Two main reasons, it thinks it’s too hot or the voltage is too low.
If the battery is charged up, then I would calibrate the internal temp sensor.
Did the light in question used to work properly and this behavior is new? Or is it acting like this new, out of the box.?
Battery is fully charged and it doesn’t get hot as it steps down immediately.
It doesn’t have to get hot, it just needs to think it’s hot. It’s internal temperature calibration may be off, that’s why I say it may need to be calibrated. Instructions are in the first post.
Might also be a bad connection.
Check the contact ring on the backside of the driver for debris, plus each end of the battery tube and the tailcap contact ring.
I’ve never heard of this happening so it should be fine.
Yes, thermal config is stored to the EEPROM, so it is kept even when removing power.
Potential short circuit in the tailcap between the spring and the track, reported by DBSAR , continues on the FW21.
Today I received an FW21 and when doing the visual inspection prior to commissioning it can detect it.
I will correct it by rotating the spring.
Dagnabbit!My FW3A also came with only one of the three available contact points soldered.
With a cold solder joint, so the spring could easily come loose and short out.
Somebody was in a hurry to leave work that day!
And I bought a FW21 anyway. I’ll never learn to wait on reviews.
Has anyone got contact info for the manufacturer? Just TELL the guy who does the soldering how to do it right, please.
Just received my FW3A from nealsgadgets.
I’m not sure if this is a defect or if I’m misunderstanding the Andruil UI.
From OFF, if I long press the button, the light will start at moonlight, but then without me releasing the button, start to ramp up. Then releasing and long pressing again, it will ramp down.
My understanding of the Andruil UI was that I had to short press then long press to ramp up or down. As in, I would depress the button twice. I thought that a single long press from off would go to moonlight and stay in moonlight.
When you hold from OFF…it pauses at moonlight for just a moment…then ramps. Single press from off goes to last brightness level (if memory on). If you release the button during that brief moonlight pause (it is VERY brief) it will stay at moonlight.
If you quick press…it comes on. Then press-hold it will ramp up. Release press-hold it will ramp down.
Correct. It should do that. Then as long as the button is held down it ramps up.
Correct.
From OFF the long press will make the light go to moonlight. With some practice you can relatively easily learn to press long enough to force it to start in ML and stay pretty much at the lowest setting. Or let it ramp up slightly, release the button and long press again to make the light ramp down to ML. Release and it stays there.
When in stepless ramping mode and locked out, a long press and hold will put it into ML and it will stay there until the button is released.
Also when in stepless ramping mode and locked out a double click and hold will cause it to step through ML and then go to the floor setting that is set as low in the stepped ramping mode.
Is there any way I can make it stay and moonlight and not start to ramp up after that very brief moment?
If I’m in a moonlight mode situation, it’s very important that the light doesn’t come on too bright.
But it seems like if I want to consistently get to moonlight, I have to make sure I release the button after exactly 0.5 sec, as opposed to 0.1 sec to go to the last memorized mode, or >0.5 sec and it starts ramping up.
FW3A team…are there any plans to migrate to 1634 with aux LEDs and flashling pads?
Since I got Emisar D4S it’s hard to purchase anything less….and while 18350 FW3A would be a great EDC I can’t really get myself to buying one because of the UI downgrade….
No, it’s designed to stay at moonlight for that short period and then ramp up. Same for NarsilM. If you do hold the button too long and it starts to ramp up a little, release and hold again. It will ramp back down to moonlight.
I think to extend the time the light stays in moonlight before ramping up would require rewriting the software and reflashing the driver.
Once you have the light in ML mode, turn it off. Then when you turn it back on using a normal single quick click he light will come on in ML and stay there.
Yup, mine had that too. I think it’s a common problem. I never would have found the issue on mine (and resoldered it) if someone hadn’t pointed it out as a potential issue. I suspect there are lots of FW3As (and maybe the FW21) with that problem. This design is too difficult to manufacturer cheaply, and it shows.
OK to wipe the LED’s with some isopropyl alcohol and lint free rag?
Mine have a small amount of what looks like flux on them
Yes. Qtips work well also.
The D4 series lights use 2 channels: 1+FET
The FW3 series lights use 3 channels: 1+8+FET. The extra chips means the FW3 series stay in regulation up to 2.8 amps, compared to just 350 millamps for the D4v2. This provides a modest increase in driver efficiency at intermediate modes.
With eight 7135 chips instead of just one, more space on the driver is needed. 6 of those 7135 chips are mounted on the back of the driver around the spring. Because of this there simply isn’t room for pogo pin contact pads as-is.
HOWEVER, looking at the back of the FW3A driver and the back of the D4v2 driver, it looks like there would be room if just one of the 7135 chips were removed. I’m not sure about the front of the driver making space for a 1634 though. The ATiny 1634 might be bigger than the 85. I haven’t checked.