Interesting. That’s the first time I’ve heard of it happening on a light which doesn’t have an active standby mode (ability to blink aux LEDs while asleep).
Then again, I don’t actually have an EDC18 and I don’t know what firmware is used on it… so I have no idea if it was modified. I’m just guessing that it wasn’t.
In any case, it’s generally a symptom of some sort of physical issue which was bad enough to knock over the attiny chip. The ~8 Hz strobey thing is the flashlight equivalent of a Windows Blue Screen Of Death.
However, they could probably fix it by using newer firmware. It’s much harder to cause a reboot now, even with really noisy hardware… and if it happens, it does a normal boot now instead of going into the eye-catching “hey an error happened” mode.
TK - this was a first-run EDC18 pre-order. Odds are high it’s an older version of the firmware. Once I finish moving and get a place to work, I’ll reflash it and see what happens.
I decided to experiment with the “pencil trick” to see if I could enable an additional channel in my lantern. It works. Filling in the space between NW and WW pads for channel 6 increased the current at level 4 from 1.01A to 1.20A. 1.01*6/5=1.21. This would allow for folks to add channel 6 and/or 7 if desired without a soldering iron. It easy to remove with an eraser also. I already removed the connection in about 5 seconds per side.
Pencil trick - use a pencil to make an electrical connection between two pads on a circuit board, or across a component on a circuit board. In this case, I used a #2 pencil and applied a fair amount of pencil lead (what is this stuff anyway?) between the pads labeled “6”. The pencil lead is a “good enough” conductor to make a connection here. I don’t completely understand how it works, as I measured the resistance between the pads before and after adding the pencil lead, and measured about 10 meg ohms both times. But this connection is in series with the control line of the AMC7135, so there must be just enough improvement in the connection to allow the controller chip drive to reach the AMC7135.
I borrowed the picture below, but the pads circled in blue are 6 and 7 for NW and WW
I’m assuming these codes for the second batch are still ok for 30 days right? If I order now, chances are the light will arrive when I’m off on xmas holiday and might sit at the post office too long and they send it back.
Here’s a cartoon I whipped up for Sofrin while we wait…… (we all appreciate what you are doing!)
It depicts the anxiety of those of us that are on hold…… simply waiting for colors.
A ballpark ETA when Sofrin ‘thinks’ the colors ‘might’ be available would be helpful and greatly appreciated.
If they feel it will be more than a few months, I will probably go ahead and order…. I suspect others might also.
We can only hope the ‘stick’ in the cartoon will get shorter soon ….
Thanks Sofrin and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Yes, we have that message on a lantern ordered by a friend here. However, at the same time the order detail page shows the lantern has been shipped, since the 18th I think it was. There is a tracking number shown, however, since the 11th when the order was placed, the tracking number on the AE page has been showing “the tracking information is temporarily unavailable”. The website 17track.net and any other tracking site can find no record. It seems to me that the shipment has never been shipped, but then I tend to be a pessimist about these things.
I would not feel so put out if the order detail page did not show the order as shipped. A more forthright admission of there being a problem and the order has not been shipped would make for better customer relations. Perhaps Chinese internet sellers have a different way of looking at customer relations than I do with my background in retail sales here in the US as well as Canada?
The GB code will not work in conjunction with AE’s BlackFriday special. I am unsure how AE is able to even offer it at that sale price, or if they can sell it at that price. (maybe Sofirn can comment on that here
In several units the handle is not symmetrical, which makes it difficult or impossible to close it on one side. It isn’t an important problem but since I already have one I prefer to buy the other one that doesn’t have this problem.
