*BLF LT1 Lantern Project) (updated Nov,17,2020)

djozz · 2019-10-29T10:31:19.000Z

I can make a pic today. In the meantime:

It will drain your batts in 3 years. Green leds of the same visual brightness btw would last longer, maybe 30 years.

joechina · 2019-10-29T10:55:01.000Z

Thank you djozz!

Are the 442 µA for the Amber LEDs on high or low?

Isn’t a trimmer and a solder pad on the board? I guess that bridge Andúril’s capability to controll the switch led?

SoulCraves · 2019-10-29T11:27:47.000Z

Guys, i just received the lights like 5mins ago. They isntalled the Sofirn batteries in the lights when i opened it. The batteries are Dead! I cant on the lights with them and when i try to charge using Liito, it foesnt even register any charge!

Lazy-R-us · 2019-10-29T11:39:41.000Z

DBSAR:

Simple fix for now for those who only have a USBC electronic/adaptive charger in their possession and have no other common USB charger or charging power source… -the USB-C to USB-A converter/adapters are available on Ebay for less than a buck for two of them, so the shipped standard charger cord with the LT1 can be used with your USBC charger.

I’ll join the other thread, but Im not sure this advice is correct. If the source charger is strict about negotiating charge levels, it will probably not work even if you use a C to A converter. The data lines simply pass through.

I don’t have my first LT1 yet, and I think I only have a single type C source in my possession so I can’t really try this.

Kame_Sennin · 2019-10-29T11:52:27.000Z

SoulCraves:

Guys, i just received the lights like 5mins ago. They isntalled the Sofirn batteries in the lights when i opened it. The batteries are Dead! I cant on the lights with them and when i try to charge using Liito, it foesnt even register any charge!

Verify if there is an insulating sticker on one side of the batteries.

That's what they do for shipping

djozz · 2019-10-29T12:06:54.000Z

joechina:

Thank you djozz!

Are the 442 µA for the Amber LEDs on high or low?

Isn’t a trimmer and a solder pad on the board? I guess that bridge Andúril’s capability to controll the switch led?

The leds are on high I think, at least this is how it came from Sofirn. When the light is switched on on the lower outputs, it is much lower. I have not messed with the trimmer yet, but certainly will because I just changed the leds with 1600K 90CRI Luminus Cube leds. Will post in the WDYMT thread.

Here’s the driver, as good as I can picture it with all those wires. Picture of the battery side is a few pages back in this thread.

Rayoui · 2019-10-29T12:24:17.000Z

Lazy-R-us:

DBSAR:

Simple fix for now for those who only have a USBC electronic/adaptive charger in their possession and have no other common USB charger or charging power source… -the USB-C to USB-A converter/adapters are available on Ebay for less than a buck for two of them, so the shipped standard charger cord with the LT1 can be used with your USBC charger.

I’ll join the other thread, but Im not sure this advice is correct. If the source charger is strict about negotiating charge levels, it will probably not work even if you use a C to A converter. The data lines simply pass through.

I don’t have my first LT1 yet, and I think I only have a single type C source in my possession so I can’t really try this.

USB-A has far less conductors than USB-C (4 vs 12, respectively). Therefore, a USB-C to A adapter should cause the charger to see the connected device as an older non-USB-C device and charge using 5V. I don’t have an LT1 yet so I can’t test, but I have the Apple 30W and 87W PD chargers and an Anker 30W PD charger and often use all of these to charge older devices (which I assume don’t have the USB-C pull-down resistors).

I have used many different cable configurations with these chargers from USB-C to micro-B, C to Lightning, C to A with A to C adapter, etc. All work with non-USB-C devices at 5V.

joechina · 2019-10-29T12:32:39.000Z

Thank you!

I’m not an expert, but that locks easy to fix for the hobby user. Glue Rd on the PCB and connect Rd on A5 or B5 on the port and a connection to ground. And secure the resistor and wires with the red celastic.

I am not 100% sure without testing if this enables charging with a C-C cable, but there is enough space for the bodge job.

Watermanchris · 2019-10-29T12:41:15.000Z

Kame Sennin:

SoulCraves:

Guys, i just received the lights like 5mins ago. They isntalled the Sofirn batteries in the lights when i opened it. The batteries are Dead! I cant on the lights with them and when i try to charge using Liito, it foesnt even register any charge!

Verify if there is an insulating sticker on one side of the batteries.

That’s what they do for shipping

Yes. There is most likely a clear insulating sticker on the negative terminals. It is very difficult to see. Just run your fingernail or a butter knife over the edge and you’ll catch it.

joechina · 2019-10-29T12:57:21.000Z

Rayoui

You use cables from USB-C to another connector.
It is possible that the needed Rd resistor is not in the device, but in the cable or in the adapter.

Phlogiston · 2019-10-29T13:01:16.000Z

Rayoui:

Lazy-R-us:

DBSAR:

Simple fix for now for those who only have a USBC electronic/adaptive charger in their possession and have no other common USB charger or charging power source… -the USB-C to USB-A converter/adapters are available on Ebay for less than a buck for two of them, so the shipped standard charger cord with the LT1 can be used with your USBC charger.

