Manker U11 - need firmware improvements!

the thing has a USB port
surely that is how the firmware gets loaded
has anyone tried to reprogram it?
i hate the UI, needs to be more like BLF A6 or astrolux S1
also the light levels are awful - the first one is too dim for anything, then the next one is too bright, and the others are too bright and too close together

would like levels like 1, 5, 25, 125, 1000 lumens

anyway, can anyone hack it at all?

wle

you should check manual that was included in the box.

Nope, it´s just a charging port! You cannot “hack” it or install a different firmware like Bistro or Toykepper A6.
You are right, the low mode after moonlight it too bright. You cannot change this, even in PRO mode.
If you can´t live with that, get a different light instead.

K.

If I could load the firmware via USB I would immediately order a light and hack it (just for fun) - but I doubt it. Did you ever see a budget manufacturer of flashlights updating his firmware via USB?

does not say that is possible… that is what ’hacking’ is going beyond the manual… wle

but most lights do not have USB - since this one does, why would they go to the expense of having a 2nd way to load FW?

already have one, it is not a bad light as is, i just want it better!

well how DO they get the firmware on there initially?

some separate port on the circuit board, or just flash it before soldering and no changes possible?

wle

Well you should ask MANKER directly (they are present here in the forum as user Mankerlight) but I bet the firmware is pre-flashed on the chips/driver before they are assembled.
K.

—i’ve asked them, they do not reply
—from their web page
—how do you reach them directly from here?

—ok never mind i found them here and PMed.
for all i know the FW is in ROM, not flash, and cannot be changed period end of story full stop

wle

In this U11 teardown you can see a chip marked “T44 AHB”. That should be an Atmel ATtiny44A.
It has a different footprint than the Attiny25/45/85s usually used here.
If you find a way to connect the required pins (a four-sides QFN/MLF/VQFN clip if it exists may work or not) it should be as programmable as the other microcontrollers. (I guess the chip is programmed before soldered to the board.)
You just have to reverse engineer what pin does what to adjust your firmware of choice accordingly.