I don't think this will be carrying any "real" current, just a little signal to control the light with. The extra cost of copper might not be worth it.
A lesson I learned from Liteflux lights is that when you add all of these extra mechanical connections to the signal path you'll occasionally need to clean or tighten all of the pieces. Not a deal-breaker, just the way it is.
In mission-critical use I'd prefer a big knife switch with gold plated contacts, for EDC this should be fine. Time will tell.
_(this is where I'd put a little smile eating popcorn but there are none in my selection box)_
I would think a Cu inner tube would have near zero benefit. I also think any ideas that get thrown up are kind of a moot point since it was never up for discussion, this is Fritz’s design.
Actually a copper inner tube would be counter-productive.
Those LEDs are going to generate a lot of heat. The inner tube sits against the battery. Last thing you want to do is provide an easy heat path to transfer that heat to the battery.
Myself included really like the way this light is shaping up. Love reading all the different ideas and opinions. Being fairly new to decent torches I am learning quite a bit. I don’t know what my original number is but I would really like to be put down for another light, for a total of 2 lights. I am aware that this light is still in it’s infancy but I don’t want to be left in the dark (see what I did there) when this thing rolls out. Thanks to everyone involved.
I can’t say the redesign doesn’t look good because it does, but it makes it look like a Lumintop light instead of a Fritz Custom. So I will most likely not participate as I am not in the market for a factory light.
Thank you, Toykeeper, for all your work on this one’s UI. Much appreciated.
I was intrigued with Fritz’s original minimalist industrial design (committed @ #169) and I continue to be committed with the more commercial re-design. As I see it even with the adapted suggestions, it’s still a Fritz’s design, just the next version :+1:
Sounds like there are strong opinions on the benefit of (or rather lack of benefit for) a copper inner tube. Lots of reasoning for why it won’t work. The body design is so nice that a tweak of the unseen inner tube is probably the first and only hack I’ll be capable of or willing to try :innocent:
Awaiting patiently and adding my thanks to the efforts of Fritz/Miller/TK and all the FW3A team
Out of all the aluminum parts, the one which would most make sense in copper is the pill section, the knurled section at the head. That’s where the most heat is.
I’m not sure why anyone would want a copper inner tube, since it isn’t visible and carries no significant amount of heat or electricity. Copper there would mostly just make the light heavier and more prone to unintended shorts.
Electrically, a single thin wire would work fine in its place. It should be electrically shielded somehow though, to prevent shorting between ground and the switch signal. On mine, the anodizing there was too thin and it seems to have made the driver clock speed unstable, but when I put a piece of paper between the tubes, the clock speed went back to normal. So, if anything, the inner tube might get a thicker anodized layer than the rest of the host, to prevent that type of issue.
Maybe the final design should be modified to be done more like how Liteflux did it.
My Liteflux LF2XT also has an electronic tailcap switch and inner tube, combined with outer body. In order to electrically insulate the inner tube and keep it isolated from the outer tube, Liteflux inserted a thin plastic middle tube.