Q8, PMS SEND TO THOSE WITH ISSUES BLF soda can light

Mode sets is pretty difficult to use on the Q8. I’ve tried it a few times, but just can’t get used to it. I really don’t like the timing constraints to change modes, and it’s unlike any other light I have. Luckily, the light is great with ramping, and it works very well. They definitely made the right choice to make ramping the default UI.

I don’t know why they didn’t make mode groups function in a more standard way.

To beat a dead horse:

Could I suggest once again - a simple version of Narsil for people who just want a simple flashlight? A great flashlight; but a flashlight! Some features (you might run a survey for functions of a simple Narsil), but not the “I will use this function when the sun goes nova, if I can remember the button press sequence to get it” features. Ramping is incredibly good. The pilot light; pretty good (although it is actually a bit too bright for the table in the bedroom). After that, it gets less clear. Over simplification is not (maybe) needed, but it needs to be intuitive for a user that just does not want to ( or understand) screwing around with irrelevant (to them) functions and count seconds for button pressing to operate the light. Really!

Removing some Narsil nuances and replacing them with a small default (settable) Joe six-pack interface, would, in my opinion, be a major improvement.

I would buy a firmware writer to get a light operable by the ignorant unwashed masses (ah, like me).

I bought these as an emergency light. In multiple uses. If the people huddling in the wreckage can’t use it; what is the point. In an emergency, multiple training sessions on operating a flashlight in an emergency seems unlikely.

No one (Me, my wife, a friend) have been able to simply use the flashlight. Or the neighbors run over wanting a light because they see me as a flashlight freak and did not plan ahead. Really, really not able to be reliably used by civilians.

Flashlight persons who hang on complicated or obscure functions can be happy with raw Narsil. That is fine.

But second (or sub-second) button press timing, remembering what a sequence does out of a large set, to use a flashlight - nah. No way. Won’t happen.

For me it has been the exact opposite of what you describe. I have yet to hand a Q8 to anyone who has failed to grasp the simple ramping function of Narsil almost immediately. I have a lot of lights with very different UI’s. without exception this is the one that non flashlight people think is easy to understand.

Yes - that can happen. But a small mischance with the thumb gets them into never never land. Trying desperately to get back to the nice simple ramping function.

I have experienced that on my deck while trying to show my wife some meteors. Her reaction to a suddenly very bright flashing light that I could not stop was not pleasant. There are tooth marks on my butt. I could not get it to stop. That must never ever happen.

Why must responses to this sort of post always be aggressive and end in a “well it worked for me and every randomly selected passerby” I gave it too. Fine. You are an excellent flashlight user. Your friends and neighbors are princes or princesses of intuitiveness. So the people you know can intuitively operate this flashlight. So what!

More people can not be this perceptive. Including me.

It is sort of like inventing shoelaces that require a several page instruction manual.

My post was in no way meant to be aggressive but your response obviously is intended to be. If you truly have this much trouble with this UI there are lots of lights which have one function on or off.

Never had to desire to change the stock UI. That said, my second release Q8 has been performing flawlessly for several months now. More than happy with mine.

I’m curious if most Q8 users stay with the default timed stepdown (3 minutes) or change to the thermal 55-degree Celsius option. I’ve left mine as it came so far. In 3 minutes, the light gets quite warm but not uncomfortably so. But then again, its pretty chilly in my area this time of year. Would 3 minutes on turbo in the heat of summer be pushing it?

shirnask - I have gone through the whole exercise for developing this light, and bought three of them. I do not want to start over and do something different. Yours is quite an annoying suggestion. I want this light and have supported it from pretty much the beginning.

OK, I will stop. I, my wife, and my friend are simply incompetent (or limited by senior mental capacity). And I accept that. I read it and did not understand/remember when standing on a full dark deck trying to change the settings while trying to watch a meteor shower. Another reading of the manual would probably improve our understanding. 2.5 of 3 people here have no interest in reading the manual with a handy magnifier (don’t go there, it can be expanded and printed, but a couple of letter size sheets wrapped around the light are not convenient; unless the text is phosphorescent ), they simply want it to work. In the dark. After the ceiling has collapsed. Months after reading the documentation. Kind of the operational purpose of an emergency flashlight rather than using it as a driving light to get to the market at night.

I appreciate that many, if not all, others have no equivalent problems. I don’t necessarily believe that, but what is, is. Everyone has there own reason for having the light. And they are completely happy. Fine.

I and my users have no interest in how everyone else perceives the interface. It is, for us, an emergency light. We have earthquakes, forest fires, and long power outages.

That means lights sitting for a long time without use. Not chasing wildlife. Periodic battery topping. Unlikely re-reading of the manual. We may read the manual, and then years pass. Then, in an emergency, finding the manual and reading it with another light source so we can use the emergency light. I also understand this is an exaggeration; everyone can most likely turn the light on. And eventually stop the flashing stuff and anything else not of interest. It is just too easy to get into a totally useless and unwanted mode. With no obvious way out.

I have simply taken the wrong view of the lights purpose and usability months after putting it in the drawer for emergencies. And I can understand that. I really really like it. But.

Got it.

I go quietly into the woodland; with my Q8.

