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
Yes, it only took a few accidental activations before I followed the procedure to program out the strobes for good. Well, I think I had to do it a couple of times, because I had to factory-reset the light because I messed around with other settings.
Has anyone made step by step instructions how to disable strobe in ramping mode?, that would be great for newbie who just want that option disabled
Hold the button for 8 seconds….after that I´m confused
UPDATE
I think after many times I tried it works like this
Hold the button for 8 seconds….wait until it blinks first 2 and then 4 times then it´s on the blinky mode setting number 4 and then click one time to disable then wait many seconds and it should work or I just got lucky.
Same here shirnask…… :+1:
Young person to old, no one so far has had a problem. They were NOT seasoned ‘flashlight people’ either. My nephew’s, son of age 7; got it right away. And my neighbor of 79 had no problem either. I am an ‘older fart’ myself and it is a no brainer to me in ramping mode. ON…. RAMP UP & DOWN AT WILL…. OFF
Same here Glenn… Personally, I also am completely happy with the default factory stock RAMPING UI.
It is so simple in fact, I think Lumpy Rutherford could have understood it easily enough to have taught Theodore.
And like you, to this point; my Q8’s have worked flawlessly also. :+1:
They were/are well done lights at a fantastic price!!!
Yes, that is correct. The first 2 fast blinks are to just get your attention. It’s the slower blinks after those 2 that tell you what menu setting you are at. The 4th setting (in ramping mode) is for strobes/blinkies.
If, indeed, an owner can configure the Q8 to do what I suggested on the previous page in response to someone asking what I would consider the available functions should be, then the Q8 would be fine. Eventually I will follow up on that.
I have not gotten into much depth. Nor do I particularly want to. Back at the origins of the project there was significant discussion about using the Q8 with a light dispersing cover as emergency room illumination. That was where I got into this. There was a very promising project to do just that, but it went away. So I moved to the Q8. I wanted a light source for power outages or other general conditions (fire, quake, landslide, tornado, meteor strike, North Korea, etc.). There have been multiple occasions here of power lines down on the road or significant tree parts. No way a user responding to these problems will be trained or remember said training. And it is essentially impossible to presume who will need to use the flashlight under those sorts of problems. IT IS A FLASHLIGHT. My misunderstanding is my fault.
Responses keep being made about essentially “well just train the users”. No. Not useful. Any random person can be a user. None of them will be “trained” and or remember said training.
My wife will never get it. She has serious problems using the remote TV controller (including pressing all the damned buttons hoping something will change). I have not reliably gotten the Q8 right. This is an emergency light as far as I am concerned. I suspect there are others with this view. So we need a light once a year (or five years). No way we will remember the “instructions”. I will maintain the battery charge regularly. If it is an emergency, nobody is going to read the instructions first. Many posts are presented that “everyone I have given it to have used it with no problems”. OK. Good. You have some clever friends, or more simple friends that do not explore a bit. Four out of four people I have given a Q8 to try (including me) have failed the “clear and simple interface” test and gotten to modes you absolutely don’t want people to be using outside of very specific circumstances (e.g., blinding the bad guy [without blinding the good guy]). Really bad for moving vehicles, low flying aircraft, curious people looking at the light, interfering with police activity, etc. This thing is not a toy!
It is a natural response to an untrained human using a flashlight (or lots of other things) to keep pushing the button when something is not working like they expect. If it is not doing what I want; press the button some more. Personal observation of many lights, not just the Q8, but from really simple $5 lights on up; push the button some more.
The Q8 was designed by a flashlight hobby forum, believing that it would turn to be a 100% tool is naive, of course it is full of toy-features
But I also think that, with the limitation that it is not idiot-proof, it does quite well as a tool too, and perhaps even more so than comparable flashlights of expensive brands.
As I noted, I thought I was moving from one light to another with similar goals. My error. The complexity grew over time. I went with it. I know it is a flashlight hobby forum. I really do. I have been a member for about 4.5 years.
There are no obvious reasons why this should be hard. And alternate version of the software would be fine. A version of the software that allows an owner to select dumb or cool. With sufficient protection so that dumb and hobby shall never see each other. Some participants have offered solutions to change the Q8 behavior to something closer to dumb. And that will be fine. The choice of simple and hard would be very useful. But one or the other could also work at a reduced level. I am not currently able to go through the various alternatives. I have other issues to deal with.
Offering an alternate “dummed down” version (or a switch) would be useful. And I think they exist. The manufacturer may also find an advantage with providing two versions. Dumb user and full blown hobbyist.
It is getting sort of old to be chastised for not understanding, and why did I participate. I did, and I did.
A flashlight of this power should never be able to go to a dangerous mode with a person simply wanting a flashlight. It does not currently meet that criteria. It is a disservice to people (random civilians) that just buy a Q8 and do not really understand what they are getting into. This light is dangerous in unskilled hands. And maybe some skilled hands, but that is a different discussion.
@ alternety……… For the life of me I cannot understand what you find so difficult with this UI as it comes from the factory.
All you have to do is push the button & hold it till it is as bright as you want it & then quit holding the button down.
Then…. when you want to turn it off, click the button & it is off.
To me… this is not complicated at all. How much simplier could it possibly be?? Seriously??
Just how could that even be “”dumbed down”“??
And as far as it being a “disservice to people (random civilians)” and “dangerous in unskilled hands”…… that may be your opinion, which is just fine. But I doubt it is shared by very many people. (which is my opinion)
And anyone should have enough sense not to look into the ‘business end’ of a flashlight when they are turning it on and/or using it. IF they do not, they have no business using any flashlight.
I guess different strokes for different folks……. but, as I said above; I fail to see how this could be made much simplier than how it came from the factory.
When you want it ON…. push switch button & hold…. releasing button when desired brightness level is reached.
When you want to turn it OFF…. click the switch button. It is then OFF.
Alternaty a solution to your problem is to buy another flashlight that meets your needs. Put the q8 in a cabinet somewhere else so you can have it as a reminder to research a product to see if it meets your personal needs and requirements before you buy it. By the way, a flashlight hobbiest website who teams up with manufacturers to make advanced flashlights that the members of said website can purchase cheaply is probably not the place to buy an emergency flashlight that any child can use. Good luck finding the light that actually meets your needs, maybe try the sporting goods section of your local Walmart. Cheers!
