FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

But not impossible.
HDS is using a wire with a rotating head and a fixed MCPCB for the button, Novatac is using a spring with a rotating head and rotating button.
The end of the tube on the driver side of the HDS is anodized, the trace on the MCPCB is for the end of the wire.

Interesting design, thanks for sharing Tally-ho. :+1:

The spring of the novatac is working the same as the inner tube of the FW3A, but with time if the spring wears off, it wonā€™t be a problem due to its adaptable length.

I think that is the thinnest retaining ring I have ever seen. When I first went to check mine for tightness I didnā€™t even see it & thoughtā€¦ ā€œoh crap, itā€™s glued after allā€. :person_facepalming:

But after closer inspection, there it was. Both of mine were tight btw. :+1:

Innovation & adaptabilityā€¦. I love it!!
This would make a good ā€˜ToyKeeper videoā€™ btw. :+1: . :wink:

I took some measurements of my 3D version FW3A. I used my Texas_Ace Lumen Tube with a Maukka calibration light. I used a button top 30Q.

Turbo at Turn on saw 3300 lm which went to 2800 lm at 12 seconds then it stepped down. More than I was expecting! :partying_face:

At the 7135 x 1 level I got 132 lm

At the 7135 x 7 + 1 level (top of ramp) I got 1000 lm briefly, but I would say 950-970 lm is about normal and it dropped slowly. At about 30 seconds it was at 800 lm.

Parasitic drain measured an excellent 23 microamps with no sleep delay.

I tried to measure the current draw but I couldnā€™t get the switch activated with my clamp style and meter. I tried touching an extra wire to the middle tube, but got no response. Any recommendations on how I can measure this?

EDIT: The internal temperature was reading 36Ā°C when it should have been 24Ā°C. I reset it and Turbo lasted 15 seconds before stepdown.

thanks for the data, this is a very interesting light indeed. Is the stepdown after 12 seconds time based or temperature based? 12s seems very quick to heat up? Is it really that hot after a few seconds?

Thanks.

There is no timed stepdown in Anduril (Iā€™m pretty sure). Itā€™s all temperature related and it gets hot quick! Like Toykeeper has been saying, Turbo is really just a short ā€œburstā€ mode. It does not last long at all.

Damn near exactly what I measured on my T/A Maukka light tubeā€¦3360 with 30Q flat top and a VTC5aā€¦which is close to the Max for a V2 XP-L HI thru optics and lens, the most I have ever seen was around 1250lms. in reflector lights. I like the 3D (nothing warmer thoughā€¦)

The stepdown is temperature based and can be configured for a higher or lower temp range.

Yes, triple emitter FET driven lights this small will get hot FAST. The FW3A has one less emitter than the D4 (so lower wattage) but probably less thermal mass, certainly less in the head of the light.

wow - incredible. Thanks guys. What a little fire starter this is!

My FW3A shipped, earlier than I expected considering my place on the list. I went with the free shipping and Iā€™ve received my tracking number.

Is DHL Paket the right carrier to select at 17Track?

Yes, and mine is still the factory calibration which could be off a little. Iā€™ll try to see if itā€™s accurate.

With a high capacity 3400+ cell you might see a bit less lumens, but youā€™ll probably gain extra Turbo time. Iā€™ll try out some other cells I have laying around.

I also have all 4 of the Carclo lenses and the stock one seems to be the best, in my opinion. The clear 07 is a tiny bit tighter focused, but I see yellow streaks in the hot spot when shined on a whitewall or equivalent. Eh, itā€™s not worth using in my opinion. The 08 and 09 are nice if you need a wider spot, and donā€™t need the distance.

The 10511 is called a narrow spot. 22Ā° (lightly frosted)
The 10508 is called a medium spot. 27Ā° (heavier frosted)
The 10509 is called a wide spot. 40Ā° (heaviest frosted)

The 10507 is the non-frosted, clear version with a narrow spot. 18Ā°

Actually, it would not surprise me if the physical dimensions of all four lenses weā€™re identical and the beam angle difference is strictly due to the amount of frosting on the surface. Here is a picture in the same order as above.


.

My FW3A is saying itā€™s 38Ā°C, when room temp is about 24Ā°C. Iā€™ll make sure itā€™s fully cooled down internally (when I wake up later) and then check it again. At the moment, my light is probably stepping down a little bit prematurely. Once I reset it, Iā€™ll measure the stepdown time again.

Maukka got 20 seconds out of his light with a 30Q, but he calibrated the ambient temperature as well as bumped the default step down temp of 45Ā°C to a slightly higher 55Ā°C.

Has anyone found a diffuser that works well with FW3A that they like?

I did think this was interesting, but I didnā€™t see anyone finding anything ā€œready to goā€ that works well by searching the thread.

Was it momentary or did it stay on?

My first thought from the description is he got it in 5-click momentary mode.

Yeahā€¦ I did that by accident last night. :person_facepalming: ā€¦ I forgot for a couple of minutes that to exit all power had to be cut.

I did have to completely remove the head for this to work. Just loosening would not do it.

If there is a FW3C or FW3T or FW3B, the inner tube will probably still be anodized aluminum. Itā€™s not there to look pretty; itā€™s there to carry a signal without electrical interference.

The other metals mostly just change the appearance and weight and thermal properties. They donā€™t really change anything about the light electrically. It was designed to work with bare aluminum, so the anodizing of the host doesnā€™t really serve an electrical purpose (except on the inner tube). Even the anodized aluminum version canā€™t be hard locked out. If I turn the light on and then start unscrewing the head, it gets well past the O-ring before the LEDs shut off.

Iā€™m guessing thatā€™s what JasonWWā€™s friend did ā€” just loosened the tube a little so the switch wasnā€™t connected any more.

On mine, Iā€™ve measured 125 lm on one light and 126 lm on another. So, fairly close. At first I got higher numbers, but when I checked my calibration light again I found the calibration of the tube had changedā€¦ so after fixing that, it was a few lumens lower.

Now I calibrate the tube before each batch of measurements. Itā€™s fairly simple to doā€¦ just measure the reference light and plug that number into my conversion script. The multiplier is the expected lumens divided by measured lux. Then measure a couple other reference lights to make sure theyā€™re all still in agreement, and itā€™s ready to use.

It could be lower, actuallyā€¦ but when I had the parasitic drain even lower, it was nearly impossible to exit from momentary mode. The head of the light had to be removed for over a minute before it finally drained enough to reboot, so it was necessary to hold the button to keep the light on, then unscrew the head.

Not really. The closest Iā€™ve found is a Fenix AOD-S, but itā€™s not very good. Itā€™s an odd shape, the material is much thicker than necessary, and it has poor optical properties. Most of the light still goes forward instead of sideways, and it splits light like a prism so the yellow parts go forward while the blue parts go sideways. It can even make high-CRI 219B lights look ugly.

Hereā€™s what I posted about it a few months ago: