Sofirn SP36 LH351D 4000k has different Anduril version (for LT1) than 5000k & 2700k, weird ramping behaviour and no ATR...

Hello,

A while ago I got a Sofirn SP36 LH351D 5000k and I loved it ever since. Sometimes I found it too white though, so I got a 2700k version which I love for use as an indoor lantern. It dawned upon me that 4000k probably was the “sweet spot” for me in terms of light output and color temperature, so I got a version in this CCT.

Upon receiving it I noticed that in ramping mode it has a “flickering” effect in the lower, regulated zone. At first I thought it was for sure the driver, but I checked the firmware and this one has “2020-06-02”. Both the 5000k and 2700k have “2020-03-18”. The newer version seems to have one pre-programmed step less than the other two. Turbo also seems to have a different behaviour (directly to turbo instead of to top of ramp?). A firmware reset did not really change anything, although it seems like afterwards there was another pre-programmed step less.

Could the different firmware version be the reason for this “flickering” ramping? Or is the driver faulty? Thanks!

It seems like the 4000k has the Anduril firmware that should go on the LT1? Instead of TempCheck I seem to have SOS… I also have 2H 3H available which on the LT1 is “tint ramping” and by holding it I could somehow set the lowest-level (moonlight) lower. When I factory-reset it it could not go as low as the 5000k or 2700k versions even though I set the ramp values the same for both.

EDIT: By playing a bit with “click-click-hold” (3H) on ON it seems like I have the firmware now in a mode where the flickering ramping behaviour is gone. I don’t have tempcheck though so I think this light won’t perform as well as my other SP36’s?

EDIT2: Yeah now the light doesn’t get bright at all though so I guess I should fiddle some more with 2H 3H…

I got an SP36 BLF Anduril (LH351D 4000k) not a few months ago, and it came with Anduril version 2020-03-18.

I do have a BLF LT1 (a second one) that came with Anduril version 2020-06-02.

So far I've not had Sofirn Anduril flashlights that came with the Anduril version 2020-06-02, other than the newer batch BLF LT1.

It would look like they probably flashed the wrong firmware (for the LT1) on your SP36 BLF Anduril LH351D 4000k... Best to report this to Sofirn -- if this is the case, my guess is they did not just flash your BLF SP36 Anduril incorrectly, but perhaps a whole batch might have the same issue...

beamshot comparison of SP36 BLF Anduril (4x LH351D 5000k) and SP36 BLF Anduril (4x LH351D 4000k)

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As an aside.

I do like the LH351D 4000k on the BLF SP36 -- I have the Sofirn C8F with 3x LH351D 5000k and 3x LH351D 2700k before.
I decided to order the C8F with 3x LH351D 4000k -- but it appeared to be the exact same LED as the LH351D 5000k.

(the box which the C8F LH351D 4000k arrived in, indicates correctly -- it's supposed to be LH351D 4000k, which is what I ordered.

But doing actual test comparison, it would appear they installed incorrect color temperature LED).

Sofirn C8F-21700 (3x LH351D "4000k") vs Sofirn C8F-21700 (3x LH351D 5000k)

Crap I should’ve bought it sooner :confused: Yes that seems to be the case, it has the wrong firmware… It gets super hot on turbo so ATR doesn’t work (LT1 doesn’t have temperature regulation). In a way it’s cool to have but I’d prefer it if I could just set the temperature using the calibration…

I love the CCT but the fact that it doesn’t behave the same as my other SP36’s is rather dissapointing, and no thermal regulation could be dangerous for some people using it without knowing it has the wrong firmware… I guess I’ll message Sofirn on Aliexpress (I bought it there) and see what they can do for me…


Oh I didn’t know you could also get the C8F in 4000k and 2700k, nice! I love those LH351D LED’s and the C8F is more “muggle-friendly” so I might pick up another one!

Hmm and getting a wrond LED tint is kind of a bummer :confused: How did they resolve that error with you?

2H should be decreasing the brightness while 3H on the LT1 is tint ramping. Super hot temperature could indicate lack of temperature regulation or maybe just a poorly calibrated temperature sensor? Having sos does sound like LT1 though… but the LT1 I bought in December doesn’t even have it. Strange combination

My bad, I meant 3H instead of 2H, holding on the 3rd press :person_facepalming: SOS is definitely there aswell.


