Thanks iamlucky13 for doing the list. We are waiting for slowtechstef and sb to allow you to edit the first post, but sofar an update in the thread itself will do a good job as well!
In the meantime Barry has answered my latest questions/request. I must say that I’m amazed by the speed of communication among BLF, me, Barry, and the Sofirn engineers. With the Q8 project it could take months before a question or request was answered, if at all, now it is a few hours. for Sofirn and Barry for communication!
The answers:
*based on the discussion here and my Yuji led tests yesterday (to be posted perhaps tonight) I suggested 25mA as the sweetspot for good output together with eternal survival of the led, and the Sofirn engineers had already the same opinion.
*About body colour: Sofirn already “tried Black, Silver, Light Gold. We try making prototype of Red, Purple”. Perhaps a poll after we see the prototypes? (purple )
*they are sure the quality of the soldering will be very good.
*they will add springs on both sides of the battery if they can make it short enough.
*about potting the driver: it is something new for Sofirn but they will do it, the engineers need to “discuss about which hardening compound to use, time of hardening, leaking etc.” But they “believe we can handle it”. So if anyone on BLF is really knowledgable about this, perhaps we can help Sofirn with suggestions, or else they need to find out themselves what will do the job best.
*I suggested a tail like the Lumintop Ant (tailstand+lanyard hole+trit hole) and Sofirn will do that tail if we want it.
*I predicted Barry that at some point a discussion would start about a clip, his answer was that no clip was calculated in the costs of the design, just like the E01 it will not have one and it is meant as a keychain light, and “we will clone from Fenix E01 by making some changes”
Thanks iamlucky13 for doing the list. We are waiting for slowtechstef and sb to allow you to edit the first post, but sofar an update in the thread itself will do a good job as well!
In the meantime Barry has answered my latest questions/request. I must say that I’m amazed by the speed of communication among BLF, me, Barry, and the Sofirn engineers. With the Q8 project it could take months before a question or request was answered, if at all, now it is a few hours. for Sofirn and Barry for communication!
The answers:
*based on the discussion here and my Yuji led tests yesterday (to be posted perhaps tonight) I suggested 25mA as the sweetspot for good output together with eternal survival of the led, and the Sofirn engineers had already the same opinion.
*About body colour: Sofirn already “tried Black, Silver, Light Gold. We try making prototype of Red, Purple”. Perhaps a poll after we see the prototypes? (purple )
*they are sure the quality of the soldering will be very good.
*they will add springs on both sides of the battery if they can make it short enough.
*about potting the driver: it is something new for Sofirn but they will do it, the engineers need to “discuss about which hardening compound to use, time of hardening, leaking etc.” But they “believe we can handle it”. So if anyone on BLF is really knowledgable about this, perhaps we can help Sofirn with suggestions, or else they need to find out themselves what will do the job best.
*I suggested a tail like the Lumintop Ant (tailstand+lanyard hole+trit hole) and Sofirn will do that tail if we want it.
*I predicted Barry that at some point a discussion would start about a clip, his answer was that no clip was calculated in the costs of the design, just like the E01 it will not have one and it is meant as a keychain light, and “we will clone from Fenix E01 by making some changes”
Sofar the update!
djozz, many thanks for the update and also a big thanks to iamlucky13 for compiling the names of interested people!
I will only refer here to the things I have an opinion/interest: a) Colour = that’s fine, no blue, but…black, silver and purple may do the trick ; b) tail = nice, that will be cool to have all those things in 1!
I’m glad that communication is working well on this Sofirn has grown in my consideration and is still going up
I understand that what you linked is a silicone based elastic compound, which may well be good for this but it is not what is used in the E01. From what I read on CPF from someone who managed to remove the driver it is a hard epoxy-type stuff.
I can imagine that the hard epoxy stuff is better at resisting mechanical abuse of the flashlight which is what we are after (combined with waterproofness), while thermal conductance is not relevant at this power level.
Can you imagine how funny it is after this project is launched and became a great success? Then Fenix jumps on the bandwagon. They probably think.. damn, we had our chance…
Can you imagine how funny it is after this project is launched and became a great success? Then Fenix jumps on the bandwagon. They probably think.. damn, we had our chance…
Sofirn has given (gifted?) us a much better target price than we imagined getting from Fenix.
