The There Are No Stupid Questions Thread

Thank you

I had two questions, but a read of the original post answered one question. So here’s my second question: why is it that small gas engines are so much noisier than large gas engines?

You might think the smaller engine is noisier because it’s usually higher pitched. Humans don’t hear sound linearly. We have what’s called Flecther Munsun Curves. We are less sensitive to lower frequencies so a larger piston tends to sound deeper and quieter while a smaller piston is more “whiny” and louder.

Also, smaller engines tend to have smaller mufflers so as not to reduce too much power.

These are some general reasons.

https://www.virence.com/
Availability might be tricky, but I think he’d scoff at SST-20s.

FOR MY QUESTION:

This may not be budget but will just change the lens to black one, https://www.allmoparparts.com/sku/264274bk.html. It is from Recon and the price is not too nice and would it be a best choice for a recon light? Also, not sure if it legal to have one lens to be black and the other white…but would hope I can do that.

I would see what the cutoff pattern looks like. I’ve seen a lot of jeeps with projectors that just glared oncoming traffic like crazy. If these give you a sharp cutoff pattern and they are adjusted right, they might be okay.

Oof, how could I forget about Virence?!

To add to the reasons given usually a large engine will often simply have more material around it to soak up noise and vibration too.

Virence doesn’t appear to have flashlight-sized and -shaped LEDs, unless I’m misunderstanding the pages there.
I’d be looking for 20mm stars to drop into existing flashlights replacing the cold blue stock emitters.
His page seems to offer the largish square emitters which wouldn’t work with normal reflectors.

Virence’s CRI offerings do seem to be better than anything I’m aware of.

144A is a straight swap for an XHP50/50.2, 219 and 319 are 3535 pad. Optisolis and E21A are similar to XP-E or smaller and work well in small lights that have low current like AAA keychain plus he also has “quadtrix” boards for them that allow 4 to be mounted very close together and centered in a large enough reflector or TIR in an S2, Skilhunt H03 and similar.

Think that was a feature I had in Narsil - is that what it's running?

Yeh. I grabbed the narsim .pdf, and in the “advanced configuration” table at the extreme-right, the 2nd option is battery-level by indicator-light only.

Gotta follow the blue arrows, I don’t wanna try “interpreting” it and have you initiate the self-destruct feature.

I don't have a NarsilM light here to test it with, but here it goes:

  • go into battery check mode (from OFF, triple click)
  • confirm you are there - should blink 4x, then 1x for 4.1V, etc.
  • press&hold the switch til you see 2 fast blinks, and them one blink slowly
  • don't press anything, wait til it times out and blinks twice fast again, then twice slowly (skip setting #1)
  • now click the switch twice (selects enable for using the Indicator LED only, setting #2)
  • now wait it out til it finishes setting #3 (don't press the switch), finished with 4 quick blinks

That's All! Good Luck!

Reminds me of the "Baby Groot" scene "Don't Push This Button" in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" (One minute long YouTube link below):

Ok, go back into the advance configuration - first 3 steps only. Don't press anything, but watch how it works - should be 3 settings, watch the blinks, see how it works. Keep in mind the setting you want to change is setting #2, the middle one. Each setting will timeout, then go to the next, when all done it will blink 4 times fast.

So another words, just see how it works -- don't change anything yet. If you feel comfortable recognizing the 3 distinct settings, then we can try setting them.

2 clicks enable, 1 click disables. I think you disabled setting #3 possibly.

So to fix it, you want to enable setting #2 and setting #3. Below is the snippet form the original Q8 manual (.doc file). Not sure, but think this is my version, or based on my version (what I wrote). Hope this all helps!


Configuration UI Operation

For Ramping, hold the button for 8 seconds, and for Mode Sets, hold the button for 3.2 seconds to activate the main Configuration UI settings. The light blinks 2 times quickly, and once slowly to indicate Configuration UI mode is active. As listed below, you can change or leave any of these settings – there’s no need to set each one. Clicks choose the value for each setting, and each click will blink the light to acknowledge the click. If you disable Ramping, then the next setting will be #2 under Mode Sets, and vice versa. If no clicks are entered in 3.5 seconds, the light jumps to the next configuration setting indicated by 2 quick blinks and slow blinks of the number for what setting it is (ex: 3 slow blinks means the 3rd setting). You can bypass the timeout by doing a press&hold to skip to the next setting. If you continue to hold it, it will exit configuration UI settings mode altogether, indicated by 4 quick blinks.

