Hi Guys,
I've only very recently gotten interested in making custom lights (I got into it trying to make myself a night riding light for my bike!).
Although I have made a reasonable light myself by just using a pair of MR16 LED replacement bulbs and a 12V battery, I realized that to make something a bit better I would probably need to delve into deeper territory.
What I am specifically interested in is information about how to actually power an LED emitter, for example a SSC P7 C-Bin LED Emitter.
The tech specs indicate that it runs on 3.6-3.7v, and draws 2.8A of current. This is where my knowledge of electronics runs pretty dry. I assume I need to find a constant current driver (?) which will provide exactly 2.8A of current to the emitter (at 3.7v). Or can I just hook it up to a 3.7v battery (or a couple in parallel) and be done with it? If I can't find a driver to give the exact voltage and current I need, is it possible to have them in parallel, for example have 3 * 1A drivers in parallel giving 3A of current?
I also have read that high power LED's need a heat sink or they overheat, anyone able to shed a bit more light (no pun intended) as to what size/shape/etc heatsink I would need, and how to attach it?
Ideally if there is a tutorial somewhere showing exactly how to (for example) convert an old flashlight into one that uses a SSC P7 emitter, showing step by step what needs to be done, and an explanation, that would be ideal.
Thanks!
I've only very recently gotten interested in making custom lights (I got into it trying to make myself a night riding light for my bike!).
Although I have made a reasonable light myself by just using a pair of MR16 LED replacement bulbs and a 12V battery, I realized that to make something a bit better I would probably need to delve into deeper territory.
What I am specifically interested in is information about how to actually power an LED emitter, for example a SSC P7 C-Bin LED Emitter.
The tech specs indicate that it runs on 3.6-3.7v, and draws 2.8A of current. This is where my knowledge of electronics runs pretty dry. I assume I need to find a constant current driver (?) which will provide exactly 2.8A of current to the emitter (at 3.7v). Or can I just hook it up to a 3.7v battery (or a couple in parallel) and be done with it? If I can't find a driver to give the exact voltage and current I need, is it possible to have them in parallel, for example have 3 * 1A drivers in parallel giving 3A of current?
I also have read that high power LED's need a heat sink or they overheat, anyone able to shed a bit more light (no pun intended) as to what size/shape/etc heatsink I would need, and how to attach it?
Ideally if there is a tutorial somewhere showing exactly how to (for example) convert an old flashlight into one that uses a SSC P7 emitter, showing step by step what needs to be done, and an explanation, that would be ideal.
Thanks!