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OPEN SOURCE: "CC-Boost" - 2.4 Amp boost driver - RC1

rhd said:
Neat! And unexpected. I wonder if it's actually the ZXCT heating or just its proximity to the sense resistor. Did it seem to heat more than the resistor.
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That figures. Now I'm not sure if it was the ZXCT or it's proximity to the sense resistor. :o Seems like a non issue anyway, the extended run time came from heatsinking the IC :D The important thing is, CC Boost lives !
If I can't kill it, well, I started to say nobody can kill it, that doesn't seem to be a true statement :na:
 





crazyspaz said:
Did you try the chips I sent you?
Click to expand...

Not yet. Health problems

rhd said:
Neat! And unexpected. I wonder if it's actually the ZXCT heating or just its proximity to the sense resistor. Did it seem to heat more than the resistor.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking the same thing. At full
output it shouldn't be passing more than
9mW, far below its 450mW rating.

Got FLIR?

Flir-TG165-Warm-Milk-Refrigeration-Issues.jpg
 
The Lightning Stalker said:
Not yet. Health problems
I'm thinking the same thing. At full
output it shouldn't be passing more than
9mW, far below its 450mW rating.
Click to expand...

That's another reason I don't like pots -> you get a less efficient driver.

With a fixed driver, I'd select an RSENSE that would produce exactly (or just slightly above) the 50mV drop required by the ZXCT. With an adjustable driver, you have to expect a range, and it's the lowest current in that range that needs to drop at least the 50mV. As a result, at higher currents, you're going to drop maybe, 150mV (triple the voltage drop). That same current could instead be hit with a fixed version of the exact same driver, by simply using an RSENSE that produced a 50mV drop at the higher current.
 
rhd said:
That's another reason I don't like pots -> you get a less efficient driver.

With a fixed driver, I'd select an RSENSE that would produce exactly (or just slightly above) the 50mV drop required by the ZXCT. With an adjustable driver, you have to expect a range, and it's the lowest current in that range that needs to drop at least the 50mV. As a result, at higher currents, you're going to drop maybe, 150mV (triple the voltage drop). That same current could instead be hit with a fixed version of the exact same driver, by simply using an RSENSE that produced a 50mV drop at the higher current.
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Okay. Progress. This is pretty spooky. When I first found this thread I was wondering what in the world is rhd talking about. Now I'm "starting" to understand what your talking about.
Soon I will crossover and be a full fledged geek. :)
 
Got some parts from iwire today. Put another together, and same problem- gets ludicrously jot and starts dropping current. I will try one more time, doing it a little different as to not overhest the IC. If that fails then I think im done with this project.
 
crazyspaz said:
Got some parts from iwire today. Put another together, and same problem- gets ludicrously jot and starts dropping current. I will try one more time, doing it a little different as to not overhest the IC. If that fails then I think im done with this project.
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So.... If the parts are the same ones that IWIRE is successful with, the problem isn't the parts or design.

Is it possible you're orienting the IC in the wrong direction? I know it sounds like a silly question, but you've ruled out everything else.
 
crazyspaz said:
Got some parts from iwire today. Put another together, and same problem- gets ludicrously jot and starts dropping current. I will try one more time, doing it a little different as to not overhest the IC. If that fails then I think im done with this project.
Click to expand...
Glad you got the pieces :) Sorry it didn't help :( I wish I would have had time to assemble one, test it and send you a known working one. I started to send you the one I've been playing with but it's already glued to a heatsink and the heatsink and drive was too big to fit in the envelope.
That should have eliminated parts as the problem. It seems like it would have to be something to do with the assembly/testing process. :thinking:

rhd said:
So.... If the parts are the same ones that IWIRE is successful with, the problem isn't the parts or design.

Is it possible you're orienting the IC in the wrong direction? I know it sounds like a silly question, but you've ruled out everything else.
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For you guys that may be a silly question. For me that's not a silly question. :crackup: Don't even ask. :)

If the assembly is right. It seems like it would have to be the heatsinking. How are you heatsinking it ?
Are you powering it from a battery or a PS ?
Just throwing ideas out.
 
