FW3A mod thread. Post yours!

JC (from JC Customs) is putting boards with secondary emitters in the FW3A. I know he’s been recompiling Anduril to allow control over the secondaries.

Not sure what board he’s using though.

Link to pic (can’t get it to embed, sorry)
Imgur

It’s the mtn electronics triple board. Afaik he either doesn’t share his source or no one that owns one has asked for it. We have discussed it already

Supposedly it’s just a flag that needs to be set in the source code. I haven’t downloaded it myself in order to see how easy it is to read (and compile).

Had a extra FW3A carcass/parts laying around…. guppydrv3 and one of Neven’s lighted tail caps…

Meh… it will make a decent knock around/work light… :smiley:

I am surprised, no flashlight out there uses triple led and has same form factor?

Made stainless steel button ring for protecting against accidental activation.

Wow! How did you make that!

I have big 60 year old lathe at work. Used piece of stainless steel bar. Will glue it to flashlight and see how I like it.

How can you make more! I need one!

For anyone who may have missed it… there’s really a simple, cheap, and effective switch boot mod for reducing - or in my case eliminating - accidental activation.

Carefully disassemble the tailcap, keeping track of the ‘nubin’ (tiny, tiny plastic cylinder) but removing it. Then filling the cavity in the rubber boot with a thin rubber disc. I used an random o-ring and sliced piece of silicon wire insulation. I’ve found the best results with a flush fill level. I can imagine slicing a pencil eraser with a razor blade would be a simple DIY option for almost anyone willing to attempt the mod. Reversible and nearly free. Quiets the switch a bit too, but YMMV

After mine tipped and dented a table top I made it a 3D printed bumper. Now it lands soft enough to not leave a dent.

Really? This really works?

Does it turn on? What carcass parts did you keep and what did you swap out ? Maybe I can copy or we can combine :).
My parts might be still good but just don’t know how to troubleshoot it.

Used the driver, mcpcb out of a FW3A to make the FW3/NovaTac

Yep the push button FW3 works well even with the Lumintop 18350 tube…

If you need parts (fast) get in touch with Victor Zhou at Lumintop… Neal is a busy man…

That’s really cool. So anduril Novatac? Dang. I want one

Thanks it is very cool and tough, it needs to be where I work…

You can still find them on E-Bay sometimes dirt cheap… but so far just the silver/gold aluminum bezels, the Black bezel is SS and they polish up nicely… wish I could get a hold of a Black NovaTac…or even something similar…

I made extra pills and purchased extra drivers and boards… just in case… :wink:

@Gunga

Yes. I’ll do up a small post with a how to… check back later.

UPDATE

I’ve revisited the design for creating a nubbin’ replacement that is simpler and (hopefully) universal. I had gone through many trial and error iterations and just stopped once I found a working combination. Turns out only one part of that configuration is needed. That’s the o-ring. 1/16” nominal thickness a 3/16” ID. Industry size –008.

Just remove the nubbin’ and insert said o-ring into the nubbin’ cavity of the switch boot. Carefully reassemble tailcap following guidelines mentioned in multiple fw3a threads. Enjoy the switch actuation that should have always been.

I did a quick search and they can be found on eBay for $2.50 per 10 shipped to US. Hardware or automotive stores will likely have something suitable as well.

Looking forward to it!

Is that a 2-way clip for FW3A?

Yes, check the drop down list.