TLF/BLF/Lumintop FW3A review (18650, 3x XP-L HI cool white)

It’s a semi-nice bike light in urban traffic. The beam of a headlight meets the street under an angle near to 0° and must not glare drivers or pedestrians.
Symmetrical (to horizontal) optics are less suitable. Too bright near the front wheel, too dark in 10 to 20m distance.

Considering I use an emisar D4 currently with the spot optic, i’m sure it blinds everyone…

I’m not sure the FW3A would be a great choice for biking though, because bikes have a lot of vibration and it could potentially make the inner tube shift sideways enough to register as a click. I haven’t actually tried it, because it has been cold… but it wouldn’t really be my first choice for a bike light.

Awesome data, thanks a lot Maukka!
Any chance to test also a polished 10511?

How much space is there between the inner and outer tube?

I have found this project recently and I found it very interesting.
It look like in other thread it is very popular.

I was thinking about making similar flashlight from my blf a6.
I was trying to find some information about the driver there but I did not manage to get through all messages there. Can you please post some more pictures of it from both sides here? Is it 20 mm driver?

I measured the 219b sw40 triple at 1200 lumens with a 30Q and 950 lumens with a GA. No bluish tint or other weird effects so using a medium current battery is likely fine on turbo. The 30Q I used isn’t new so it has a higher internal resistance than a brand new cell.

1x7135 level is 83 lumens with the sw40 so efficiency on low regulated modes is about 30% worse compared to the cool white XP-L HI.

Probably not.

You’re not going to be able to convert a BLF A6 into a FW3A. The FW3A uses a custom built driver and a special tube to carry the switch signal.

You can convert the A6 into a triple emitter, but it will be using the stock driver and rear clicky switch so no ramping, just the stock steps.

I don’t want to convert A6 into FW3A.
I just pointed out that I found this flashlight interesting.

I have found flooder more useful as EDC light than something between flood ant throw like A6 or S2+. I also prefer triple than quad due to size difference.
Firstly I was thinking of using S2+ host, but A6 bezel will cover a bit less of carclo TIR lens.
Heat distribution is also better in A6 than S2+.

This is why I was planing to make an A6 with triple LH351D.
I have even started to prototyping my own driver for it with FET +1 +5 (or 6) 7135 with few extra features as well as tailcap switch with battery indicator.
When I have started this project I had no idea that there is FW3A on horizon.

FW3A look like exactly what my perfect EDC should look like, thats why I’m asking about some detail on driver as well.
I’m also wondering how it is handling heat that LH351D producing.

Thanks maukka, that’s good to know. I guess you’d lose a similar level of output correcting ugly tints with filters so swapping in 219b would probably make more sense? If only I had some spare 219b emitters :frowning:

A standard MTN Electronics 20mm MCPCB should fit in this, correct? Going to assemble some tint options in SST20 so that I can interchange them when the FW3A arrives.

Disturbing.

So this is what could happen:

1. Bike strobe.

2. Double click to turbo via vibration, bliding everyone and burning their retinas and accidents happen.

More likely, if vibration caused things to shift, it would just turn off.

Oh, did my scenario seem a bit extreme?

BTW, do you think there would be a way to use a similar design in other lights?

The only current(easy) way to get an e-switch tailcap/FET switch is with a battery/super cap setup, so something like the FW3A, but on other lights would be amazing.

I have never had a problem with a Novatac on my bike.

Maybe the FW3A will be just fine as a bike light :beer:

djozz, I hope it will. Everyone has there own idea of perfect EDC light, even though I don’t ride like I use to , I still think a light should take some bumps.

How did you know I am drinking?

I bike most days so if anybody wants to send an FW3A I’d be happy to do some testing. All in the name of science, or course. :slight_smile: