A quick question - is that the correct .hex file that I could use to flash old convoy drivers to have new UI? Or is it adopted to the new HW already?
http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~toykeeper/flashlight-firmware/trunk/view/head:/ToyKeeper/bistro/biscotti/biscotti.hex
That’s the one I used to flash some old Nanjg 105D and 105C drivers and it worked fine.
Correct. The updated firmware for the new red drivers is not available yet. When TK posts the revision that’s adjusted for the new driver both versions will remain available. There will be some info added to help people figure out which one they should use based on which driver they have.
Thank you very much for quick answer!
Wellp, a 1A switch can probably handle 5A-10A or so without failing catastrophically (melting, fusing, etc.), but it absolutely does affect lifetime. Every time a switch is, well, switched, small arcs form and make small pits in the contacting surface. This ever-so-slightly increases the resistance across the contacts. And the more pitted and more irregular the surface, the worse it gets with each actuation, and the faster it degrades. That’s why mercury-wetted switches are a must for hi-rel circuitry. Thee Hg “reforms” the surface each time.
It’s like LEDs. Their lifetime isn’t rated ’til they just up and go pouf! Instead, it’s about lumen-maintenance, and when the light output decreases to L70 (formerly L50), or 70% (50%) of its initial brightness.
So when everyone’s bypassing springs and going crazy trying to squeeze out every extra microohm of resistance to maximise current through the LED, the switch will start climbing up and up in resistance, from milliohms to fractional-ohms, and max current will drop until the switch is replaced.
And yeah, that’ll happen probably over hundreds (or even thousands) of cycles, not dozens, but it still happens. By the time it gets to that point, though, unless you’re flicking that switch a lot each day, it’ll be time to toss that light and get an XM-L5 in a Z6 brightness bin.
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Eh, here ya go. Not complete, but I just took a quick look around…
So, in other words, worry more about the carpal tunnel surgery than the $0.30 switch replacement. 
I’ve seen people here grexing about limited current through their LEDs, swapping cells, bypassing springs… and they they measure a too-high resistance in the tailswitch. Well there ya go…
At 10:1 or 20:1 overcurrent, that’ll happen for sure, and every mode-change counts as an actuation.
But hey, those LEDs will be happier with lower current, so have fun!
I saw the new clear C8 at gearbest .
I found a few mistakes in description. They writed everywhere XP-L H1 instead of XP-L HI where HI means high intensity.
The modes described the old firmware not the new one, but on the pics you can clearly 
see the red driver board.
Yesterday I received my new clearly better clear C8 and it doesn’t seem to me as better, it’s nice looking thou, but I have all this issues already mentioned: dirty lense from inside, large particles of what seems to be plastic material. I bought several old style C8 flashlights for friends and except occasional tiny reflector imperfections all was good.
I will upload my pictures later but it’s all as described by other members.
I received my 2 new clear C8s this week, along with a L6 clear. Very happy with all. I ordered direct from Simon at aliexpress. Dispatched Sept 11th, recd Oct 19th.
No more purchases now for a while. Unless there are new colours.
Simon knows there was a brief rushed moment when a few of the new clear C8 were shipped without proper Q.C. checks.
You can post the pics here if you want, but if you just send the info and pics to him he will make it right promptly and without any hassle. Every company has little slips like this from time to time but I’ve never seen any company handle these little problems better than Simon…
I should probably mention, after the initial offer of a replacement lens we had a few messages back and forth and eventually Simon agreed to send me a host which is en route. I agree, QC issues pop up every now and then especially with new products even from large companies; it’s not a big deal.
Here’s mine, took it apart, used compressed air to clean the reflector and microfiber cloth for fingerprints on the lense…
> new clear
Aw. I was hoping it was a typo for “nuclear” …
Haha, that’s a nice one. n_n
Just ordered one in cool white
I received my clear C8 yesterday and it is really nice. Tiny bit of debris in the reflector and had to clean the lens on the inside a bit, but all else was good. And it is my first Convoy C8 (I don’t like C8’s for their design but they form a useful niche for the reflector size).
Two things though, because I’m spoilt:
- this driver is really nice, but in a C8 I want direct drive
- a C8 is all about dedomed XP-G2, not XP-L Hi
So tonight I did the mods: bypassed two springs, BLF-A6 driver, dedomed (old production type) XP-G2 S3 3D (on the stock MCPCB). Numbers: 3.90A on high, 180kcd precisely!
That proves how good this reflector+lens is, well done Simon. I could use the stock centering ring, and the focus was dead-on, but still had to screw/unscrew the bezel a few times to have the led sit perfectly centered and get the hotspot clean. (a dedomed XP-G2 is very demanding in its focussing/centering)
Did you sanded down the centering ring?
No, did not sand down the centering ring. Probably because the stock XP-L Hi was already a domeless emitter, the focus was still correct.
Anybody experiencing scratches when trying to put on the clip? I went halfway but stopped when I saw the clip was damaging the finish… The black anodizing seems to be much more durable. Other than that I’m happy with the clear C8, replaced the driver for a H17F and I’m getting just sightly lower reading vs the black version because of the reflector. (The old one has a better finish.)