So forget my initial interest in post #5.
I’m now interested in 1 copy of every body color Sofirn is willing to make. All in 5600K (old eyes).
—
You are a flashaholic if you are forced to come out of the closet, to make room for more flashlights.
Thanks for the information and link. I understand that what you linked is a silicone based elastic compound, which may well be good for this but it is not what is used in the E01. From what I read on CPF from someone who managed to remove the driver it is a hard epoxy-type stuff. I can imagine that the hard epoxy stuff is better at resisting mechanical abuse of the flashlight which is what we are after (combined with waterproofness), while thermal conductance is not relevant at this power level.
I agree that thermal conductance is probably not really relevant (although it might, at least in theory, help to increase expected lifetime of the LED if it is driven above spec).
From what I gather a hard epoxy makes everything completely rigid (and potentially brittle), while a firm (yet not hard) potting material allows a minimal amount of flex and absorbs shocks (but admittedly my knowledge about potting material is limited).
The reason why I suggested this stuff is that Zebralight uses it, and I completely trust them in this regard. Sometime back over on CPF somebody asked Zebralight what components they use in their lights and they answered with a list from which it became obvious that they know what they are doing and always choose the best possible components and materials (e.g. Corning Gorilla Glass, MOSFETs from Vishay etc.).
But it is, if we are being honest, not all that relevant which potting material is being used (after all it is a very small light with few components). Any potting is better than no potting.
I don't know which driver IC the E01 uses, but I think it is worth looking into the Prema PR4401 and PR4402. These are tiny LED driver ICs for single battery (0,7-1,9 V) input with an output of 6,5-40 mA (depending on configuration). They only need a single external component, an inductance (although for higher efficiency it is better to add a few components more).
After a quick look at the datasheet I would recommend the PR4402 together with an 10 µH inductance plus extra components (two capacitors and a Schottky diode). According to the datasheet this configuration should give a LED current of about 23 mA.
*I suggested a tail like the Lumintop Ant (tailstand+lanyard hole+trit hole) and Sofirn will do that tail if we want it.
*I predicted Barry that at some point a discussion would start about a clip, his answer was that no clip was calculated in the costs of the design, just like the E01
I like that tail, even though the light wont hang straight since the keyring is not in the middle
I also like the trit slot, although the trit may cost more than the light.. choices are fun
Im not saying Sofirn should include a clip, but some people may want to source their own, if so, here is a possibility. I have not tried it and am not sure if this clip fits an E01, it resembles the clip on the Arc AAA Maglite 2 AAA Mini Mag Pocket-Clip
here is Zebralight “potting”
more info on various types of “potting, encapsulating, and coating” types (epoxy, polyurethane, and silicone). Some are thermally conductive, some are for high temperature, most are waterproof, some are more resistant to other chemicals and solvents.. etc: https://www.epoxysetinc.com/product-reviews/potting-encapsulating-compou...
.
.
“Thermal cycling can take a toll on your electronics so can unprotected assemblies. Our potting & encapsulation can make a difference in your electronic components.”
Thanks for the update Djozz and the list work iamlucky13!
My thoughts:
- I’m cool with no clip since it is a keychain light. However, others may want a clip (attaching to a cap is a pretty functional use, for example, and a reversible clip helped make the Thrunite Ti3 popular in some circles). A basic friction fit clip that can attach behind the head or near the tail, made of aluminum, is probably the cheap and functional solution although not the prettiest or most premium. If anyone has ideas, I can compile a poll for later to see what the interest is in a clip/price point/design thereof.
- PURPLE! Once the prototypes come out I can make a poll for it. Light Gold on cheaper lights tends to look less than stellar in my opinion, but samples are definitely needed to make an informed decision. I’m assuming those are all the colours Sofirn is willing to make at this time?
- If it came down to trit hole or shorter length, I’d go shorter length. We’ll have to see what Sofirn comes up with.
- It’s good they are willing to try potting.
- It sounds like they were already working on a 5mm AAA twisty. Seems like a win-win situation.
Update will show soon. We’re well over 200 already!
teacher wrote:
Interested in six (6) neutral white. Thank you.
lumenzilla wrote:
In for two NW, please.
Thanks!
Neither of the options are in the range most commonly referred to as neutral. I’m listing both of you as 5600K (daylight) for the moment. Just let me know if you meant 3200K (warm). Unfortunately, there aren’t any options in between these color temperatures.
Eraursls1984 wrote:
If they pot them I’ll be in for at least 2 3200K and 1 5600K. Maybe more (5-10 3200K & 2-3 5600K) depending on my EDC find at the time.
Potting isn’t confirmed at this point, but I’m happy to put you on the list for 2 + 1. Please make a followup post if you decide to withdraw or change your quantity as details are decided on.
Henk4U2 wrote:
So forget my initial interest in post #5.
I’m now interested in 1 copy of every body color Sofirn is willing to make. All in 5600K (old eyes).
This will be a nice set. I’ll list you for 3 at the moment. Please plan on a followup post with an updated quantity if Sofirn decides on a different number of body colors, as I’m not likely to remember.
I would be interested in specifically purple body with 5600K and/or gold body with 3200K. Those would give visual reference to know before you pick it up what “color” the tint of the LED is. But, I don’t know what quantity of each I would want yet, and we don’t even know if those are final color choices. So, I guess just put me down tentatively for one of each tint, and I’ll decide later for sure.
—
The Cycle of Goodness: “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others”
- The YKK Philosophy
Can you imagine how funny it is after this project is launched and became a great success? Then Fenix jumps on the bandwagon. They probably think.. damn, we had our chance…
Perhaps they can’t . Later more about that.
Umm… Am I the only one who is too impatient to wait until “later”?
Thanks iamlucky13 for doing the list. We are waiting for slowtechstef and sb to allow you to edit the first post, but sofar an update in the thread itself will do a good job as well!
This sort of light is something I’ve been keenly interested in for a while, so I’m glad to be able to help. I also very much appreciate you and slowtechstef moving this project forward, as well as anyone else who steps forward as tasks come up. Offhand, Jon_slider took initiative in getting information from Fenix, and TheShadowGuy has offered to help with polls.
I’ve got my master copy of the list in Excel, so I can check for duplicates fairly easily, and if changes to how the list is formatted are desired, I should be able to do that, too.
Moving it to the first page should be no problem if shared access if figured out. Otherwise, slowtechstef can either link the first post to the list on page 10, or manually re-copy and paste the list as it is updated.
Can you imagine how funny it is after this project is launched and became a great success? Then Fenix jumps on the bandwagon. They probably think.. damn, we had our chance…
Perhaps they can’t . Later more about that.
Umm… Am I the only one who is too impatient to wait until “later”?
I need some information from Barry for this story to be correct and it is night over there atm.
There was some talk about getting “extra” LEDs several posts back. Is that even remotely a possibility? I’m thinking of doing a DIY photographic ring light, with tint mixing. I would like to buy maybe 100 of each tint, or even more, but I can’t afford 1000 at their price! Not saying it isn’t worth the price. I’m 100% certain it is worth every penny. I just don’t have that much money.
—
The Cycle of Goodness: “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others”
- The YKK Philosophy
@iamlucky13, thanks for taking the time to make the list. pls update my interest to 2 of each tint.
Interested in 1 × 3200k please.
If they pot them I’ll be in for at least 2 3200K and 1 5600K. Maybe more (5-10 3200K & 2-3 5600K) depending on my EDC find at the time.
Thanks iamlucky13 for doing the list. We are waiting for slowtechstef and sb to allow you to edit the first post, but sofar an update in the thread itself will do a good job as well!
In the meantime Barry has answered my latest questions/request. I must say that I’m amazed by the speed of communication among BLF, me, Barry, and the Sofirn engineers. With the Q8 project it could take months before a question or request was answered, if at all, now it is a few hours.
for Sofirn and Barry for communication!
The answers:
)
*based on the discussion here and my Yuji led tests yesterday (to be posted perhaps tonight) I suggested 25mA as the sweetspot for good output together with eternal survival of the led, and the Sofirn engineers had already the same opinion.
*About body colour: Sofirn already “tried Black, Silver, Light Gold. We try making prototype of Red, Purple”. Perhaps a poll after we see the prototypes? (purple
*they are sure the quality of the soldering will be very good.
*they will add springs on both sides of the battery if they can make it short enough.
