Fig 1
Fig 2
I installed my module but it doesn't light up. What is
wrong?
I installed my module and the light output is really dim. I'm not
impressed. Why is that?
I hooked up a DMM with it set on the 10A scale and I
read 2A being drawn from a fresh set of batteries. If the module is
driving 500mA, shouldn't I read 500mA?
How do I adjust the Madmax trim pot.
I have a converter board. Where can I find the wiring instructions?
How do I install the retaining ring?
How much current could Badboy be set to?
At what input battery voltage will the regulator fall out of regulation?
What is the Maximum Input Voltage of the
Converter?
What is the Maximum Output Voltage of the
Converter?
Can I parallel two bad boys to get more current through a
single LS?
Are the Mclux and PR Mclux waterproof?
Where can I get UCL lens for the Mag, PR Mclux and Pelican
M6?
Which heatsink paste/epoxy should I use? What's
the diifference between AS, AA, AS5, Ceramique?
How much current can the BadBoy and MadMax be set to?
What gauge of wire do you use when assembling the
modules?
What is the difference between Q2 and Q3?
What is an R2H, what does this mean?
What is the difference between Badboy and Madmax
I see only Q2 modules right now, when will you get more?
Which converter board do I use?
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Q: I installed my module but it doesn't light up. What is wrong?
A: The module may be OK. The anode lead on the LED may be shorting the opening of the battery tube. There is very little clearance here. If the tube gets warm in a short while it's a good indicator the output is shorting. Unscrew the head and gently press the LED and converter board around. If the LED lights up, then it was shorting. Either insulate the output leads on the LED or carefully enlarge the hole in the flashlight. Remember to remove any inside burs as this will prevent the top of the module to sit flush and transfer the heat from the Luxeon to the flashlight tube. Below are two pictures of the anode lead on the Luxeon emitter.
The lead as installed could be loop outward as shown in fig 1 below and could short against the battery tube. Holding the LED and pressing the anode lead with a ball point pen or dull pointer can fold the anode lead in like in Fig 2.
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Fig 1 |
Fig 2 |
Other things to look for. The top of the module must be perfectly clean. Look for any flecks of paint, dust, debris. Look inside the empty battery tube and ensure the inside lip is clean and void of any dust, debris and junk.
Look for any excess thermal grease (Arctic Silver, Arctic Alumina) that may have oozed out of the LED. This can short the output and cause similar problems.
Q: I installed my module and the light output is really dim. I'm not impressed. Why is that?
A: Look for any excess Arctic Silver that may have oozed out of the LED. This can short the output and cause it to be very dim.
Q: I hooked up a DMM with it set on the 10A scale and I read 2A being drawn from a fresh set of batteries. If the module is driving 500mA, shouldn't I read 500mA?
A: Badboy 500mA refers to the LED current. The regulator maintains a constant current (500mA in this case) to the LED. The input current varies with battery voltage. At lower battery voltages the battery current could be as high as 2A.
Q: How do I adjust the Madmax trim pot?
A: Below is a picture depicting how to adjust it with a dull edge object. The Edge of a small screwdriver or the backside of the exacto knife could be used. The exacto in the picture below shows the flat side of pot in the MAX Position. Turning the potentiometer counter clockwise as shown in the picture will lower the output current.
Below are pictures of the trim pot in the default shipped configuration (max) and several other positions to show you which way you need to turn the trim pot to adjust the brightness for either more brightness or less brightness.
MAX (Wide Open) |
Null, Do not put the trim pot here. |
Minimum Output |
Q: I have a converter board. Where can I find the wiring instructions?
A: You can find pictures of the different converters and the locations marking the input and output connections here.
Q: How do I install the retaining ring?
A: After sliding in the module, you can drop the retaining ring in and tap it down flush (head unscrewed part way) to the converter board with the backside of a ball point pen or similar long object. You can also insert the batteries and press on the batteries to seat the retaining ring.
The retainer ring is not the ideal solution and it has drawbacks. If one screws the head down too far, it pushes the converter and retaining ring down too far. Unscrewing the head the module will not rise back up and turn on. The retaining ring will now hold the batteries in the current position and not rise up to turn the module back on. Tapping it in the palm will force the batteries, retaining ring and module to slide down and turn back on.
To use the retaining ring successfully (if you call it that) is to screw down the head only far enough to turn the light off.
Alternatively you can leave the head unscrewed in the on position and use an aftermarket tailcap switch like the Kroll tailcap switch available on the misc. page.
Q: How much current could Badboy be set to?
A: This depends on what battery voltage you are using. The critical fixed factor is the input current which is around 1.5A. This limits the input power (Vin * Iin).
For 3V input the maximum available power is (3V * 1.5A) * 0.8 ~= 3.6W
For 6V input the maximum available power is: (6V * 1.5A) * 0.8) ~= 7.2W
Knowing the input power you can solve for output current using the following equation:
Power = Voltage * Current.
Where:
Power is the available power from above.
Voltage = LED Vf or load voltage
Current = Output current.
Example: 3V input and Luxeon Vf of 3.7V (3V input = 3.6W)
3.6W = 3.7V * Current = 0.97A
Q: At what input battery voltage will the regulator fall out of regulation?
The critical parameter for Badboy is the 1.5A input current. (Approximately)
The other formula needed is the simple Pin = Pout.
