I will post in this thread and start a new thread when they are ready. If all goes well they should be ready around the end of the week.
Thanks for all of your clarifications. Is there any green in the tint because according to the product info sheet, the 4000k emitters are heavily biased towards green (above the bbl). Did you order it from Mouser, 2-step or 3-step?
Wow, only $9 more than GB price for 70.2 version. After all the glitches are worked out and they start being sold at BG et al for even less they’ll be true budget monsters.
Correct, it is the 2 step bin IIRC.
I would not call it green so much as yellow but it does have the normal xhp70.2 tint shift that looks a little yellow/green in the corona. That happens with all xhp70.2’s though.
It is not a 219B 9080 LED that is for sure but it is the best xhp70.2 I have found so far.
The P2 4000k is also a good LED, it does lack some CRI but gives more lumens.
What do you mean by “deficitive [sic] driver”? Only ones that shows operational problems, like flickering, DOA, etc? I think some people are getting upset by this.
We know:
The supposedly “TA” driver is not even a “TA style” driver, as TA said, “The stock drivers are not even remotely a TA driver in any way”;
TA considers the stock driver to be of very poor quality since he said, “It [his new driver] will naturally be running REAL NarsilM 1.3 which is light years better then what the stock drivers had (only the S42 comes to mind as being worse in recent memory I am sad to say)”;
And perhaps most significantly, thermal management doesn’t work properly on any of them!
Given what we know I think it’s more than fair to say ALL of the drivers are defective, and EVERYONE deserves a new driver, installed free of charge, period. Doing this is not some glorious act of amazing customer service, it is simply delivering the product promised.
PS edit - Some people have said they are happy with lights the way they are, so let me amend my statement to say EVERYONE who wants a new driver deserves one, installed, free of charge, period.
- I was interested in this MT09R, until i got screwed over by Haikelite and their POOR non-existent customer service. I hope you all don’t get shafted like i did by this flashlight company. >> Haikelite MT01 UPDATE, replacement arrived)
In fairness, calling them a TA style driver is not false.
We could get into a deep debate over it but the end point is that this is a classic case of someone reverse engineering something that they do not understand and then trying to make their own version of it.
The base design was most assuredly ripped off the Texas Avenger series. They just changed all the components, and firmware while doing it. So the end result functioned nothing like the original.
I honestly don’t think Dale even realized how much it was not like the TA drivers he told the driver company to copy. He just told them to make a driver like this one and showed them the TA thread. They even asked me a lot of questions about it when they were working on it. Sadly most of my suggestions were not implemented.
OK, fair enough. Any debate of what may be implied by advertising “TA” vs the reality of “TA style” or actual TA functionality aside, I think the thermal management issue in and of itself is ample reason for a new driver for anyone who wishes one.
Easy brother... who do you think called and asked TA to get involved.
If you want to piss and moan at someone do it to the manufacturer.
If I had not picked up the ball and tried to get it rolling everyone would be stuck with what they have...
I called in help not the manufacturer. They came after I told them I had shipped him samples and they had issues that had to be addressed and addressed quickly.
I would much prefer a thank you than to be made to look as if I had anything at all to do with the outcome of the product.
You guys think your little 135 bucks are out anything. Eventually they will ship you the newly designed driver.
Try being out about $5000 not including loss sales, shipping, all the hours of work swapping out the first driver only to still find issues. Now closer to 8k.
I will happily trade places with any one of you.
For the record, I am not happy about the old drivers being connected to me in any way. I would never approved of them.
I totally agree... every single driver needs to be swapped...
But again if I had not asked the right person to begin with only then to find that very little of the driver was even remotely close to what he had suggested no one would be getting anything.
Maybe after someone asked TA to make a driver for them or possible finally the company would see the light and do this on their own. In 6 months maybe everyone would have an option or an answer.
Now you will have you option in weeks.
The basic design of the light is great. All of the 15 to 20 percent that is not good has been pointed out thanks to TA and is now being taken care of.
Lol I remember telling you I didn't think you were going to be happy at all once you get one in your hands.
I honestly hope the upgrade in emitters is implemented in future models.
I've read all of the suggested changes. If they go all in emitters and all. The light will be a major comback.
>> Easy brother… who do you think called and asked TA to get involved.
What does that have to do with anything I said?
>> If you want to piss and moan at someone do it to the manufacturer.
You call that pissing and moaning? I asked a question, made a couple statements, without being rude or accusatory.
Do you have something to add to the conversation? Who is really pissing and moaning? Here is more of your post:
“I would much prefer a thank you than to be made to look as if I had anything at all to do with the outcome of the product.
You guys think your little 135 bucks are out anything. Eventually they will ship you the newly designed driver.
Try being out about $5000 not including loss sales, shipping, all the hours of work swapping out the first driver only to still find issues. Now closer to 8k.
I will happily trade places with any one of you.”
Terry, your frequently defensive behavior is beginning to verge towards offensive.
OK. Great to hear. That’s all I was trying to get clarification of. I guess what really matters is does Haikelite agree.
I got one on the way and it will have an emitter upgrade. Not the 70.2 version but the 35 high.
I don't even remember what the cost of the emitter upgrade ended up costing but it should be a killer light.
Lol I don't even remember what specs TA got after swapping the emitters for me.
The driver alone in the 70.2 is a major jump even with stock emitters a ton more efficient and much simpler programming.
I think stock 35 high emitters with TA's driver will be much closer to what was expected.
TA... How is it fairing out on the 35 high with your driver. Stock emitters versus the swap out. I honestly don't remember what the specs got to with the emitter swap lol.
That's the problem though.. I only represents sales and service here in the US. What the company and partners actually do I don't get a vote. But I promise you I argue all out when something has to be changed.
That's the reason I contacted TA myself I wanted to see what could be done and turns out the best option was for him to design a real TA driver.
I can tell you for sure that all the partners agreed for the driver design by TA without short cuts. By shortcuts I mean just maybe having used a lesser component. Skimping on what looks like a tiny thing can have a major effect in the end.
Only when I am pointed out directly. You guys have no idea how much of a headache this has been.
And losing several thousand dollars with possibly no way to recover it will put you on edge just a bit.
Stock I was getting around ~5500-6k lumens with the xhp35 and with the new LED’s and new driver it is around 7k lumens on my meter.
I am going off memory though.
What will it take to get Dale’s answer as to whether ALL the drivers are eligible for free replacement?
I'm going to be totally honest with you... I am waiting to hear back on about 5 different issues and no word yet.
I really can't see a way out of providing customers with the new driver TA is working on.
I truly never knew the original driver was going to be that far off the design he suggested.
One thing Dale is pretty well known for is making good on a problem. It may take 20 emails but that guy wears more hats at that company than any one person should have to.
I still have no idea when I can order MTO9R lights again. That's the biggest reason I arranged for TA to build enough so I can put them in what few 09's I have.
Not dodging the question I honestly just do not know. Again though good business sense would be simple. Replace the drivers for those asking.
Once this new driver is mass produced and done right this light will sell itself.