FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

Thanks Serlite. You’re 100% correct. That sorted the FW3 out. Much appreciated.

Now I just need to get the HW3 sorted and I’m up and running. That’s a strange one though with the behaviour being different In ramping properly when on. Yet not ramping properly from off with press and hold.

Was it a defect from factory? Did you manage to light up your light after finding the solution?

It was working fine, Sir.
The problem occurred after I opened the switch board and put it back several times for various purposes.

Yes it’s now operating normal again.

Noticed something similar.

With my FW3A with tailcap retaining rings I noticed that if the retaining ring was full snugged down the switch operation was spotty. I think this was because the ring was forcing the switch board into a position that isn’t quite flush with the inner tube, resulting in an insufficient contact between the edge of the inner tube and the trace for it on the bottom of the switch board. As a result, my second generation FW3As with retaining rings were actually less reliable than my first generation ones without.

Fortunately, this is very easy to fix. The main thing to keep in mind is that the switch retaining ring is just there to keep the guts from falling out if you take off the tailcap. It should NOT be snugged down tightly. loosely screwed in works better as that allows the switch board to float into the correct position.

speaking of retaining rings, I was hoping to reflash my FW3A with Anduril 2 and can’t get the retaining ring out. This isn’t glued is it? wouldn’t make sense to do both, but so far its not budging.

Have you tried 6 clicks from off to make sure you are not in muggle mode?

Thank you, is not muggle mode problem, but i have resolved

I think I found the issue. Seems the FET has been wrecked. I measure 1.7kOhms Source to Drain. Should be in the MegaOhm range I reckon… Swapping the FET out now and will report back.

EDIT: Well… I was wrong. Go figure!! lol Removed the FET and it still had the leakage current. Then got super lucky and the first 7135 (U3) I removed was the culprit. Replaced that bugger and now we are back to like new!! :crown:

Hi, i am in trouble with reset.
Any help?
I try 4 times to rotate the head after click and press switch with battery inserted.
The light ramp low to high but it do not switch off.
Any help?

Have you cleaned the threads and all contact points of head and body?

Loosen the head and make sure the tail is very tight then reattach the head.

What does it do when you try to switch it off? Does the led glow very faint or does it stay at it’s set brightness?
If it ramps, that means the switch is working.

I don’t know if i understand correctly but when i choose the ramp mode after the reset i have always my 4 preset levels… not 7

Is your light a newer one that has the reset function?

You do not rotate the head to reset it. From the off position you click the switch quickly 13 times and hold it down on the last one.

I may not be understanding you.

Are you trying to switch from stepped ramping to the smooth ramping?

Or are you trying to change from 4 brightness levels to 7 brightness levels?

I Buy FW3A 31 Ago 2019
If I try to click 13 times nothing happen
For reset I have to unscrew the tail and press button before screwback.
I don’t want to unscrew tail so I do the reset with the head
To make sure the reset has been done I try Ramp mode but there are 4 levels and not 7…so nothing as been reset

There’s no reset for your light.

I do the reset one time only few month ago… are you sure?

Power is connected before the signal tube for the switch, so holding the switch doesn’t work. You have to do 13H. If it doesn’t work, the light does not have factory reset. Lumintop was very late with using a newer firmware.

From off, try 13 fast clicks and hold the last one. The led should do something.

Or try 13 fast clicks and hold on the 12th or 14th one.

I don’t have the later model, so I’m not sure.

From Toykeeper:
From a regular “off” state, click 13 times and hold the last click for a few seconds. Then keep holding the button for 3 seconds. The light should flash an increasingly bright warning, during which time the user can let go to abort without any changes. Then after 3 seconds, it gives a bright flash and fades back to nothing. This indicates the reset has completed.

Instead of doing a reset, you can change the number of steps.

Make sure you are in stepped ramping mode, not smooth.

Turn light On.
Do 4 fast clicks

Let the light do the first flutter, then let it do the second flutter.
When it is doing the third flutter, click 7 times. Then let it finish.

Now you should have 7 steps.

I know I know, thank you :+1:

I would like to do a reset is for the temperature sensor