The Samsung 35E is perfect for this light. 35E, LG MJ-1 and Sanyo GA are the perfect top three. The extra capacity is impressive, and there is no chance your eyes will notice any difference in brightness vs a higher drain, lower capacity cell. Exxellent choice.
The Sofirn fit just fine, but the flashlight would not turn on.
Thank you for all the replies. I will use the Samsung 35E with no worries.
“Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?” 
I think the one thing your missing is that the FW3A manual just doesn’t go into enough detail. It should say something like “unprotected 18650 flat top with high drain (10A or more) is recommended for maximum output”.
The reason the 35E is not recommended for high drain devices is it’s chemical mix is optimized for max capacity. This means it’s internal resistance is a bit higher than say a “high drain” cell so it won’t pull as many amps. You can read more about battery ratings on this older post and the one below it.
It’s probably too long. The extra length is not letting the inner tube make contact.
Thank you JasonWW!
Hi guys, I have a question regarding flashing firmware. I am about to flash my Astrolux MF01 mini to correct some voltage reading problems and founf myself at deadend. I managed to find some instruction from toykeeper and I did this:
I downloaded the branch “lp:~toykeeper/flashlight-firmware/fsm” from: Flashlight Firmware Repository in Launchpad because it had the code for Astrolux/Mateminco MF01 MINI. I Unzipped the tarball and found the file I needed to adjust to correct the Voltage measurement:
File: hwdef-Mateminco_MF01-Mini
Lines:
#ifndef VOLTAGE_FUDGE_FACTOR
#define VOLTAGE_FUDGE_FACTOR 5 // add 0.25V
#endif
Now that I have it, how do I run the make command in the fsm\ToyKeeper\spaghetti-monster\anduril folder?
Do I need a special compiler (I am using windows)? The instructions I found said: “the code can then be built by going into the anduril directory and running “make”. This compiles one .hex file for each cfg-*.h file it finds.”
Does anyone know how to do this?
I dont know if this is the best place for a flashing question. I would also ask on a thread that talks about flashing drivers. Your more likely to get your answer.
Hi,
Does anyone think this copper Convoy s2+ tube
Would fit this Astrolux s41
I have found some 10mm MCPCBs that are made of copper but not DTP.
Do you think it would be a good idea to remove the insulating layer below the thermal pad until the copper is exposed and solder the led to it?
Will the solder layer be too thick if I would fill up the gap between the copper and the led thermal pad with enough solder paste?
How hard are you gonna cook the LED if it only sits on a 10mm board??
Unless you’re gonna try to push multiple amps through it, not even Al vs Cu would make that much difference, let alone Cu-dtp vs -non-dtp.
I recently ordered a protected Panasonic ncr18650ga 3500mah cell it didn’t register on my charger. so today I put it on the charger again and it registered at 1.73v which concerned me. I’ve got it up to 2.23v now, should I try to get it above 3v or not?
Let’s say 3 or 4A in a multiple led direct drive setup.
I just thought it would be some sort of DTP if you scrape away the central part of the 3535 footprint and add enough solder to get a direct connection to the copper of the board. Does that make sense?
Mmm, I see “10mm” and I’m thinking an AAA light. :laughing:
It’d work, but solder (Pb/Sn) isn’t the best of thermal conductors. Grind away too much to expose the Cu underneath, and you may have less conductivity vs leaving it alone. Plus, be sure to have an “overflow channel” so excess solder can squish out and the LED doesn’t float on the molten solder.
Someone did tests of various thermal compounds vs just squishing down (via screws) the board dry, and there was negligible difference.
Me personally, I’d leave ’em as-is. Combination of laziness and diminishing returns…
It will work well, I tested it 5 years ago. Maybe for 3535 boards the result is a bit worse than 5050 boards but I expect that the thermal path is still much improved compared to the situation with dielectric layer.
I need some advice and help determining which DC power supply to buy for flashlight modding.
Probably could get by without one but just want to learn as much as possible.
There are switch mode and linear, 30V 3A, 30V 30A.
I’m not an electronics tech but want to have more fun.
Thanks for not laughing 
I like this one, but is it the correct one ?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O8DJ8QC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00O8DJ8QC&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNjYwVVpKUEFSUlBJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzgyMTQyMkwzTEJJNjJTTU0xSSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDMxNzYzMjlFOTFZMlg1QU8zQSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=#detail-bullets
I’m not an electronics geek myself, but have bought a few power supplies over the years for my flashlight hobby. My most used PS is a heavy lineair one but I understand that using a switched mode PS for what we do is perfectly fine. The one you linked is very cheap, so expect some imperfection, like bumpiness when finetuning the current, and spikes when switching the PS on, I expect you can blow sensitive leds with that (but not likely the power leds we are using). I think 5A max is a bit low, maybe 10A is more versatile.
djozz , Thank You for that. I will wait and keep learning before buying one.
That falls in my “recycle this carefully so as not to set the recycling truck on fire” category.