My review of the prototype light is now up for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure). Check it out here. ;)
I installed the FLEXcandles app on my phone, and I can confirm it at least runs. I’m using CyanogenMod 7, a.k.a. Android 2.3.7. So, it seems that Android 3+ is not required.
I don’t actually have a light to pair the app with though, so I can’t actually get any farther than the opening screen (which only lets me turn on bluetooth and search for a device I don’t have).
Downloaded from Google Play, and same here (app doesn’t crash). FLEXcandles V1.0, on a Samsung Galaxy Player 5, Gingerbread.
I can confirm the app loaded up and opened fine on my galaxy s3, its on android 4.1.2 though so no suprise there.
Its a shame you have to pair before you can program, I’d have liked to have a play setting up modes, light in hand or not. Can we forward this as a further refinement? programming unpaired then just pair to upload the finished article?
As a side note, delays in shipping are good for me, they save mrs gords kicking my arse for buying more toys :bigsmile:
forget that, guys, hit the back button a couple of times, you can start playing. The advanced programing baffles me as I dont get what its on about but the basic bit is easy enough to say the least, the two profiles I suspect will become default are already written, I’m probably going to create a child friendly one too since both my boys seem to like to turn up to max then shine in their eyes…… moonlight to about 8% spread on “high” should be good for bedside table duty :bigsmile:
Nice catch, but on mine, if I back button a couple of times, I get to a page with a dropdown and a button (for pairing). The dropdown is empty on mine.
Edit: Pressing the pairing button causes an FC…
ok.
when it asks about pairing, tell it to get to france, if it insists it must be paired, hit back once, it should just be a blank status screen with status at the top and modes on the right of status, swipe left and you get the modes screen, follow johnnymac’s guide to program, ie hit menu, new profile etc.
The only clunkiness I see is its insistence on being paired to the light, it would be better to let you play and demand pairing when you try to change profile.
I am really liking the potential here, day to day no blinkies, night stand, 25% high max unless you need full thrower for checking bumps in the night. Camping, moon, low, full, beacon etc.
Edit :- jasmine, please please please please please please please please make this driver available to us modders, please! uploading is pretty easy if you dont have a fussy reflector - remove ucl and reflector, program light, reassemble, job done. 8)
Sweet. You can also just say ‘no’ and then swipe the screen over to edit modes.
To answer my own earlier question, it does not appear as if the user can define true-strobe modes, at least not with any of the basic options. The shortest time step is 30ms, or about 1/33rd of a second, and both the time steps and brightness levels are pretty coarse-grained.
“Advanced steps” include:
- Random Time
- Adv. Pause
- Goto step
- PWM/PR2
- PWM/T2CON
- PWM/CCPR1L
- PWM/CCP1CON
- PWM/PSTRCON
- TMR/OPTION_REG
I don’t know what they mean, but each advanced step can have a value of 0 to 253. I assume the random time function can be used to make extra-disorienting random-speed flashy tactical strobe modes, and the goto step function can be used to repeat a loop forever. Otherwise I don’t really know.
Brightness levels available are: off, non-PWM (12.5, 25, 37.5, 50, 62.5, 75, 87.5, 100, 18mA), PWM (0.6, 0.9, 1.25, 1.9, 2.5, 4.3, 6.3, 9.4).
Time steps include: forever, 30ms, 50ms, 0.1s, 0.2s, 0.3s, 0.4s, 0.5s, 0.6s, 0.7s, 0.8s, 0.9s, 1s, 1.5s, 2s, 2.5s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 30s.
I’m hoping the advanced steps and future app updates will allow more complex and fine-grained configuration.
Ok, thanks. The “swipe” did it, but I don’t think that the French would like it being sent there (or maybe they might :laughing:…
insert a different f word for “france” sorry, bit of mancunian colloquial slang there….
Gords,
You made me have to look up “mancunian” :)!
Had issues with the app from the start… Crashed in landscape… crashed while testing something…
Tried to make a mode setup. pressed save, then it crashed… After that… it crashes constantly… I just have to terminate the program. Afterwards, it crashes at start-up.
Waited… then it magically worked again. played with modes… back to crashing… |(
Phone: Samsung Galaxy SII with android 4.1.2 and latest update.