*about potting the driver: it is something new for Sofirn but they will do it, the engineers need to “discuss about which hardening compound to use, time of hardening, leaking etc.” But they “believe we can handle it”. So if anyone on BLF is really knowledgable about this, perhaps we can help Sofirn with suggestions, or else they need to find out themselves what will do the job best.
*I suggested a tail like the Lumintop Ant (tailstand+lanyard hole+trit hole) and Sofirn will do that tail if we want it.
*I predicted Barry that at some point a discussion would start about a clip, his answer was that no clip was calculated in the costs of the design, just like the E01 it will not have one and it is meant as a keychain light, and “we will clone from Fenix E01 by making some changes”
Sofar the update!
link to djozz tests
Interested in 1× 3200K.
djozz, many thanks for the update and also a big thanks to iamlucky13 for compiling the names of interested people!
I will only refer here to the things I have an opinion/interest: a) Colour = that’s fine, no blue, but…black, silver and purple may do the trick
; b) tail = nice, that will be cool to have all those things in 1!
I’m glad that communication is working well on this
Sofirn has grown in my consideration and is still going up 
Thanks again mates
MY REVIEWS THREAD /// My Flashlight Collection ///
Mods: 1 / 2 // TIR: 1 / 2 // Others: Biscotti 3 + 1*7135 / Triple TIR w/ XP-G2 /// My Review's Blog (PT) /// OL Contest 2019 /// OL Contest 2020 /// GIVEAWAYs: 1 / 2
Interested in 1 × 3200K and 1 × 5600K
That is a nice project
Many Thanks
Very interesting developments in this thread.
I'm in for at least one of each CCT.
For potting the stuff of choice should be "DOWSIL TC-6011 Thermally Conductive Encapsulant" from Dow Chemical. This stuff is specifically designed for LED Drivers and it is also the stuff that Zebralight uses in their lights (see this thread on CPF).
Would love brass colored anodizing.
Interested in 1× 3.200K. Thanks!
Interested in 1 × 3200K and 1 × 5600K
Thank you
Bonum commune communitatis.
Yarp.
Interested in 2 × 3200K and 2 × 5600K.
Thanks!
Thanks for the information and link.
I understand that what you linked is a silicone based elastic compound, which may well be good for this but it is not what is used in the E01. From what I read on CPF from someone who managed to remove the driver it is a hard epoxy-type stuff.
I can imagine that the hard epoxy stuff is better at resisting mechanical abuse of the flashlight which is what we are after (combined with waterproofness), while thermal conductance is not relevant at this power level.
link to djozz tests
Can you imagine how funny it is after this project is launched and became a great success? Then Fenix jumps on the bandwagon. They probably think.. damn, we had our chance…
Perhaps they can’t
link to djozz tests
Interested in 1 × 3200k and 1 × 5600k
Interested in 1 × 3200K and 1 × 5600K please.
Sofirn has given (gifted?) us a much better target price than we imagined getting from Fenix.
So forget my initial interest in post #5.
I’m now interested in 1 copy of every body color Sofirn is willing to make. All in 5600K (old eyes).
You are a flashaholic if you are forced to come out of the closet, to make room for more flashlights.
I agree that thermal conductance is probably not really relevant (although it might, at least in theory, help to increase expected lifetime of the LED if it is driven above spec).
From what I gather a hard epoxy makes everything completely rigid (and potentially brittle), while a firm (yet not hard) potting material allows a minimal amount of flex and absorbs shocks (but admittedly my knowledge about potting material is limited).
The reason why I suggested this stuff is that Zebralight uses it, and I completely trust them in this regard. Sometime back over on CPF somebody asked Zebralight what components they use in their lights and they answered with a list from which it became obvious that they know what they are doing and always choose the best possible components and materials (e.g. Corning Gorilla Glass, MOSFETs from Vishay etc.).
But it is, if we are being honest, not all that relevant which potting material is being used (after all it is a very small light with few components). Any potting is better than no potting.
I don't know which driver IC the E01 uses, but I think it is worth looking into the Prema PR4401 and PR4402. These are tiny LED driver ICs for single battery (0,7-1,9 V) input with an output of 6,5-40 mA (depending on configuration). They only need a single external component, an inductance (although for higher efficiency it is better to add a few components more).
After a quick look at the datasheet I would recommend the PR4402 together with an 10 µH inductance plus extra components (two capacitors and a Schottky diode). According to the datasheet this configuration should give a LED current of about 23 mA.
