[PART 1] Official BLF GT Group Buy thread. Group buy officially closed! Lights shipping.

Thanks for the detailed update about the new prototype, TA! :+1:

Are the emitter wires long enough to allow access to the driver without desoldering them from the emitter board?

I plan to reflash my GT, but I’m a bit nervous about opening the head and exposing that huge gorgeous reflector to the outside world! :heart_eyes:

From the photos I’ve seen, the reflector looks beautiful. It’s not hard to imagine rapidly diminishing returns from slowing the feed rate.

I’m of course looking forward to the light this thing will put out, but the reflector alone will be a part worth admiring.

Any chance you can get some beam shots of the new prototype? Like nice throwy beam shots at distance. The new improvements look amazing love the side led and how well they did on the battery carrier’s. Looks like a nice light. I’d notice the difference in 1.3 miles and 1.1 miles because I actually light up object’s in the distance. Might be using binoculars with this light this is crazy.

I think you mean the ThruNite TN42vn - again, it's a thin beam - no comparison to the swath of coverage by the GT.

Yes, the V1 proto was able to be flashed without messing with the wires so I assume V2 will as well.

I will try to get some beamshots once I get the firmware sorted and the LED tested. Those are first on my to do list and my limited free time.

I have a water tower I am hoping would make a good target for giggles but finding a dry enough night could be hard. In the humidity the beam just scatters to fast, looks cool though , like a light saber!

The long throw lights are something else, distance and Kcd get more and more difficult to get gains.

ie: I built my 6th light from scratch that makes 815Kcd, which is 1.122 miles. See how the greater Kcd results in surprisingly small gains?

815Kcd for 1.122 mi. (1805.547M)
943Kcd for 1.2 mi (1942.164M)
1300Kcd for 1.4 mi (2280.35M)

tougher and tougher to push that light further. And when you actually try to see those gains, at those distances, it means even less.

I was talking with a friend who’s also on the list for a GT.

I mentioned that due to its comical size, a muggle might think the GT is an outdated incandescent flashlight filled with D batteries… until it’s powered on. :smiley:

I’m tempted to apply a faux finish (using removeable paint) to increase this effect.

Perhaps something resembling this 5 D-cell specimen periodically available ‘free with coupon’ at Radio Shack a few decades ago.

Nice! Thanks!

I Second this Idea!! It would make the light more Durable and add esthetics to it although I do understand it is a bit late in the build process possibly to add it in now and may up the cost a bit! ……But a Good Idea!!

can it use flat top battery or is it must use button top?

With the battery carryer I have some questions and suggestions:

Yes The quality looks nice. But the solder points near the Bat+ pads are not verry nice. Is it possible to move them to an other place?
And it would be great if the flashlight would work with flat top batteries with raised flat top or in other words with bigger top button. That means the cutout of the top pcb has to be enlarged and perhaps the Bat+ pad too. And the solder points have to be moved to another place too.

I am thinking of the following batteries to fit this carryer:

- Sanyo/Panasonic NCR18650GA

- Sony VTC6 and other Sony Batteries

- LG HG2

  • and similar

The only Problem would be that there is only a difference of a few 0.x mm between Bat+ and schrink tube of the most batteries. The NCR18650GA has a bigger difference between these.

What would you think about it?

zelee: why do you have to quote his entire post with all the pictures?

Can I please be put on the list?

please put me on the list for 1pc

thanks

That’s hilarious, gotta get some Duracell decals for the side xD

I was worried about those solder points at first as well but after testing found that they are there purely to hold the PCB’s together. They appear to have no electrical connection with any other point on the light, so shorting out to them is not a concern.

I still have no idea why they chose to solder the pcb’s together though, it is not needed that I can see.

Far as making it work with flat top cells, it would be too difficult to work with those but not with a reverse cell and then you have variances between the cells as well. Better to simply solder blob the cells or if you need to, remove the protection pcb. Removing the PCB would not be hard, just a basic soldering iron or heat gun is all that is needed.

Ok, I had a few minutes to flash the new firmware from Tom. NarsilM GT 1.2.

After the reflash it is working perfectly, so something went wrong with the flash on the china end. I am thinking they either got the wrong Hex file somehow or the fuse settings were wrong. I noticed that Tom updated the fuse settings recently.

We will sort that out but it should be a simple fix.

Not sure if I will have time to test the LED’s today but I will post the results when I get to them.

Now this would be hilarious…. great idea!!! :+1:
Anyone who remembered these old lights would probably pass out from shock when you fired up the ‘look alike GT’…… :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

You kidding me? I love light saber shots they really show the beam, and an impressive beam that is. I loved the videos of the Convoy L6 up on YouTube with all that fog truely impressive. So proud of the progress you guys made on this been looking back through the fourms and its exciting to see it become reality. Can’t wait to order this thing and see what it can do!