How to program a driver?
And why do I need to get a driver?
Can’t original drivers be reprogrammed?
Multiple UIs are a serious safety issue. Currently i have 4 recent lights with 4 different UIs and two more from from legacy lights. To my wife and any muggle, in a life and death situation, it may very well be death.
That is why i am collecting what i like, but plan to buy a larger EDC and then make it standard in all the cars and house. About 6 lights.
Currently, I’m buying the SP33 which may be it or the Convoy S2.
My better half will then get the same training she got for using firearms. Blindfolded, rinse and repeat. Muscle memory.
Maybe it sounds funny to some, but to me, it borders on lunacy to have an emergency tool that one needs to “figure out”.
EDIT…we’re talking about it and her go-to is the Coast SP14. Back button, click on or off. Zero choices. Zero confusion. Zero panic.
Good thing most lights with complicated UIs aren’t sold specifically as “emergency tools”. That’s what the single mode P60s, Pelicans, etc. are for.
For emergency, it’s best to just get some single mode lights or ones that can be programmed to function as such. The simpler the better. Fancy UIs have their place, but not in this case.
I resemble your absolutist style. LOL
its as simple as 1, 2, 3!
1. IF you like pushing buttons
Olight has the PERFECT UI!
Always buy the same brand, and all your problems will be solved. (not)
2. IF you dont like pushing buttons
Jetbeam RRT-01 has the PERFECT UI! (unless you want a momentary maximum single mode only, then look at Surefire? or you want a tailswitch so you can have a memory function on a rotary, then buy Sunwayman V10R Ti, or not 
)
3. IF you cant decide between the two, dial or button, HDS has the PERFECT UI, it has both! (except the rotary dial sucks on that light, it skips levels in hops that feel like a strobe, and half the dial is spent on 12 different levels below 2 lumens)
wait, what?
LOL
thanks for the comic relief:-)
I respect your enthusiastic style Kat
I think we should meet in person… and get to know each other better
I agree and disagree……
The “panic” situation happened recently when we thought we heard something in our house. Watching tv and suddenly some loud noise……shut off the tv……I quietly shuffle to the den and grab the Q8…she grabs the phone….I turn on the Q* and NOTHING……oops, tighten it up……ramp it up……shut it off so we have surprise advantage and wait for any new noises. Nothing. Do a quick tour to make sure nothing there.
Take away is that I had a tiny WTF because I forgot that I unscrew the lights and had to hold it against my body to ramp it up. The Coast HP 14 is simply click on to full power. She would NOT grab the Q8 to investigate, she would grab the Coast. So now, I have to find a light that replaces that and put one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom, one in the family room and one in each car.
So yes, the Q8 is a hobby light…and NOT a hobby light. It’s 5000 lumens not only flood the entire house or yard, but on an inside the house inspection, it’s light penetrates massively through the curtains and warns anyone outside that there is someone home.
Agreed.
Even if not one simple on/off, just two or three steps to take advantage of the huge lumens that some are capable.
Lets say a 2500 lumen light that has 300, 1000, 2500. . 300 for sustained emergency measured in many hours, 1000 for sustained searching and 2500 for emergency b/e inspection with the added bonus of blinding perps.
If you’re inside watching TV, wouldn’t anyone outside already know you were home?
Besides, you don’t need 5000 lumen to let others know you’re in the house. A Convoy S2+ on full power will easily accomplish this as well, IMO. And no need to unscrew it either since it has a physical switch.
LEO and military used 60 lumen Surefires for years. If you want task-specific features you have to pay a premium for them, there are “tactical”/self defense oriented big-lumen lights out there… they just aren’t as cheap as a Q8.
No…on the TV. It’s a big house and the family room is in the back.
Yes…on the Convoy S2+. I’m getting the SP33 to see if it’s “emergency light” useful particularly it’s 2500 lumens and then the Convoy. I can get the Convoy in red and floody.
No…on the volume of light. Out of curiosity, my wife flashed the Q8 on the window. It blows by the curtains and light up the side or rear yards. There is no question of surprising someone outside.
Great. So they’ll have 0.1 lumens and the full 3,000 lumens, which are two of my most frequently used outputs. Which means you introduce thermally limited run time for any in between need. Which doesn’t exist anyway.
Try ramping with a tailswitch-only light…
Fun. Only not as fun as wrenching your teeth loose. With a pipe wrench.
FW3A?
yes FW3A has ramping on tail, so there you go, the UI can be applied to any type of light!
That is because the driver and eswitch are in the tail. You couldn’t use that same UI on a mechanical switch light. So no, it couldn’t be applied to any type of light. It might with some but, most would require extensive modifications.
So you don’t believe in single mode lights? Sofirn C01 is one of my favorites.
I was indoctrinated to the quality light scene with the A6. It’s the one I like, so it’s in all my lights. Easy peasy.
Forward clicky and reverse clicky also have their own advantages and not all manufacturers will bother with the particular internal design required for a tail e-switch.
We understand your enthousiasm for the ramping UI and those who coded it will probably be flatted, but they would probably hate to see those who don’t need it or prefer something else, to be “forced” to use it if it would become a monopolistic/unique standard.
There are many people/manufacturers designing driver and UI and they know that not all people like or need the same thing, there is zero chance that they will definitely adopt zak’s personal preferences. Not mentionning that manufacturers will differentiate from others with their own UI.
Then in reality no, it will never happen, so no need for a ramping UI proselytism/evangelism/monomania/fixed idea.
You were joking/trolling, right ?
Kat
I can’t agree more! :+1: Particularly for any tactical use.