I’d be interested in three of each tint.
I like that tail, even though the light wont hang straight since the keyring is not in the middle
I also like the trit slot, although the trit may cost more than the light.. choices are fun
Im not saying Sofirn should include a clip, but some people may want to source their own, if so, here is a possibility. I have not tried it and am not sure if this clip fits an E01, it resembles the clip on the Arc AAA
Maglite 2 AAA Mini Mag Pocket-Clip
here is Zebralight “potting”
more info on various types of “potting, encapsulating, and coating” types (epoxy, polyurethane, and silicone). Some are thermally conductive, some are for high temperature, most are waterproof, some are more resistant to other chemicals and solvents.. etc:
https://www.epoxysetinc.com/product-reviews/potting-encapsulating-compou...
.
.
“Thermal cycling can take a toll on your electronics so can unprotected assemblies. Our potting & encapsulation can make a difference in your electronic components.”
HDS potting:Fenix E01 potting
Thanks for the update Djozz and the list work iamlucky13!
My thoughts:
- I’m cool with no clip since it is a keychain light. However, others may want a clip (attaching to a cap is a pretty functional use, for example, and a reversible clip helped make the Thrunite Ti3 popular in some circles). A basic friction fit clip that can attach behind the head or near the tail, made of aluminum, is probably the cheap and functional solution although not the prettiest or most premium. If anyone has ideas, I can compile a poll for later to see what the interest is in a clip/price point/design thereof.
- PURPLE!
Once the prototypes come out I can make a poll for it. Light Gold on cheaper lights tends to look less than stellar in my opinion, but samples are definitely needed to make an informed decision. I’m assuming those are all the colours Sofirn is willing to make at this time?
- If it came down to trit hole or shorter length, I’d go shorter length. We’ll have to see what Sofirn comes up with.
- It’s good they are willing to try potting.
- It sounds like they were already working on a 5mm AAA twisty. Seems like a win-win situation.
Interested in 2 × 3200K and 2 × 5600K.
Update will show soon. We’re well over 200 already!
Neither of the options are in the range most commonly referred to as neutral. I’m listing both of you as 5600K (daylight) for the moment. Just let me know if you meant 3200K (warm). Unfortunately, there aren’t any options in between these color temperatures.
Potting isn’t confirmed at this point, but I’m happy to put you on the list for 2 + 1. Please make a followup post if you decide to withdraw or change your quantity as details are decided on.
This will be a nice set. I’ll list you for 3 at the moment. Please plan on a followup post with an updated quantity if Sofirn decides on a different number of body colors, as I’m not likely to remember.
Interested in 1 × 3200K and 1 × 5600K
I would be interested in specifically purple body with 5600K and/or gold body with 3200K. Those would give visual reference to know before you pick it up what “color” the tint of the LED is. But, I don’t know what quantity of each I would want yet, and we don’t even know if those are final color choices. So, I guess just put me down tentatively for one of each tint, and I’ll decide later for sure.
The Cycle of Goodness: “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others”
- The YKK Philosophy
Umm… Am I the only one who is too impatient to wait until “later”?
Excellent! I’ll be interested to see the results.
This sort of light is something I’ve been keenly interested in for a while, so I’m glad to be able to help. I also very much appreciate you and slowtechstef moving this project forward, as well as anyone else who steps forward as tasks come up. Offhand, Jon_slider took initiative in getting information from Fenix, and TheShadowGuy has offered to help with polls.
I’ve got my master copy of the list in Excel, so I can check for duplicates fairly easily, and if changes to how the list is formatted are desired, I should be able to do that, too.
Moving it to the first page should be no problem if shared access if figured out. Otherwise, slowtechstef can either link the first post to the list on page 10, or manually re-copy and paste the list as it is updated.
I need some information from Barry for this story to be correct and it is night over there atm.
link to djozz tests
There was some talk about getting “extra” LEDs several posts back. Is that even remotely a possibility? I’m thinking of doing a DIY photographic ring light, with tint mixing. I would like to buy maybe 100 of each tint, or even more, but I can’t afford 1000 at their price! Not saying it isn’t worth the price. I’m 100% certain it is worth every penny. I just don’t have that much money.
The Cycle of Goodness: “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others”
- The YKK Philosophy
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