According to ToyKeeper, the first batch lights had led wires long enough that you just undid the 2 screws holding the driver down and you could tilt the driver enough to get the clip on.
The later batches switched to slightly shorter led wires and those require unsoldering them from the mcpcb in order to rotate the driver enough to get the clip on but still allow enough room to reflash.
Don’t listen to me, I have a sample size of one. Listen to Tom.
The second batch is shorter, but should still be long enough to reflash without soldering. Tom measured several and found the wire lengths were very consistent and just long enough.
As for flashing info, click the Link in my signature or use the “README” in the code repository.
Thanks for those info, ToyKeeper. That’s great to know. And of course, allow me to thank you and Tom E for programming all these nice firmware (although I’m still trying to learn about them…)
I’ve ordered these 3 items a couple of weeks ago, waiting for them to arrive, maybe in a week or two…
Any idea if the item you linked — “ATMEGA/ATTiny51 AVR ISP USBASP Programmer” is better (can flash more chip types?) or just the same with the one I ordered ” ATMEGA8 ATMEGA128 AVR ISP USBASP Programmer” — what are the differences between various programmer devices?
in RAMPING: Triple-click, double-click, double-click
There shouldn’t be any batch 1 lamps left. And the coated lens shouldn’t be any longer on new lamps. It made a visual tint shift vs. an only measureable brighter light (you couldn’t see it)
I dont think the Q8 has recieved the newer firmware yet, has it? Tom just finalized it a couple weeks ago. Has it officially been updated? There’s not much talk about it here.
Well, it has the tripod mount screw hole. As long as you had some way to keep it from spinning around, the mounting to a bicycle is pretty easy. Get a pipe clamp the right size. Clamp it onto a tubular part of your bike. Put a bolt through it and screw the bolt into the tripod hole. I’m not sure, but I think an electrical conduit ‘stand-off strap’ would be the cheapest and most widely available. One way you might be able to keep it from spinning at the tripod hole is to use a back-up nut to make it extra tight.
Depends on how bumpy your route is but I’m not sure if I would trust the tripod mount hole for fixing the (heavy) Q8 to a bike, in combination with some form of strap it should be ok.
I have not tried this, but when you are in battery check mode, if you dbl click it takes you to a temperature readout (blinks out temperature) then another dbl click will blink out the firmware number (either a 1 or 1.2). This is listed in the cheat sheet for the Q8.
Long before the Q8 appeared, I modified a 2” (50mm) theater lighting ‘truss clamp’ to securely hold my Noctigon Meteor, which doesn’t have a tripod mount.
The Q8’s tripod mount is very useful, but this method is much sturdier for mounting lights to a car, bicycle, ATV, or other moving/vibrating object.
Truss clamps are available in several sizes and styles. I like the ‘quick release’ style like the one pictured above. Search eBay and Amazon for options.
There are also clamps that fit 1-1/4” to 1-3/8” (32mm to 35mm) tubing.
Depending on your bike’s dimensions and mounting location, perhaps you could combine two clamps to create an adjustable mount?