Probably one of mine that was never sent. :-((
I still don’t know if mine wasn’t sent or they lost it, a real shame, either way.
So how they get the horses up there? 
if you dig in this thread we ave already covered every patina option possible, but still would like to see photos of them all.
Well now that is a good question, I am talking about old times, not ancient when Pegasus could just fly up there.
Hmmm I missed the pee idea to get a faster oxidation, must have missed it in all those 6K+ posts 
I missed out on the GB, so I bought an Astrolux SC. It’s beautiful! But it seems to be acting strangely. I hope it’s ok to post here for some troubleshooting help.
I’m using two brand new purple 650 mAh Efest IMR 14500 cells from Mountain Electronics. I unwrapped and topped them off today with a Nitecore D2. My trusted multimeter says both cells are at 4.07 V. These are my first and only 14500 cells and flashlight.
The config menu and UI work as expected. Here are my settings:
- mode memory off
- moon off
- mode order Low to High
- mode group 4
- medium presses on
Here are the symptoms:
- stepdown from turbo in 5 seconds
- stepdown from level 1 in 5 seconds (no stepdown in levels 2 or 3)
- battery check reports 2.5V for both cells
- battery check reports voltage 8 times, then reverts to stepped down turbo
- tactical strobe operates for 8 cycles, then reverts to stepped down turbo
What could be causing this behavior?
PS: A big “Thank You!” to everyone involved in the GB that subsequently made the Astrolux SC happen!
goshdogit, if your Nitecore D2 is “topping off” new IMR cells at 4.07V then something is wrong with it. A full cell is 4.20V and most IMR cells will go to 4.21V on good chargers due to their very low internal resistance.
Stepdown from Turbo in such a short time is fairly normal, you need to configure the thermal settings in configuration level 7, select the level with a half press, the light will come on in a middle/low mode, wait and it will shift to Turbo… when the light is as hot as you wish it to get turn it off. This will set the thermal setting for that level. If you wish to disable it, at the first middle/low mode level turn it off, it will then be disengaged.
There is no step down from level 1. Not in the normal parameters of the firmware.
Battery check showing 2.5V, are you sure? 2.5V would appear as 2 blinks, a dim blink, then 5 more blinks. The low voltage protection should have turned the light off .3V before so technically 2.5V is not possible. If indeed your cell is at 4.07V, and if the batt check is working properly, you should see 4 blinks, a half or quick blink, then nothing for a moment, followed by a repeat.
Battery check should not revert to any position unless the tail cap is bumped, then it should be moon or the lowest setting in the normal modes.
Tactical strobe should not revert, like posted directly above.
Double check that your retaining rings are tight both on the driver and the switch pcb. A loose ground might cause the actions you’ve described about reverting, but it seems quite odd.
If, after double checking the retaining rings, you find it still acts strangely, I’d recommend contacting Neal at banggood for a driver replacement.
Hi Dale! Thanks for the quick reply—I’ve seen your video on the Bistro UI.
I performed a factory reset, then put the settings back as they were in my previous post. No change.
Since this is my first 14500 light, my D2 has only maintained my NCR18650B and LG HG2 cells. It indicates they are 4.20 V when finished, and my DMM shows them at ~4.16 V a few minutes later. Is this normal? Unfortunately it’s my only lithium charger.
I had not previously tried to adjust or disable thermal regulation. I have now disabled thermal regulation and stepdown still occurs in 5 seconds on both level 1 and turbo.
Battery check is definitely indicating 2.5 V, blinking just as you describe. The battery check description in line 44 of the bistro.txt file says, “Voltage range is from about 2.5V to 4.4V,” but I understand the cutoff should be 2.8 V.
All testing has been done with the light sitting on a desk or held in my hand while seated. I can shake and bump the light against my palm without issues.
I had previously checked the retaining rings, even backing them out and reinstalling them to be sure they were seating properly.
Any other ideas before I contact Neal? Should I contact him through BLF private message? Thanks again for the help!
IIRC someone had this same issue a while back. I believe there might have been a poor solder joint somewhere, or they just requested a new driver.
Btw the “BLF X5” ordered turned out to be an astrolux s3.
Here’s the driver board from my Astrolux SC that’s acting up. How’s it look? Click the photos to embiggen.
Why is Vdd on the 7135 bridged to another component? Is that normal for this driver? Edit, shouldn’t it be only connected to pin 5 by the trace under the sinkscreen “U”?
Thank you both, I should have looked at some photos for a comparison.
I will break that connection, reassemble, and report back shortly!
SUCCESS!!!
I broke the connection at R2 as pointed out and the light is working properly.
Battery check is reporting 4.1 V and doesn’t auto exit. Funky stepdowns and strobe exiting also fixed.
I’ve repaired electronics before, but this was my first dive into a flashlight… I might be hooked!
Thank you everyone, I’m headed outside to see how this baby flies!
jay, another addict!
Seldom is it that easy. Woot.
this Forum is amazing! Someone could help just by looking! Great job Rufus! Amazing.
Hi,
this may be a stupid question but I have to ask: is there any chance to buy that wooden box seperately later on to store my SS/CU set in style ?
Thanks,
K.
The Low Voltage Protection is a function of R1 and R2, the MCU reads the difference between them. The 4.7K resistor or R2 was getting a false reading due to being bridged to the 7135 chip, that’s why it reported the low voltage and was stepping down, it was ready to shut off, which is the only way level 1 has a step down.
Glad it was so easy! Sometimes a bridge like that is actually under a component and invisible, difficult to track.
Thanks for the good eyes Scott.
Nice clear pics too by the way goshdogit, always helps to see it clearly. Well done!
Anybody else wondering how that massive bridge happened? Had to have been on purpose, it isn’t easy to lay out a bridge like that. Hmmmmmm…… peculiar, very peculiar……
Does the Webster or Mirriam’s show that new word? “Embiggen” , gonna have to remember that and use it myself. I want a banana split, embiggen mine please. 