New Convoy C8 – Clearly better

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
596

Hi BLF! This is my 1st post here!

Self-disclosure time: I’m non-native English speaker; I don’t have experience or knowledge to mod or program anything about flashlights, I’m just a regular buyer; I’ve been recently converted to “flashaholism”!!! Amen!

I want to thank BLF for all the work done and knowledge sharing on this forum! It has been really nice to read some experiences here, and it has been helping me to obtain important information and to choose some things about flashlights!

Pardon me if my subject should be in another post, as I wanted to ask not about Convoy C8 but about the “Biscotti” firmware. I would appreciate if you could help me!

I own a Convoy S2+ (7135*6 – XML2 U2-1A), bought from Simon on AliExpress and I’m very happy with it!
Now I want to try other things, still on Convoy S2+, like another tint (T6 - 3B), and to use IMR 18350 batteries for EDC purposes.
But before I order a new flashlight, I have some questions, and was wondering if you could help me.

1- Is the Biscotti firmware available to S2? And if so, do you think I can order my new S2 with it already inside? (I’ve seen that Simon is a great guy, but I don’t want to abuse asking him to put this driver into the flashlight if it is not usual to do so…)

2- This firmware will work fine with a T6-3B led, or should I prefer other type of tint/led?

3- I was thinking to choose a 7135*8 driver to use it (mostly) with the group 8 (0,1% - 1% - 10% - 50) . Occasionally, if needed, I would change it to have 100 power, but not necessarily all the time!
SO, if I choose this driver, using the group 8 configuration, do you think it will be nice to use it with IMR 18350 batteries? If not, should I prefer the one with 7135*6 chips?

4– In the end, if I order a Convoy S2+ with the Biscotti firmware, 7135*8 – T6 – 3B, which should I prefer, among these:
a) Samsung INR18650 30Q – 3000mah
b) Sanyo NCR18650GA – 3500mah
c) Panasonic NCR18650B – 3400mah

d) Keepower IMR 18350 – 750mah
e) Keepower 18350 – 900mah
f) AWT IMR18350 – 800mah

Other suggestions, both for flashlight and/or batteries are welcome, of course!!

The sites I may use to purchase these things (on the “budget mode”) are AliExpress, Gearbest, Banggood and NKON, so my references are from what is available on these, as well!

If any of you could help me with this, I would appreciate! Thanks in advance for all!

597

Welcome aboard MB! :slight_smile:

Great to see such unadulterated exuberance. Hide your billfold, cut up your credit cards… you’re a perfect candidate for full blown flashaholism and will soon need dedicated flashlight cabinets. :smiley:

Biscotti (Bistro Mini) will work fine in the S2+, either with an 18350 or 18650. Your idea to use 8 7135 chips will give you a nice output on Turbo, also your idea to use the mode level 8 to prolong cell life for your half cell is right on target. You’ve researched it quite well.

Simon will gladly put a new updated driver in your purchase, just ask him and if there’s a charge for doing so he will let you know, most likely there won’t be. Tell him you’re a new BLF addict and rave like you’re doing here and he’ll know you’re one of us, he too is a flashaholic and your enthusiasm will appeal to him. :wink:

Have fun! Modding is next… :stuck_out_tongue:

598

I was charged all of $1 for the new firmware in the S2+.

599

Dale,
Thank you very much for your welcoming and quick answer!
I’m not sure if I’ll ever go onto “modding” as I don’t have expertise or tools to do that!
But one thing I’m sure, I like to have a flashlight with me, so I’ll always keep one or two around…in each house division, and I’ll refine my taste to always get better lights!

Concerning my questions, you clarified the most important things, so I guess I’ll talk to Simon and ask if he minds to put the “biscotti” in the flashlight!
I already contacted him before about a similar thing and he seemed very open to send me a “customized” flashlight, but then I saw this firmware and now I’ll go for it as I’m sure it will work on S2+!…

Also, thanks for confirming/informing that the mode level I intend to use the most will be feasible with the 8 7135 chips! I don’t want to be charging the batteries all the time, I don’t want the light to burn my hands, but I also want a flexible driver to allow me a wide range of possibilities. Biscotti will certainly do it !
SO , thanks to those who developed it and to those who promote these developments!
And thanks Dale!!

Stephenk,
I also thank you for the answer, and I guess I won’t mind paying some extra money to get a(nother) very good light from Convoy!

Thank you both, and I’ll be around as I have a lot to learn with you people!
Regards!

600

Welcome new friend!

It’s an honor to have a new member’s first post in a Convoy thread. :slight_smile:

Your English is very good by the way. Worldwide membership is one of the things that make BLF such a special place.

One thing I wanted to mention though is that the firmware is in it’s first release and there are a few things to be sorted out. The main thing that you will see if you have Simon put the new driver in your S2+ is that the blinky modes like strobe and bike-flash and even the programming mode are running double speed.

We are working on correcting this. It’s still a nice improvement but it will be much better in the next revision. I just wanted to inform you before you order.

Welcome aboard!

601

Hi J-Dub74,

Thanks for your welcoming, kind words and also the work developing this firmware! It may need improvement but it is really nice!
During the past month I’ve searched many things about flashlights (as buyer) once I “no nothing” about this “flashaholic” world, and to my content I found BLF and, recently, these news about the firmware for Convoy flashlights! So, it’s good to be in this “special place” and to know so many good things that you guys dream and do! Thanks! :slight_smile:

Concerning the firmware, I read in the thread that there were some things to be perfected, and now you informed us! Thanks for it!
I followed Dale’s suggestion and contacted Simon about putting the “biscotti” in my new S2+, and he said it was possible by adding $1 to the price (as stephenk said).
I already ordered it today along with other stuff!
Although you mentioned issues with the strobe and bike-flash, I guess I won’t mind because I mainly use the normal modes.

In my S2+, I don´t like the blink to change modes, so this new firmware is a breakthrough!
If I see that it has major issues then…damn, I’ll have to buy another flashlight! Gladly!!! :wink:
I’ll be happy to hear the news about the next revision, please!

Convoy S2+ is simple, robust, versatile, small, a budget flashlight…but it is a beast!

Once again, thanks for the info, and keep up the good work! :+1:
Regards!

602

Do you think that Simon is putting in the new driver with the double speed issues or just flashing one of the older drivers? Just curious but it would seem that the second option would make changing modes a bit easier to do.

603

Disassembled today the switch for modification and found broken plastic “washer” instead of aluminium washer that Simon is always using! It look as it was cut out of something, thickness is uneven and it’s definitely handmade.

Ordered from aliexpress store…
:frowning:

604

Got a C8 XPL Hi from Gearbest

As I did a spring bypass I noticed a plastic spacer as well but it was looking good

605

I got a brand new shiny Clear ano C8 in the mail yesterday. :smiley:

I stuck a protected EVVA cell in it and tested it…

0.01A for 3.07 lumens
0.08A for 28.29
0.41A for 135.24
1.24A for 432.63
2.70A for 917.7

This is completely stock with 8 of the 350mA 7135 chips on the driver and 28 ga leads.

So, today, having allowed a full 24 hours to pass (I know, right?) I tweaked the shiny little devil. :smiley:

I pulled the driver and re-flashed the Bistro-Mini firmware from the original that TK sent me when all this was first getting going. Then I stacked 6 350mA 7135 chips, swapped the 28ga leads for 20ga leads, put a new XP-L W2 2B on a 20mm Noctigon and shaved the centering ring to about half the base thickness.

Now, it’s a pretty sweet light!

0.02A for 4.07 lumens
0.14A for 50.13
0.70A for 244.95
2.21A for 724.5
4.84A for 1511.1

Wonderful! Thanks for the great work Simon, Jared and TK! Just gotta love these little C8’s for what they can do and how easy it is to mod one.

