Ha ha! good point. Thanks a lot Tom
Yes the poor state of SRK clones is main reason for the Q8
Ironically I’ve read several posts where SRK clones were bought in this topic and me too ordered one to see a new head design :person_facepalming:
:person_facepalming: 
I’d like to be added to the list for one (1) Q8. This is my first time with a group buy through BLF, so I’m curious about the process. Will an email be sent to each individual when production is complete, or will a new thread be started with instructions on where to purchase the light? Thanks!
Welcome to BLF!
You’ll get a PM with link and code down the path.
I bought a SRK clone (or is it a clone? The brand is Sky Ray King) just for research… Basically to have something to compare the Q8 to. I pretty much knew what I was buying for $25. It works. It has only 2 modes. The best part of it is the lanyard which totally does away with the monofilament that connects to the light. It’s 100% faux parachute cord. I don’t hate this light, but for $15 more the Q8 is going to be far more light.
Then I bought a Manker MK41 which is a sort of mini SRK using AAs. Now the MK41 is a nice light with a nice UI, but it’s not what the Q8 will be either.
It seems that the Q8 project brought a lot of new members like me. Amazing work!
I saw it mentioned on Reddit quite a few times, and figured $40 can’t be bad for an introduction into the soup can thrower genre. I enjoy flashlights as much as the next guy on here, but spending a crapload of money on a Noctigon Meteor M43 to determine whether or not I would regularly use that type of light is extremely impractical.
See if press and hold or double click gets you strobe mode.
This will be the tasty soda that we probably drink in a long time 
Heheh nice words FlashMax!
Yeah BrianK you might just find a THIRD mode hidden under a long press, how awesome is that!
Sorry, yes, that`s the one I meant. Supfire M6.. got a little confused
That did it! Press and hold (longer) . I was double clicking and got nothing but the 2 modes and off, and my long hold was too short probably by a nanosecond.
OK, question. Understand that I know little about the inner workings of these lights and there must be a very good reason this isn’t done. This SRK has 7 LEDS. Why don’t the designers allow for 7 light levels just by lighting LEDs 1-7 cumulatively? That would give 7 levels of output. Too much wiring? Would the beam pattern leave a lot to be desired?
Sorry, but even at my age I haven’t lost the childlike quality of always questioning. Too, it’s something to do while we’re waiting for Tom.
Heheh this was actually something I thought too
But then I learned a reason for more leds is higher efficiency for starters and that one needs a very complicated driver and wiring to do what you say.
Thanks. Makes sense now.
1) Output would be spatially uneven
2) Perceived brightness does not have a linear relationship with power
3) Going off what TheMiller said, there’s higher luminous efficacy when running multiple LEDs at a low current as opposed to one LED at max current
To individually control 7 LEDs, it would need 7 independent power channels controlled by 7 pins on the MCU… or a completely different design. The MCU only has 5 usable pins, which are currently used for:
- 1x7135: Low modes
- FET: Med/high modes
- Indicator LED
- E-switch
This leaves one, which often gets used for a 7x7135 channel for better medium modes. Or for measuring battery voltage. Or for another indicator LED color.
There are other reasons too:
- What Miller said about efficiency. Using 1 amp spread evenly between 7 LEDs is more efficient than 1 amp sent to only 1 LED.
- If it had 7 levels, at 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 amps, it would effectively only have a narrow range of medium/high modes. To achieve levels which appear evenly-spaced, the power use ends up rather uneven, like the graph of x**3 instead of a straight line.
- Turning on/off individual LEDs in a 7x SRK would make the beam less symmetrical due to the overlapping reflectors.
If we have 1 free pin, why do we not have a 7x7135 channel? Firmware size limitations?
Put me on the list as well please, then I can junk my chinese knockoff SRK.
I’m not actually involved in the project, so I don’t have the details. If I understand correctly though, it’s because:
- There wasn’t a free pin until recently. (or there may not be a free pin even now?)
- Three-channel drivers weren’t supported by any firmware when the driver was created.
- Ramping is generally less smooth and more fiddly with more channels.
- It’s too late to change the driver.
- The extra parts could raise the price.
- Diminishing returns; going from 2 channels to 3 is a smaller upgrade than going from 1 to 2.
Basically, the extra complexity probably isn’t worth it right now.