What main IC does the flexdrive use?

Hiemal · May 16, 2012

I'm contemplating designing a flexdrive clone of sorts...and was curious what IC that it uses!

I've looked at some pictures of them up close but the IC number isn't legible or even there.

Wolfman29 · May 16, 2012

I don't think anyone knows, or it would have already been made

Tech_Junkie · May 16, 2012

How hard can it be to figure it out? Is there any testing you could do on it to to see what its properties are?

Wolfman29 · May 16, 2012

The problem is that it's a QFN package, meaning that it's pins aren't accessible while the driver is running... so no way to test voltages :\

Tech_Junkie · May 16, 2012

Meh...as smart as some of you guys are I'm sure you could figure it out.

Blord · May 16, 2012

If we could build a replica of the Flexdrive for 10 bucks that would make all the other drivers instantly obsolete.

Desolder the flexdrive and rebuild it on wires for an extensive scrutiny. :evil:

Wolfman29 · May 16, 2012

Not sure how much the parts would be on the FlexDrive. My guess is around $10 for just the drive.

But again - the FlexDrive isn't the best driver for everything nowadays.

Tech_Junkie · May 16, 2012

Blord said:
Desolder the flexdrive and rebuild it on wires for an extensive scrutiny. :evil:

Honestly thats what I was thinking, but I dont know enough about electronics and didnt want to sound stupid.

Wolfman29 · May 16, 2012

I suppose that's probably possible. But would be really hard to do. QFNs are hard to hand-solder.

Just4FunReally · May 16, 2012

You could send some over to Cilegray. He hand-soldered multiple ben boost drivers together and the one I got works perfectly. Or there's always the solder-paste and reflow oven. I was also wondering why there wasn't an open-source boost/buck driver if we had access to the flexdrive for so long. Hope that this thread gets the attention of the more experienced techies on this forum and they create an affordable clone

.

Wolfman29 · May 16, 2012

The BenBoost's components are huge compared to the Flex. Even I can't do the FlexDrive and I can hand solder DFN-8s. It's just so tiny.

Eudaimonium · May 16, 2012

As far as I've figured this far, FlexDrive uses some sort of TPS63020 IC,
DC/DC Converter (Integrated Switch) - Buck-Boost Regulator - TPS63020 - TI.com

There were talks about it on the forum, some members even using that IC:
http://laserpointerforums.com/f67/tps63020-based-driver-70311.html#post1013903

MicroBoost (boost only driver) uses a form of LM3410X that me and a lot of other members also used a while back (and still used currently IIRC), you can see the inscription on the IC in this picture I took a while back:

I never had a FlexDrive to take a close up of, though. I'm FAIRLY certain it's something from TPS63020 family.

benmwv · May 16, 2012

I think it's actually tps63010.

And it's BGA wolf, way harder than QFN!

Meatball · May 16, 2012

I *may* have a "dead" flexdrive around here somewhere, if someone would want to collect the parts and measure the passive components out. It might give a closer look at the underside of the IC as well. Give me a few!

Hiemal · May 16, 2012

I think I found a wonderful suitable replacement IC for the flexdrive... It's 5 times better than the current flexdrive too, and has a LOT of really neat things about it.

I'll get to work designing a PCB for it and hopefully will see how it works.

Edit;

Okay, I can't seem to find the appropriate package for it in Eagle, nor ExpressPCB. What do

Eudaimonium · May 16, 2012

Just get the correct package, doesn't really matter what component it actually is, you can rename it however you want and connected it however you want.

What main IC does the flexdrive use?

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