FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

I think it is the issues we will see in this thread that drove Liteflux out of business.
It’s easy to make the electrical connection in a twisty, but once you add a clicky there is trouble.
The FW3A takes the idea of a clicky one step higher, that second signal you have to send from the tail to the driver is painfully difficult.
The good news is that if you weren’t mechanically inclined this will be a great primer.
The better news is that once you’ve got everything snugged down and you understand all the points of failure it will be no big deal.
HDS solved the problem but their implementation adds some thickness to the body tube and there may be patent issues and they cost way more.
There is a product called DeOxit or similar that might be applied to the connections in the tail before assembly. Supposed to remove and prevent oxidation.
I’m SURE some of the crafty folks on BLF have a budget formulation that does just as good.
(just searched “deoxit” on BLF and oh boy, there’s a lot)

Liteflux and the FW3A use virtually the same method of connecting the electronic switch: An inner tube insulated from the outer tube serves as the electrical contact. However, the FW3A relies on anodizing for insulation while Liteflux used a separate plastic tube between the inner and outer tubes.

this is going to be annoying

so if you follow these instructions, you have to remove the head to take the battery out?

wle

I’ve owned many Liteflux and the insulation was never a problem. It was always the points of conduction; the end of the tubes. These have just barely started selling and this issue is showing up. There will be a tsunami of users who have malfunctioning lights. A local BLF member texted me with issues on the very day his light arrived, random turn-on, no button control, etc. Not what most people expect from a new light. What happened to him will happen to many.
No need to defend the design, it’s just problematic and folks will have to learn how to take it apart. They will be better for it.
This is definitely not a light for first responders or any mission critical applications, but if you’re not afraid to crack it open it should be a great EDC.
The local member I mentioned fixed his by loosening and tightening tail cap.

can you just polish the tube ends, where they are supposed to make contact, and BDWI (be done with it)?

it sounds like there are 2 conductors, that have to traverse 2 connection points, right?

there is a tail, a middle, and a head section, so the tubes touch at 2 places…?

side question, is there any chance of an 18350-length middle tube, like the BLF-A6?

wle

WLE, I have complete confidence that BLF will crack the code that Liteflux could not.
Liteflux was considered a boutique brand and I don’t think they sold as many as the FW3A will. Also I think the very nature of the users and the support forum is completely different.
There are some very serious brainiacs here and I doubt this issue will go unsolved.
I haven’t received mine yet so I can’t investigate any fixes or best practices yet, but will post anything once I get mine and can check them out.
The local member I mentioned had very positive things to say about the beam and tint.

i am slated for mine to come tomorrrow or next day

i’m a banzai fixer too, though I sort of hope mine ‘just works’

i had issues like with the DQG tiny and others, so i know about troubleshooting this kind of thing

the annoying thing is, it is a simple circuit but you cannot observe anything directly - it all happens in the sealed light, and you can;t measure voltages and currrents under real conditions, all you can do is hypothesize and test

so far we have seen tube contact, heat sink compound and driver looseness all as problems

wle

To be honest, has the heatsink compound caused any problems? No, it’s there and it works.

We’ve tried to make this message hard to miss… but with enough determination, it can still be done.

Don't you have to remove the tailcap to take off the clip?

good point raccoon - I don’t want a clip on mine.

Yeah, I never use clips on my flashlights.

Yes, if you are going to take off the clip you must remove the tailcap to do so. That is aboit the only reason you have to remove the tailcap.

Okay, I’ll ask a silly question. In ramping mode, if I start out at moonlight and ramp up, there are two “blips”. I’m used to seeing one, as in my GT Micro and my Emisar lights. My understanding is on those lights, the blip is the end (ramping upwards) of regulated output 7135 light, and getting into where the FET takes over. I assume on this light, that’s the higher blip. So, what’s the lower one? Thanks in advance…

The lower blip is where it transitions from the single 7135 to the 7 x 7135 (about 125-130 lumen). In other words, when you ramp up from moonlight the first blip shows the transition between channel 1 and channel 2 and then the higher blip shows the transition between channel 2 and channel 3 (the FET).

When I first fired mine up (after inserting the battery by removing the head, per instructions), it wouldn’t stay on. I’d just get a flash. I loosened and tightened the tail cap and then it started to work. But when I went to max output, it would flash and shut off. I loosened/tightened the tail cap once more and now it seems OK. Would it be a good idea to take off the tail cap and clean everything? I’m just a little concerned about possibly making things worse…

don;t lose your nudgie, noodle, nuffin, whatever it;s called! ( i mean if you take the tail apart… )

that little black button

so i got mine
so far everything seems to be working
i did have to make sure it was all tight though

it flaked a couple times, to low intensity high speed unalterable strobe, tightened head and tail, it got fixed

and i burned a black shirt, when the light was close and it inadvertently got into turbo somehow

question, it says party strobe speed can be altered, but i can;t see that it does anything different on a ceiling fan…?

wle

WLE, funny you should mention that! I used it to show the kids how the frequency of flashing light can “change” the speed of a fan.
While in party strobe click/hold for faster, click click/hold for slower.
(Used the D4 running Andúril, Fw3A should be the same. Haven’t got mine yet :(. )

Literally just got mine out of the mailbox. When ramping up above the hybrid mode, the light just turns off. Direct to turbo works okay, ramping down from turbo works okay, but ramping up in either stepped or smooth ramp causes the light to simply go off. Any ideas?