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rhd said:
So.... If the parts are the same ones that IWIRE is successful with, the problem isn't the parts or design.

Is it possible you're orienting the IC in the wrong direction? I know it sounds like a silly question, but you've ruled out everything else.
Click to expand...

Sure wish it was that. I have double checked everything. Plus, if it was bass ackwards, why would it still work? It works fine, just gets obscenely hot (and doesn't go to 2.5A)
 
I have thought about replacing it yes, but i have decided I've wasted enough time and money on these things. Obviously I am doing something wrong (wish I knew what the hell it was!), and I am not about to just throw more money at it and hope the problem goes away.

edit: I have just had a thought. Using the parts from IWIRE, i got a driver that got very hot and did not output the proper range of current, even though IWIRE's drive worked. However- he had his on a massive heatsink, so any heat would have been dissipated. I have been running mine without heatsinks (as it shouldn't get boiling hot in 10 seconds at 1.7A). Would it not stand to reason that IWIRE's would have done the same, if he hadn't put it on a heatsink? TLS's did too. I can't speak for adam1, but it seems to be a reoccurring theme here. I have checked and rechecked everything, there's just no way its error on my part, and the likelihood of us ALL getting knockoff parts seems pretty low, especially since all except the main IC came from digikey. Now obviously the main IC isl well, the MAIN IC (duh), so if thats janky then the whole thing will be screwed up. It may help it everyone who has made these posts the link to where they bought their IC's.
 
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IWIRE said:
I wish you were a mechanic at a car dealer. Auto repair would be a lot cheaper. :)
Sorry the parts didn't help. I was hoping they would. :beer:

Here is a link to where I got mine. Shenzhen Zhoufa electronic - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling qfp socket,shipping forums,qfp adaptor and more on Aliexpress.com

If the drive still works, try heatsinking it and see what happens.
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All my drives work, they just get to darn hot. I may send the boards and IC's back to you, as its seems we have the same IC (be it real or knockoff, who knows). Still, thanks for the parts for sure.

I was just hoping to have a drive that could run at 2.3A+ without needing a massive amount of heatsinking. Sure, I can run them at 1A and be fine, but since they don't fit in a 12mm hole, that doesn't do me much good anyway- who wants a 1A driven diode in a giant host?
 
crazyspaz said:
I was just hoping to have a drive that could run at 2.3A+ without needing a massive amount of heatsinking. Sure, I can run them at 1A and be fine, but since they don't fit in a 12mm hole, that doesn't do me much good anyway- who wants a 1A driven diode in a giant host?
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It's such a shame that people are so unaccustomed to proper building these days. There was an era when people didn't just fly drivers in mid air hanging off of diode pins inside an Aixiz module like all the Chinese crap lasers do. It's a shame that 95% of host designers are making "plop and burn" heatsinks that play to the "all in one" module crowd. I wouldn't be shocked if the next trend is to make parts that clip together and don't even require soldering.....

But I digress. None of that rant has anything to do with this driver, which should give you 2.4A without issue. I'm sure the problem will be clear once I can see the driver.
 
rhd said:
It's such a shame that people are so unaccustomed to proper building these days. There was an era when people didn't just fly drivers in mid air hanging off of diode pins inside an Aixiz module like all the Chinese crap lasers do. It's a shame that 95% of host designers are making "plop and burn" heatsinks that play to the "all in one" module crowd. I wouldn't be shocked if the next trend is to make parts that clip together and don't even require soldering.....

But I digress. None of that rant has anything to do with this driver, which should give you 2.4A without issue. I'm sure the problem will be clear once I can see the driver.
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I would be fine with heatsinking the driver, but I would need a pretty extensive heatsink for it. You will see when you get it I suppose.
 
I was thinking most drives at these currents were recommended to be heatsinked.
It's really not that big of a deal to me. I wouldn't want to try and fit it in a really small host but something like the "Big Chunk" host works great. I just stick the inductor to the module heatsink and a strip of copper from IC to host. Works for me. YMMV. :)
 
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