FW3A Troubleshooting / FAQ

Thanks Jason WW and Artie T59 for your quick kind advice. Will look for that small plastic part. I don’t recall seeing it when I tried to push and press the switch back in shape.

See this earlier post.

Or, if you want a stiffer switch that doesn’t come on by accident, try a –008 o-ring

Happy to help.

I think what is happening is that if the tailcap retaining ring is screwed down too tightly it is at a very slight angle to the top of the inner tube. This creates a very poor switch connection. If the retaining ring is left loose, the tailcap board floats slightly and can then press flat against the edge of the inner tube creating a good connection.

I first noticed this when I had problems with switch connection on a later model FW3A with the switch retaining ring tightly screwed down while the problem did not occur at all on an early model with no switch retaining ring. Slightly loosening the switch retaining ring solved the problem.

The “nubbin” is a tiny black plastic cylinder that sockets into the center of the rubber switch boot. It can get lost easily and the switch will not work without it (without modification).

Unfortunately, it’s likely that part is lost for good. The part is miniscule and due to its shape prone to rolling a long distance if dropped.

Fortunately, the nubbin isn’t required. Some options:

  • Make a new nubbin - A bit of cured epoxy putty cut into the general shape of the nubbin with an x-acto knife works. Even a piece of a toothpick would probably work; or
  • Skip the nubbin, do the o-ring mod instead - The FW3A’s switch is very soft and easy to accidentally depress in the pocket. A popular mod with the FW3A is to remove the nubbin and add an o-ring inside the switch boot. The o-ring should be wide enough to fit in the depression in the rubber boot outside the nubbin-socket. I am big fan of the o-ring mod. I’ve done it to all my FW3 series lights.
  • No o-ring? … no problem - a bent piece of wire bent into a ring should work. As long as it is approximately the right thickness. Some experimentation might be required.

Thanks JasonWW, Jared M, and Firelight2 for kind suggestions.

Will try them all and learn.

If the worst comes to the worst, I may buy another FW3A (I like the brass) and enjoy having two heads of FW3A to play around.

I’m not sure if my question belong to this thread, but I found no other place.

In my FWAA (TiCu version) the SOS is broken.
Instead of . . . - - - . . ., it only blink with following pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Anyone experience the same?

The FWAA has no SOS mode, only beacon.

Well noted, Sir.

I had installed an 18350 tube on my FW3A. I was having unwanted activation problems. The emitter would immediately turn on and start ramping up or start on high and ramp down. No control.

While trying to troubleshoot this, I had figured the tail cap and head weren’t tightened down enough onto the body. As I cranked it with the head off, my forefinger had pressed down on the screw threads. They are seriously sharp. Cut right into my skin, drawing blood. This is really unforgivable. These threads should be squared off. Nasty… just nasty.

The behavior your getting is that of a shorted switch circuit. Unscrew the head and do a continuity check between the inner tube end and the body. It should not be connected unless the button is pressed.

If it checks out, then the new body might be screwing down onto the ring trace on the driver that the inner tube touches. Make sure the driver is centered.

Any body ever figure out how to solve —- No matter where you set the ceiling of the ramp and no matter how you set the temperature —- I always get a ramp down to around 300 lumens ( the Light is Cold ) — then it will gradually work its way back up to 600 lumens—- After it does this little dance you can go to the top of the ramp and the thermal calibration works fine —— I have several of these lights that do this crap — the only one that doesn’t do it — The Original XPL version from the First Batch

I think this is just how the temperature regulation is programmed in the version of Anduril used in the FW3A. If you want to avoid this behavior, you’ll need different firmware with better programming of the temperature regulation.

If you are interested in flashing to better firmware, Check with Toykeeper. Later versions of Anduril or Anduril 2 may have better regulation. I quite like my Emisar D4V2 variable tint which lacks the fast rampdown behavior of my earlier Anduril lights.

Rings seemed to be in place. This FW3A was the immediate successor to the first batch, where Lumintop actually (and smartly) installed a retaining ring in the tail cap. All seems screwed down. I played with it, shifted the tube around and the problem was corrected. Funny thing… I dropped the FW3A on a hard wood floor and it turned on and ramped up to max… Had to do that unscrewing & reseating again. Weird.

That sounds like the issue that’s been driving me crazy with my FW1A. Any mode above level 130, no matter what I do with thermal calibration and thermal limit, ramps down after about 6 seconds. The exception is turbo which works as I expect.

I just tried doing the “dance” chops728 described and it did work for me. Is that how it works for everyone out of the box? This is the first I’ve heard anyone else mention it. Would a different firmware version fix the issue? I’m trying to like this light. I just did the reflector mod and the switch mod will be next, but I’m not happy with the output at level 130 and turbo isn’t always practical.

I can no longer check the battery voltage with 3 clicks, put it into turbo with a double click or lock it with 4 clicks. Is there a solution to these problems?

Are you doing 3 clicks from off

Yes, and after 3 clicks it is still of. That’s, at 1st click it turns on, 2nd click it turns off, 3rd click nothing happens and it’s still off.

Have you removed and reinstalled the head? That combined with making sure the tail is tight before reinstalling the head has always reset any odd behavior that has occured with mine.

Tightening the tail before installing the head, didn’t help.