I will read through more threads here but figured maybe if I just posted someone could point me in the right direction. I originally purchased 3 of these BLF Q8s from here. They were great for the first couple of months then the button switch light has now died on two of them. Is there any information as to what would need to be replaced or changed to get them working again? Thanks so much in advance. (I will get back to reading through these threads)
Neil
//factory reset did not fix my issue… looks like she is dead jim… on to ordering a new one. oh well gives me a reason to break it open and flash newer firmware as well.
Neil
Are you sure the factory reset worked, meaning it did actually do the reset? Think the earlier v1.0 firmware didn't support it, can't recall though. It's odd because I got a ton of lights with LED switches and haven't seen one failure, including some of my regular used modded EDC's I've used for 2-3+ years. Think I had couple Q8 users who said it failed and the reset fixed it.
Of course it's possible you had Q8's from a batch with suspect parts or quality issues. If you are comfortable with it, I'd check the switch PCB first before ordering a replacement.
The first 500 Q8’s (or was it the first 150?) had quality issues with the switch leds. The later batches had better quality switch led boards. Many people with a failed switch received a new switch-board at the time. But I’m not surprised if switch leds from the first 500 that did work, fail at some later point. So it is good that Sofirn sells the improved board.
But it is also possible that in some cases people claiming failing switch leds in fact had switched them off without knowing.
There’s no problem charging them in two batches. The parallel configuration in the Q8 does not require perfect charge matching.
It is always a good idea of course to keep the 4 cells together so that they receive the same wear over time.
The charge matching is one of the big reasons I like the SP36. Having a built-in charger allows me to charge all the cells at once, to exactly the same level… even if that level isn’t 4.20V. Otherwise it’s kind of hard to do a partial charge on a married set of cells.
But if you’re charging until full, there should be no problem charging two cells then charging the other two.
Hi, I’m having an issue with my BLF Q8 and I’m trying to find out if there’s anything I can do to fix it or if I have to return it. I’m not technical with torches, but I’ve been reading posts, manuals and guides to try to figure this out.
When ramping up, it stops at a fairly lowly level. If I continue to hold the button, it still double flashes after the amount of time it would normally take to reach full brightness. When ramping back down from “full” brightness, there is a delay until it reaches its limited brightness level and then decreases to moonlight as normal. If I stop ramping while it is below its limit, the button flashes only once. If I stop ramping while it is above its limit, it flashes twice. This makes me think the FET channel is not working.
I’ve tried doing a factory reset from the version check mode. It does the rapid flash to confirm reset has occurred but it continues with the same behaviour.
It was working fine yesterday. This issue started after doing the latest recharge of the batteries. I’ve used it on and off over the last 6 months since I bought it with no issues. I bought the batteries brand new at the same time (Samsung 30Q 18650 button tops).
The only other weird issue I’ve found is the battery indicator seems to be reading low. The freshly charged batteries each read 4.2V in my charger (XTAR VC4), but in the torch it indicates only 3.1V.
Any suggestions on what’s wrong and what I could do to fix it? Or should I just return it to where I bought it? Or should I be asking elsewhere?
It does sound like the FET has stopped working and your only running on the single 7135, so maybe 150 lumen max. A video to show what your describing would help, but I think I understand you.
You can try a return or warranty replacement, but I don’t know if they will do anything since it worked fine for 6 months.
With a bad FET, you can buy a new FET for a few dollars, but you need hot air to swap it.
You can also buy a complete new driver here for about $10 usd. You will need a soldering iron for the led wires.
I’m curious if others also think it’s the FET. The battery thing is strange. With fully charged cells it might read 4.1v, but 3.1 is strange.
dunno about the battery voltage readout, but the ramping behaviour sounds efinately like the FET not working, or the trace from MCU to FET not making contact. First try could be soldering some extra solder to the legs of the FET and perhaps the leg of the MCU that goes to the FET-gate. That tests a possible bad solder joint that originated over time.