TK's Emisar D4 review

[glide_1]

Do we have a pic of the pocket clip intl-outdoor.com is selling?

[Trevi_lux]

@glide 1

Do we have a pic of the pocket clip intl-outdoor.com is selling?

+1

[ToyKeeper]

@Mp0wer

I wonder if it’s possible to have the D4 UI In the M43?

No, but if you want the M43 UI on a D4, that’s already about two thirds implemented. (UI1 and UI2 are working, but I got distracted before doing UI3)

The M43 driver isn’t as mod-friendly, so it has no other firmwares available.

[ToyKeeper]

The news about the clip, and the 5000K 90CRI emitter option, is interesting. I definitely want to see what the clip is like, and I might be tempted to try the higher-CRI emitter too. It’d be even more tempting at 4500K or 4750K though.

Hoping the clip is nice, and that it can fit the 18350 size D4. OTOH, I might just use another SolarForce clip on my D4 shorty, and grind down a couple parts which stick out. The adjustments take a while since it’s pretty hard metal, but those clips are pretty nice once they’re fitted.

[Agro]

Also:

Add screws to the MCPCB from Sep, 25.

[ToyKeeper]

Yeah, apparently people were messing with their bezels and not tightening things properly afterward, which interfered with thermal transfer from the MCPCB to pill. So he had to add screws to hold the MCPCB down.

It worked fine when left alone, but I guess people weren’t leaving it alone.

[Jtm94]

So I guess this means that if you add in the offset LED mcpcb you don’t need to worry about having a thick enough o ring since the screws will hold it tight.

[Deputy_Dog]

Any news on a release date for the D1S?

[CheapThrills]

@ToyKeeper

@treoneo

How much more advanced can we get than the most advanced in 2017??

Things which still have a lot of room for improvement:

• Current lights are still in the range of ~70 to ~130 lm / W, while the theoretical maximum for white light is 300 lm / W. So, that can go quite a bit farther… especially if we find a way to convert heat into usable energy.
• Batteries are advancing every year too, which tends to make things interesting.
• Driver designs have been getting better and fancier, and there’s quite a bit of opportunity left there… particularly for boost drivers for higher-voltage configurations. And increasing efficiency of moon modes.
• High-CRI lights are still not as common as they should be.
• Color-related features can be added, plus IR and UV.
• Dynamic tint might become a thing — changing the tint from warm white to cool white on the fly.
• The ability to change beam shape on the fly might be interesting too, or even adding a laser.
• There are still lots of ideas to explore in interface design, especially when using more than just a single button.
• Built-in charging and powerbank functions are still relatively uncommon. Other multifunction ideas are also mostly unexplored too.
• Auxiliary lights are still pretty simple and uncommon, like a switch/button LED. For example, I still hope to make a tailcap LED board which shows battery state while the light is off.
• A few people have added small screens to their flashlights… which might be an interesting idea to explore. I suspect it’s probably of very limited usefulness though.
• Extra sensors can be interesting too, like for sensing light and heat and gravity, maybe even sound.
• Aesthetics change all the time.

Things which aren’t likely to improve much:

• The physical size of each type of light is unlikely to decrease much. This is partially due to ergonomics and partially due to the need for thermal mass to deal with heat. However, higher efficiency can decrease the need for thermal mass.
• Physical interfaces have mostly been explored already. Buttons today are mostly the same as they were decades ago. Adding extra buttons or fancier inputs still adds just as much complication as it did in the past.
• Logical interfaces are still improving, but on fairly simple lights some aspects seem like they’re approaching an optimal state. For example, many people in different cultures came up with very similar designs for a ramping UI with one e-switch and one emitter (logically, the D4 is only one emitter since all four LEDs operate as one). There likely isn’t much room to improve on the basic operation there.
• Basic blinky modes don’t change much over time, and fancy blinky modes have very limited usefulness.
• Reflectors and optics don’t really change.
• Host materials don’t really change. We already know which materials work best for which purposes.
• The useful brightness level of EDC lights has pretty much already been exceeded. My D4 may be able to make 4000 lumens, but most of the time I use less than 200. More lumens can be added, but it’s an upgrade with diminishing returns.

Not a complete list, but hopefully it shows that there is still room left to grow.

Also, while it’s more of a social thing than a technological thing, one big area for improvement is getting companies more aligned with the communities they serve. Making their products more mod-friendly and more based on community feedback. Improving code portability and hardware moddability so people can mix and match whatever hardware and firmware they want. Treating people as collaborators instead of consumers. Encouraging people to get involved.

That social change is the main thing I’ve been working on the past few years.

Great summary, thanks! :+1:

Oh, I MIGHT ADD, that I noticed Intl-Outdoor to have these back in stock!
Nichia-option seems now to be 90CRI instead of 80 :cowboy_hat_face:

Took it with Nichia, Shorter tube and clip
….and ofcourse I took the Floody optic, what else

[RollerBoySE]

@CheapThrills

Great summary, thanks! :+1:

+1

The next logical step is active cooling and/or using a ridiculous number of LED:s (LED:s are much more efficient when you don’t drive each as hard).

[Tixx]

@ToyKeeper

The news about the clip, and the 5000K 90CRI emitter option, is interesting. I definitely want to see what the clip is like, and I might be tempted to try the higher-CRI emitter too. It’d be even more tempting at 4500K or 4750K though.

Hoping the clip is nice, and that it can fit the 18350 size D4. OTOH, I might just use another SolarForce clip on my D4 shorty, and grind down a couple parts which stick out. The adjustments take a while since it’s pretty hard metal, but those clips are pretty nice once they’re fitted.

What was the previous Nichia 5000k offered?

EDIT: I see someone mentioned it was previously 80CRI. Wonder why not a 4000k High CRI Nichia.

[contactcr]

219C 5000K 80+ CRI

[RollerBoySE]

@ToyKeeper

and the 5000K 90CRI emitter option, is interesting.

Definitely, but no green ones in stock (only black available).

[bunnicula]

Already ordered the black one (because it’s the only available color). But a friend sent this to me:

upload png google

[Keylin]

!!

[Keylin]

D1s should be on the shelf this week

[Keylin]

!!
I like this little blue baby

[Tjohn]

@ToyKeeper

Yeah, apparently people were messing with their…………So he had to add screws to hold the MCPCB down.

Sounds like Mules will be a piece of cake.

[alex64]

@bunnicula

Already ordered the black one (because it’s the only available color). But a friend sent this to me:

upload png google

[Slargo83]

I placed an order for the new nichia 219CT WITH a pocket clip. An order from China so who know when it’ll get here but I’ll post pics as soon as I get it.