FW3A, a TLF/BLF EDC flashlight - SST-20 available, coupon codes public

BLF Special Edition Products
2

Thanks Wrathbringer27 for the translation!

FW3A

Small elegant EDC triple flashlight designed by Fritz.

Runs on a single 18650 battery.

Chinese: Fritz设计的小巧优雅的EDC三重手电筒。需要一个 18650 大小的电池操作

Looks

Clear anodisation (no pigments) and NO sanding or sandblasting of the parts after machining.

This makes the FW3A look like it came of a lathe of a skilled machinist with the added protection anodisation offers to keep it beautiful for a long time.

No marking/logo for a clean look

Stainless steel clip

Chinese:
外观：

机械加工后清除阳极氧化（没颜料）和没有打磨或喷砂。

这使得FW3A看起来像是熟练机械师的车床，增加了阳极氧化保护的优点，使其长时间保持美观。

没有标记/标志，干净的外观

不锈钢夹

Pricing
$30 including shipping, manufacturer can decide own pricing afterwards

Chinese:
价格：
30美元包括运费，制造商可以自行决定自己的定价

Emitters

3 pieces 3535 footprint
Cree XPG3 NW
LEDs mounted on DTP triple star

Chinese:
发射器
3 个 3535 footprint 大小的led
Cree XPG3 NW
Led 安装在 DTP 三星上

Internals

Integrated LED shelf for good thermal dissipation
20 AWG Wires.
Driver retainer ring.

Threads square or trapeziod (not triangular) for connection head and body

Electronic switch in tail with stainless steel button

Double tube to connect the electronc swich to the driver

Chinese:
集成LED灯架，散热好
20 AWG线。
驱动器固定环。

螺纹方形或梯形（不是三角形）用于连接头部和身体

电子开关尾部带不锈钢按钮

双管将电子开关连接到驱动器

Optics

Optics

Triple TIR optics 10.0mm Narrow Spot Plain TIR LED Lenses | Carclo Optics (link is external)(link is external) (link is external)
Glass AR coated lens 2,25mm thick

Chinese
光学

三重TIR光学10.0mm Narrow Spot Plain TIR LED Lenses | Carclo Optics (link is external) (外部链接）
AR玻璃涂层透镜厚度为2,25mm

Protective

2 x O-ring bezel, perfect fit

All lights tested before shipping to spot and fix problems and avoid DOA. (turn on, ramp up and down, if not working properly factory fixes problems so all receive a good working light.)

Chinese:
保护

2 x O形圈表圈，完美契合

发货前所有的灯都必须经过测试，以便可以发现和修复问题，避免DOA。 （打开，亮度调整，如果不能使用，工厂需修复问题，确保都能获得良好的灯）

3

Some extra info about the light…

FW3A Interface

The FW3A uses the Andúril‎ firmware by ToyKeeper. It is similar to Tom E’s fantastic NarsilM, but with some extras.

Basic usage is very simple: Click for on/off, hold to change brightness. But there’s much more available for those who want it.

This is the UI diagram for it, showing most of the functions:

The interface uses mostly the same ramping as Narsil, and basic usage is identical. Click to turn the light on or off, hold the button to change brightness. However, this style applies to both the smooth ramp and the mode group, and the user can switch between them with three clicks while the light is on. No need to remember two interfaces or navigate a config mode.

Ramping also has some additional usability tweaks. If the user holds the button, ramping will always go up unless the button was released less than a second ago or it’s already at the top. To ramp down without ramping up first, do a “click, release, hold”. This eliminates the need to remember which way it was ramping in the past.

Both the smooth ramp and mode group are configurable. The user can set the lowest level, the highest level, and (mode group only) the number of steps. Full turbo is still available via double-click even if the ceiling is set somewhere more sensible.

While on, a double click toggles between turbo and the memorized level. So, if you hear a noise and want full power for a moment, double click. When you’re done, double click again to return to the original brightness.

Two groups worth of blinkies are included. To reach them, do “click click click” from off or a “click click hold”. These include:

  • Group 1: (always starts at battcheck)
    • BattCheck: Show remaining charge in volts and tenths.
    • Sunset: Start at “low”, then slowly ramp down to moon for an hour, then turn off.
    • Beacon: Blink once every N seconds at the last-ramped level. N is configurable.
    • TempCheck: Show current temperature and optionally configure settings for thermal regulation.
  • Group 2: (remembers the last-used mode)
    • Bike flasher: Steady output with a “stutter” once per second. Adjustable brightness.
    • Party strobe: Motion-freezing strobe. Adjustable speed.
    • Tactical strobe: Bright, disorienting strobe. Adjustable speed.
    • Lightning storm: Exactly what it says on the tin. No adjustments available.
    • Candle: Simulates a flickering candle or fireplace. Adjustable brightness. Also works as a self-shutoff timer in 30-minute increments.

