Thanks, I’d prefer an autolock :+1:
this is a post about the latest flashlight tech using Anduril 2…
this photo album is from that thread (not mine):
dual channel… two high cri warm floody LEDs and two very throwy cool white LEDs: (can operate as two independent lights, or also can blend the beams)
this video is of a D4SV2, which might suit your wife well, it is similar in weight to what she got burned by:
btw, to prevent Anduril burns,
one thing I do is set a Manual Memory of a rather low output… around 20 lumens… that way if the light turns on in pocket, it wont be at a burning brightness…
I understand the Astrolux EA01s has Anduril 1.
One simple thing you can do with Anduril 1 is set the top of the ramp at a level just below where it would burn a hole through clothing.
It’s simple to do.
- While the light is on, click 4x
- The light will blink and start flashing rapidly, then it will blink again and continue flashing rapidly.
- Wait for the second blink and then start clicking. Anduril has 150 brightness steps and each click sets the max ramp at 1 step lower than the max. So if you click 30x, the max ramp is 120.
- After clicking the desired number of times, stop clicking and wait for the blinking to stop. The new max ramp is memorized.
- Test the new max ramp by double-clicking from OFF. Is it bright enough that it will still burn clothing? … if so, repeat the process and set the max ramp lower.
Reducing the max ramp offers pocket protection. If the button is accidentally depressed in the pocket, it likely will be held down. The light will turn on, but only ramp up to the top of the ramp. If that isn’t hot enough to burn clothing, your wife’s clothes should be safe as it is very unlikely the light will accidentally double-click while on in the pocket.
Even with a lower ramp, The user can still access max turbo by double-clicking while the light is ON.
Another thing that helps is to glue a washer or two around the button. This helps keep cloth away from the button and reduces the chance of accidental pocket activation.
You can lower the max temp to something that only gets warm.
Lowering the temp sensor won’t be enough to save your clothing with a 10,000 lumen compact quad light.
I found that even an Emisar D4 will burn through clothing in less than 5 seconds if it turns on in turbo in a pocket. The burn is caused by the light emitted out the front being absorbed by the clothing, not by heat conducting or radiating out of the metal head. Burning through clothing in 5 seconds is far too quick for the temp sensor to take action to reduce output and save your clothing.
And that was with a 4,300 lumen Emisar D4. A 10,000 lumen Astrolux EA01s would destroy clothing even faster.
Yeah, that makes sense. Personally, 10,000 lumens in a small host doesn’t make a lot of sense. Half that is a lot but what it is.
fwiw,
in Anduril 2 on my FWAA, holding the button ramps up, then down, then locks the light
I have it set to an 800 lumen ceiling… it will not burn paper at that level, but I dont know what level of 150, that would be on the OPs Astrolux EA01s…
but if a Astrolux EA01s is running stock Anduril 1, and it was last used at a 2000+? lumen level,
then just an accidental bump of the switch in pocket, will burn… even if the switch is not held down
changing to a fixed memory at start, solves that problem
AND I would still lower the ceiling to under 1000 lumens… but the OP has no way of knowing what level of 150 that is…
btw, autolock is based on a timer… so it may not solve the problem either… wife could use a burning high output, and put the light in pocket, and then have a false activation before the auto lock is activated
imo the heart of the problem is the assumption that wife needs thousands of burning lumens
imo, that may be misguided, due to the emphasis marketing places on Lumens, instead of LUX
it is possible to have a brighter hotspot, with less lumens, by making the hotspot smaller and more focused
result… see far, less lumens, less burn…
I look forward to the OPs reaction to the sight of the beam from the W1 in the video
even without buying a new light, nor flashing Anduril 2
I think the safe thing to do is to lower the ceiling, and eliminate the last mode memory on the Astrolux EA01s, so it cant Burn
Jon, I have been sitting here trying to make that work… It does not work on my FWAA, have you changed firmware? I am in advanced mode.
> I am in advanced mode.
me too, stock firmware… I just hold from off
also works in Simple Mode… just lean on the button and wait for the cycle… up down off…
Thanks Jon, found it! I was reversing the ramp manually at the top and not waiting long enough at the bottom.
Interestingly enough, this trick works on may D4V2 and KR4 both with Anduril 1!
apparently the stuck switch ramp cycle lock safety feature is also in Anduril 1:
while holding the button down in my FWAA in Simple mode it pauses at top of ramp, longer than it pauses in Advanced… which reverses direction more quickly… I believe the delay is because I have a lower ceiling set in Simple than Advanced…
I dont think this ramp lock feature would prevent burns though… imo it is absolutely essential to lower the Ceilings to prevent Anduril High Lumen burns.
And I still think the main problem is the Last Mode Memory… That is the first thing I would eliminate.
I think it depends on how your accidental pocket activations occur.
- Almost every accidental pocket activation I experienced were not momentary presses of the button. Rather the light was in my pocket and I shifted around in such a way that the button depresses and stays down until I shift again. The button might stay depressed for minutes or longer.
- Since the button is held down, disabling Last Mode Memory won’t help. It doesn’t matter what mode the light turns on at if it then ramps up to pocket-burning output.
- Anduril 2 and later versions of Anduril 1 have a feature designed to protect against this: the light will ramp up to max, then hold for a couple seconds then ramp back down and lockout. But I don’t think this is sufficient for a really high output light light the Astrolux EA01s. Two seconds at 10,000 lumens turbo is almost certainly enough to fry clothing that’s touching the lens. Especially so for dark clothing.
In Anduril, I think the best protection other than lockout is to cap the ramp at a level just below where clothing is damaged. Note that the user does not need to know exactly which step out of 150 is 1,000 lumens. To find a safe top of ramp setting, just follow this procedure:
- Take a guess at what a safe setting might be and set the top of ramp to that setting. Maybe try Step 100 initially.
- With a fresh cell double-click from off to turn the light to max ramp.
- Place your hand within a half cm of the front of the lens.
- If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s probably too hot for clothing. Reset the top of the ramp lower and repeat the test.
- If it’s not hot and you think your clothing can take more heat, reset the top of the ramp higher and repeat the test.
I agree, and I like the way you write :+1:
imo Lowering the Ceilings is a better solution than autolock
I would suggest starting by lowering the ceiling on the astrolux to 1/3 of stock, so level 50 of 150… 100 clicks to enable…
alternate realities, question the status quo:
maybe buy a light that is not capable of burning?
are there other options besides thousands of burning lumens?
what is the best and safest solution for the actual needs of the wife?
change the ceiling, get autolock flashed, buy something else?
D4SV2?… :partying_face:
Another solution would be to get something like an Olight Seeker 3 Pro.
It has a proximity sensor that won’t let the light turn on to high power if something is right in front of the lens. At 4,200 lumens it should also be bright enough for the original poster’s needs.
If it works as advertised it should solve the problem with no need for lockout. I don’t have one myself though so don’t know how well it actually works. It’s also pricey.
excellent point… you had me at proximity sensor 
I think Surefire and Oveready also have proximity sensors…
safety first
I would just get a single mode rear clickly light with whatever emitter you choose, for the wife. You can play with whatever you want of course.
That is a good recommendation. A side switch light should be physically locked out for more than accidental activation reasons. It should also be done if the light is going to go unused for any length of time to avoid parasitic drain. A tail switch light would be a better choice. Finding a very high lumen model is another hurdle though.
What about the s2 or the standby A6?
The best solution is to get in the habit of always shutting the light off at a low enough setting where burning things is not a problem. Limiting yourself to only lights that can solve this problem for you, forever, does not seem like a viable solution.