From this we can fill in all the numbers.
Vin * Iin = (Vout * Iout) / 0.8
Where:
Vin = Input battery voltage
Iin = Maximum input current (1.5A)
Vout = LED Vf or load voltage.
Iout = Regulator current setting (400mA, 500mA, 700mA, 750mA)
0.8 = Regulator efficiency.
Example1: Compute battery cutout for a 1W Luxeon @ 3.5V and 400mA.
Vin * 1.5A = (3.5V * 0.4) / 0.8 = 1.16V (Since this is lower than 1.6V the min is 1.6V)
Example2: Compute battery cutoff for a 5W Luxeon @ 6.8V and 700mA current regulation
Vin * 1.5A = (6.8V * .7) / .8 = 3.96V
Q: Maximum Input Voltage
Both input and output voltage are set by the capacitor voltage ratings and for the current Badboy is a 10V part. Derating this to 9V should make for a safe design.
Maximum Input voltage 9V for the current Badboy and 4.5V for Madmax. The actual maximum input voltage is equal to Vout and should always be less than Vout for proper operation.
For example a typical 1W Luxeon with a Vf of 3.5V sets the max input to 3.5V. Remember that Luxeon Vf vary so measure yours if you are not sure.
For a typical 5W Luxeon, the maximum input voltage would be somewhere around 6.8V. Again, the Luxeon Vf sets vout so do not exceed this voltage.
(Note: Stacking two 1W Luxeons in series is perfectly acceptable and would set the input voltage to the sum of the two Luxeons.)
Q: Maximum Output Voltage
Both input and output voltage are set by the capacitor voltage ratings and for the current Badboy is a 10V part. Derating this to 9V should make for a safe design. For Madmax the IC will blow if the input/output exceeds 6V.
Q: Can I parallel two bad boys
to get more current through a single LS?
Yes, though it might not be worthwhile. Remember also that the cells only can
deliver so much current.
More info on this subject to come later.
Q: Are the Mclux and PR Mclux waterproof?
They hasn't been tested yet. Although they should be weather resistant. They are equipped with o-ring seals for the lens and head.
Q: Where can I get UCL lens for the Mag,
PR Mclux and Pelican M6?
Try
www.flashlightlens.com
Q: Which heatsink paste/epoxy should I use? What's the difference between AS, AA, AS5, Ceramique?
For the LED to the emitter board it is
recommended to use Arctic Alumina grease or Ceramic. Do not use any of the
silver products. If you want a more permanent installation, you could epoxy
down the LED with Arctic Alumina Epoxy.
Q: How much current can the BadBoy and MadMax be set to?
BadBoy= 1,000mA MadMax= ~700mA
Q: What gauge of wire do you use when assembling the modules ?
You do not need any wires to make a module.
The two boards are held together with board to board connectors. When using a
converter board in other mods, 24AWG stranded insulated wire. You can use wire
wrap 30 AWG single strand in certain situations.
Q: What is the difference between Q2 and Q3 ?
Q2 is part of the bin code structure. The Luxeon LED part number is for example LXHL-PW09 and and additional bar coded 3 digits or 4 digits is either stamped on the backside of stars or on the label for full reels of emitters. You can find more info on bin codes atQ: What is an R2H, what does this mean?
A lot of R2H and R2K were obtained last year in HD star format. These turned out to be exceptionally odd in that they were mostly white while at the time letter bin code 2's were pretty yellowish to greenish off white in color. As such, there has been a perception that this is what is the golden egg. In reality Lumileds has a new bin code process that went into effect late 2003, and a new 4 digit bin code system was put forth. The new production line equipment screens and sorts the LEDs much better. Any Luxeon out of the new bin code system is superior typically than any of the older 3 digit bin codes. As such, a good Lux3 of almost any bin code will outperform in brightness and in whiteness as compared to and old Q3 or R2H for example. You actual mileage may vary as there is still variation from LED to LED in every batch and this is the Luxeon lottery.Q: What is the difference between Badboy and Madmax
The Badboy converter is a step up constant current regulator. It will boost the voltage to make the output current the value set by the resistors soldered on the board. There are two resistors and there are many combinations to make different output current settings. Some popular ones are BB400 (400mA), BB700 (700mA) and BB1000 (1,000mA). You can find the resistor combinations calculator at www.anlighten.com/shop/test.phpQ: I see only Q2 modules right now, when will you get more?
Future is the only distributor for the Luxeon LEDs and Future only caters to big players who deal with quantities in the 50,000 range. Most of us fall out of this range and have a difficult time getting any type of Luxeon LED from Future. I try to get the best possible bin codes, but, in reality I get random bin codes and from order to order I have no idea what bin codes are until I open the box. If you are looking for a Q3, and I there are none showing on the shoppe, you might be waiting a very long time before they might show up again on the shoppe. It's best to see what is available and make the best selection at that time. Asking for specific bin codes will not put you on a wait list, now am I able to order those LEDs for you. Such is life with the Luxeon Lottery.Q: Which converter board do I use?
Boost converters step up the input battery voltage to a higher voltage. Examples are 2AA (3V) to a 1W or 3W Luxeon emitter with Vf in the range of 3V-4V. Another example would be two 123 to drive a 5W Luxeon which is 6V input to drive the output in the range of 6V-7.5V Vf range.