I’ll join the other thread, but Im not sure this advice is correct. If the source charger is strict about negotiating charge levels, it will probably not work even if you use a C to A converter. The data lines simply pass through.

I don’t have my first LT1 yet, and I think I only have a single type C source in my possession so I can’t really try this.

USB-A has far less conductors than USB-C (4 vs 12, respectively). Therefore, a USB-C to A adapter should cause the charger to see the connected device as an older non-USB-C device and charge using 5V. I don’t have an LT1 yet so I can’t test, but I have the Apple 30W and 87W PD chargers and an Anker 30W PD charger and often use all of these to charge older devices (which I assume don’t have the USB-C pull-down resistors).

I have used many different cable configurations with these chargers from USB-C to micro-B, C to Lightning, C to A with A to C adapter, etc. All work with non-USB-C devices at 5V.

As Rayoui says, a properly implemented USB-C plug to USB-A socket adaptor is supposed to have the 5.1kΩ pull-down resistor built in.

These adaptors are strictly defined in the USB-C specification so that older USB devices that have no way of knowing about USB-C power protocols can still receive power (at 5V only) from a USB-C port through such an adaptor.

SoulCraves · 2019-10-29T13:10:12.000Z

you are right! its so well stuck that I tot that’s part of the base!

Dc38 · 2019-10-29T13:27:16.000Z

To anyone that has received their orders so far…did you order the light by itself, or did you order the light/battery combo? TIA!

jigsaw · 2019-10-29T13:30:55.000Z

Watermanchris:

Kame Sennin:

SoulCraves:

Guys, i just received the lights like 5mins ago. They isntalled the Sofirn batteries in the lights when i opened it. The batteries are Dead! I cant on the lights with them and when i try to charge using Liito, it foesnt even register any charge!

Verify if there is an insulating sticker on one side of the batteries.

That’s what they do for shipping

Yes. There is most likely a clear insulating sticker on the negative terminals. It is very difficult to see. Just run your fingernail or a butter knife over the edge and you’ll catch it.

Sofirn cells arrive with an insulator sticker on the negative end of the cell.

qandeel · 2019-10-29T13:38:27.000Z

Dc38:

To anyone that has received their orders so far…did you order the light by itself, or did you order the light/battery combo? TIA!

I ordered the light/battery combo and received it last week.

joechina · 2019-10-29T19:05:03.000Z

Do we have the pinout for the C-connector?

Assuming the dot is pin1 it should be ~~p5 or p6 for the 5k1.~~

Edit:
No, just got a mail from Lexel:

CC2 ist pin 3
CC1 Pin 9

The picture doesn’t show the right pin

Someone like to try?

Kinda like this

And it looks like there is a solder brige on A8 to A9? Is this intentional?

Watermanchris · 2019-10-29T13:41:44.000Z

SoulCraves:

you are right! its so well stuck that I tot that’s part of the base!

The same thing happened to me with my BLF A6. I thought the battery was bad but then I remembered that every light I’ve gotten with a battery has had that insulating film. I’m not sure why they don’t use film with some color like Olight.

qandeel · 2019-10-29T13:44:55.000Z

Watermanchris:

SoulCraves:

you are right! its so well stuck that I tot that’s part of the base!

The same thing happened to me with my BLF A6. I thought the battery was bad but then I remembered that every light I’ve gotten with a battery has had that insulating film. I’m not sure why they don’t use film with some color like Olight.

The insulating film attached to the negative terminal of the Sofirn batteries I received with the LT1 were black.

alex64 · 2019-10-29T14:04:37.000Z

Received mine and everything looks excellent, great job Dbsar!

The only small thing is the hook of the top isn’t symmetrical, which makes it impossible to close it on one side.

asciiphil · 2019-10-29T14:33:46.000Z

leftdisconnected:

Somewhat off-topic:
FWIW, I believe that mini-USB is superior to micro-USB in every way, except of course for size and cost, which are obviously the most important factors for design and manufacture . This is anecdotal, but I’ve actually had fewer issues with mini-USB than with USB-A, as A connections eventually become glitchy.

Supposedly one of the reasons for the transition from mini-USB to micro-USB was durability. Mini-USB connectors were designed for a minimum of 5,000 connection and disconnection cycles (with the male connector failing before the female, since it’s usually cheaper to replace a cable than a device). Micro-USB connectors, according to the spec, should handle twice that—a minimum of 10,000 connection and disconnection cycles.

This is all theoretical numbers on paper for me. I don’t think I’ve ever had either a micro-USB or mini-USB cable connector fail on me (though I’ve lost cables to my cats’ teeth and have had phone USB ports die).

Back on topic, since my current phone supports USB PD, about half the charging ports in my house and office are USB C with PD, which won’t work with the LT1. OTOH, I’m a nerd about my batteries and would rather charge them in my SkyRC MC3000 and record data from each charging session, so I don’t expect to use the onboard charging much. If Sofirn fixes the USB C charging issues in a future batch, there’s a good chance I’ll get another LT1 at that point and find a new home for my batch 2 LT1.