FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

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

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

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

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’

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.

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.

My bad. You are correct. Edited above response.

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?

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

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 :slight_smile:

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… :smiley: WTF?

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

What would cause flickering not in candle mode or anything

Dirty threads or the ends not tightened enough.

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.

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.

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...

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

I'm very glad this thread exists.

Thanks for the help!

^ Yep, driver retaining ring and the tail cap — both being loose will end up creating strange behavior. I think that’s pretty much it, though. Easy to correct both! Unfortunately, this light is not turning out to be very user friendly, reliability wise. A number of people I know would be stumped by such a problem and put it down in favor of another light.

How to solve an issue of the FW3A starts to step down automatically almost immediately to a very low brightness level? This happens in both stepped and ramped modes. Many thanks.