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

Hi TK,

I like the concept of a "dumb" light, where it's either on or off. Not for Muggles per se, just as a clean option to run the light at a fixed output at the click of a button, without the inherent risk of ramping up to max, etc. The output in the case would be settable, then locked.

If the purpose of such an arrangement is indeed for Muggles, then a fixed output (decent runtime while still bright enough to be useful), unmodifiable, is what I like. And of course with the "dumb" switch arrangement.

And having both options in the UI would be great! :)

Also, I'm with Lazy-r-us on using the Cut method, just my preference.

Yes, lots of generalities here, but I defer to all those BLFers with (much, much!) more knowledge and experience than I :)

Thanks!

-Ben

On the D4 I’m using for development, at least, yes. I can take off the tailcap, remove the battery, have a conversation, then put it back together… and it doesn’t even notice the power was gone. Standby power is ridiculously low. But I don’t know if the FW3A will behave the same way.

Add me to the D4 incident list. Forgot to lock it out (Maybe a few too many beers).

Now I have a cheap pair of polyester running shorts with large hole in the bottom of a pocket.

I’ll chime in with a “Nay” for a simple ‘cut’ to exit muggle mode.

When I hand a light to a muggle, they immediately open it to look at the cell, then try their best to cross-thread it back together. :person_facepalming:

cut

  • - likely to be performed inadvertently
  • - muggles can’t learn about and use mechanical lockout
  • - muggles can’t change cells

cut-and-hold

  • + unlikely to be perfomed inadvertently
  • + simple for non-muggle to remember

password

  • + great for gifting a light with the potential to be ‘unlocked’ after muggle is certified :smiley:
  • - forgetful non-muggle could be locked out of their own light

I’m using TK’s amazing Andúril on several lights. Muggles (young and old) quickly understand its ramping UI.

I hand them a light and say, “Click for on and off. Hold to change brightness.” Andúril is so intuitive that they figure out reversing on their own.

I’d like muggle mode to have a ramp with a customizable floor and ceiling, with no access to turbo or blinkies.

Single-mode lights are boring, and even muggles deserve ramping! :partying_face:

Perhaps a ‘single output mode’ could be a separate feature?

Is there a decision which firmware is used?
I guess it will be the programmer with time for it. I have no preference for NarsilM or Andúril.
It would be nice when the two use the same commands.

NarsilM v1.2 beta uses 5 clicks for its tactical mode. Is 6 clicks in Andúril free?

Maybe Tom can move tac. mode to 6 clicks?

EDIT: forget it, just read TKs comments

[quote=ToyKeeper]

25% to 33% is fine for “tactical use”, but no good for light painting (with various tools attached to the light) where 50% is the sweet spot for visual effects. I have a comparison photo in my S2+ review. It is a rapidly increasing market segment.

Stephenk
what about an extra firmware for light painting?
Some wishes are verry special and you can tweak it to your need.

Right. This is unrelated to the FW3A, but I have an entirely different firmware in progress which will probably be a lot more interesting for light painting. It uses a RAGB quad-color setup and lets the user configure a reasonably wide variety of lighting patterns in a manner similar to how analog synthesizers let people sculpt sounds. It’s, um, simpler than an analog synth, but the general concepts are basically the same. If you want to oscillate suddenly between two different states with a 50% duty cycle (like a strobe), simple, tell it what those two states are and configure it to do a square wave between them. You can also overlay another waveform simultaneously, with a different shape/frequency/intensity, if you like. For example, it’s easy to make a police flasher this way — slow square wave between red and blue plus a fast square wave between dim and bright. But plenty of less-jarring combinations are possible too.

The intent is for use in a lightsaber, to paint neat-looking patterns in the air while swinging it around. I’d imagine it should work pretty well for more general light painting too.

The cut-and-hold thing can be done, though it’ll cost a little extra space. It also uses up a UI action which might be useful for other things. Holding the button while connecting power might be a good way to reset to factory defaults, for example. That’s a thing which isn’t implemented at all right now, and hold-at-boot is probably the easiest way to do it. But I don’t know what would be the best UI choice for hold-at-boot.

Please add me in for 1.

Thanks,
FB

Please put me down for 2!

Thank you.

Sounds cool!

im in for 2

Yeah a list update is overdue, will do it soon :wink:

I’m in for 1.

Welcome to BLF, will do tomorrow!

Please put me down for one. Thanks!

I don’t want to miss out, please add me to the list! Thanks for all the work and effort going into this!

I want 1 please

Please put me on the list for 1.