Doug S
Flashlight Enthusiast
The Dorcy 1AAA convertor board has been discussed in a couple of threads:
Dorcy 1AAA circuit data
Modding a Luxeon into a Dorcy
This is a good little board. Today I looked at how small the board could be trimmed if space were at a premium. The diode on the board is excessively large and could be replaced by a smaller package diode using the existing pads. There are three sets of pad locations for the output cap. Using only the C1 location will enable some board trimming. Likewise, R1 is not required and its removal will enable further trimming. These three changes will enable trimming the board to a 9mmX9mm square or a 10mm disc, the diameter of an AAA cell. Unmodified the board is 7.1mm thick but replacing the diode with a smaller package will reduce this to 6.7mm. For those so inclined, it appears that with some aggressive trimming and possably some tailcap rework, a Mag Solitaire/Dorcy/Luxeon mod would be feasible. An easier version could be achieved using a 2/3AAA NiMh cell.
Other good applications of this convertor would be 2 cell Luxeon mods where drive currents of under 300 mA are acceptable. There are a host of 2AA headlamp hosts worthy of consideration.
Here is a link to a thread which compares efficiencies and performance of the Dorcy circuit with the Arcmania microconvertor: Microconvertor and Dorcy 1AAA
As you can see, the Dorcy circuit compares favorably in terms of performance.
Happy Modding!
Dorcy 1AAA circuit data
Modding a Luxeon into a Dorcy
This is a good little board. Today I looked at how small the board could be trimmed if space were at a premium. The diode on the board is excessively large and could be replaced by a smaller package diode using the existing pads. There are three sets of pad locations for the output cap. Using only the C1 location will enable some board trimming. Likewise, R1 is not required and its removal will enable further trimming. These three changes will enable trimming the board to a 9mmX9mm square or a 10mm disc, the diameter of an AAA cell. Unmodified the board is 7.1mm thick but replacing the diode with a smaller package will reduce this to 6.7mm. For those so inclined, it appears that with some aggressive trimming and possably some tailcap rework, a Mag Solitaire/Dorcy/Luxeon mod would be feasible. An easier version could be achieved using a 2/3AAA NiMh cell.
Other good applications of this convertor would be 2 cell Luxeon mods where drive currents of under 300 mA are acceptable. There are a host of 2AA headlamp hosts worthy of consideration.
Here is a link to a thread which compares efficiencies and performance of the Dorcy circuit with the Arcmania microconvertor: Microconvertor and Dorcy 1AAA
As you can see, the Dorcy circuit compares favorably in terms of performance.
Happy Modding!
