"Lostgallifreyan" wrote in message
...
"Arfa Daily" wrote in
:

I really
think that I'm going to have to buy one, and attack it with the
Dremmel

Set to with zeal, my son. If I had a dremel, I would. Probably.

Did find this though:
http://www.claremicronix.com/datashe...0Sheet%20Rev05
3107.pdf
Again, clickable: http://tinyurl.com/2kf3jv

That's interesting because it shows 90% efficiency as I hoped might be
had, from a circuit with no large smoothing capacitor. It's just one tiny
IC driving a MOSFET and using an inductor. I don't know how big that
inductor is, but not very, I imagine. Maybe similar to the one on the
module on the eBay page I linked to earlier. A series chain of three or
four LED's might well be driven directly from the mains, and all fitted
inside one of those small lamp capsules. Heat dispersal might be tight,
but
doable, especially in those lamps with the fine louvre shells to allow
convection to get in amongst the doings.

Well, that's not strictly true. The issue of where the input voltage comes
from, is carefully avoided in the data sheet. It only shows that the chip
can operate from a DC input range of 8 to 450v. To get the DC input from the
mains, would still require a bridge and smoothing cap. However, looks like a
useful chip, and a good candidate for the back end processing. It claims
that it can drive "hundreds" of LEDs in series / parallel strings. Still
reserving judgement at this time ...

Arfa