I am in my mid 60’s and I have 3 of these for emergency lights. My wife is not far behind me in age and she is on oxygen 24/7 so when the power goes out you can imagine there is a since of panic when your not getting enough air suddenly. She has successfully used one of these to light a room enough to attach a regulator to an oxygen bottle.

You see the green lighted button - press and hold the button -the light comes on in moonlight and increases in brightness until you let go at the light level you need. Press the button once more and the light turns off. If you press and hold the button from off it will always come on in moonlight and you will not blind yourself. If you somehow trigger some unexpected mode, don’t panic, you can always turn off the light by turning the battery tube 1/4 turn counter clockwise then figure out what you did wrong.

I don’t find the above process complicated. If you try it I don’t think you will either.

The mode set UI was originally the only UI in Narsil. It was based on STAR and Werner’s UI, modified to allow for single-click off, with bistro-like config options added. Ramping was added later by popular request.

There are already several other interfaces available, in case one appeals to you. If not, perhaps you could describe in detail exactly how you want it to work?

Seems a version with blocked

- momentary Mode

- no Strobes

  • no entry in config menues
    can do the job

@ alternity:
I completely understand your point!

I love to write my own firmwares and I specially love to squeeze as many features as possible in a single firmware (for instance different strobes, ramping and discrete modes, momentary or not momentary, colors, diagnostic output and much more). But even I - as the creator of the firmware - have to carry an instruction sheet with me since I can’t remember everything after some days of not accessing the configuration mode.

And from time to time I build lights for some narrow friends and - even if they admire the multiple capabilities - they mostly prefer a much simpler interface. So I’m probably going to add a lock mode to my full featured firmware: after configuring the UI to what the user wants a lock can be applied (and released ) by using a 3 (or more) digit password (typed in with multiple switch clicks). I’m using a password already to lock some security related configuration aspects (for instance temperature limits) so I know it’s doable.

Just out of curiosity - what’s the simple interface you have in your mind?

You definitely have a short in the black emitter wire or that same circuit on the driver.

It’s not the battery or the programming in the light. The side switch is functionin normally and doesn’t know there is a problem. So there is a short before the driver circuit.

Try taking it apart and looking it over.

You clearly have not met my wife. :wink:
She can take any flashlight, and immediately put it into some program state where it becomes unusable. The Q8 is no exception. I’ve even accidentally put it into some obscure mode a couple of times myself.

I can look up the Narsil cheat-sheet and do a factory reset easy enough. My wife would probably just throw the flashlight away.

The Q8 is a very flexible light, and I like it for that. But, I wouldn’t give one to someone that just wants a basic flashlight.

The Q8 was not designed with a ‘muggle mode’ set, like the BLF X5 and X6. In those lights it works simple and well and it is pretty hard to exit it. Fhe FW3A will probably again have a muggle mode set.

Off the top of my head; I believe I would be happy with just ramp on and off. Being able to stop and resume during ramping.

Maybe a direct on at last used intensity and a direct off.

A flashlight.

Maybe blink the green button if battery is running low.

Anything else left in there needs to be thoroughly protected from accidental activation.

All three uses resulted in the user getting a strobe going, and no idea how to stop it. The light is too bright to allow this to happen by accident when someone is handling the light. It can be harmful if someone is looking at it, or is pointed at a moving vehicle, or even just someone in a precarious position being strobed by accident. It hurts. The strobe has some utility for personal defense.

The strobe! That’s hard to activate. If that is a worry, it can be disabled.

It depends if it was strobe.
If you are in RAMPING it is relatively hard to get there. A double click to turbo and then a double click to strobe.
If you’re in strobe wait a second, then you can turn it off.

If you are in MODES you can easily get in STROBES by holding the button. Again wait a second to turn off.

Or the blinks from the settings are mistaken as strobes.
You land in in the settings blink if you ramp for longer than 8 seconds.
If you then try to shut the lamp by one click, you land in MODES setting, Further clicks change the settings.
When the lamp calmed down and you try to ramp by a hold you are in MODES and you start STROBES.
So the beginner has a fucked up lamp which does alwasy STROBES instead of RAMPING

Solution:
do a factory reset from MODES

Precaution:
Tell the newbie don’t hold the button for 8 seconds. If it starts blinking don’t touch the button!

@Tom E
One thing to prevent this fail path in a future version could be to change the setting for MODES to two click and for RAMPING to one click.
But if the user clicks double it is the same.

It’s very easy to accidentally activate, and I did it several times before disabling it.

The way to get instant max is to double-click to turbo. My assumption to get out of turbo is another double-click. Bad assumption! After making that mistake a couple of times around my wife, I had to go to the doctor to get the Q8 removed from my posterior. It made me wish I made the mistake on a smaller light.

It’s important that people buy a light to fit their needs.

I’ve passed on buying many lights simply because they had a quirky UI.

Alternety, if you like the size, power, beam pattern, etc… of the Q8, but want a custom UI that is simpler to operate, you might consider talking to ToyKeeper about flashing a different UI to it. You could probably just send her the head of the light and it’s relatively easy for her to reflash it.

I’m sure ToyKeeper has some type of muggle mode UI that will fit your needs and can remove all the excess stuff you don’t need.

Possible choices are:
Anduril
RampingIOS (Emisar D4)
QLite Momentary
Moppydrv