A few other modes are available by clicking even more times from off:

  • 4 clicks: Soft lockout. Light won’t turn on until it’s unlocked. This mode doubles as a momentary moon mode, so when the button is held down it’ll light up at the current ramp floor. This is handy for checking something quickly without having to unlock the light.
  • 5 clicks: Momentary / signalling mode. Using the last-ramped brightness, the light will be on when the button is held, or off otherwise. Good for Morse code and such. To exit this mode, physically disconnect power (unscrew the light).
  • 6 clicks: Muggle mode. An extremely simple interface with a limited brightness range — ~10 lm to ~300 lm, with smooth ramping and no blinkies. Persists after a battery change. To exit this mode, quickly click exactly 6 times.

Some features which aren’t visible on the diagram:

  • Low voltage protection will reduce the brightness when the battery is low. If the brightness is already down all the way, it will shut the light off entirely.
  • Thermal regulation keeps the light from overheating. It’s not normally visible by eye though; it ramps smoothly across 512 internal steps to adjust output while it searches for the highest level it can maintain without overheating.
  • By default, the ceiling is set to the highest fully-regulated output level — 3 Amps. This is about 1000 lumens. Full turbo is about 3000 lumens, but cannot be sustained for long due to the heat it creates.

There are also some other interfaces available for this hardware, but it requires the user to flash different firmware. You can make it work like a BLF Q8, or like an Olight, or like a Zebralight, for example. However, these are not tested and not officially supported.

Driver

The FW3A uses a FET+7+1 driver.

So, three power channels:

  • 1xAMC7135 chip for 0 to 350mA
  • 7xAMC7135 chips for 350mA to 2.8 A
  • FET for 2.8 A to full power (direct drive)

This keeps most of the levels pretty stable and reasonably efficient, as far as linear drivers go. But it still has a direct drive circuit for turbo.

In a totally non-scientific qualitative manner, the overall efficiency curve compared to a constant current linear driver looks something like this:

LEDs also change tint according to the power level. This driver attempts to minimize that effect by blending power channels, but it may still be noticeable. The curve for that looks roughly like this:

Optics

The optic is a Carclo 10511, which is a lightly frosted optic with a relatively narrow spot. It gets almost as much throw as the 10507 optic, but with greatly reduced tint shift and artifacts.

BLF user maukka measured this in great detail in his review, which is quoted here:

4

Interest List

The list is closed, so this is the final set of requests. It’s not getting any more updates.

TLF adds about 450 lights to the list below.

BLF list:

1670 people, 2479 lights.


Requests:
People:
5

reserved

6

Aha, so this is what you were talking about. :+1:

Very nice !

…uhm… no DD driver i hope? Hopefully it will be a CC driver, but with enough (6 to 12) Amperes, like the LD2 (or LD3?) without PWM.

Another thing, about the anodizing, clear anodizing can make it look very cheap, maybe better to have no anodizing OR sandblasted finish.

But i love the design concept. :heart_eyes:
Will possibly be as tiny as the DQG ?

7

This would be my first multi-emitter flashlight since the old days of blue and purple leds.

8

Triple channel driver
So a FET for highest modes but more birhgtness levels on 7135 chips then FET+1 drivers

94.8 x 25.5 is the FW3A, pretty small :wink:

9

No, the DQG sacrifices too much in order to achieve its small size for my liking. It has no glass lens to protect the optics, especially for an EDC light this is important. Additionally, there is no tailcap spring, which is quite bad for the battery and the LED sits directly on the driver-PCB which grants horrible heat-sinking.

10

I’d like to be put on a blf list if there is one

11

Put me down for two please

12

Put me down for 2 also, sharp looking flashlight!

Later,
Keith

13

I’d be interested in 1 please.

14

A 18650 with a belt clip, Perfect :slight_smile:

One for now with the option to increase order at a later date.

Looks like another great light with a Coooooooool looking factor.

15

I would be down for 2 also! :+1:

Very nice!

16

Oh wauw, I’ve had small DQG lights in my cart many times but felt great hesitation to actually buy one and reading this makes me feel good about it :wink:

17

Count me in for one, this sounds great!

18

Please sign me up for one of them. Thanks.

19

1 please

20

1 please

BTW , even should be 25$ possible .

21

I’m assuming 18650, I didn’t see it specified.

I’ll take two!