nFlex, son of uFlex

Just back from a few days camping and I find the production nFlex PCB's waiting for me. Guess I'll be busy building up nFlex drivers AND Fatman drivers for the next little while...

Fun camping trip - to a small park in the Santa Cruz mountains (redwoods etc). You could tell that LEDs aren't mainstream yet - not a single 'white' light to be seen the 3 nights we were there (except ours of course)...

Anyhow, here's a picture of the uFlex (left), nFlex proto (middle) and nFlex production PCB (yet to be populated).



Features are somewhat similar to uFlex, though on nFlex an off the shelf buck converter (1A max output) is being controlled by the uController. The user can now configure between 350, 500, 700 and 1000mA output (via a menu system). Similar 8 levels of output as uFlex, similar autosleep feature.

When I build some up I'll take some move pictures, and of the flip side of the board (there are components there too...). nFlex is 1.1" x 0.8" in size - still large by CPF standards, but a lot smaller than uFlex...

george.

Is this a cheaper and smaller evolution of the original or does it do something different from the first?

Mark

I really like the uflex, but always thought it was a bit big. Now you've shrunk it and added more features.

Great work!!!

Ah wonderful! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Glad to see this panned out for you, and is now a reality.
Ill have to pick up a few of these,
My MagUflex turned out great, and is one of my most used lights.

George

Check your e-mail urgent.

George,

What Warren said (except from me, of course)...

I'm a big fan of your uFlex design, George. So you say the nFlex iss smaller and has more features? That's impressive -- great job.

nFlex pricing will be the same as uFlex. Actually the components for nFlex cost more than uFlex - the price to pay for shrinking things...

The area of nFlex is a little less than 1/2 of uFlex.

Other than the size reduction 'feature', the key advantage of nFlex is in noisy power supply environments. uFlex implements the switcher in firmware using the AVR uController's PWM hardware. Two factors interact to cause a sensitivity to power supply noise, one is the large (relatively) digital step sizes of the PWM, the other is the control loop response time (software). These factors are not noticeable in pure battery applications (though flicker control is still necessary due to the PWM step sizes). nFlex's switcher is a switcher chip and the current output is controlled by the firmware. The switcher chip has of course a very fast response time to input voltage variations and thus is more suited to vehicle power and unregulated DC supplies etc.

nFlex even survived Darell's EVIL /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif EV - which contrary to what you would think has quite the noisy DC supply...

george.

I'll take two, George. Let us know when to start sending Paypal! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BTW, what are the dims (length x width)?

[ QUOTE ]
DSpeck said:
I'll take two, George. Let us know when to start sending Paypal! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BTW, what are the dims (length x width)?

[/ QUOTE ]

I should have boards ready for shipping next week. Between building Fatman boards and nFlex boards - my soldering iron (and me) will be busy the next few days...

Dimensions are in the first post /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif (1.1" x 0.8")

george.

1.1"x0.8"?!
Excellent! That board should fit inside a Mag 2D, take my two 4AA to D converters...8 NiMH AA batteries and a 5W Luxeon. Now to find a X3T

BentHead,,,
It will easily fit...
I fit the original uflex in a 2D mag,,,,, BARELY.

See my post above,, about the MagUflex.

Ok, here's a picture of front & back of the production PCB's and a picture of the other side of the proto. You can see the miniature push button switch on the lower centerline. There are also separate SWA and SWB pads for an off-board switch as well. One end of the board has the LED+ and LED- contacts and the other end has the IN+ and IN- contacts.

The small connector on the top/right is the programming header (flex cable) for the uController.



george.

Nice work George!!!

The CC5W board you sold me is doing great in my car! I am using it as a domelight driving 4 1W emitters (2 parallel sets of 2 in series) stuck to a 1"x2"x.25" piece of Al stock. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Everything fits under the standard lens for the stock look (except for the color and amount of light!) and so far, heat hasn't been any problem. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/clap.gif


Anyway, I may have to pick up a couple of these nflex boards. I like the smaller size, one of the things that kept me from the origianl uflex.

Come to think of it, this would be the perfect addition to use as the driver for a mod to the THOR 10MCP spot I just ordered to add an area light to it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/party.gif

Hi George,

Thanks for the good news. Excellent work.
Please put me down for two.

Henry

awesome... what is the max power you can put through it? I'm playing with the idea of getting digital into my mega mod, love the driver, i need to find a use for one.... what's the cost, where's the line? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-awr

[ QUOTE ]
andrewwynn said:
awesome... what is the max power you can put through it? I'm playing with the idea of getting digital into my mega mod, love the driver, i need to find a use for one.... what's the cost, where's the line? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-awr

[/ QUOTE ]

nFlex is a buck converter. Maximum output current is 1A. Input voltage to 24VDC. Minimum input voltage 1V above Vf to maintain regulation. Fully current regulated design.
Cost is the same as uFlex ($25 ea). I will start shipping units out next week. You can read about uFlex on my website, nFlex has most of the features.

george.

I'm a new arrival to the board and I've looked at all the drivers out there, this one looks like what I'm looking for. Just need some help with the basics.

I am building a helmet mounted light for caving, I want to use a single luxIII which is too much light 90% of the time, therefore my interest in a dimmer. Just a couple questions:

I saw references to this being a pwm driver, so does this mean that as it dims it maintains a constant color?

Can I pot the driver in epoxy?

I was a little confused looking at the ver. 2 instructions for the uflex as to what configuration to get for a single luxII. By the table it says it's possible, but what do I order?

thanks

Greg

Awesome! This is toooo coool... I plan on doing my own version with a 5W lux in a 2D Mag... Where do I order??? Thanks!

-Allen

Greg -

There is only one "configuration" to purchase. The unit is user-configurable to any ouput from 350mA to 1A. You can choose your poison from the comfort of your easy chair. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif It takes a bit to get the hang of changing the output, but you only have to do it once, typically. We don't want it TOO easy to change, afterall!

As for color, I don't believe any effort was put into tint control. But that just really isn't an issue that I can see. I've been using an nFlex for quote a while now as my main computer light (running off my computer PS) and I certainly notice no tint change until it gets REALLY low. I wouldn't let that bother you.

These things ROCK. If you like uFlex, you'll LOVE nFlex. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As George pointed out, the EV turned out to be the "worst case" situation for these. Go figure. I had all kinds of odd things happen with the uFlex, that I saw in no other application. The nFlex, on the other hand, is just rock solid in the EV.