Clone of On The Road M3 ~$13

LED Flashlights – General Info CR123A Flashlights
64

This light has definitely given me the biggest mechanical challenge of any mod thus far. It’s fun though :wink:

I’ve also had a hard time choosing the right emitter. It’s dd but dd is only accessible via double click. Still, if I want to use 219b, 219c I will need to reduce the 2x click turbo as well. Maybe an xpg3 would be ok and xpl2 would probably do well though only for short bursts. But putting a direct drive driver in a light like this shows it’s desire to make an impression. Any of the old gen leds will work well but will fade more with the battery on regulated modes.

So, I think I would like to stick to the plan and make an impression. I have an xpl2 here with 80+ cri and if the beam is not satisfactory I can add a shuttle filter.

Ahhh! What am I thinking! A useful edc light like this without 90+ cri! I can’t let that happen! Maybe tomorrow I will reconfigure my hex file to accommodate a 219c 4000k 9050. Xpg3 90+ would be an option as well but only if I could find a tir lens to fit this thing.

What do you think? Am I making the right choice? 219c?

65

Sub’ed.
This little one is hard to miss.

66

Emitter choice for this light was confusing me too, I’ve two of this running XP-L V6 1A and dedomed XP-G2 S2 0A, I like dedomed XP-G2 more, about 800 Lumens and 20kcd (280m) from this small light has amazed me. The including battery from this light it quite good compare to Efest IMR, and can deliver high current too.

67

Hmm? Didn’t think of xpg2 dedomed. In fact I don’t have any lights with xpg2 dedomed. I’ll have to look through my parts bin to see if I have any xpg2 collecting dust.

68

The decision is a bit harder than usuall because of the the modified ramping and once it’s back together I’m not taking it apart again tomrrflash. The effect of the mods to the ramping tables will be affected greatly by the led chosen specifically the vf of that led. An led like xpl2 with low vf could have a max of 8amps where 50% duty cycle would still be 4amps. The output would be about 1800&1000. Compared to xpg2 where max amps will be 4.5 for 900 lm and 2.25amps for 500lm.

69

The included battery is my best performing 16340. I wonder where they are sourcing them? Beats efest 550 and 700. At 2amp discharge the numbers are 450 and 475 for the efests and 586 for the mystery cell

70

Do you have any pic of the battery LightRider? If you could post it would be nice :+1:
BTW, how’s the flashlight working? Mine will probably arrive next week!
I’ll ‘stick’ with the ‘stock’ light, but it’s good to know how are the modded lights working :wink:

71

72

I almost threw it away when I received it. It’s Unbranded battery in blue wrapper and looks like a ‘crapfire’ cell :smiley:

73

Thanks bwings :wink:
Ehehe, probably a “(insert-name)FIRE”, but it seems to be “not bad”! Could it possibly be PKCell?
They have blue wrapping as well! Or maybe its just a good unbranded cell :smiley:

74

I have no idea, but I believe it’s IMR chemistry and good in both capacity and current.

75

Brands apart, that’s what matters the most :sunglasses:
I’ll wait to see what mine can do :wink:
Thank you :+1:

76

Well, the actual M3 uses an Orbtronic and is very highly rated. Maybe the clone is using a rewrapped Orbtronic?

77

Maybe so? I measure 687mah at .5a discharge.

Mine is the same generic unlabeled blue wrapped cell.

78

Received my Jaxmnve M3 today!
So, what do I have to say? Nice host, indeed, the quality seems to be quite cool!
For the price it has, it is a nice light! The USB charging works fine, nothing to say about that!!

But…that UI messes all up! It has been explained and shown before, so I won’t focus on that, but…it will probably send this light to a drawer…

It doesn’t go that UP nor that DOWN while in the “steppless dimming” mode, so it is like a no-no! The 1st mode setting (L-H-Str…) if the Strobe was hidden, it could work, but it is not… :zipper_mouth_face:

The LED, doesn’t seem to be completely centred (can’t be seen on the photos, though). The tint, despite a slight shift is not bad at all, as I chose NW led. Nice thing, there is no visible PWM at sight nor through cellphone camera!! Not bad :stuck_out_tongue:

Here are some pics, comparing it with the Olight S1R Baton and showing the accessories it came with (the battery is equal to the one shown above by bwings ):


Despite what has been said before about driver modding (or even replacement), I will ask this:

Is there any modder from Europe that would be able / interested to mod this flashlight’s driver to get a Narsil or another kind of driver that would make this light more “functional”/pleasant to use?

I would pay the shipping, driver and work costs - if not overwhelmingly excessive, of course - to send it and get it back! Yes, I know that it probably does not compensate to spend 3 or 4 times the value of the light, but if it worked, this would be a very light to have :blush:

If someone is interested, we can talk by PM! Thanks in advance :+1:

79

Just got the M3 Clone today. Took a bit to get used to the UI and to stay in the ramping mode. It’s no D4 but I think I can get used to it in the ramping mode only. Grr on the non-DTP 14mm MCPCB that’s glued in.

Also got the 90* headlamp from Jaxmnve. Same UI, no USB, Switch cap led is lit Red all the time ON. The headband is too small to use and no magnet in tail. What I hate most is the obvious flicker at low modes but the M3 Clone isn’t as obvious of a flicker.

UPDATE:
That was short lived. I used the USB to charge the included battery and the light worked one time. Now it just gives a short flash once the button is switched.
Took it apart thinking it was the 4X4 SW, no luck. Did get it to work again briefly, but no more. Seems like a capacitor?? After several tries it will turn on. But after switching modes it will die again.

80

Wow, that is not nice :frowning: Even being a cheap light, it should work more than I time after charging…
I don’t know the internals as I didn’t try to dismantle it, but other members have disassembled it already!

About the UI, yup, I guess it will be like using a light in a “single” mode, as the range between low and high doesn’t have a huuuge difference! For me it will be a light of occasion, despite all the nice things it has.

Later I will try to charge it to see if there is any anomaly!

81

Been busy on this light.
Waiting on a 15mm driver with D4 v2 firmware amd an XM-L2 T6 4C mounted to a 14mm MCPCB.
have the SW board done and it’s mounting figured out. Green leds installed and a 15K ohm resistor.
Because of the mounting pad on the SW board it will not need the black Negative wire installed once finished. One red is the SW power and the other is for the leds.
No more USB charging though. Wanted to use the M3 body without the USB hole but the Clone pill doesn’t fit, goes too deep. Drilled and tapped the SW board mounting screw, M2X6 with a small head. Ground the slot to fit the screw head. It is really a solid mounting.




82

Why ditch the charger?

83

:smiley:

Several reasons:
it was why the light failed in the first place. post #79
I also ruined the pads on the SW board to driver getting driver assy out of the brass ring.
My electronics ability is minimal. Getting the light sorted out to what I am capable of building.
Driver ordered from MtnE assembled and programed with D4. Again beyond my abilities to build and program a driver.

Honestly, I would never use the USB charger on this lght. Capacity and run time is too short. I would be swapping batts regularly. Its easier to charge a 4 pack all at once.
I loved the M3 before it also broke. Bought the Clone to replace it and the first use of the charge port killed the light on the first day I owned it. I used the M3 daily and it is one of the only lights in my collection I used and carried daily, other than my AAA EDC. These lights pocket easily, clip to my hat brim while working and the magnetic tail is used on automotive work. In the end it will work and have better, useful, firmware.