Q8, PMS SEND TO THOSE WITH ISSUES BLF soda can light

Thanks Tom E for post 16362

Obviously I was discussing electrical solutions, and I never said the diode on the mcu eats LED voltage. A diode on each battery would. The mechanical solution sounds good.

There’s a no-cost way that everyone can do to avoid shorting out the cells that way. I know it’s a tough one, but at the no cost price point it should be something literally everyone can do.

Pay attention when inserting cells.

It’s THE easiest way to ensure your light keeps working, time after time…. :wink:

(Yes, I know, it should go without saying. Apparently it needs to be said louder and more often.) Lights like these are not toys, the danger is real. What if, and I’ve seen it before so I say this in truth, what if the spring welded itself to the cell in that sudden burst of extreme current, instead of dropping the cell out of contact? Milliseconds come into play, things get ugly really fast when the incident takes a slightly different turn…

Put some tape on the positive battery end so that you can more easily tell which end is which.

I have used a red Sharpie marker to make a red ring around the + end of all my 30Q’s, both flat tops and button tops. I used red tape on some at first but one light had a clearance problem with the extra thickness. So I went to the marker.

On a lot of my electrical parts, I painted red on the positive ends. For example, part of a 4-wire power measurement device:

Hm. Anybody make glow-in-the-dark shrinkwrap for cells?

I’m not sure that would make sense. When the cells need to be changed, the light source required to charge the GitD material wouldn’t be functional. So they probably wouldn’t ever glow when glowing would be useful.

The GID tapes I have used for assorted things do not glow unless they have been exposed to light for severalhours before it gets dark. Pretty dark inside a battery tube….

.
.
While I agree and do promote personal responsibility in life in general, there are things that can be done to help peiple out when thoughtlessness prevails. That is not necessarily a bad thing. One example that comes to mind is the red cap that now covers the + terminal on every auto I can remember since the 90’s, maybe longer. That red cap does help prevent some accidental contact with metallic items that might otherwise produce sparks at the very least. I survived the previous decades when auto batteries did not come with those covers. The covers just remove a little bit of danger. So an insulative ring on the Q8 driver could be beneficial. Unfortunately some button top 18650’s don’t have much of a button as was illustrated in another recent thread. Nothing is perfect or 100% safe.

> glow-in-the-dark shrinkwrap

Well, put just one cell in. If the light lights up, energize your shrinkwrap or take a close look at the other three cells you have in hand.
If the light doesn’t light up, swap ends on the single cell.

I keep my spare cells in a transparent plastic zipper pouch with some GITD material which is generally glowing at least somewhat from light exposure.
And also one of my spare AAA flashlights or a coin cell LED light, usually.

Wait, what? There are people who carry only ONE flashlight at a time??

In the light, a Sharpie red ring, or Toy Keeper red varnish, at the top, is a quick and useful check.

In the dark, either a standby torch to check, or some other method.

Flat button tops are almost indistinguishable by feel, at least to me.

My solder-blobbed ones are much easier to fumble the right way around. But that’s not really good enough, given the chances, and consequences, of getting just one the wrong way around.

Please take care.

Guys, where can i find the BLF Q8 logo?

:smiley:

Cheers David

Edit, I see in the other thread that you found it :stuck_out_tongue:

On the front end of the Q8 :person_facepalming: I could not resist.

I soldered 14 gauge copper wire bent into a small circle on top of my flattop batteries. In my opinion with the attached wire it’s impossible to not know which end is the positive side even in total darkness and wearing gloves. I have some that I soldered blobbed and to be honest I’m also not sure how it’s possible to miss the positive end if the blob is big enough.

I’ve been reading this ‘possible catastrophic melt-down’ scenario with interest and my opinion is that it’s up to the individual to put the batteries in right. If they don’t think they can then they should get batteries with pronounced button topss, solder on something large, or get another flashlight.

Sure it’s possible to put in the batteries incorrectly but many things in life are dangerous if done haphazardly. Putting in batteries the right way has to rank among the easiest things to do in life.

Got to study the instruction yesterday. I see no way to ramp down other than start from scratch or going all the way to the top. Am I missing something?

I’m not sure I understand your question. What is scratch?

Are any of my videos helpful?

If not, can you re-word your question?

I tried watching the videos, but it seems pointless for me now as my computer has some sound issues and I can’t hear anything.
By starting from scratch I meant turning the light off and ramping from moonlight up.

Okay, so your having trouble switching from ramping up to ramping down?

It has to do with timing. If you ramp up, release the button and then press and hold it again within 1.2 seconds, it will toggle and ramp the opposite direction.

If you wait more than 1.2 seconds, it will continue ramping in the same direction.

Just try it out and it should be easy.

I didn’t have a chance to try it on a light, just didn’t see it at all in the instruction. Thanks. :slight_smile: