I was searching for a good replacement driver for my broken Preon last year, but could only find a few basic ones. It is fixed now but I decided to start this thread to find out what are the possibilities for small DIY lights.
For a single AAA light, I found the following drivers (max diameter or length 12mm):
DX single mode 350mA driver (sku 128084):
http://dx.com/p/350-400ma-regulated...084?rt=1&p=2&m=2&r=3&k=1&t=1&s=50526&u=128084
(according to this web site, the efficiency is pretty bad)
DX 3 mode sandwich driver (high-low-strobe; sku 50526):
http://dx.com/p/ak-007-0-8-1-5v-3-mode-circuit-board-for-flashlights-11-9mm-50526
(according to the customer discussion, the currents are around 360mA high and 65mA low)
500mA boost AAA Driver, single mode, not regulated, sold by Illumination Supply:
https://illuminationsupply.com/500ma-boost-aaa-driver-p-96.html
MicroPuck single mode 350 mA, 400mA or 500mA, sold by Led Supply and Illumination Supply:
https://illuminationsupply.com/micr...2.html?zenid=3601903bd80acbbf5fb413d313663ccc
https://illuminationsupply.com/micr...1.html?zenid=3601903bd80acbbf5fb413d313663ccc
http://www.ledsupply.com/micropuck.php
For a single 10440 (or 10280 etc.):
Well, this list is pretty much empty. The leds could be used in direct drive (perhaps with a little resistor), or one could use QTC for fully variable output. I am not aware of any specific driver.
Of course, one could also buy a small flashlight and only use the circuit board, but that is not the way I would like to go. The list seems to be short and the drivers seem to be rather simple. They are also pretty powerful. 350mA to the led equals to 1A or more from battery - quite impossible for an alkaline AAA and pretty hard for a Ni-MH, too. It also means that there will be lots of heat. If I wanted to make a little light made of something else than solid metal (let's say mostly wood), these drivers would be completely useless to me.
So, what other options are available? Especially for low current lights (5-100mA). Any? I could try to update this original post according to the suggestions.
(I am not quite sure if direct links are allowed, but since there are direct links also in P60 drop-in thread (a sticky in Led flashlights forum), I thought they would be ok here, too. I'll remove them if needed.)
For a single AAA light, I found the following drivers (max diameter or length 12mm):
DX single mode 350mA driver (sku 128084):
http://dx.com/p/350-400ma-regulated...084?rt=1&p=2&m=2&r=3&k=1&t=1&s=50526&u=128084
(according to this web site, the efficiency is pretty bad)
DX 3 mode sandwich driver (high-low-strobe; sku 50526):
http://dx.com/p/ak-007-0-8-1-5v-3-mode-circuit-board-for-flashlights-11-9mm-50526
(according to the customer discussion, the currents are around 360mA high and 65mA low)
500mA boost AAA Driver, single mode, not regulated, sold by Illumination Supply:
https://illuminationsupply.com/500ma-boost-aaa-driver-p-96.html
MicroPuck single mode 350 mA, 400mA or 500mA, sold by Led Supply and Illumination Supply:
https://illuminationsupply.com/micr...2.html?zenid=3601903bd80acbbf5fb413d313663ccc
https://illuminationsupply.com/micr...1.html?zenid=3601903bd80acbbf5fb413d313663ccc
http://www.ledsupply.com/micropuck.php
For a single 10440 (or 10280 etc.):
Well, this list is pretty much empty. The leds could be used in direct drive (perhaps with a little resistor), or one could use QTC for fully variable output. I am not aware of any specific driver.
Of course, one could also buy a small flashlight and only use the circuit board, but that is not the way I would like to go. The list seems to be short and the drivers seem to be rather simple. They are also pretty powerful. 350mA to the led equals to 1A or more from battery - quite impossible for an alkaline AAA and pretty hard for a Ni-MH, too. It also means that there will be lots of heat. If I wanted to make a little light made of something else than solid metal (let's say mostly wood), these drivers would be completely useless to me.
So, what other options are available? Especially for low current lights (5-100mA). Any? I could try to update this original post according to the suggestions.
(I am not quite sure if direct links are allowed, but since there are direct links also in P60 drop-in thread (a sticky in Led flashlights forum), I thought they would be ok here, too. I'll remove them if needed.)
