Yes I have. The pill looks ok. It has a screw-in reflector and it's solid.
The bottom of the driver can be seen in the photo above. It's press fit with the brass retaining ring. Note that the driver contains also the battery connectors, so replacing it is not an option. Stripping electronics away and using it as contact plate would be doable. [But the GB driver is good -> no need to swap - at least I won't.. ;) ]
Same as above, always starting in low would be a pain if you always use it on high/med or need to illuminate something quickly (firefighter/security/police) without fiddling around with the modes.
If low is your most preferred mode then just leave it on low and it will stay on low.
I prefer starting on low every time, then i don’t have to remember what mode i let if on and get blasted by too many lumens in a small space later. However i can see your point of certain occupations or circumstances where mode memory would be a good thing.
If Ive read this correctly, and Im not rereading the thread so if I missed it, my apologies.
The TEST sample has no memory. But the one being discussed for the GB should have memory. It is one of the options requested by _ the _.
From the OP
“…- 4 modes, LL-L-M-H (0.2, 2, 25, 100), with memory, no blinky modes!”
As I understand that, the lowest mode is moonlight or similar being .2. And if high is 500lumens, then LL @. 2 (low low) is 1 lumen. (500*.2/100)
I think the drive current is a good compromise as is. 592 lm OTF is not bad at all, see the following comparison table:
The drive current could be made higher, but I wouldn't dare to give out that kind of light to a non-flashaholic.. It would simply become way too hot when left unattended.
2. Mode memory
The GB lights will have a good memory, which engages after being off about 2s (not more!).
3. Runtime, heat, heat sag..
I'm planning to perform the runtime tests this evening. Please wait.. :)
Preliminary result is that the head of the light gets quite hot after being on for about 10min. Body tube / cells don't get hot at all.
With memory if you leave it in low. Then it’ll turn on in low. Problem solved. If you are not leaving it low, then the reality is you probably don’t use low as much as you think.
And at the end of day if low really is the most important and used mode. Then picking a 4AA light is overkill and you’d be better served with a 1AA or 1AAA light.