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

Ok guys, Iā€™m currently speaking with a Digikey technical agent to see if itā€™s possible to order multiple reels of the LH351D in the T1-T4 bin, or if not available from Samsung, T6-T7.

:+1:

Ok, the agent said the tint bins are available, but Iā€™ll have to request a special quote directly from Digikey to Samsung, for 800pcs+, and the job should be on Samsung then.

Edit: Here is the part of the transcript I got sent to my email talking about this

David (from Digikey): If there is a difference in the part number itself, we would need the correct ordering part number. Then we can request a quote from the manufacture for the exact range.

The tint bins specified T1-T7 are available to order though, with a special quote request from us to Samsung specified before.

Are you articulating with Neal, Fritz, TK or anyone from Lumitop?

No, from a technical Digikey agent directly :smiley:

Yeah, I realized that :stuck_out_tongue: I was just talking about the interaction with LT in order not to ā€œdoubleā€ the works or something about these LEDs! :wink:
I mean, if it is LT that will produce the light, it will be good for them to have the LEDs, but it may be cautious to put the companies in contact to deal about it! Just thinking on this :wink:
And thatā€™s for the initiative :wink:

Of course I will send a message to Neal/Lumintop.

I just want to know if theyā€™re available to order.

Iā€™ll send Digikeyā€™s quote department an email as mentioned in the transcript, and hopefully, weā€™ll see a message from them Monday.

It would be so nice if we could order a T1-T3 bin though. Right on the edge of 4000k, and way below the BBL :smiley:

I personally would prefer 4500K - 5000K range and barely below the BBL! :smiley:

But pay no attention to me. Iā€™m still not on the list. :person_facepalming:

Not really possible, unless we use tint mixing in the FW3A with 1x4000k and 2x 5000k.

I donā€™t want to hype myself too much. Iā€™ve seen what an LH351D looks like, and from the looks of it, itā€™s a T6/T7 bin from the AEDe GB. So looking good above 1 amp, but slightly above the BBL at that level.

What I want is a rosy type T1-T2 bin, close to 4000-4300k rather than 3900-4000k. That would be amazing :smiley:

Well below the BBL could imply more than one output bin lower though (just to have it mentioned, Iā€™m all for sacrifying output for tint)

BlueSwordM, well done for trying, and I hope it ends in a result.

If LT had buyers worth anything (Iā€™m sure they do, but maybe have not been directed yet) then this would have been sorted long ago. The plaintive request from ā€œNā€ for help here was a big warning sign.

But really, what is going on here ? Asleep at the wheel doesnā€™t begin to describe it.

The principal should liven up, get a grip, or gently say goodbye and pass it on to those who can, and want, to do it.

I donā€™t really get it either. Iā€™ve mostly had to piece together the early days of the project based on what was left behind, and that bead-blasted one seems to be the oldest FW3A prototype.

At risk of quoting Clerks, ā€œIā€™m not even supposed to be here today!ā€ Or, um, I wasnā€™t planning on running the project, and wasnā€™t even involved early on. Everyone else just kinda ā€¦ left. So itā€™s all been a bit of a mess, a mystery at times.

Watch out...

You might be getting fired!

(It's a movie reference.)

If I understand correctly, the process is something like this:

  1. Private forum messages get sent to everyone on the interest list.
  2. Click the link in the message.
  3. Order what you want through Nealā€™s shop.
  4. Payment is probably via Paypal, I think.

The plan is to make 50% of the lights with XP-L HI 3D, and 50% with LH351D 4000K 90CRI. But the LH351D might happen a few weeks later because nobody seems to have it in a good tint bin and itā€™ll need to be ordered from the manufacturer.

A lot of the details are still being worked out. However, if things happen in batches, as has happened on some earlier projects, there will need to be some way of deciding who gets to order one and who has to wait. Itā€™ll probably be the lowest numbers first, as in, the people who requested one earlier can order sooner. Thatā€™s part of why I went through the entire thread history to properly sort and link each request, to make sure nobody is missed and theyā€™re in the correct order.

Thatā€™s only the BLF list though, and I donā€™t know how things will be handled on TLF. If someone there could put a timestamp on each request, I could do the same on the BLF list, and they could be merged into one.

About when shipping can happen, I really donā€™t know. Hopefully very soon, but that depends mostly on what Neal and Lumintop can arrange, and I donā€™t know much about whatā€™s going on there. Really, the rest of the process mostly depends on Neal. So I hope that will go smoother than the GT project did. He has had a year to improve his infrastructure.

Neal is handling the part acquisition, so definitely make sure youā€™re talking with him. Itā€™d be helpful if Iā€™m Ccā€™d too, so I know whatā€™s happening.

No problem there too. Iā€™m just currently writing the email to Digikeyā€™s quoting department, so itā€™s gonna take a bit of time.

I dont expect even the T1-T4 bin will be much below the BBL if at all. Samsung bins are not to be trusted. Look at how far above the BBL the T6 and T7 were eventhough they were supposed to be at or below. I would be happy if the T1-T4 is at the BBL. But nevertheless thanks for your hardwork. Itā€™s good news nonetheless

If itā€™s a T1/T2 bin, even I might like it. :slight_smile:

Based on the poll results, 4500K would be the most popular CCTā€¦ if that type of LH351D existed. But since it doesnā€™t, a T1/T2 is about as close as we can get.

For my personal use though, Iā€™ll probably be pretty happy with XP-L HI 3D. I find it really hits the spot. And Iā€™ll probably mod one to use 219B, eventually.

On a related note, forum member Nite Shadow pinged Nichia about making more 219B emitters in the nice R9080 sw45 bin everyone loves, and it sounds like itā€™s still possible. However, the minimum order size is 3500 pieces, the price is unknown, and the lead time is at least 3 months. So itā€™d require a pretty serious buyer. But if we arenā€™t able to find a newer higher-powered LED with the same nice tint, perhaps more old ones can be sourced.

I like the renderings with the tapered tube ends better, but this style could work well with a silicone sleeve to fill in the low spot.

You shouldnā€™t have to doing this, but I thank you for it.

All hands to the pumps.