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

Something like this?
CRX Mk II Glow Fob

Or the Mk III Brass :smiley:

I received mine today after ordering on 04/28.
The design, build and UI are amazing!
Thank you!!

Received my 219C FW3A today.

The firmware is still the old one, same as my 3D and 7A, no momentary strobes (well, I think they should care about this and update existing drivers before assembling, because I believe many of us do care). So this may imply that the max brightness (level 150) is simply 100% FET driven, and you should be careful of the battery used to avoid possible damages to the emitters.

The tint is beautiful, a little bit pinky, not greenish at all. I’m unable to measure the exact CCT, but I would say it’s 4000K~4500K if compared to my Manker MK34 219C 4000K.

The driver retaining ring in this one appears to be made of brass instead of aluminum, making it much more visible. This retaining ring was already tightened. The tail switch, however, is not assembled well, so I must take it apart and put it back again.


(left to right) FW3A XP-L HI 3D, 219C 4000K, XP-L HI 7A

So…when does the copper/brass version come out?

With people getting such green results from the 3D flavor, I have to wonder if they might actually be 3C tint emitters. Or maybe even a random mix of 3A/3B/3C/3D. Cree normally sells all four mixed together as a generic “5000K” tint.

The 219C flavor looks nice though. I probably should have ordered one.

I have no idea.

I received a copper prototype today, but the parts don’t really fit right and, when I asked Neal, he told me it was an old prototype from last year and doesn’t accurately represent how the copper version will be. So it’s kind of neat, but it also doesn’t really work because it has issues from way back in proto2, only more so. It took half an hour of fiddling to even get it to turn on. And since it’s an old obsoleted prototype I can’t really do anything meaningful for the project with it.

So I think I’ll give it a silly hat and name it Wilbert Stinkyhands.

Pretty much.

I just want a bunch of the clear ones with small split rings on them.

Is 100% FET really an issue with 219C ? I haven’t heard that’s an issue with any of the 219C’s used in high-power quad emitter lights which use FET, even with the best high-drain cells. Does going to a triple make that a concern?

That's a good shade of purple.

I know it probably isn't going to happen, but I would like a FW3A in blue or green.

No. My FET 219C build is now using a 18350 tube but when I first built it I did plenty of turbo measurements and such with 18650 tube and full bypasses. I guess Cree is doing some guerrilla marketing.

The D4 219C got a firmware change fairly early on to throttle it to 80% FET. This is probably not necessary in most cases, but Hank didn’t like the failure rate.

If you have a 219C and an XP-L HI, put them both on turbo, one in each hand. If the 219C gets hot faster, it’s 100. If it doesn’t, it’s 50.

Wow, that’s interesting. So 100% FET might work, but the risk of the LEDs burning out is significantly increased?

I have a Astrolux S43 (4 x 219C) that I got tired of ramping down so quickly, so I disabled thermal controls altogether. It gets extremely hot, but I figured if it doesn’t burn me, the LEDs should be able to take it. I guess I’ve been lucky so far.

50% FET seems kind of underwhelming, though. It’s not much more than 8x7135. Sounds like sticking with the XPL is a better choice.

They also overshot temp but I bet if anything the quality of the reflow is more critical in determining if it will survive or not. I’ve taken apart enough lights only to find out half or less of the thermal pad is bone dry.

I tested the XP-L HI with 50% FET and it was a bit over 2000 lumens. In theory, FETs produce a square wave. In practice, that’s not quite the reality, and 50% is more than 50%.

It’s also getting 100% of the 7135s still (I’m guessing) so I suspect that makes the majority of the difference

Okay, so it’s eight 7135’s, plus 50% of the FET? That might be somewhere around 70% of the maximum if the FET was 100? I’m sure I’m getting something wrong, but I’ll accept what you’re saying that 50 is actually more than that in the FW3A.

I’m not sure using the 50% FET setting for the Nicha 219C is a good idea, even if it’s more like 70%. It means that anyone wishing to replace the emitters, will be stuck with a driver that is crippled in output. Okay, maybe that’s just a concern for modders, and they might already have the equipment to re-flash the driver.

It would need over 22Amps with all the other resistance in the light to even get to a dangerous point. Seems highly unlikely

Just read this thread: BLF Interest List: EX3 High Current Beryllium Copper Silver Plated springs - Still selling my springs :)
looks like SST-20s FD2 95CRI below BBL are available, if BLF members can score them then it shouldn’t be a problem for lumintop I suppose. What are they waiting for?

Well, actually after a bit of digging around I found it had been delivered to our Stores dept, but no one there decided to let me know…

Took off the clip. It’s a fraction shorter than the D4, and thinner. I think I may prefer the sideswitch of the Emisar’s, but the FW3A does feel nice in the hand. The 7A is also nice and warm. :+1:

Completed three successful endeavors with my FW3A:

  • Updated it to the latest Anduril release
  • Installed some glow tape
  • Printed a nice little diffuser thanks to Minocc

Some thoughts:

While removing the driver for flashing Anduril I notice the construction on the MCPCB side leaves a little bit to be desired. Mine is a bit dirty and seems a little loose (is there supposed to be thermal paste below it??). Being able to completely pull the driver out without any switch wires inhibiting it was nice. The glow tape adds a cool touch, I wish it glowed brightly just a bit longer.