Nice review! I recently go the Amutorch AX3. Driver was glued but was easy to get out. I updated the LED's to XPL HI V2 5D's and replaced the driver running NarsilM. Really like the light, overall quality is good, like this X9.
The stock driver in the AX3 is our classic FET+1 and seems to have the same UI features as this light. So if the same basic design, maybe this is why you are seeing high amps from it. Of course for the X9, they added USB charging though, but that's not so difficult to do - Sofirn has done that already.
It appears they stole/borrowed/copied our standard BLF FET+1 design, but are using a different MCU. Here's the AX3 driver:
There's resistor in both position and value that matches our design precisely - interesting... The white stuff is the "glue" which is more like soft silicon.
Thanks for the precision about the ramping memory !
I didn’t measured charging current.
I’ll have to discharge the cell first and see how much it feeds to it
I got an X9 coming in soon so should find out how it performs. Highly unlikely though it can do max output on a low batt - even bucks/boosts can fall out of regulation. Usually as the voltage falls, the amps draw goes up, but only up to a limit, as far as I know, otherwise you can kill the battery.
The X9 came out when the D4S and E07 were also being released and doesn’t get much attention but it is a very nice light. Not as many whistle and bells but powerful and it’s simplicity is ok for me. No homework to operate the UI.
Yea, this form factor is goin nuts as of late. I still don't have a D4S which I'd really like, but there's so many similar lights now. My X9 will probably get one of those more complicated UI's though... The ramping in the X9 is pretty decent though, but still I'd like to see them standardize on the 1 click ON, 1 click OFF, hold to ramp or change modes. More lights are implementing this, and not our firmware. It's not a BLF original thing either, not sure who the early adopters were.
One click on, one click off would be welcome . If it was the only UI I used, the X9 would become second nature but the way it is, it makes me think about it. Can it be flashed or does it have to be changed ?
No, just checked. You would think the tailcaps at least would exchange because they look exactly the same, I mean exact same style and logo image. Inside, totally different - The AX2 has a Emisar style spring and PCB while the AX3 has the copper looking wire thing.
At the head, the AX3 tube flairs out while the AX2 doesn't - not even close to the same size. The tailcaps I couldn't get to thread either, though they look close.
Does anyone have a photo of the back of the reflector and the MCPCB?
Trying to figure it the feasibility of using non 5050 LED’s and trying to see if there’s clearance for individual Mcpcb’s wires to clear the reflector cups if I go that route.