ALIVE: Astrolux S42 groupbuy: US$ 25.95

I agree they could of explained the lines better.
There’s only one line going back to off. Which should be a long press not a short press.

Same here… I even went back and looked at it and still dont quite understand it.

*Group1:Moon,Low,Med1,Med2,High1,High2,Turbo
+Moon,Turbo,Tactical strobe,Battery check,Bike flasher (without memory function,short press<0.5s)

Group2:Low,Med2,High1,High2 (with memory function,duble click the button,short press<0.5s)*

Double click and short press seems to change the mode groups, but not sure what the short press does, as I thought it would toggle memory but it doesnt. Then I thought it would be a way to change mode groups, but it doesnt…

Clearly is not how i would describe the way the UI is ‘explained’… and it is not quite consistent with the one we got.

Even the printed version that came with the light with additional instructions (if you have a microscope to read them) is not all that clear. I somehow managed to switch mode group by accidentally double clicking (how stupid is that?) and i had no clue as how to switch back… until i figured “configuration” must gave something to do with it… which seems obvious now. :person_facepalming:

I’m still not sure how i find myself in disco hell once in a while after turbo… This light seems to have a life of itself, unless the cumulative effects of face-blasting-with-turbo has already dented my cognition. :smiling_imp:

Could you really predict the actual fiasco just by looking at that diagram? I don’t think so. It could have worked if they did it right. And i guess that’s what we where all assuming they would do considering previous Astrolux lights. The problem is the translation from a physical tail switch to a side eswitch which is a first for them i believe.

Fully agree with you about the double click to change mode is really stupid.
By looking at the diagram before I ordered the light. I could see that you could only turn off the light from turbo only. And you stuck with the stupid disco if you long press into turbo.
Kinda makes me more stupid knowing this and still getting the light :person_facepalming: Guess I couldn’t help myself at the $25 price

How do I remove the USB cover - do I need to take the light apart? This is a dumb question, but I would rather ask before I do something stupid.

I just pulled mine off, and reinstalled it with gentle prodding of a toothpick

Thanks for the tip! Making my S41 into a twisty is awesome!

now THAT is a small pocket rocket!, especially after I cut off that superfluous tripod mount and replace with a magnet.

Danm! Now I want an S42S tail cap for my S41S, just the tail cap!!!

Now with this mod, I can get 2 spare 18350’s in the bottom of the Manker holster!

And with the S41 tail cap on the S42, you can turn it off from any mode.

Sow’s ears are so sweet!

A Short S41 with twisty is one of the reasons I bought the S42.

Has anyone tried to replace the firmware? There are several options available with e-switch support. Apart from the battery issue this would make the light much more useful.

Easiest option would of course be to use the E14 II firmware. The hardware design seems similar enough for this to work. Maybe we could give it a try?

Regards
Christian

If you want a shorter s41, use the tailcap from skilhunt h03.

Thats what i said but thats the only way to fix the ui as some want.

Also a new head? That IS a new light…

Just received mine and I actually happened to have a battery that fits. It’s tight, but the Enercig IMR18350 ( Enercig IMR18350 700mAh - 14A - 18350 & 18500 - Li-ion - Rechargeable batteries | NKON ) does fit, if you screw on the tailcap carefully so the tailspring goes in to the recession it sits in.

The UI is SLOW and could use some improvement, but it’s no real showstopper for me (the UNsafe lockout sequence does scare me a bit though). The USB cover is a joke, falls out all the time. But the S42 does produce a lot of wonderful neutral high CRI light, unfortunately not for long since it gets HOT fast.

With the new battery tube and new USB cover BangGood/Astrolux could have a winner on their hands. Especially if they let ToyKeeper improve the UI. A better driver with temperature controlled stepdown would also be nice.

Just received the S42…DOA
No problem fitting a flat unprotected 18350….just won’t work….disappointed to say the least.

that’s the same problem everyone has…the tailcap is not screwed down all the way to make the connection to the body. If you have a 18650 tube, give it a try. if not, just wait for the new tube.

…or try to wrap a copper wire inside the tail cap. That will allow the tube to connect without screwing it all the way.

thats what i did for testing...

bent a copper wire around a 18650 cell (1 1/2 turns)
one cut to get a split ring

perfect!

but please ONLY use in the tailcap!

Got my S42 the other day. An cannibalized A6 battery tube made the light work with a flat top unprotected 30Q cell. Don’t have any little cells so didn’t even need to try this. Wow, the UI truly is abominable. Dotted or solid lines on a diagram. It doesn’t matter. Major fail in my opinion. Glad the tail twist out works. Sorry Dragon Breath!
So, why do we even have to beg for replacement parts, proper length battery tube and functional USB cover, when BG knows exactly who they sent these to? Totally stupid. And did I mention that the UI is abominable? Yes I did already, sorry. Martin, you got your points. Help us out!

That puzzles me too, doing it this way only means more work in total for BG and less happy customers.

Nothing happy, since apart from everything, it is horrible to use, almost impossible, and heats more than 80 degrees.