In our Sofirn first time live broadcast in YouTube yesterday,
there was a friend ask about Q8 Plus with simple UI.
We do have new version of Q8 Plus with simple UI. Not Anduril Simple UI but sofirn designed UI which is simple.
From off:
1.click: turn it on;
2.long press: long press 1S to enter Eco (10Lm), click to off;
3.Double clicks: enter the turbo (10000Lm), double click again into the ultra-bright (17000Lm), another click goes back to off;
4.Triple clicks: enter the strobe (10000Lm), from the strobe, long press can change the flash frequency, the frequency range is 1-15HZ.
5. four clicks: enter the lockout, blink twice to indicate that is locked; Four quick clicks unlock; In the lockout status, hold down for 1S will activate SOS, and release the button will go to off.
From on:
click to off;
Double click: Enter the turbo (10000Lm), double click again into the ultra-bright (17000Lm), click to return to the original brightness;
three strikes: enter the strobe(10000Lm); from strobe, press and hold to change the flash frequency. The frequency ranges from 1HZ to 15HZ
press and hold to ramp between 100 Lm-- 6000 Lm;
How do you guys think?
If you think the UI is not good enough, how will you redesign it ?
Me, personally, use for most of the time 2 modes (100% & ~20%). Sometimes (rarely) strobe. So any software allowing quick access to these is fine for me.
Your arrangement of modes and access looks great to me and although I’m very well familiar with Anduril 1/2, I’d be happy with interface like this. Another advantage is that less advanced users could master the UI quickly.
So from me: + wishes of great success with your simplified UI
It’s nice that you’re exploring new variants of UI! I think it would be preferable to have hold on lockout be moonlight instead of SOS, since that may be useful to have (and would be consistent with most other UIs). You could put SOS into the strobe rotation - perhaps after triple click, you could cycle strobe modes with double click?
I would recommend adding mode memory where it memorises most levels (Eco, ramp, Turbo).
Could the ramp go from Eco to Turbo?
It would be nice if the Strobe mode has a constant frequency that can be selected between 1 Hz and 15 Hz. For example: Select 10 Hz and it flickers at a rate of 10 Hz. It doesn’t speed up to 15 Hz and slow down to 5 Hz with 10 Hz being in the middle.
I would recommend regulating the output below 6,000 lumens so that there’s a sustained output of 1,000 lm or 2,000 lm when the user ramps up to that level.
Momentary Eco while locked out would be better than SOS.
I much prefer Anduril for the many options it provides. On lights without Anduril, both a smooth brightness and stepped brightness ramps are preferred so people can choose which one works best for them. Also as low of a lumen bottom level as possible please. Lights with a low of 500 lumens for example, aren’t as versatile. Again though, Anduril is capable of all these, and much more, which makes it a more desirable light for myself at least.
Adjustable strobe frequency has potential for light painting photography (creating light trails). However, it needs to be in a tail switch flashlight, head diameter max, 28mm, side clip, more throwy beam profile, and ability to have single click access to strobe from off. On the latter point it is possible to have strobe both hidden, but also memorised after it has been selected. This article may be of interest. https://www.stephenknightphotography.com/post/best-flashlights-for-light-painting-photography-2023
@Barry0892 if you were interested, it would be possible to build a simple UI on top of FSM (the underlying framework anduril uses) so a lot of the existing code such as the ramps could be reused, with just different UI code on top, which would let users switch between the two by reflashing, and I would imagine be a cost saving on your side by only needing one driver for both models. If you’re interested in that concept of doing it, DM me and we can probably work something out. Certainly, the UI you described would be easy to implement on FSM, although I would say that having to 2C twice for turbo seems inconvenient.
Mode memory for Turbo
Don’t really need a second Turbo? Just make it one Turbo with a double click from on/off
Only a single strobe (don’t really need more than that) access the normal way with 3 fast click
Press and hold for Eco/moon
Please set the thermal step down for turbo to 65 C then thermo regulate to 55 C
Add a batt check feature, like three clicks from off or something
