Although I’m a bit of a noob with soldering small electronics, I’ve put together a few dropins without too much drama. Today, however, nothing is working right.
This driver: https://www.fasttech.com/p/1122302 (8* AMC7135 4-Group 2~5 Modes LED Flashlight Driver Circuit (Nanjg 105c)) isn’t letting me set modes — it just stays as a 5 mode (h-m-l-s-s).
I tried bridging each of the stars separately; same 5 modes.
I tried a whole different unit (but one that came from the same shipment) and bridged each star individually; still 5 modes.
Are these sensitive to esd? (I’m not wearing a wrist strap/grounding.)
I used their leads, so didn’t solder on the other side of the board. I’m pretty sure the connection to the led isn’t shorting out against the pill. On the second one, I did everything quick and didn’t even bond the ground ring to the pill at first (I just clamped it in the third hand) and got the same result. I don’t think I’m soldering too hot — the Hakko FX-888 is set to 700 degrees.
Is it possible that they just forgot to program this?
A) You didn’t short out the LED to ground - The fact that you still have 5 modes means that the AMC7135s are able to turn on/off the LED’s
B) I SERIOUSLY doubt you harmed anything with ESD
C) I SERIOUSLY doubt you soldered hot enough to harm anything
D) I SERIOUSLY doubt they forgot to program the driver - the 5 modes that you do have are part of the programming, so they wouldn’t work either.
It’s probably something really simple, but a photo would make diagnosis a LOT easier.
In the first pic, you can see that out of desperation, I used a hunk of wire to try to bridge the star.
The second picture is of the first driver I tried, so it’s not actually attached to anything.
To answer your question, O-L, when I had the pill in the third hand, the alligator clip was bridging the ground ring and the brass body, so I’m pretty sure my connection isn’t the problem.
Probably the case - same exact thing happened to me from FastTech, but at the time, FastTech wasn't selling both drivers - I think with me telling them what I actually got (saw this 2 mode driver sold elsewhere), they offered both. Get this - they gave me full credit on the drivers, which of course I was happy to use once I understood it.
Check your order to make sure you ordered SKU 1122302. If you did fasttech should fix the problem.
As didge stated try to see if it flashes in low mode. If it does wrong driver. Refer fasttech to this thread to help explain the issue.
Is it true as it seems, that FT is selling a 105C that behaves like a 105C and an IDENTICAL-LOOKING BUT DIFFERENT 105C that does NOT behave like a 105C?? But instead acts like these from CNQ/FF: http://www.fancyflashlights.com/goods.php?id=91
??
Sorry, but this is a lot bigger problem than you may think.
Is this really what’s happening here? Will we next have XM-Ls masquerading as SSTs?? I’m not such a FastTech fan anymore… :~
It is true that FT sent me one (well, 5, if we’re being accurate) driver that looks like (but doesn’t act like) the one I ordered. Other than the frustration of wondering what I was doing wrong, it’s a bit of no harm/no foul for me. I’d have a really different opinion if I wanted a mode other than h-m-l.
My interpretation is that their supplier sent them a bunch of the soft programmable ones by mistake. (As I mentioned, the baggie mine came in had the sku of the one I ordered.) Since they look the same, the FT people would have no chance of noticing.
I will send them a note telling them about the problem and report back.
Would be great if they could mark or ID the drivers, but really the only difference is firmware - it's still a Nanjg - same hardware. Just like Tito or Dr Jones' custom drivers, you can't tell they are installed until you run the light, play with modes...
This is not the first time FastTech did something like this. They sent me a bunch of mixed drivers and just claimed that "the factory" did it. They have not learned from their mistakes. They don't check stuff before sending it out. The ones I just got are probably the wrong ones too. Now I have to go check every one.
I guess I’ll keep ordering drivers from IS (or IO if I’m willing to wait) and spare chips from fast tech . I can’t afford that kind of mistake as I don’t fire up the driver until the end of a mod. I do wish they improved their selection if optics as well.
I don’t understand. Why bother marking anything, if you have to buy it, install it and test it to know what it is you just bought??
BTW, since the “un-105C” behavior mimics a known 1*AA/14500 driver, are we in danger of killing our now-unknown 105Cs when we apply the published voltage limits??
I would opine that tolerating this would be to our mutual DISadvantage.
And I won’t speak for Tito or Dr. Jones, but I’d wager they will tell you EXACTLY what your money will buy from them, and will not fail to make sure you get that.
How exactly can they check this before sending, this driver is the exact same copy of the solder-selectable mode with the difference being only the program inthe the Tiny13.
First, that frustration is also my point, but you said in your OP that you got 5-mode only, regardless of correct (if as advertised) star selection.
That is actually another, even larger problem, because if this really is a Nanjg-105C circuit with the UI of the AA driver I linked, I WANT ONE TOO!!! But now I don’t know what to order! That’s the reason for marking, BTW. Branding too (“Pantsafire”) to a certain extent.
Sorry I misunderstood. If you get to FastTech, IFF they’d rename this (e.g. to “105 D ”) (and still offer it in >=2.8A) I’d order some.
Whatever - for me, should be no problem at all. They are the cheapest source, fast shipping, the last 2 batch of drivers cames as ordered, and I'm setting up the driver download capability, so hopefully will have that working this week, then I'll be downloading my own drivers, so, won't matter what they send - it's all the same hardware.
Also, so you are clear on this, on the 1st order when they sent me the wrong drivers, they gave me a full refund and said I could keep them - cost me $0 for 4 drivers, which I ended up using anyway.
I know others are in different situations and I understand your frustrations.