NarsilM - configurable e-switch firmware for Multi channels, v1.3

[WTF]

[quote=ImA4Wheelr]

That is correct according to channels.h

[ImA4Wheelr]

Thanks WTF. Saw that too, but the 7135 channel isn't working. I'm think I have eliminated potential hardware issues (faulty 7135, connections, etc). So I wondering if the hex file may be using different channels than what the documentation indicates. I'll reexamine hardware again tonight. I may have to build my own hex file if I still can't find a hardware problem.

[WTF]

I just had that happen to me today when stacking three of them, some uncooked solder paste got under the bottom 7135 and shorted it out, next I got a tiny solder bridge to a nearby capacitor. It’s always the simple stuff that causes the most grief.

I wonder if the Attiny has enough power to drive a small led and resistor, it would make a simple test lead to check pwm output. Remove the 7135, turn the light on and probe the Attiny.

[WTF]

@WTF

I wonder if the Attiny has enough power to drive a small led and resistor, it would make a simple test lead to check pwm output. Remove the 7135, turn the light on and probe the Attiny.

The small diode and 220 ohm resistor works fine. There is enough power available to drive four 7135’s and the diode.

I think I’ll get a cheap programming clip and wire up a bunch of led’s on a breadboard.

[ImA4Wheelr]

^

Good stuff. Didn't get a chance to work on the driver tonight, but I'll look out for those types of things when I do. Thank you WTF.

[moderator007]

@WTF

I wonder if the Attiny has enough power to drive a small led and resistor, it would make a simple test lead to check pwm output. Remove the 7135, turn the light on and probe the Attiny.

I believe when I researched this before, one pin could output 40ma. I was looking to make a moonlight mode without using a 7135, just the output on that pin for moon mode.

[joechina]

Lamp list round up, to what I know:

Planed lights:
———————————————————

• Q8:
  Sofirn want to do a newer version
  long one Q8 v1.5
  (BLF) Sofirn Q8 V1.5: The XPL HI monster, DIY parts + Extended 8x18650 tubes GB Interest List
  Don’t know about the firmware

Production lights:
———————————————————

- Haikelite MT09R runs a NarsilM v1.3 beta adjusted bei Texas Ace

- Lumintop GT mini
NarsilM v1.3 beta adjusted bei Texas Ace

• Lumintop GT70
  NarsilM v1.3 beta adjusted bei Texas Ace

- Fireflies ROT66
NarsilM v1.2 beta adjusted by Lexcel, Fireflies

- BLF GT
NarsilM v1.2

- BLF Q8
NarsilM v1.0

Texas Ace extended the time to get into settings from 8 seconds to 16 seconds.
I think it’s better for Narsil beginner.
I explained it here NarsilM - configurable e-switch firmware for Multi channels, v1.3 - #418 by joechina

[ToyKeeper]

@joechina

Lamp list round up, to what I know:

This is like a todo list of people/projects to follow up with to make sure the code remains open.

[Tom_E]

@ToyKeeper

@joechina

Lamp list round up, to what I know:

This is like a todo list of people/projects to follow up with to make sure the code remains open.

Yeah, I emailed Neal to please post source code links for the GT and GT Mini. Sounds like he's gonna do it right away. There's definitely more. Even Hank at IOS should have links on each flashlight page - think he has it only on 2 of the 5 pages.

This is crazy it's taken off, took a while though. Haven't been keeping up with it, but Andúril should probably be used in place of it. Not sure though, don't think you got the switch LED support in there? But after all, Andúril was the one that saved Middle Earth from the Dark Lord .

[ToyKeeper]

@Tom E

Not sure though, don’t think you got the switch LED support in there?

Switch LEDs and front-facing aux LEDs are both supported, though not at the same time. Just one or the other. The only difference is whether it should be on at the same time as the main emitters.

During standby, the aux/switch LED can be high, low, off, or blinking. And for a Q8 or GT, with a lighted button, it also goes high/low/off during use, in sync with the main emitters. Usually I set the low-high threshold at the same point as the 7135-to-FET transition, so it indicates which power channel(s) are active.

[Tom_E]

Ohhh, dang! Forgot bout that, think I heard or saw it posted. Wow! Not sure then if NarsilM does anything at all better...

I got some flexibility in it now to support combos of output channels, but Andúril probably has that covered better.

[ToyKeeper]

From what I recall, Narsil was originally built around its mode group UI, giving the user a configurable and carefully-chosen set of discrete levels which hit the sweet spots of each host light, and a fast way to click through them. That is the core; everything else was added later.

Anduril doesn’t have anything like that. There’s a stepped ramp, but it’s totally different than how Narsil works.

[ImA4Wheelr]

@ImA4Wheelr

Thanks WTF. Saw that too, but the 7135 channel isn't working. I'm think I have eliminated potential hardware issues (faulty 7135, connections, etc). So I wondering if the hex file may be using different channels than what the documentation indicates. I'll reexamine hardware again tonight. I may have to build my own hex file if I still can't find a hardware problem.

After several driver rebuilds, changes, fuse changes, etc, I just about gave up when I found the problem. The LED I was using to test the driver was the problem. It was an old, abused MGT2 that wouldn't turn on until current hit about 720mA. Once on, I could ramp down all the way. Once I swapped in 2S XPG3's, the driver worked great. So much time spent trying to fix a perfectly fine driver. Oh well, lesson learned.

[MRsDNF]

Bugger. Glad you found the problem.

[WTF]

@ImA4Wheelr

@ImA4Wheelr

Thanks WTF. Saw that too, but the 7135 channel isn’t working. I’m think I have eliminated potential hardware issues (faulty 7135, connections, etc). So I wondering if the hex file may be using different channels than what the documentation indicates. I’ll reexamine hardware again tonight. I may have to build my own hex file if I still can’t find a hardware problem.

After several driver rebuilds, changes, fuse changes, etc, I just about gave up when I found the problem. The LED I was using to test the driver was the problem. It was an old, abused MGT2 that wouldn’t turn on until current hit about 720mA. Once on, I could ramp down all the way. Once I swapped in 2S XPG3’s, the driver worked great. So much time spent trying to fix a perfectly fine driver. Oh well, lesson learned.

I understand that frustration completely. I’ve become pretty good at killing Lexel’s new high performance fets, those things don’t like voltage spikes. Accidentally deleting a comma in the Narsil ramping table has the same effect. So much time wasted when you guess wrong and focus on the wrong thing.

Things like this are why I’m going to wire four 5mm leds to a programming clip. One for power and one for every output channel, plan to bring the switch pin out as well as a test point. Easy to put a meter on an output to check for shorts.

Once you see each led turn on dim and go up to maximum intensity you know the Attiny is working correctly and you’re down to a few output devices to troubleshoot.

[ImA4Wheelr]

@WTF

. . .I understand that frustration completely. I've become pretty good at killing Lexel's new high performance fets, those things don't like voltage spikes. Accidentally deleting a comma in the Narsil ramping table has the same effect. So much time wasted when you guess wrong and focus on the wrong thing.

Things like this are why I'm going to wire four 5mm leds to a programming clip. One for power and one for every output channel, plan to bring the switch pin out as well as a test point. Easy to put a meter on an output to check for shorts.

Once you see each led turn on dim and go up to maximum intensity you know the Attiny is working correctly and you're down to a few output devices to troubleshoot.

Clever. That is a great idea!

[d_t_a]

@ToyKeeper

From what I recall, Narsil was originally built around its mode group UI, giving the user a configurable and carefully-chosen set of discrete levels which hit the sweet spots of each host light, and a fast way to click through them. That is the core; everything else was added later.

Anduril doesn’t have anything like that. There’s a stepped ramp, but it’s totally different than how Narsil works.

I have a question about the stepped ramp for Anduril.

Is it linearly spaced (numbers percentage) or more like the visual brightness spacing (like in the BLF A6 which has evenly-spaced modes, which I believe were adjusted manually) ?

[ToyKeeper]

@d_t_a

I have a question about the stepped ramp for Anduril.

Is it linearly spaced (numbers percentage) or more like the visual brightness spacing (like in the BLF A6 which has evenly-spaced modes, which I believe were adjusted manually) ?

This thread is for NarsilM, but there is an answer in another thread:

Emisar D4S review

They’re evenly-spaced along the ramp. Floor at one end, ceiling at the other end, and “num steps - 2” levels between. Because a few people have asked, I added a stepped ramp calculator called “steps.py” in the anduril directory. Here is an example of its usage: > ./steps.py 1 150 10 1: 1 2: 17 3: 34 4: 50 5: 67 6: 83 7: 100 8: 116 9: 133 10: 150 Or, using the D4S default values, here is the result: > ./steps.py 20 120 7 1: 20 2: 36 3: 53 4: 70 5: 86 6: 103 7: 120

[ImA4Wheelr]

Does the GT version hex file drive 2 PWM channels in tandem or is there a difference between the two channels? Twp pins individually produce moonlight and appear to ramp fully from low to high, tubo, etc. Are both channels producing the same PWM signal? If not, what is the difference between the 2 channels?

Separately, really love NarilM. So much genius in it.

[ToyKeeper]

The GT driver has one pin to control the constant current circuit’s current level, and one pin to turn it on and off. For the top 90% of its power range, it’s set to “on” (255/255) while varying the power level. For the bottom 10, it’s PWM’d at 10 power.