New Convoy C8 – Clearly better

There’s no way to do that with this setup that I’m aware of. I totally understand being intimidated by the UI and it’s description but it really is easier than it looks on paper. I’ve been using the new Convoy (Biscotti) firmware for several days now and I’m very happy with it.

When I ordered my first BLF A6 I was so intimidated by the UI that I didn’t try touching the programming side of it for a month. I just left it in the mode group it shipped in because I was afraid I would mess it up. Once I took a few minutes to read the instructions and try programming it, I found it was much easier than I thought it would be.

Keep in mind you’ll only have to program it once to get the mode group you want.

In your case, with group 2 being your favorite, this is all you have to do:

  1. Turn the light on.
  2. Tap (half-press) the switch 10+ times in quick succession until it stops flashing. After several seconds it will flash once followed by a “flickering”.
  3. Tap it again now during this “flickering” following the single flash. Now it will flash once followed by maybe a 3 second pause then it will flash twice and pause again.
  4. Fully click the switch now during this pause after two flashes.

That’s it. All done. Your light is now set in mode group 2. You can keep it that way forever if you like. Of course once you’ve successfully set your chosen mode you’ll probably find that you want to see what the other groups are like. :slight_smile:

Exactly Jack, what J-Dub74 says!
I had the exact same thing with the Kronos set.
But now after setting them up how I like I do not need to enter config mode at all.

Someone should find and link Dale’s demo video of bistro. Seeing it actually happen really shows how simple it is and inspires confidence.

there are a few lights out there that have a “mode lock”, but as far as I know that is a physical lock, i.e. soldering a bridge after setting a group. so it would either be such a driver or a firmware with only the designated group?

Have been using Biscotti since release now and I never accidentally got into another mode group - so that should be fine for now. Toykeeper did an amazing job here.

Good idea PD. It helped me a lot and as Bistro is also written by ToyKeeper there are plenty of similarities.

Here you go:

Dale’s Bistro UI video

Hah, very convincing argument :crown:

Thanks, everyone!

J-Dub74…is Simon going to release the clear C8 in host form?

That’s pretty simple.

Ish. Not really. The 0.1% mode is generally around a lumen, while a true firefly mode is typically under 0.1 lumens. It’s bright enough I wouldn’t call it a firefly mode and wouldn’t really call it a moon mode either. It’s just a “low low”.

Sorry, I didn’t make a flowchart this time because the UI is so simple it’s hard to put in chart form. The important part is mostly just the table of mode groups.

It’s similar to bistro, but simpler. So, here’s the UI for bistro…

For biscotti, remove the green part. Remove the dotted lines. Remove the middle section going down from “Lvl 1”. Remove all but two menu items (mode group and mode memory, in that order). Then add a table of 12 mode groups. So, in the end, it’s a circle with arrows pointing only one way. Plus a spiral, a very short menu, and a list of mode groups. But after the initial setup it’s basically just a circle (with the option to shortcut back to the first mode at any time with a long press). Because entering config mode requires going around the circle fast enough to break out, and that’s unlikely to happen during regular use.

And just when I thought I understood it to be simple.

Is there a video?

LOL, TK, whachoobeendrinking?

It’s easy. I can do it. If I can do it, it’s gotta be easy, right?

Odd I didn’t see this sooner.

The UI appears to be closer to the A6 firmware from what I can tell, except with reverse modes removed and more mode groups?

It’s much easier than it looks.

Normal usage:

  • Fully click and release the button to turn the light on or off.
  • Give the button a quick light tap to go to the next mode.

If you have memory turned off (which is default), you can also do this:

  • Do a longer press to go back to the first mode.

That’s all.


If you want to change the configuration, it’s like J-Dub74 described.

  1. Give the button several quick light taps in a row (10+ times) until the light stops turning on.
  2. Wait a moment. The light should blink once, then “buzz”. Then it should blink twice then “buzz”.
  3. Click during the first buzz if you want to change the mode group. Or click during the second buzz to turn memory on or off.
  4. If you told it to change the mode group, it will come on in a special mode where it blinks 12 times very slowly, representing the 12 mode groups. Click after the number you want. For example, to select group 5, wait for it to blink 5 times then turn it off.

For most people, after setting it up the first time you can forget about all the config stuff. Then just treat it as a pretty normal light with your choice of modes.

The defaults (mode group 1, no memory) are probably best on a smaller EDC light. Since the C8 is more of a thrower though, I expect a lot of people will probably want to enable memory, or use a high-to-low mode group, or disable the lowest mode.

Thanks TK. Is there a thread that describes how to read a light flow chart ? When you describe it I understand it, when I look at the chart it looks like something from one of VanGogh’s nightmares.

THANK YOU for mentioning VanGogh! :slight_smile:

I did not completely understand Bistro just based on the UI diagram as it seems so complex but as soon as I saw it knew I wanted it on a t-shirt or printed poster size for my wall where I would display it proudly.

I know ToyKeeper disagrees with me on this point but her diagrams are pure art in my opinion and nobody will convince me otherwise. Perhaps it is not so to everyone but I love it. Seeing such geeky greatness displayed as flowing lines and curves and knowing that it was a bit of a puzzle until I understood how it worked left me in awe. I still am. :slight_smile:

I installed this firmware in my flashlights and IMO it has a very simple and useful UI.
10+ clicks - 1 flash and fuzz - then click and select group.
10+ clicks - 1 flash and fuzz, 2 flashes and fuzz - then click to on/off memory mode.
That’s all. You have to make it ones and you never forget this.

I’d like to thank them too, especially Simon.

But I suspect he must have been swamped with irregular orders, so communication has been sparse. And I guess ordering almost ten different items didn’t help either.

GrayEd61, did you send PayPal to EDITED? I sent payment to that address but received no confirmation just yet. That’s still his email right? Can anyone confirm?

EDIT: The email in this thread 30%-50% discount / Free shipping / Coupon--------Shenzhen Great Wall Technology(Simon) Convoy-Flashlights is not his paypal email. You need to ask him for an invoice and tell him your email, or ask him his paypal email. Pardon the bureaucracy, read a bit further and you’ll find out why.

I would like to thank J-Dub & ToyKeeper for the wonderful work

How do I flash the new firmware on an existing S2+? Any soldering required?

thanks, buddy.

And once more I agree completely!

And indeed it was Dales video showing the way for Bistro for me.