Since the LT1 has no temperature functionality I can’t calibrate or set the max temperature. It simply does not step down like my other SP36’s, turbo can’t be re-enabled, it just gets increasingly hot…

I just a couple of weeks ago bought a BLF LT1 lantern, i am new to LED light lingo so this thread kinda seams like it’s written in an alien language but is there a simple way to check if my light has this problem/irregularity? Thanks

Your light is probably fine :slight_smile: If all of the button presses in the manual do what they’re supposed to do you’re good to go! The “version check” I did is 15 short presses when the light is off. Then it blinks out the date the code (firmware) that runs on a control chip inside was constructed, in YYYY MM DD format. 2020-06-02 corresponds with 2 blinks (“2”), one very short blink (“0”), 2 blinks (“2”), one very short blink (“0”), another very short blink (“0”), 6 blinks (“6”) and so on. If you get 2020-06-02 then it has the right code!


I suppose the code for the lantern slipped onto some chips in SP36 flashlights, and I got one of those :person_facepalming:

Overall very happy with Sofirn though, I got a lot of lights from them (in a short period of time). I’m sure they’ll sort this out!

Snduril2?

Nope that can’t be it. When in lockout I can change the button-LED-mode with 3 presses instead of 7 for Anduril 2. I’m fairly confident they made a production error :confused:

How did you check firmware for the SP36?

Okay so I’ve made a video to explain to Sofirn what the problem is. I’ll also link it here for reference:


I’ll also sum op my problems and findings:

I’ve recently bought a Sofirn SP36 4000k. Previously I’ve already bought a 5000k and 2700k version. Both have Anduril version 2020-03-18 (15 clicks from off). The 4000k however has Anduril version 2020-06-02. This appears to be the firmware designated for the Sofirn LT1. This has a few consequences:

  • From the factory there are less preprogrammed “steps” (stepped mode).
  • In the lower ramp there is a flickering when ramping up/down (ramped mode).
  • The ramp does not go as low as that of the 5000k version, even though the ramp values are set the same.
  • Since the LT1 has no temperature regulation this SP36 4000k does not step down. It gets super hot on turbo/high.
  • In place of the temperature (calibration) there is an SOS mode.
  • Click-click-hold (3H), which on the LT1 does the tint ramping, is also available on this SP36. I’ve not completely figured out what it can do but I can use it to get the firmware in a mode where the lowest ramp value can be as low as that of the SP36 5000k. Then the top of the ramp is however lower…

It’s too bad this light has the wrong firmware and can’t safely be used on a high lumen output. I love the tint, IMO it’s a great tradeoff between CCT and light output. From the limited testing I could already do inside it doesn’t appear to be much less light compared to the 5000k version.

I’ve not had any real response from Sofirn (yet), I hope they understand my video and thrust me and my testing… I’ll post an update if we reach to an agreement and/or I get more info regarding this production error.

UPDATE:

Sofirn replied a while ago to my video and said they would send me a new light with my next order. I ordered a diffuser for the SP36 but no replacement light was send. After Chinese New Year I asked again to send me the replacement, they again agreed to send one but I had to open a dispute because the AliExpress customer protection was running out. Since they did not respond in time AliExpress stepped in and agreed to pay half of my money back.

I suppose I’ll buy a new SP36 4000k again (but the price went up quite a bit it seems), this time with hopefully the correct firmware… Kinda bummed out by their AliExpress customer service, maybe I should buy from sofirnlight.com next time?

Ah yes I didn’t do another follow-up on this. Sofirn contacted me when they saw the dispute and said they already send me one but did not have time to send me a tracking link, I closed the dispute. The 4000k light they send me this time had the correct firmware so I assume they fixed it :slight_smile:

Thanks.
What you think about sst40 version ?

So the SP36 Pro? I’m not really familiar with it but from what I’ve seen in videos it produces more light and throws further. The CRI (Color Rendering Index) is however lower so if you prefer light quality over quantity I’m guessing you need to lean more to the LH351D variant.

If you allow me I’ll also give my two cents about 4000k vs 5000k (LH351D LED’s) :innocent: I’m still not 100% sure which I like more but it mostly depends on the use-case. For nature (grass, leaves, … especially in fall) I much prefer 4000k over 5000k. I don’t notice a big difference in brightness when walking through for example the woods but I have a feeling the slightly warmer 4000k gives a more “cosy” feeling, the 5000k can be quite harsh and sometimes distracting to notices differences in for example leaves on the ground. The 5000k variant tends to produce more light and I can see a small difference when shining on big fields. I would prefer this variant when I use it mostly indoor or on industrial sites. There the more “neutral white” can be better I think.

Good luck!