Thanks gchart. Those would be great improvements. Although I’d also like to keep the 12 lm low mode in addition to the 1-3 lumens (or even lower) ultra low/moonlight mode. I think that would be ideal.
The steel clip IMHO appears to be an improvement over some others provided by other mfg’s.
May end up getting the light to add to my right-angle tube light collection (for the time being, EagleEye X1R). Definitely could use a moonlight low mode.
+1. However, if they can reduce Low to 3lm or so, that would be acceptable. The spec is 5lm, but gchart measures 12lm, so it definitely needs to come down.
The button position can’t really be changed and that’s okay for this iteration as Sofirn tends to go to “v2” within a few months .
MicroUSB is a terrible connector, but unavoidable at this price. I won’t use it, anyway. Surprisingly, I do sometimes use the USB-C charging on my Astrolux FT03, mainly because it’s faster than my “real” charger. I think built-in charging is great for muggles that can get everything they need in one kit, but I’d gladly trade it for a better UI or an extra strap (they wear out quickly, though I’m still using some 16 years old).
Thanks goodness there’s no SOS :+1: , especially one in the main sequence! There’s a special place in hell for companies that put any bright flashing mode there.
The AliExpress page adds Sofirn’s “3000mAh” 18650 to the kit for $3 more. Nooner found the cell to be a DLG that 59 reported to be similar to the LG MH1. That’s not a high-drain cell, but $3 is fair enough. Note that Sofirn’s protected “3400mAh” cell was found to be the exact same battery.
Too bad we can’t have Narsil or Anduril on everything . Budget drivers likely don’t use ATtinys, but a man can dream.
I need a new headlamp and would love to buy a Sofirn, so… firmware improvement would be nice and a group buy would be awesome.
Summarized:
# Lowest level < 5lm
# Hold from Off —> Moon/Low
If #2 is unreasonable, what about disabling mode memory and always starting at Moon/Low? 3-mode lights don’t really need memory and turbo is always available.
If the button is easy enough to press, you might be able to grab the sides of the head with thumb (under) and middle finger (top) and use the forefinger to press the button. Maybe. I can see how the button works best on the end from a design and manufacturing point of view, since there’s likely room for it to be recessed and the overall appearance is cleaner. It also gives access down the axis of the tube, which might be useful during assembly?
Meanwhile I have also received my SP40. It's nice of Sofirn to include the 18350 battery tube. However, I also asked Sofirn to forward some suggestions to improve the UI, e.g. a hidden moonlight mode (long press from OFF) as well as a better configuration for the indicator LED. As far as I was told, they will forward my feedback to Barry.
I didn't catch that, but yes. It looks like a thermal throttle at first, but I can't figure out why the output continues dropping past 300 lumens. I'd expect the battery, at 3500mAh, to last longer on high. Maybe not, though.
Do we have to ask gchart for a temperature vs. voltage vs. output runtime graph now? })
Yes, and bypass the springs if possible.
The driver may see a lower voltage drop that way.
On high, it shouldn’t be a problem, but on turbo with active cooling(running), should help.
That’s a bit much (I didn’t measure voltage), but here’s what I’ve got. Realistically, Turbo and High are the same thing except for the first few minutes, you get an extra burst in Turbo.
I haven’t done a disassembly yet, but it sounds like that might be in order. I’m curious as to what kind of driver this is using (linear, buck, or current-limiting resistor). Based on those curves, I’m almost wondering if it’s just a current-limiting resistor. :question: