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

Did you limit the FET on your FW3A 219B? I have the same LED’s on the way for my current FW3A running 219C’s from Kaidomain. It draws 9.1A on turbo with a fresh Samsung 35E cells. It should be safe for the odd turbo blast with the higher Vf 219B’s, right?

I am running TK’s firmware version for the 219’s. That should be the version you have installed already. It is great for those leds, I have not had problems with short bursts of turbo, no blueness after 20 seconds, but she does get hot! If you are using a glow gasket, I would suggest seating it as high up into the optic as possible and then a drop of glue to hold it off of the mcpcb. My worry was cooking the leds with the glow gasket. I have not taken the time to figure out how to get a current reading from all the contact points yet. I am going to put it on a bench supply and see what the head alone draws, but I can’t get much more than 10 amps out of my supply.

So, I have 3 of these now. Once change that I have noticed thru the various manufacturing times is a change in the tail switch, and I do not like it! My very early one has a very tactile feel, activation takes a good click. The next one purchased has a softer switch and the latest is even softer. I have requested a replacement board for the last one, I think it has a problem in the little switch as it activated setting on the file cabinet without being touched. Yes, I did switch nubs and covers and it still happens. With the board in hand the switch is way to soft. I do not have any of the new ones with the retaining ring in the tail. And my oldest does not have the brass ring in the head, the existing ring is tough to remove and reinstall without it trying to cross thread.

All in all, the best BLF/TLF light to come along, IMHO.

I doubt it’s that version that limits the FET. It’s one of the 1st models that I ordered with XP-L HI 7A’s and they are in my FW3C now. I had Kaidomain 4000K 219C’s from a previous triple build that I’m running in my FW3A now. On a 30Q it gladly draws 14A on turbo. After continuous testing I couldn’t get the light to draw more than 9.1A with the 35E cells. That’s just over 3A per emitter, and that’s about as hard as I would push the 219B’s. Maybe I should just attempt to flash it if I burn one of the LED’s.

For me, it was a no brainer to flash it. The bins and tints of the 219b’s that I am using are not in production and are limited in numbers. I would hate to burn one up at this point.

From the tests that have been done, SST-20 emitters seem to be putting out only slightly more than half of the lumens that the XP-L HI emitters can in this light. I’m assuming this is because they are also on a limited power version of the firmware. How much is it limited again, 70% FET? Theoretically, could I squeeze a bit more light out of it with a modified version of Andúril (still less than 100% FET) without frying the emitters?

I bought the XP-LHI 7A version, 1st batch, and swapped in SST-20 3000K LED’s from BlueSwordM a shirt while after. They lasted lots of turbo runs then I went over to Nichia 219C’s. I’m waiting for a SST-20 version from the factory, then I can test the turbo current on both.

I don’t know for sure what firmware the SST-20 version uses, but I don’t think it’s limiting the FET. At least, I never sent Lumintop any firmware with a limit. The difference may be more related to the SST-20 high-CRI emitters simply being less efficient.

Yes. The last firmware I sent to Lumintop was this build:
http://toykeeper.net/torches/fsm/anduril.2019-08-05.fw3a.hex

It really has earned its reputation though, as a very expensive way to not make music. People dump in enough money to buy a new car, and then end up just using it to make self-generating ambient patches which either control themselves or are triggered by measuring the brain activity of house plants.

I get the appeal, since it really is enjoyable to make noise. It’s a rather zen meditative sort of experience. But a lot of people seem to be under the illusion that it’s something more than that, or that another piece of gear (rather than hard work and skill) will grant the power to make good music that other people will want to listen to.

Here’s one of the memes I see going around in synth communities:

I put J5 (highest high CRI) bin FD2 SST-20s in my XP-L HI FW3A (No FET limit) and got 1900 lumens otf

I would not think the SST-20’s would require any kind of restriction. I think that the difference in output is just the nature of the hi cri beast and just the limits of the particular led. My SST-20’s get the full on version and I have not cooked any yet, but I do get out of turbo when it is to hot to hold with my wimpy fingers! :slight_smile:

I also think the difference comes down to just the emitters. The SST-20s are a great tint, but the lumen difference is definitely significant.

I see. Thanks for all the answers, folks. :slight_smile:

ok, that answers that - glad I asked… a digikey order next… thx…

(off topic) and that meme - stop it, you’re killin’ me… tears in my eyes from laughing so hard (again) for reasons I won’t go into here… but yes, more blinking shiny furniture, please…

I enjoy it, but I don’t expect anyone else to care about the noises I make. I have a Digitakt and a Blofeld and a keyboard… and I figure if I can’t make good music with that, no amount of gear would help. The main limiting factor isn’t my gear, but my skill. And that largely depends on how much time I put into it.

that’s all that matters…

Arrived today @ NEALSGADGETS

Thanks for posting the pix. I’m anxious to get my order. Seeing the blue one, I wish I would have included one of those. I’m actually hoping a batch of “boring” black will be made. Then I have to order black and blue.

I know I am a little late to the party, but I discovered the real issue:
The driver board is sometimes not properly centered (this could be true of the board in the tailcap as well).
I had all the same issues and did all the steps several times.
The cure was to loosen the retaining ring on the head, CENTER the board by grabbing the spring with my needlenose pliers and getting it centered, and tightening it down. Since then, PERFECT.
Since the signal is carried in the tube, I am not certain if this was a bad contact issue, or more likely it was shorting out to the body through the ring. Whatever, this is the actual cure. All the other mechanations are probably just moving everything around until it somehow lines up.
Anyway, this is the issue when the light flickers screwing on the head (the flicker means there is indeed power) and the switch does nothing.
AND
If you crank it down too hard (your really don’t need to do that once everything is properly aligned) the easy way to get it apart is throw it into your freezer for about 5- 10 minutes, at which point it will unscrew with minimum effort (the metal contracts and it no longer grabs the shoulder).
Please, don’t ask me how I KNOW this works LOL.

I got my copper yesterday. The ring in the head appears to be brass, and there is a ring in the tail. It is some kind of black metal.

And I ordered the purple one just because, Illumin shipped it out today.