606

Plastic spacer in the tail switch? Oh the outrage! (preparations being made for a lighted tail cap, hence the clear boot, shhhhhhh!)

607

I plan on adding one of those nifty 6 LED tailcap boards for my clear C8 when I work up the courage to solder those tiny boogers. I went ahead and bypassed both springs and put in a FET +1 along with an XPL-HI V2-3B on noctigon. 108kcd before tweaking focus, haven’t measured lumens or tailcap amps yet.

608

Damn, that’s hardly any drop in efficacy from 2A to almost 5A!

I gotta get me some DTPs…

609

I’m seeing 5.8A at the tail with my clamp meter.
Freshly charged 4.201v 30Q measures 111kcd and 1508lm at 30seconds.
FET +1, XPL-HI V2-3B on noctigon.

Is that a fairly low throw for this setup? I imagine I need to tweak the height of the centering ring right?

610

Try taping off the base of the reflector with kapton tape and doing away with the centering ring, see if that nets you any gain. The HI can be pretty fickle to get it just right. Sanding down the centering ring or removing it altogether is likely to give a better focus, it’s a hit and miss kind of deal.

I switched to the new XP-L W2 2B and actually lost throw numbers, sanded the centering ring down to about half it’s base thickness. But I like the beam profile so I’m not worried about the numbers.

611

I think it’s nearly max with xp-l hi .

Fet driver and :
Xp-l hi 105-110kcd
Xp-l dedomed 145-155kcd
Xp-g2 old dedomed 165 up to 195kcd

612

That’s unfortunate. A simple accident no doubt but still a bummer. I passed the info and pictures along to Simon. If you contact him through the Ali message system he will certainly make it right. These type of things will come up from time to time but Simon always takes care of any mistakes like this.

613

Hello all,

This is an excellent thread and I thought it best to post here where the expertise is rather than clog up the forum with yet another thread. I’ve read though this thread and my problem doesn’t seem to have cropped up before.

Yesterday I received an updated C8, the XPL HI model this thread is about. I put a fully charged NCR18650B in it and switched it on, cycled though the modes and was generally very impressed. So far, so good.

The issue was when I attempted to put it in config mode to change the settings. I clicked it on, and then proceeded to tap it quickly but steadily expecting it to stop turning on and then buzz. Problem is, it didn’t seem to go into the config mode. Confused, I clicked it off and clicked back on again, it came on low (0.1? 1?) and then no matter how many times I tapped the switch, clicked the switch or anything else it refused to do anything other than this low output.

In summary, after attempting to go into config mode and failing I have been left with a light that switches on with a very low output but then refuses to do anything else no matter what.

Has anyone else had this problem or even have any idea what might be wrong? Is there a way of doing a ‘hard reset’ back to the default settings?

I thought I’d post on here before taking it up with Simon at Ali, from what I hear in this thread he seems to be a busy man and I’d rather not bother him if I can sort it out myself.

Many many thanks.

614

Hi Alex, welcome to BLF! :slight_smile:

These drivers with new firmware, that are used for the first time in the clear C8, do have a programming error that as far as reported yet have no serious effect on the actual functioning of the flashlight. But you may have encountered a problem after all.
Personally I have tried this same driver (I ordered them as bare driver from Simon) in a triple XP-G3 flashlight (S2+ shorty with 18500 cell) and it acted weird too (but different: overly enthousiastic stepdowns, seemed to switch on in a random setting). Perhaps my use was a kind of out-of-spec use, so I will not blame the firmware for that.
Maybe others have encountered problems too and care to report here?

615

TK said that a programming error by the factory caused the drivers to run at twice the speed they are supposed to, effectively overclocking them. This can lead to odd issues if it is widespread. I never saw a conclusion to that issue although it should be a simple fix ones figured out and not effect the vast majority of users.