always with mode memory OFF.

I used to do Group 2. But then I found that Group 1 with mode memory off isn’t bad. You still have access to battery check but it’s easy to never hit the blinkies with the long half press or just turning off/on again. Battery check is unfortunately only in groups 1, 4, 7. 7 is out of the question, and you’re missing moonlight with 4.

2 for me and with mode memory on. I don’t like to have to press thru the levels to get to the same brightness every time I turn on my flashlight in a particular evening. And when I go to bed at night, I just set it to moonlight.

I don’t need the battery check since most of my EDCs have a lighted tailcap. I know when the battery is getting low when the tailcap starts to become dim.

Memory mode off. Group 2,8, or 10

5 or 8

6 is the perfect mode for my use. Bicycling and general EDC. Most closely mimics Turbo->Medium->Low, in my opinion.

Lately, 10, with memory off.

I voted 2 but really it’s about half my lights on 2 with memory off (smaller lights I carry day to day) and the other half on 10 with memory on mostly (bigger lights I use for specific tasks).

6 no memory on forward clicky throwers

Generally on nanjg-style drivers I use the “s7” firmware I made for the Convoy S7. Its mode list is a bit longer… Moon/low/med/high/max, battcheck, pulse beacon, 10/24/60 Hz party strobes, slow/fast variable party strobes, low/med/high bike flasher. Offtime no-memory, and no config settings.

But when Biscotti is installed, I use group 1 with offtime no-memory. It’s the closest to what I’d normally use.

I prefer babka firmware, but if I use biscotti then i go for group 10 or 8. I think four modes is the optimal amount.

On my less powerful lights, group 2. On the heavier hitters, group 8.

EDIT: Mode memory on. Always on.

2 with Mode memory off.

I still the bugged 6A drivers that reset to defaults with mode memory. What was the fix for these?

I use 2 for EDC, but I don’t actually carry an S21A very often. But group 1 with mode memory enabled makes an S21A a nearly perfect-for-me bike front light. And I use that more than all my other flashlightls combined. So, for the sake of honesty, I had to vote “1”

If there were a a ~30 or 50% only mode I“d buy a lot more of them and give them to children, grandmas, etc.

I use #4 but I dont want sos and strobe, my ideal would be (1%, 0.1%, 20%, 100%, battery check) i think. so I have been looking into modding the firmware.

Me I’m on 2 for my warm 219Bs and SST20s in S2+ (for the moonlight) and 10 for my new S21A B35AM with memory mode on for all.

I’m new to Convoys, got into them for the easy access to warmer emitter choices for little cash (and wish I’d started with Convoys) and see it as my gateway to modding.

Anduril is cool, genius, and it distracted me for a while and I dipped into Lumintop and Hank’s offerings, but as I’ve gotten more into the hobby I’ve come to appreciate different UIs, including Convoy (Zebralight is pretty good too)

You folk here have known the ‘Convoy value proposition’ for years. I’ve ended up with Biscotti, Convoy’s own 12-mode version and even the old 3/5 mode. It works well, what else do you need? …ok long hold for moonlight from off and er, ok double click for max output, but other than that…

northqld38 wrote:

my ideal would be (1%, 0.1%, 20%, 100%, battery check) i think. so I have been looking into modding the firmware.

The code is open to encourage this sort of thing.

The Convoy biscotti drivers can be a little difficult to flash though, because one of the unused pins is grounded and must be cut from ground before flashing. If I recall correctly, it’s pin 5. And it also has some components so close to the MCU that the chip clip might not be able to grab on properly.

The default mode groups are mostly just what Convoy thought would cover most people’s needs best, given a limit of 8 or fewer modes per group and 12 or fewer groups (due to rom size limitations).

However, Biscotti was only ever created as a way to fit as much of Bistro as possible onto a nanjg-style driver (1 channel w/ attiny13a chip). If you have the option, Bistro is usually a better idea since it’s much more configurable and gives quicker access to more functions. But it requires a somewhat fancier driver.

