Now I eat crow

Being "old school, I assume that ground carries through a power supply circuit. DrLava clearly states that the gorund (-) does not carry through on his board. I got in a hurry and connected ground wires where they were convenient and put battery ground on the diode - port. DON'T do that --
After connecting it "correctly", I have smooth control of current and no pulsing as I reported last night. I am now set at 1.1 Amps Diode current, 1.4 Amps battery input and a stable 920 mW output.
I post this for others who may overlook the diode "floating" ground and use it for power. :can: This dumbass learned to rethink connections after only 2 hours.
HMike