TK's Emisar D4 review

For an idea what to expect, this shows how the same algorithm behaves on another light… It goes through a few phases:

  • First I turned it on at turbo. I adjusted the position of the light a bit at first, which made the graph look odd at the beginning.
  • After the step-down, I let it sit untouched for a while with a fan blowing at it.
  • Then I took the fan away, and it stepped down more.
  • I left it alone for a bit, and it stayed pretty stable.
  • Then I touched ice to the outside of the light. It ramped up slowly.
  • I removed the ice. It stayed stable for a bit, resting in a pool of its own cold water.
  • After the water heated up, it stepped down once and was stable for a while.
  • I blew the puddle of water away from the light so it would be dry again.
  • It stepped down again, to about the same level it did before without the fan.
  • Eventually I turned it off and ended the test.

The brightness depends very much on the light’s environment and its configured temperature limit.

The step-up uses the smallest steps available, so it can be hard to see. It’s much easier to measure with a lux meter or an app like zak.wilson’s “Ceilingbounce”.

Good to know, I’ve set my 1A higher, blinked 6 times after I set it?

The room temp was very cold when I tested the 1A at 5,400 lumens the next night was warmer and I couldn’t get past 4,800
I got a consistent 4,000 for the 219c with Sony VTCA5 and 3,800 with VTC6, which is on par with reviews. The 1A is far more erratic, even the same batteries yielded different readings.

> UI every month

I’m starting to wish the drivers had an interface for a micro-memory card to accept the updates.
Because this stuff just keeps getting better.

Firmware, that’s the ticket… flashlights with firmware! :slight_smile:

Simply plug in the micro USB and reflash the firmware directly from the computer, like a DSLR. :smiley:

Precisely mu thoughts from today…include USB type C plug. Use it to:

  • reflash the chip
  • with a helper app, provide GUI configuration
  • charge the battery
  • turn the light to a powerbank

As to predictability, the light has better memory than I do. I often avoid turning it on with a single click and loosen the head before that, just in case it’s on turbo.
Also, I never know what direction will the ramping go.

That requires a much more capable MCU than we’ve been using for flashlights. An atmega chip can do it though.

There was an arduino-based light a few years ago, but it was expensive and kind of meh. There was also one with bluetooth for configuration, but it had physical design problems and the concept was never developed very far. Some recent driver designs use vias for programming pins so it can be reflashed acupuncture style without removing the driver, and requires no host modifications. That might be an idea worth exploring further.

That’s why I used different ramp controls in newer UIs. Hold to ramp up, click then hold to ramp down.

I made a reversing one about 3 years ago, but the way it often went the wrong direction always bugged me. So I had been meaning to change it, but I didn’t really touch e-switch code again until recently.

Can you buy tail caps separate? I’d like to mod one to fit on my keychain.

Just changed replaced my 3D Xp-g2 emiters with 5D’s. Man this tint is nice! Perfect light now.

Can someone explain me, what makes XP-L version is as much as $ 18 more expensive?

Has anyone compiled the complete UI documentation anywhere?
(including the tips’n’tricks posted hereabouts in responses)?

Got my light from RMM, but no docs with it.

pietros, the XP-L version costs more because XP-L emitters cost more. It’s not about the perceived value, it’s about the materials cost.

hank, the most complete documentation I’m aware of is … this thread. Sorry. :frowning:

The XP-L HI is $3-4 more per each than Nichia 219C or XP-G2 emitters. Multiply that by 4, select desired tint bins and there ya go. The domed XP-L HD won’t fit under the Carclo quad optics.

Surely someone here aspires to a career in editing documentation?

(P.S. — is there a way to download an entire thread without pagination, as a long text file? Then deleting everything not part of the desired end product becomes fairly easy to do)

It seems to me most everything is in the D4 UI V2 diagram. The only trick i heard of is to unscrew the tail cap to reset the memory to 100% 7135 level. How to properly set the step down temperature could use some additional explanations too. Is there much else?

http://intl-outdoor.com/noctigon-4xp-mcpcb-nichia-nvsw219ct-r8000-d260-p-915.html
http://intl-outdoor.com/noctigon-4xp-mcpcb-cree-xpl-hi-v2-3a-p-917.html

It’s only $ 7 different.

Not hating, just stating

$7@

> unscrew the tailcap to reset the memory

Ah, that was a gotcha! I’ve been unscrewing the tailcap to lock out the button, and suddenly was surprised to find the light won’t get more than slightly brighter, ramping went away.
Must be I’m falling into that memory setting.

Thanks for the reminder where to find the printed GUI chart.

Another please-remind-me — this driver has discharge protection so I can use unprotected cells, right?

someone not named hank?

I agree…

Here is a start… who is going next?:slight_smile:

Feature index:

Basic operation

Regulated mode
100% 7135 mode (also double blink indicator)

Setting and reading out Thermal Config

Future Features not yet in the official UI version
ability to set high and low endpoints for ramping

Nominations for Most underused feature
Thermal Configuration :slight_smile:

yes

We need a love child from the D4 and

aka the Lux-RC

Products page

Maybe then we can hold on to this hot rod?

Active cooling, now we’re talking!

Where can I find pricing info?

Something tells me it’s out of my league though…

Can we hope Hank will pick up some ideas? (the active cooling part)