Maxtoch M12 Mission

Just checked out specs. The light should indeed be compatible with 2x26650 as well, with 10% higher output and more runtime… Dunno…

Make sure your 26650’s are making contact with each other

Thanks.

The batteries definitely have contact with each other. We have already checked it. The momentary boost goes with a battery very well. With 2 batteries he always goes out. Banggood now gets a video of the error. Let's look at it.

Update: I get a new driver for the Maxtoch M12. I will report after the exchange of the driver.

Extremely interested to know how you do on this driver swap, like difficulties encountered if any and your thoughts regarding skill level required etc.
I have driver issues as well and have been offered a new driver, somewhat hesitant, and need to know if my skills are up to speed on a dual switch light, hoping you have great success.

My M12 XPL HD just received seems to work fine - outstanding lumens with the dual batteries, that tactical momentary feature works well.

I look forward to your review and beam shots!

Sorry, no plans for a full review - very, very bizy - no time. Might be adding more notes, etc. see my initial comments here in the old M12 review thread: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/27258/156

Ok - you are close to explaining it right, but not exactly.

What I would call a "tactical" mode:

  • from OFF, press& hold the switch - after a delay, the light goes on turbo and stays in turbo til you release the switch

Normal mode switching has last mode used (memory):

  • from OFF, click and the last mode is displayed
  • from ON, press&hold will advance to the next mode. Release the switch when that next mode is displayed, because continuing to hold the switch does nothing

A power cycle loses the last remembered mode. From a power cycle, it behaves as if turbo is the last mode used (defaults to turbo). So, total of 4 modes, and from a power cycle, the order works as follows: turbo, low, med, hi.

Blinkies work just like regular mode changing, just on the other switch.

That's how I understand it and that's how mine works. I don't see any cycling or automatically advancing through the modes. Who knows though, maybe they changed it - these things have happened before, for sure. sometimes a few pieces get out before a "fix" is made, or they shipped the first lights with a BETA version. I work for a biomedical manufacturer - it happens...

I don't like the UI, but think I understand it. I don't like these built in delays at all - frustrating... I do like the dedicated switch for blinkies. You can easily avoid them, and can't accidentally invoke them.

My priorities are quick access to lowest mode, quick access to highest, and nice to have a quick access to last level used.

They chose to avoid double clicks. Also I'd have to say they gave full priority to last used mode, because to enter and exit the last used mode, it's quick - immediate action. To me for the tactical mode, there's no reason to have that kind of delay - they could act on the press&hold in maybe 50 to 200 msecs - it would feel much more responsive.

OK, that is really great help Tom thank you very much, yes using the word cycle is not what they should be using to explain operations, but I do greatly appreciate your explanation and it is correct.
I do have a bad driver and that really messes things up as I am only barely on single side switch installs, well if I have to do this I might as well really up the schooling and figure out how to get rid of that UI also.
Only one operation you forgot to mention, the lock out, holding both switches down ha ha, but I thank you very much it does help a lot and confirms I do have a bad driver, argh…
There apparently shouldn’t be that many bad drivers according to Amanda, but good news about this is that I know Amanda and she will take care of a customer no matter what it takes,
This would be the first time I have ever had a problem with a Maxtoch and I do have a lot of them, a bad driver out of the box isn’t normal that’s for sure, oh well thank you again Tom, greatly appreciate your help and your general assessment of this driver is absolutely spot on and just drives me up a wall but good news is she wants to build a better light and would like to get started sooner than later it sounds like, I was asked to email her this week so we shall see, said she’s willing to start with a 100mm head, what? wow, …!! :+1:

I sure hate to say this but I may not be the only one with problems, this is from the Maxtoch site and better written than what I’d seen before, I do understand clearly what they are saying here.

I dunno - that could be interpreted different ways. It's true - a single long press cycles through strobes, but one mode at a time. It's lost in translation. Clearly, all their sentences are not in good English, but the ones that are can be mis-leading because it sounds like good English, but the meaning could be all wrong. The text above is printed in the same wording in the manual as well.

" In flash mode, single click the main switch could enter into general mode."

" In general mode, single click the auxilary switch could enter flash mode."

Those are not English sentences, and even includes a spelling error. I would interpret it the same way you did. Once you try it though, you see what they meant. It's not easy writing usability instructions (believe me I know), and translating them makes it harder (this I know as well - I deal with distributors and customers all over the world on my regular job - we use translation services and we get beat up for the translations all the time).

As soon as I have news, I say.

Lucky you. Does this work with 2x 26650er?

Yep, works with single or dual, same way.

All clear and thank you for your answer.

What bin is the XP-L HI in this light? And how long do you get in turbo?

About the bin, they don't seem to publish this info, so hard to tell, but I have the HD version anyway, but I'd guess the HD version is a V6 bin in CW tint.

For turbo, I see nothing said anywhere on the site or in the manual about a turbo timeout, or temperature regulation. I'm thinking they don't have one, but didn't test for it on my HD version.

The momentary boost feature mentioned in the OP is the mode where you hold down the button for the LED to be on at max/turbo. Once you let go, the LED goes off.

My Turbo tactical feature is very defective, it could stay on a minute then go out while holding the switch down, then next time it might just be a flash and out, they have driver issues.
Apparently they are designing a new light and driver and are asking for input but there seems to be little to no interest apparently,

Just hit 2,000 lumens on a simple resistor mod on the M12, details here: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/27258/160