FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

[Legion226]

Will give it another go tomorrow. I appreciate the help.

[JasonWW]

@Legion226

I’m using unprotected Sanyo 18650GA cells. The light comes on at what looks like 200 lumens. The UI isn’t working at all basically. Just random settings are working. The more I mess with it the weirder it gets. Now I get step ramping in about 20 steps instead of 4 or 5. Still the higher levels only. Still get turbo when I double click. For a little while all I got was momentary at one brightness level. No ramping or turbo.

I was asking about the battery being button top or flat top because button tops are added by many different companies and the heights vary. If you have a slightly tallish button top it might be squishing the driver or tail pcb causing it to do wierd things. If it’s flat top we can move on to other things.

It’s probably not a driver related short since it turns on at 200 ish lumens.

Your UI seems to be acting pretty strange. If you do 3 clicks while turned on it should switch to smooth ramping mode. Try that and verify you have the very faint, almost hard to see in a lit room, moonlight level.

I just want to verify your not in muggle mode.

If you want, you can reset all the ramp levels.

Factory Reset

With light turned On, click 4 times to enter ramp config mode. At the prompts (fluttering light), respectively, click 1 time, then 21 times. If there is a 3rd prompt, click 7 times (this is seen when in stepped ramping mode).

[JasonWW]

@trailhunter

I took time to read your issues. I had the exact same problem. Except that it was self induced when I modded it and put it all together again.

Right when I screwed the head on, bam! It turned on. If I tightened the head all the way down with maximum brutus force, nothing - head would stay on and at full turbo speed and get hot. I had to unscrew it quickly.

So I disassembled everything. Realigned the tail cap switch very carefully, ensuring it’s dead center. Cleaned all the contact points so anywhere you see bare aluminum and on threads, clean it. Here I removed the retaining ring and I noticed the driver was a little tweaked. 2 things, the driver wasn’t sitting flush on the plate and it was off center.

I made sure I centered it and held it down while torquing the centering ring. Then I torqued the ring down as hard as I could, making sure it would not move with the pressure of the battery.

Do this and report your findings

I think he already tried this. Your issue sounded like a short with the driver which bypassed the FET and regulator chips, which we talked about earlier.

His light was turning on at only 200 ish lumens, so it sounds like a different issue.

[Henk4U2]

@Legion226

Will give it another go tomorrow. I appreciate the help.

Had some similar problems. I guess you done the disassemble and cleaning thing?
And looked if the inner tube is not skew?

After that I screw the tailcap real tight to the body.
And the bezel also real tight to the head (only if you took it off).
BUT => screw the head on the tube with very moderate force.
Like a watertap, no point in giving it an extra yank after the waterflow stops.

EDIT: my best quess is that the inner tube is wandering off centre if you use too much force.

[ChibiM]

JasonWW, ToyKeeper, thanks so much for helping me and others, and having the Factory Reset option!

You guys rock!

[Legion226]

Just pulled the retaining ring out again and moved the driver board around tightening it at various orientation with no luck. Cleaned all contact points very well also. The inner tube is making contact with the boards at both ends also.

[trailhunter]

Bummer.

[JasonWW]

@Legion226

Just pulled the retaining ring out again and moved the driver board around tightening it at various orientation with no luck. Cleaned all contact points very well also. The inner tube is making contact with the boards at both ends also.

I no longer think it’s related to the driver. Try post 582.

Also, are you using a button top battery?

[Legion226]

Sanyo 18650ga

[JasonWW]

@Legion226

Sanyo 18650ga

I was asking about the battery being button top or flat top because button tops are added by many different companies and the heights vary. If you have a slightly tallish button top it might be squishing the driver or tail pcb causing it to do wierd things. If it’s flat top we can move on to other things.

[Legion226]

Raw, unprotected 18650ga. I tried to do my homework before this purchase. Lol

[7pot]

@Legion226

Raw, unprotected 18650ga. I tried to do my homework before this purchase. Lol

I had exactly the same problem, even working first and then constantly on.

Measurements and discussions with ToyKeeper earlier in this thread suggested that it is a broken 7135 (defaults to on). Explains all symptoms. Neal very kindly sent me a new head. Working flawlessly since then.

[JasonWW]

@Legion226

Raw, unprotected 18650ga. I tried to do my homework before this purchase. Lol

Okay, that’s good.

Did you try reseting it back to the factory levels?

[Legion226]

Not possible. Only functions are a step ramp of higher lumens up to turbo and back down and I can double click to turbo and back while light is on. Only way to cut it off is by twisting tail cap a hair or loosening head enough to break contact between battery and driver spring. Light cuts on to around 200 lumens as soon as the spring touches the battery. Switch mostly doesn’t function.

[JasonWW]

@Legion226

Not possible. Only functions are a step ramp of higher lumens up to turbo and back down and I can double click to turbo and back while light is on. Only way to cut it off is by twisting tail cap a hair or loosening head enough to break contact between battery and driver spring. Light cuts on to around 200 lumens as soon as the spring touches the battery. Switch mostly doesn’t function.

I guess it’s like 7pot’s light. One of the 7135 regulators internally shorted and gives a minimum 0.35A current. It might be trying to blink commands, but you can’t see them. I would contact Neal about getting the head replaced.

[RapidLux]

Here is a table with Toykeepers measured flux, default ramping steps and approx current draw. Measuring an actual XP-L HI 3D FW3A, 3500 mAh 35E battery.

Measured Flux Default step Approx draw Time
1. 6 lm 20 / 150 26 mA 5.70 days (Default floor stepped ramping)
2. 33 lm 38 / 150 97 mA 36.00 hours
3. 88 lm 56 / 150 242 mA 14.50 hours
4. 177 lm 75 / 150 561 mA 6.20 hours
5. 351 lm 93 / 150 1.06 A 3.30 hours
6. 598 lm 111 / 150 1.76 A 2.00 hours
7. 927 lm 130 / 150 2.80 A 1.25 hours (8x7125)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T 2800 lm 150 /150 12 A 17 mins (FET)
M 0.1 - 0.3 lm 1 / 150 1.6 mA 3 months (Default floor smooth ramping)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No-PWM levels are 65, 130, and 150. (1×7135, 8×7135, FET), 350 mA per chip.

[Lund1660]

Iam having a weird issue with my light. When I turn it on it comes on real low and when to go to ramp up the high is real low like 100 lumens. I can double click and go to turbo. I thought I was in muggle mode but I clicked 6 times from off and nothing changes. Not sure what to do.

[JasonWW]

@Lund1660

Iam having a weird issue with my light. When I turn it on it comes on real low and when to go to ramp up the high is real low like 100 lumens. I can double click and it goes to turbo. I thought I was in muggle mode but I clicked 6 times from off and nothing changes. Not sure what to do.

Turbo doesn’t work in muggle mode so we know your not in that. Maybe the ramping levels are changed. Try doing a factory reset.

Factory Reset

With light turned On, click 4 times to enter ramp config mode. At the prompts (fluttering light), respectively, click 1 time, then 21 times. If there is a 3rd prompt, click 7 times (this is seen when in stepped ramping mode).

[Lund1660]

Thanks JasonWW, I got it to work I clicked 4 times from off waited for the second fast flash and clicked that seemed to work.

[wle]

How does the driver ring keep coming loose?
Mine has done that 2-3 times in the 2 months i have had it.
It seems like that 2nd tube jammed against it, would keep it from turning
I have only changed/charged the battery maybe 4 times - not like I keep doing that…?
Is there a way to make it stay better?

Wait, the 2nd tube might be causing the ring to loosen - tighten ring, then assemble light

• now the 2nd tube presses on the driver board, releasing pressure on the retaining ring, letting it loosen easier…?

wle