I have sent several error reports after the crashes… I hope it will be sorted out.
damm, that’s a shame, I wonder if its software or hardware crashing? touch wood its done what I asked yet, but I dint expect to be in a position to upload for a bit yet, I’m liking that fasttech is doing their best to iron out the bugs before shipping, props for that.
Edit:- just incase I wasn’t clear earlier, I really want to be able to shove this driver or a multicell version into other hosts, please make this happen fasttech, please. :cowboy_hat_face:
+1000
Of course, after the issues have been solved…
on second though… Just get the driver on sale. The app the be improved later on. I want to see what people can do with these drivers!
well…….
first thing would be to establish if each 7135 is individually addressed, then we know if we can have moon - 12.5% of 3a - 37.5% of 3a - 4.5a+ turbo.
then find a host small enough to accept the bluetooth aerial (and if it’s necessary in a reflector/lense removed situation).
I’d also like to know if the technology will, in the fullness of time span single/parallel li-ion, series li-ion single emitter and series multi-emitter. because I see this as as much a game changer for modding as for off the shelf lights.
The other obvious question is, fasttech, um, you know that nice zy-t08 contact board
As for a DIY version of the driver, I'm sure somebody here could figure a way to do an external antenna that either permanently uses an isolated part of the light on the outside, or adding a socket so it could be attached for programming and then removed... the R&D potential of the community here could be something that helps make for better production pieces, too. 0:)
Yeah the advanced steps need explained. Maybe they could be labeled in a more understandable way.
Also, I can’t find a way to delete a mode while creating a new profile.
@ToyKeeper, please let us know what kind of time intervals you are expecting, and we’ll see if it can be done. a 1/16.5 strobe cycle seems plenty fast to me. Our Convoy line (using Nanjg) doesn’t even strobe that fast.
To remove a mode, just swipe the mode left or right. Same goes for steps.
Some of the “advanced modes” give you direct access to certain “registers” on the MCU to control PWM speed, duty cycle, etc. They are not meant for all users and we are going to hide them from the app in the next update. There will be an option to re-enable them later on (not in the update yet). To truly utilize them some knowledge with MCU registers is required. It is unlikely to be something we can fully explain in the app.
Regarding listing the driver separately, it will definitely happen later on. We really don’t have the technical resources to provide support right now and the rationale is if we sell a relatively expensive piece of electronic component without support, we’ll probably see a bunch of complaints in PayPal even if it’s listed “as-is”. When we finish releasing our flashlights, we will have more resources to support modders and we will list it separately then.
Next on our list is alternate battery barrels for the Asgard, and some extra lights in other form factors.
Jasmine
PS. check for an updated to the app if you have it installed. It solves quite a crash as reported via your devices.
jasmine, thankyou for that, you made my day, I understand about doing one thing at once, thankyou for all this, the obvious effort you guys are putting in to bring out a polished product is really appreciated.
A 30ms flash is far too long, because it shows blurred motion instead of still frames. I’m thinking more like 0.1ms at 100, followed by 49.9ms at 0, then repeat, for a 20Hz strobe with 0.2% duty cycle. Perhaps what I’m looking for is fine-grained control over PWM… So, the MCU/PWM registers sound very promising.
I don’t care about a tactical “strobe” which flashes at 8Hz with a 50% duty cycle. That is designed to disorient attackers, and does nothing for my purposes.
Instead, I want to be able to set a user-adjustable PWM rate from ~0.5Hz to ~500Hz with a near-zero duty cycle. The purpose is to freeze moving objects in motion (like a camera flash, a party strobe light, or normal low-speed PWM). For example, point it at a spinning fan, select a PWM/strobe speed matching the fan’s rotation rate, and it appears to make the fan stop moving. Or set it to a slow PWM rate (like 5Hz, again with near-zero duty cycle) and point it at a water fountain. The water will appear to flow as a series of still photographs, each drop and splash frozen in time just long enough to see, instead of appearing to move smoothly. Or point the light at a ceiling and match its PWM rate to the beat of a song, perhaps 70bpm for a 140bpm song, and then everyone dancing gets highlighted to the beat, hair floating in wild positions as if frozen in the air.
Maybe I’m weird, but this is the type of strobe I’m looking for. I get the feeling nobody else wants this feature though, so I’ll probably just have to flash some drivers myself and play with the PWM patterns until it looks right.