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

Pulsar · January 26, 2018, 1:14am

My vote would be A&D for sure. C also would not be bad, nice to know when its in full regulation

Persechini · January 26, 2018, 1:23am

I’m not in just yet, but I like the blinks and find them super useful on the D4/D1

ABCD sounds fine for me. on a clicky you would blink anyway when half pressing to change modes

ToyKeeper · January 26, 2018, 2:24am

To give people a better idea what some of the extra modes look like, I made videos…

Dale sent me a diffuser for my BLF Q8, and it makes the candle mode look a lot more like a candle. The light is warm-tinted and spread evenly in all directions. Everything still works without a diffuser, but for that it’s best to ceiling-bounce the beam.

3 minutes of lightning storm mode:

3 minutes of candle flicker mode:

Play both videos at the same time if you want to simulate taking shelter by a fire while a storm goes by.

liteyear · January 26, 2018, 3:08am

Please put me on the list for one of these.

ryukin2000 · January 26, 2018, 3:10am

Whoa that’s awesome! And i thought Zebralights had complicated UIs. Makes me want 2 now……this place is really bad for my wallet.
Candle mode is sweet TK!

starcrazed · January 26, 2018, 3:19am

Hi there. Please put me down for 2 units. Seems my post from Nov 19,2017 was missed.

ToyKeeper · January 26, 2018, 3:29am

FWIW, the FW3A can run a clone of ZebraLight’s 2016 UI too, if you reflash the driver. It’s in the FSM repository under “DarkHorse”.

It took only a single afternoon to implement ZL’s UI.

skinny_tie · January 26, 2018, 3:55am

MascaratumB:

ToyKeeper:

[…]So… which of the following reference points should blink when the user hits or passes them?

A. Floor

B. ~150 lm, level 65/150

C. ~1000 lm, level 130/150 (highest regulated level)

D. Ceiling

Some prefer “none”, some might like “ABCD”. I like “BC”. What sounds good to you?

Thanks, ToyKeeper, for such a great effort! The more I see this, the more “need” the FW3A in my hands :smiling_imp:

I know we will all enter in the field of personnal preference while answering your question, and maybe it is “dangerous” to answer it here on this thread, risking to “derail” it to the FW and not the FW3A
At the same time, it is appropriate to inform the people interested on this light about the FirmWare it will probably use!

Here is a link for your other thread/post where other discussions may appear about this: E-switch UI Development / FSM - #234 by ToyKeeper

My personal answer/preference to: “What sounds good to you?”
C and D !

Why C?
If we pass the C blink, we know the farthest regulated limit has been passed, so we may wanna go back a bit to enter the “regulated zone”, helping to save some battery even with it producing near 1000 lumens.

Why D?
Sometimes I see myself pressing the Emisar D4 switch trying to realize when it reaches the highest limit, when ramping up. If there wasn’t any “top blink” we might get “stuck” pressing the switch, because we don’t know if the highest limit has been reached or not. So, the “top” blink would be a nice indicator to let us move the finger away from the switch!

Why not A?
Obviously, as you said, the moonlight is easy to perceive when it is not getting lower!

Why not B?
If it will be regulated till the 1000 lumens, would it be necessary to have a previous blink to know the 1st regulated limit? Sure, it would help to save some more “juice” from the battery and produce less heat, but comparing to the D4 (as example), this one will have a wider regulated “space” so I don’t see a need for the B blink.

I don’t really mind the blinks as long as we don’t have “too much”
2 would be great to mark some important points, but at least 1 (the C) may be important to have it!
My perspective, only!
Thanks for your work again

Thanks ToyKeeper (and the rest of the team) for your work on the FW3A. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished torch, and then probably flashing Anduril onto everything that can run it.

I’d like to give a +1 to MascaratumB’s suggestion of blinks at point C and D, but I also have a question. When you reach reach either the minimum or maximum ramping level, does the light simply stop adjusting, or does it start ramping back in the other direction?

M78 · January 26, 2018, 4:02am

I would like to be on the list for a second light.

CJ_Avlis · January 26, 2018, 4:10am

Wow! I might have take up smoking weed (again) :question:

ToyKeeper · January 26, 2018, 4:34am

It stops. To ramp again, release the button and hold it again.

At the top end, it can sometimes be difficult to tell when it stopped. OTOH, it can also sometimes be difficult to see the blink at the top end, particularly when looking into the distance outside.

pepinfaxera · January 29, 2018, 2:20am

.
Your name is already there, N° … 804 and 805
.

.

mikeymikey · January 26, 2018, 6:26am

In for one please.

mustig · January 26, 2018, 7:14am

BC blinks. As you said, bottom and top of the ramp are pretty obvious anyway. But as long as they can be changed at compile time I’m good with anything.

d_t_a · January 26, 2018, 8:16am

This would be my frst time to join a BLF specials product prior to release… Count me in for one.

Thanks to pepin for taking care of the interest list!

Agro · January 26, 2018, 9:20am

ABCD for me.

cabfrank · January 26, 2018, 10:58am

So this will have lightning and candle blinkies? Is party strobe the one that makes movements look slow motion, and will this have that too?

vasa_visost · January 26, 2018, 1:53pm

Hi,
can you put me on the list for 2 pcs?
I asked some 20 days ago but still can’t find myself on the list.
Thanks

Yammie · January 26, 2018, 9:08pm

When will the list be updated?
I signed up a few months ago.
The list hasn’t been updated ever since.

I can’t find myself on the list.

For me option B and C please.

Thanks

Ps: i allready love the ui

Tixx · January 26, 2018, 2:46pm

ToyKeeper:

There have been some complaints about the mid-ramp blink on the D4. I find it useful as a reference point, but some dislike it.

Should the FW3A have mid-ramp blinks?

Currently the default setup is:

Smooth ramp floor: Lowest setting which lights up.

Stepped ramp floor: About 10 lumens.

Both ramp ceilings: Highest regulated mode, 8x7135 or about 3 Amps or ~1000 lumens. (full FET still accessible via turbo)

Blink when passing 1x7135 boundary, ~150 lumens, or level 65/150.

Blink when passing 8x7135 boundary, ~1000 lumens, or level 130/150.

Blink when ramp hits ceiling.

No blink at moon, because it’s usually pretty obvious when it hits bottom.

A “blink” means the light shuts off for 8ms. Each ramp step takes 16ms. So, it’s off for half of that individual step, half of a 60fps “frame”, just long enough to see.

So… which of the following reference points should blink when the user hits or passes them?

A. Floor

B. ~150 lm, level 65/150

C. ~1000 lm, level 130/150 (highest regulated level)

D. Ceiling

Some prefer “none”, some might like “ABCD”. I like “BC”. What sounds good to you?

I like moon and max. Like my photon freedom.

I like the blink at moon because the Crescendo UI ramps down and up without stopping. and I like to know when I reach the bottom of the same reasons people like to know when the top is reached. Don’t like to press again to make sure.