I doubt it would be very feasible to use any firmwares with legal restrictions for commercial use. It would likely raise costs significantly and make production and sales much more complex.
It might be more effective to contact nanjg, or whoever makes their drivers, offering new code compatible with their hardware. Then every product which uses nanjg drivers could benefit. But I don’t know who makes them or how many companies are involved, and it might be pretty complicated.
And I’m not sure if any suitable code exists yet, something with both better features and no legal complications. Nanjg drivers don’t have an offtime capacitor, so the functionality might be somewhat limited.
As for Convoy, I don’t know if Simon wants to deal with custom driver manufacturing (to add things like an OTC or a FET+1 for power). It’s cheaper and easier to get nanjg drivers.
The 3 mode option you’re describing is available from Simon right now and has been for a while. That’s exactly how I ordered my last S3 from him roughly 6 months ago. 3 mode with no disco in a nice neutral tint. It only has low, medium and high. Standard option #2 (5%low-30%mid-100%high). Still, I agree the 3/5 nanjg setup is dated even with the customization options he gives, it’s still too limited in my opinion.
Would happen you know any interested firmware authors?
Something like GPL maybe. I seem to recall a really great firmware author that I believe uses GPLv3. I know there is the requirement for seller to make the code available and not tivo it by epoxying the driver or something. But they don’t seem like prohibitive restrictions.
I’ve put a hacked up version of ToyKeepers STAR_noinit in my red/orange/amber S2 triple. I set it to work like the A6 driver without the reverse options. The no init code would be good for the Convoy drivers it gives off time mode change without changing the hardware.
Since there is no offtime capacitor on nanjg drivers, any offtime-based interfaces would need to use the noinit memory decay trick. This works, but the timing can vary (sometimes very short) and it only allows for “short” and “long” presses.
I use these drivers on a few lights, and I generally configure them for offtime with no memory. So, a short press goes forward one mode and a long press resets to the first mode. I usually include a lot of blinkies after the regular modes.
To put hidden / blinky modes in, it would be necessary to either put the blinkies into the main sequence or use a highly-varied set of mode groups like guppydrv or require two quick cycles through the regular modes (like TheStar) before getting to the blinkies. Something along those lines, anyway. And mode memory would make this harder, since it would no longer have a way to shortcut back to the beginning of the cycle.
To make it configurable, it could use a hidden simple config mode (like in blf-a6), or it could use soldered stars as toggles (like STAR), or it could use a bunch of mode groups with common presets (like guppydrv), or it could do something more complicated like using different long sequences of quick presses to add/remove/change modes.
While I like the nanjg-based code I made for personal use, I don’t think it would be a good choice for general use or mass-production. The best choices I see right now are probably either STAR_noinit or a noinit-modded version of TheStar. Or NLITE, but it has no source and is almost the same as what nanjg already uses. Or if/when I get time, I could maybe try to make something.
BTW, that code is basically just JonnyC’s STAR_off_time with the offtime bits replaced by noinit bits. It’s not really mine. It’s otherwise identical to its parent code.
I think my head just exploded reading through this. The funny thing is that I couldn’t stop once I started.
My comments are meant with absolute respect. People who program (no matter the product) who are good at it and innovative receive all my respect. I’m a geek who enjoys reading about it but I just don’t have the knack for it.
Not anymore it’s not. Simon fixed it. He was just being lazy and copied the description from the red one. It now reads “Convoy S2+ blue Cree XML2 U2-1A EDC LED Flashlight,torch,lantern,self defense,camping light, lamp,for bicycle,gift for guys”. All is well with the world once again. I adjusted my thread title from “for men” to “for guys” to match his description.
More good news from our friend Simon. He will give a 15% discount to all BLF members on the blue S2+. 8)
From Simon: “Please just tell friends on BLF, if I see message ”from BLF” under their orders, I will adjust the amount”
He’s also going to add a link for the Blue S2+ host on his site. It will be the same price as the red S2+ host. I didn’t get an exact time but if he tells me it’s up or I notice it I’ll add the link. Should be soon.
I will be adding this information to the OP as well when I have a chance.
The steel clasp on my wife’s red one hasn’t scratched a thing and I’ve never heard it make any noise. But if you don’t like it lanyards are a dime a dozen so just swap it… The switch is not waterproof. To look that cool you have to give up the waterproof properties of the silicone switch boot.
Yup. Simon rocks! I used the “code” a little over an hour ago. I put the blue S2+ in my cart, went to checkout screen and added my note. Several minutes went by then I got an email from Aliexpress that my order price had been adjusted.
My order was:
$16.95 - Blue S2+
$0.18 - 7135*4 option
$1.40 - XML2 T6-4C option
Original Total: $18.53
Adjusted Total: $15.75 for one customized blue S2+ :bigsmile:
Aliexpress has it’s limits but Simon works around them to give us great deals.
Oh and Halo you were spot-on about the anodizing. Simon said that when they did HAIII on the blue it made the head and body different colors. Still, however he did the anodizing it’s held up perfectly on the red S2+ that my wife has and that’s been bouncing around in her purse for a few months.
I don’t know it…… A little before of this post, i buyed some convoy (blue, red, 18350, and S2)… I send a message greetings Simon, and I said that i´m a member of BLF, but i realized the payment immediately. He may have some small detail with me.
I placed my order about an hour ago too and I added a message for BLF, but my order has not been adjusted yet. I figured it was normal for him to take time to adjust it, but since you said it happened in a few minutes, it makes me wonder…
I ordered 2 days ago, but there’s still an option to cancel the order on my Ali account. I left Simon a message asking whether he can adjust or if I should cancel and reorder.
Thanks! Please let us know if it works.
I’ll still be happy even if I don’t get a discount. I’ve never been disappointed with Convoy lights. Improvable? Yes. Let down? No way!
Unfortunately the time difference is a factor here. I just happened to place my order while he was still online, probably just before he wrapped up for the night. There are sometimes delays of near a day but he always comes though. Simon has to sleep too.
Simon fixed it. He was just being lazy and copied the description from the red one. It now reads “Convoy S2+ blue Cree XML2 U2-1A EDC LED Flashlight,torch,lantern,self defense,camping light, lamp,for bicycle,gift for guys”. All is well with the world once again. 