Or, for an attiny13 driver, you could also go with different firmware entirely, tweaked more to your personal preferences instead of using a general-purpose one like Biscotti. Removing the config options frees up enough space to add a bunch of other features.

On flooders I use group 2 (0.1, 1, 10, 35, 100), on throwers I use group 3 (100, 35, 10, 1, 0.1).  Also, I turn memory off.

Bistro is one of my favorite firmwares ToyKeeper! Thank you for developing it. Wish I could have it on all my Biscotti flashlights. I miss not having the medium press with Biscotti.

ToyKeeper wrote:

Generally on nanjg-style drivers I use the “s7” firmware I made for the Convoy S7. Its mode list is a bit longer… Moon/low/med/high/max, battcheck, pulse beacon, 10/24/60 Hz party strobes, slow/fast variable party strobes, low/med/high bike flasher. Offtime no-memory, and no config settings.

But when Biscotti is installed, I use group 1 with offtime no-memory. It’s the closest to what I’d normally use.

This is the first time I heard about the Convoy “S7” model.. had to Google this model and found some “discontinued” listing. Looks like stainless steel body.

“S7” firmware = is this for ATTiny13 chips (eg. can flash over a driver that originally comes with the ‘original’ Biscotti driver?)

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Back to the original poll, I usually just make do with Group 1 (preferably mode memory Off), the original Biscotti comes with Mode Memory = Off, whereas the Convoy “new” 12-group driver, comes with Mode Memory = ON by default. And usually the first mode after inserting the battery (from shipping), is Tactical Strobe mode.

(On original Biscotti, with default mode memory Off, the first mode with the flashlight from shipping condition is Moon).

~~~~

When I show Biscotti / 12-group flashlight to someone, usually if that person is into security-related tasks, they seem to prefer Group 11, which has only 3 modes = High-Low-Strobe.)

Mode 1 with memory on. If only the strobe was constant frequency!

I have only used the old 3.04A nanjg style drivers but would probaby still just prefer a 2 mode – maybe 15% and 100% with mode memory (so 11 is closest to my preference, except for the strobe).

I would also love to know how to create custom firmware for some of my lights but I know it needs equipment and time so it’s still on the “To Do” list for now.

Group 10

Mode Memory = OFF

I'd be interested in some different choices. If they could figure out a way to make the modes totally customizable, that would be amazing. Even if none of that happens, I still prefer this to electronic switches by factor of (insert absurdly large number). I don't want to ramp. I don't want a switch that glows. I just want to tap through a few pre-selected choices that always start the same way.

guess I’m the awkward one who use group 11 no mode daily

Group 5 with memory off, 20% is often plenty enough with better endurance than 35% on most of my lights. Moonlight (0.1%) would be nice to add to this though.

Also mode memory off. Seems like most people prefer it off?

NBrooke wrote:

Also mode memory off. Seems like most people prefer it off?

Group = 10
Mode memory = ON

I miss a 60 % setting. Why? When I use my M21B as a bike headlamp to support my Lumintop B01 bike headlamp, the M21B stays quite cool when it’s winter, so it will not throttle down it’s output but run on nearly full power instead. Sometimes, 35 % seems too low but 100 % is way too much in terms of energy consumption. The around 60 % level that usually pops up after thermal regulation kicks in is just fine.

The second runtime diagram shows what happens when the flashlight is used in a low temperature environment, i.e. riding a bicycle quite fast on a cold winter’s day.

I use this kind of batteries because I don’t want to use an external charger.

NBrooke wrote:

Group 5 with memory off, 20% is often plenty enough with better endurance than 35% on most of my lights. Moonlight (0.1%) would be nice to add to this though.

Also mode memory off. Seems like most people prefer it off?

If there was shortcuts to lowest mode from off. I would keep memory mode on.