Astrolux S1 strange behaviour

LED Flashlights – General Info 18650 Flashlights
1

So I received my Astrolux S1 today (the light that helped me “find” this forum)
What a nice light!
I don’t currently have the 18350 needed (stupid me ordered only the 18350 version), so I used what I had on hand , a 17335 reading 3.17v, and Lo and behold it all works as advertised with modes etc.
I drop in a 16340 reading 3.94v and things get a bit strange.
The 7 modes work as expected , except when going from turbo to moon, I get a very quick flash.
I also cannot go backwards.
And try as I might , I can’t access the hidden modes.
I can however get to the config options, and those work as expected.

Any ideas why the hidden modes/backwards won’t work ?

2

I don’t have the answers you need, but there is a troubleshooting thread for this light/driver: BLF A6 FET+7135 Light Troubleshooting and Mod thread

3

Thanks Hoop, read through that , but the closest I can get is the x5r vs x7r cap, but the light does this even when completely cold and cant get to Turbo from moon.

4

So, I charged up another 17335 to 4.04v and that also behaves in the strange manner. I’m busy reading the code, but any help from the smart people would be MUCH appreciated :slight_smile:

5

The turbo-to-moon flash is normal, a side effect of the type of FET used. It has been worked around in later designs, but not the driver the blf-a6 comes with.

Does the light reset to the first mode after you leave it off for a while, or does it continue to the next mode after whatever you were using before?

It might just have weird timing on a full cell. You might even need a new driver, or maybe need to re-melt the solder joints in case something isn’t quite right.

Also, you might want to open the tailcap and make sure they didn’t put in a lighted switch. That would cause problems, since the blf-a6 driver isn’t modded to support a tail light.

6

Turns out it was the lighted switch, removed the 2k resistor and happiness is :slight_smile:

7

LOL, so whoever makes these for Banggood put in the lighted switch board without thinking, without bleeder resistor, nothing in the specs, and is the tail light (whatever light is left without bleeder resistor) invisible because it is hidden under a non-translucent tail cap?

8

Pretty much yeah, I was quite surprised to see it :slight_smile: Will contact BG to notify them.
Anybody know a code / link for a 18650 tube ?

9

Cynicism

These big projects have not exactly improved my outlook in life.

BTW, fair warning… The A6 alternate tube efforts have not gone well. You could easily end up with one which doesn’t fit.

10

I just got an S1 from BangGood, and sometimes the light will not go back from moon to turbo. Going forward works fine - I can get through all 7 modes including turbo. But going back, it will stop at moon and will not cycle back to turbo again. I noticed this usually happens after I’ve used the light for a while - multiple runs on turbo. Does heat cause this problem?

11

of course it won;t work with a lighted tail cap!

i like mine a LOT better with the 18650 - they have like 4 times the energy of 16340 or 18350

wle

12

The component it uses to measure time while off is fairly heat-sensitive, so the button timing varies with temperature. Hotter = faster. This effect can be reduced with better-quality components, but quality has not been high or consistent. :frowning:

13

[quote=ToyKeeper]

Are you saying button timing is different when going from moon to turbo as opposed to when going from high to med, or med to low, or low to moon?

For me, it’s only the moon to turbo that stops working. All other back steps continue to work.

14

No. The timing changes depending on how hot the flashlight is. Run it on turbo for a while and it’ll get hot, and the timing gets shorter. But put it in a freezer and the timing gets longer.