FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

[Rayoui]

@xevious

@Rayoui

I also had a similar issue with one of my FW3As. When I disassembled the tailcap I discovered that the “nubbin” was about 1/3 longer than my other FW3Xs. I replaced it with a shorter nubbin (I cut a piece off of a spare o-ring of the correct diameter) and the problem went away. It also made the switch feel very nice and tactile.

Strange. Do you mean “thicker”? Or was the nubbin of a larger diameter? Mine was fine, just making for a very sensitive switch. I removed the nubbin, installed a 5/32” o-ring and switch has a nice firmness now.

I generally don’t have an issue with the firmness of the FWxx switch (I always use lockout), but this light in particular had a defect. The diameter of the nubbin was fine, it was just too long. It was physically longer than the nubbins in my other FWxx lights and was pre-loading the switch when the tailcap was tightened down.

I didn’t replace the nubbin with an whole o-ring, I cut a short piece out of the cross-section of a sufficiently thick o-ring to produce a new nubbin which fits in the original location. It’s a tiny bit larger diameter than the original but the rubber stretches to accommodate.

It definitely has made the switch more stable when pressing off-axis and has improved the tactility, even over my other FWs with properly fitted nubbins from the factory. It’s not immediately apparent to me why this would be. Perhaps a combination of the more pliant material and the slightly larger diameter?

[xevious (Gary)]

@Rayoui

I generally don’t have an issue with the firmness of the FWxx switch (I always use lockout), but this light in particular had a defect. The diameter of the nubbin was fine, it was just too long. It was physically longer than the nubbins in my other FWxx lights and was pre-loading the switch when the tailcap was tightened down.

I didn’t replace the nubbin with an whole o-ring, I cut a short piece out of the cross-section of a sufficiently thick o-ring to produce a new nubbin which fits in the original location. It’s a tiny bit larger diameter than the original but the rubber stretches to accommodate.

It definitely has made the switch more stable when pressing off-axis and has improved the tactility, even over my other FWs with properly fitted nubbins from the factory. It’s not immediately apparent to me why this would be. Perhaps a combination of the more pliant material and the slightly larger diameter?

I was always using lockout because of the switch sensitivity. But now I don’t bother with the 5/32” o-ring. I lock out the light when I put it away. Yep, I got that you cut the o-ring, but didn’t quite get that “long” meant “thick”. This o-ring segment technique is interesting. You can cut a variety of thicknesses to see what works best.

[JL-F1]

My FW3T always starts super dim, moonlight-ish, at first turn on

Even if I ramp it doesn’t remember the ramped value for next turn on, single click

My FW3A is not like this, it remembers the last ramped value.

Everything else works fine.

What am I doing wrong?

Thank you

[atobe]

Does it start there every time? Is it in manual memory mode?

[wle]

i didn;t think it had a manual memory [no memory] option…

?

one comment - it will do this [start on low], if you happen to hold the button down ‘too long’
it is a feature, to be sure you have a way to start on low
but you have to hold the button down maybe half a second
maybe your button is ‘sticky’ so that it thinks you are doing a slow press for start-on-low?

wle

[JL-F1]

@atobe

Does it start there every time? Is it in manual memory mode?

Yes, every time.

Not clear on manual memory mode, I don’t see it on the instructions.

The FW3T button does seem not a ‘clicky’ as my Fw3a, which does not have this ‘issue’

[riffraff]

Manual memory mode on Anduril software is 5 clicks from ON (“5C”). Automatic memory is 5 clicks, but HOLD the last click, from ON (“5H”). See flow chart.

Edit — Oops. Looks like the Anduril version in the FW3As may not have selectable memory mode. Sorry ’bout that.

[JasonWW]

@riffraff

Manual memory mode on Anduril software is 5 clicks from ON (“5C”). Automatic memory is 5 clicks, but HOLD the last click, from ON (“5H”). See flow chart.

Was this added on newer versions? My older model does not have this feature.

BTW, I have no clue why it won’t remember it’s level.

[riffraff]

My bad. You are correct. Edited above response.

[JL-F1]

It was manual memory

I did the 5H and boom, now it remembers.

Thanks all.

[JasonWW]

@JL-F1

It was manual memory

I did the 5H and boom, now it remembers.

Thanks all.

Oh, so you didn’t reflash it to a newer version, it came with the newer version?

[Gunga]

I’ve found some lights have manual memory. Some don’t. Hard to predict what you will get.

[JL-F1]

@JasonWW

@JL-F1

It was manual memory

I did the 5H and boom, now it remembers.

Thanks all.

Oh, so you didn’t reflash it to a newer version, it came with the newer version?

Correct, I did not reflash, my FW3T came with the firmware with the memory options, from Illumn.

So now I have two lights with different firmware and it’s bugging me

I should have read more and bought both from Illumn instead of rushing into the FW3A purchase from another vendor

[KawiBoy1428]

@JL-F1

@JasonWW

@JL-F1

It was manual memory

I did the 5H and boom, now it remembers.

Thanks all.

Oh, so you didn’t reflash it to a newer version, it came with the newer version?

Correct, I did not reflash, my FW3T came with the firmware with the memory options, from Illumn.

So now I have two lights with different firmware and it’s bugging me

I should have read more and bought both from Illumn instead of rushing into the FW3A purchase from another vendor

I have 9 lights with 3 different firmware…. :person_facepalming:

I bought 5 brand new drivers from Lumintop, I used 3 so far… 1 of them has the memory option… so far… the other 2 new drivers are waiting to be used… WTF?

[mortuus]

I wash my copper fw3a sometimes in the sink i let it be there for a while, no problems so far…

[ttylamg]

What would cause flickering not in candle mode or anything

[JasonWW]

@ttylamg

What would cause flickering not in candle mode or anything

Dirty threads or the ends not tightened enough.

[wraithpc]

Mine flickered, but only on lower settings, same thing on three different bodies, cleaning threads, tightening retaining rings, nothing helped! replaced all 7135s, same thing checked solder joints, did most everything except replacing the mcu. By that time I received a replacement driver which fixed the problem. Definitely exhaust all the possibilities, but in the end you may have similar results.

[xevious (Gary)]

Has anyone here dropped their FW3C and suffered notable dents? Just curious about the copper alloy, as raw copper is inherently soft, prone to denting.

[raccoon]

My FW3A was acting strange.

After turning it on, I would try to ramp to change the brightness, and the FW3A would turn off!

So I started reading the OP of this thread...

@FW3A Team

If the light acts strange, make sure the driver retaining ring is tight. Also make sure the tailcap is tight — very tight. Loosen the tail a bit, loosen the head, then tighten the tail as much as you can by hand, then tighten the head.

...I followed those directions, and now it works fine.

I'm very glad this thread exists.

Thanks for the help!