumably something on the order of 17W, but more than 18.75W so that you don't have a magic driver with greater than 100% efficiency. Is it 20W? 22W? Frankly, I doubt that the presumably cheap Chinese driver you are using is any where near 80% or more efficient if it is truly delivering 18.75W to the LED. And if it is more like 60%, I doubt that the driver can really draw around 30W of power either.

What driver is it? Not that KD1845, I hope.

Those batteries have done 2.7A @ 4.2v
And with a mild short over 4A .

So 2x18650 = 8.4v [ they were freshly charged ]

so I dare say the batteries can deliver over 22Watts , and if the driver is faulty as I expect it is [ 100% sure ] , then it may very well mean more than that .

I dont know for sure ? why it was doing what it was doing , all I know is its a dead end , and Im going to try and find a driver that is more friendly , but still pushes the XP-G , but not that hard .

If I can get 500 Lumen without sag , I will be one happy camper .

The driver is the KD SSC P7 Super Driver [ the one that overheats with P7 ]
Im going to order a few drivers in the 8.4 to 12v region . [ input ] To see if I cant get some more power . And JC , its just a bit of fun , you do remember fun dont you ?

I've gotten good results with the
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1845
that Justin mentions. Sure it's not as much an over-drive.
I know you've mentioned this board a bunch, how have your experience with the xpg gone?

For single 18650 / CR123A / with XR-E / Xp-E / XP-G / SSC P4 / SSC P7 / Luxeon 3 / Diamond Dragon / It would be my No 1 choice .

I just wish some one would make a 1.5A buck boost driver 3 mode for 3-4.2v input . Unfortunately most manufacturers stick the the industry 1A standard .

I do like the 1A buck boost drivers , but they are a little limited .
ProductId=1845 :twothumbs Sorry , with XP-G - 1.2A to 1.5A , a lot depends on the LED .

Shiningbeam has a nice 3 mode driver , I did order one to see how it would work with a XP-G [ its for MC-E and SSC P7 ] , and possibly 6 volts [ 4D Mag ]

If it outputs around 3.7v and 1.5A with a XP-G ill be one happy camper .
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-132/3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit-Board/Detail This one [ Ive used it with SSC P7 ]

old4570 said:

Shiningbeam has a nice 3 mode driver , I did order one to see how it would work with a XP-G [ its for MC-E and SSC P7 ] , and possibly 6 volts [ 4D Mag ]

If it outputs around 3.7v and 1.5A with a XP-G ill be one happy camper .
http://www.shiningbeam.com/servlet/the-132/3-dsh-Mode-Regulated-Circuit-Board/Detail This one [ Ive used it with SSC P7 ]

Click to expand...

That SB driver looks like it is based on 8xAMC7135. If you can deliver 3.7V from your power source, then it should run at full power -- nominally 2.8A -- and you won't get your desired 1.5A.

If you are using quality NiMH cells in the 4D Mag, then the 4th cell is overkill and will result only in extra waste heat generation. You only need 3xD NiMH to run in full regulation, expecially if you want only 1.4A into a relatively low Vf LED like an XP-G. You can try removing 4 of the 8 AMC chips to get 1.4A output from the SB board (make sure that the remaining AMCs are still all connected in parallel).

Linger said:

I've gotten good results with the
http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1845
that Justin mentions.

Click to expand...

Do you have a good photo of that driver so that I can see the markings on the components? Thanks.

Camera batteries on the charger, I tried a few pics with an older camera and kept only the following image. There are a few differences within the sample of boards that I have so I will re-shoot the pics and edit this post later.


ATMEL628
24CO2N
SU18 D

R1 = r200
R3 = r200

Under blue wire
-big rectangle 2314
then small resistor 203 (above q3 spot)

Under brown wire
511 in spot labeled 51
small L4 (above C1)
J476 (visible in pic)
resistor 473 (beside R2)

Other boards have ATMEL552, but similar components

Another board with some changes,
ATMEL543
R1=20
R3=20

2300 (instead of 2314)
C733 (in Q3 spot empty on other boards)
J5 (instead of J470)
and tiny unlabeled component in R4 spot (empty on other boards - its hidden by clamp in the above pic)

Must have a few in stock at all times
Notice missing components

Justin Case said:

That SB driver looks like it is based on 8xAMC7135. If you can deliver 3.7V from your power source, then it should run at full power -- nominally 2.8A -- and you won't get your desired 1.5A.

If you are using quality NiMH cells in the 4D Mag, then the 4th cell is overkill and will result only in extra waste heat generation. You only need 3xD NiMH to run in full regulation, expecially if you want only 1.4A into a relatively low Vf LED like an XP-G. You can try removing 4 of the 8 AMC chips to get 1.4A output from the SB board (make sure that the remaining AMCs are still all connected in parallel).






Do you have a good photo of that driver so that I can see the markings on the components? Thanks.

Click to expand...

*Confirmed* removing 4 of the 7135 chips (Off backside) and you have a 3-mode 1400ma board.

Mac

Dx and KD also sell the board with 3x7135 on it (17mode 1050ma driver). If there was an extra 7135's to donate, these boards would be up to 1400ma

Linger said:

Dx and KD also sell the board with 3x7135 on it (17mode 1050ma driver). If there was an extra 7135's to donate, these boards would be up to 1400ma

Click to expand...

I think I have some of those boards ...

Not sure my soldering iron is up to the task though ..

Might give it another try ...