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Author Topic: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...  (Read 13123 times)

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Offline Onli-Won Kanomi

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2008, 11:37:08 PM »
Thanks very much Jedi-Diah very interesting results indeed...while I wouldnt want to jump to conclusions prematurely it looks like Ultra is correct about K2s and for some reason [higher forward V?] they are unable to draw the significantly higher currents that the Lux IIIs in X-SaberX's tests seem able to get the boards to produce for them...if so that is too bad for K2s but its still good news for those who like to overdrive LuxIIIs I guess...I do wonder though if Lux IIIs being so highly overdriven to almost double of spec are going to be reliable or risk 'blue smoke of death'?

I really wish I had a multimeter right now but once I pay for my Overlord US 2.0 install my saber budget is going to be tapped out for this month...so I really appreciate you checking this out for us...thanks again.
To DREAM the IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. To FIGHT the unbeatable foe. To BEAR with unbearable sorrow. To RUN where the brave dare not go. To RIGHT the unrightable wrong. To LOVE, PURE AND CHASTE, FROM AFAR [-sigh-]. To TRY, when your arms are too weary; to REACH the unreachable Star!... This is my Quest; To follow that Star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far...

Offline Jedi-Diah

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2008, 11:53:01 PM »
I don't think Xsaber tested any K2s. The most interesting of his tests was the red III at 1500mA. That's perfect for a red III. Maybe I need to get a red III for my Vader board...

Hey, you can get a digital multimeter that will do all this for about $10.





Thanks very much Jedi-Diah very interesting results indeed...while I wouldnt want to jump to conclusions prematurely it looks like Ultra is correct about K2s and for some reason [higher forward V?] they are unable to draw the significantly higher currents that the Lux IIIs in X-SaberX's tests seem able to get the boards to produce for them...if so that is too bad for K2s but its still good news for those who like to overdrive LuxIIIs I guess...I do wonder though if Lux IIIs being so highly overdriven to almost double of spec are going to be reliable or risk 'blue smoke of death'?

I really wish I had a multimeter right now but once I pay for my Overlord US 2.0 install my saber budget is going to be tapped out for this month...so I really appreciate you checking this out for us...thanks again.

Offline Onli-Won Kanomi

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #17 on: October 18, 2008, 01:06:10 AM »
Only $10.00? cool I'll have to get one next time I go in to the city then ;D
To DREAM the IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. To FIGHT the unbeatable foe. To BEAR with unbearable sorrow. To RUN where the brave dare not go. To RIGHT the unrightable wrong. To LOVE, PURE AND CHASTE, FROM AFAR [-sigh-]. To TRY, when your arms are too weary; to REACH the unreachable Star!... This is my Quest; To follow that Star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far...

Offline XsaberX

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2008, 08:31:10 AM »
So, you're saying that the Red Lux III is pulling out more current from the same battery pack (4.5V)because it requires less forward voltage (2.9V) than the Blue Lux III (3.8V)? I think I understand that concept.

Yes

If this is correct, then the voltage requirement of the LED combined with the battery voltage is really the only determining factor for the current output on the MR board. If this is correct (and its hard for my brain to understand this stuff easily without alot of repitition and clarification- sorry), then why do people have the impression that MR boards only put out around 900 mA? It seems that the MR boards are not really limiting current at all because when you increase the voltage (like adding another AA) or use a LED that requires less forward voltage, then the current goes higher.

I've heard the same thing, that is why I posted this thread - because I was noticing a difference

Am I correct in my understanding that a board like Crystal Focus (or even a buckpuck) will put out the set current regardless of the LED (regulate current)? Doesn't matter if it's a Blue Lux V or a Red Lux III or if the battery pack is 7.2V or 11V, if the board is set for 700mA, then the LED will "see" 700mA?

Essentially, yes. The CF does vary a little bit. For example, if you power a 3.8v LED with a 7.2v pack (which puts out 8.4v at full charge), it will probably read at 1250ma when you set it to give out 1500ma because it intelligently monitors how to best drive the LED given the operating parameters.

Erv' wrote this to me:
Instant consuption of current depends on the batt voltage versus the forward voltage of the board. The closer you get to the luxeon forward voltage, the more in "direct drive" you are. When you reach the forward voltage (like 3.7V for a green, for instance), you'll read 1.5A on the multimeter. But at 8V, you read less, while the brightness remains the same.

Maybe people just assumed that MR boards put out around 900mA max because they only tested their board with a Blue or Green Lux III with the standard 4.5V battery pack (which is about what your tests got).

I though this might be true as well

I don't think Xsaber tested any K2s. The most interesting of his tests was the red III at 1500mA. That's perfect for a red III. Maybe I need to get a red III for my Vader board...

I actually did test a green K2 and got the same performance as a lux 3. So at least the board I have are perfect for driving K2s, although I've always been unimpressed by K2's performance...

Also, rebels have a lower forward voltage and that is why you are getting a higher current performance out of them...

One question for Jedi-Diah - did you strip the negative wires (the rainbow of colors) coming out of the MR board nice and long? I've found that sometimes one or more leads can be missed and thus lower the voltage.

Offline Jedi-Diah

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2008, 08:58:23 AM »
Xsaber,

Thanks for your detailed answers. It will take me a while before I really understand what Erv wrote but it all helps.

As for the negative wires, I stripped them all about a quarter of an inch and twisted them together then tinned them.

I did notice super high current initially but they quickly dropped until finally slowing down and settling at a certain range. The range they settled in at is what I recorded.

Offline Sidneyious

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #20 on: November 10, 2008, 12:15:44 AM »
My interests in this have piqued more after I have seen this video by Xwingband.



From what I gather as voltage goes up so does current but what I don't get is that for the most part all MR boards are powered by the same voltage packs. Maybe current from AA to AAA differ in some twilight zone realm that we don't know of.

Offline Goodman

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #21 on: November 14, 2008, 10:22:48 AM »
Very interesting thread, 'glad I stumbled on it.

I have one of the first Vader ESB conversions that Ultra did three years ago with a green K2 (stock MR board and 3 cell pack). I have a multimeter, and want to help contribute with some measurements. Would one of you please show me where to measure so I can post some readings of my own? I'm not that familiar with the MR board.

Graci
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Offline XsaberX

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #22 on: November 14, 2008, 10:56:22 AM »
here is a diagram I made:



Offline Jedi-Diah

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #23 on: November 15, 2008, 11:51:27 PM »
I just tested my new Red Lux III with an MR Vader ESB board and MR battery/speaker pack with Energizer Lithium e2 (not brand new but still strong - about 4.5V).

1630mA and heatsink getting slightly warm after about 10 sec.

Offline Snake-Eyes

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #24 on: March 21, 2009, 10:10:14 AM »
I know this thread has been dormant for a bit, but I was wondering if any of the tests were "continued" for longer than the few seconds needed to get multimeter readings.  Meaning: did anyone leave these "over-driving" setups permanently installed for normal use, and if so, were there any further problems?

I have some new Joe-Jedi boards I want to experiment with, but I'd prefer to not fry them right away, if someone else has already done further experiments...

Thanks!



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Offline Jedi-Diah

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #25 on: March 21, 2009, 11:49:33 AM »
The above setup (Vader MR board with red Lux III) is still in use. I use it all the time. It's great. Very bright, red saber. Heat is not a problem especially if your heatsink is connected to your metal hilt in some way.

Offline XsaberX

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Re: LUX3 Red at 1500ma FFX Luke ANH Board and more...
« Reply #26 on: March 21, 2009, 12:11:11 PM »
I've made many sabers with mr boards driving LEDs at 1500+ma. No problems whatsoever  ;)

 

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