For thermal stepdown, the main LEDs will go to max output, if you click in under 5 secs, the set temperature will be unaffected, but more than 5 secs, the current temperature reading will be recorded as the new temperature to use for the stepdown – be sure you set it high enough – light should be hot enough to barely hold, or even hotter. Factory default temperature is 55C, but calibration will vary from unit to unit. When timed stepdown is chosen, it will blink, prompting to enter the choice of time, 1-7 clicks as described below.

To reset settings to factory defaults, in firmware version # display, press&hold for at least 1.2 seconds.

Configuration Settings – Ramping

Setting #

Function

Clicks

Defaults

1

Ramping Mode

1=disable, 2=enable

2

2

Set Moonlight Level

1 - 7 (PWM value)

3

3

Thermal/timed stepdown

1=disable, 2= Temperature, 3=timed

Timed: 1=60secs, 2=90secs, 3=2 mins, 4=3 mins, 5=5 mins, 6=7 mins

3-4

4

Blinky mode

1=disable, 2=one strobe, 3=all strobes/beacons

3

Configuration Settings – Mode Sets

Setting #

Function

Clicks

Defaults

1

Ramping Mode

1=disable, 2=enable

2

2

Choose Mode Set

1-12 (1-7 is # of modes) – see Mode Sets

4

3

Moon Mode

1=disable, 2=enable

2

4

Mode ordering

1= sets loàhi, 2=sets hiàlo

1

5

Mode Memory

1=disable, 2=enable

1

6

Set Moonlight Level

1 - 7 (PWM value)

3

7

Thermal/timed stepdown

1=disable, 2= Temperature, 3=timed

Timed: 1=60secs, 2=90secs, 3=2 mins, 4=3 mins, 5=5 mins, 6=7 mins

3-4

8

Blinky mode

1=disable, 2=one strobe, 3=all strobes/beacons

3

Advanced Configuration UI Operation

Activated from Battery Check mode by doing a press&hold for at least 1.2 seconds. The light blinks twice quickly, and once slowly. 3 settings summarized below, and operates the same as the main configuration UI.

Setting #

Function

Clicks

Defaults

1

Locator LED feature

1=disable, 2=enable

2

2

Battery level Indicator LED Only

1=disable, 2=enable

1

3

Indicator LED Enable

1=disable, 2=enable

2

Here is what the menu looks like.

I did 2 clicks in the first menu option (enable locator function), but in your instance you want to do 2 clicks in the second menu option.

It does:
2 fast blinks and 1 slow
2 fast blinks and 2 slow
2 fast blinks and 3 slow

Ignore the fast blinks and count the slow ones. Make sure you see the confirmation blink when you do your clicks. Change one thing at a time.

Thanx Jason for the vid and info! Keep on forgetting about your vids - lots of resources around.

It’s not too hard for me to do a video on a very specific menu function for NarsilM or Anduril. I think the video above is close enough to figure it out.

If anyone needs a very specific video, let me know.

Anyone here a fan of “The Great Escape” movie?

I just watched it again recently and got to thinking… is there anything Cooler (McQueen) could’ve done differently in the motorcycle chase scene? I was thinking he should’ve broken into that small barn and hid with the motorcycle until very early morning the next day to make a run for Switzerland.

So the question — what do you think Cooler could’ve done differently to effect a successful escape?

I haven't seen it in decades, and I don't have an answer for your question, but I love the movie The Great Escape.

Thanks. I figured I’d ask it here, since this is the “no stupid question” topic. :wink: I agree, it’s a great movie… and I’d had about an 8 year gap on seeing it. I did fast-forward through parts. When you’re familiar enough with a movie & watching it alone, no point in having to “wait” for the parts you really want to see. :smiley: