Batteryspace does have several different LiFePO4 cells.
I imagine their advertised 18650-size A123 cells are old stock from several years ago, since A123 just told me the boat isn’t here yet with the first of their new production. And they’re priced the same as those direct from A123 will be when they arrive. Hm. Maybe just advertising in advance of having the stock come in, that would be better. I’ll ask, anyhow.
Today I tried one of the NUV FET+1 but noticed it only has one mode fixed at 0.75A and wouldn’t enter config mode (bistro FW), first I thought it was a short on the - side but the current draw stays the same no matter which battery I tried.
All the components are correctly soldered… bugged FW maybe? Anyone else had this problem as well?
BTU PK26 is now in stock. All of you the pre-orders will begin shipping today.
Thanks!
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Mine is somewhere between here and BangGood. I would rather have ordered from Richard, but he wasn’t getting any Black HD NW. Looking forward to some reviews on this light.
I'm supposed to get a review light, but it's on the slooooow boat. For some reason, retail units shipped before the review unit - it's way later than I was told. Maybe this week, maybe next... Ugh..... Well, maybe RIC gave priority to his retailers - not a bad thing I suppose.
FWIW I think it's a pretty nice light. A few thoughts:
Pros
Nice balanced beam, even with HI version.
Nice tint on both CW and NW versions---nothing nasty.
Decent surface finish (seems like it is fairly hard). Not super flat, so it won't show marks quite as bad as some.
Switch light not too bright (maybe almost a bit too dark, see below)
Nice level spacing (you can actually tell it changed modes!)
Really sweet form factor, especially with the 26350 tube. That is what really makes this special IMO.
Easy lockout function.
Cons
Pre-flash when you first turn the light on.
26650 battery tube is a bit shorter than I'd like to see. It still works with all the unprotected 26650 I have tried it with, but you may not be able to screw it on all the way. I was able to get it over the o-ring so it is OK, but I think that a bit longer tube would be nice.
Button light is really dark. This can be a pro or a con depending on your preference, but it is barely visible unless completely dark. The button is not really translucent, so most of the light is from what leaks out of the edges.
Did it come with wires or not? If it has any sort of wires then it was tested on an actual LED; for now the others without wires I visually check but don't usually test on an LED (unless international shipment; then I usually test 100%).
If everything looks good then it could be a flash problem. There have been a few cases where I wonder if ESD or something has corrupted the flash memory....possible, or just in my head? I know that I have had a least one light in the past that had a working MCU with modes that I was playing with that later stopped working right, but that a simple reflash fixed.
I get that, a full reel would be ridiculous, both in amount and total price. Thanks for the reply, and should I run into any, I will let you know. Thanks again for all you do here RMM!
Sadly with testing previously it even happens with my bench-top power supply so its not a battery issue, it’s left me frustrated. but its likely a bad driver. i’m going to try and see if i can re-flash with a different fw to see if it behaves the same. otherwise nothing else to do.
Convoy shipment has arrived. Restock on almost everything that's out of stock, and a few new toys...like the L6. I had to build one of my own to compare, and really guys this thing is pretty maxed out in stock form! It's running at 6A to the emitter and with a pair of King Kongs the output from a 27.5mm FET driven light with the same binned emitter is only 500-1000 lumens more---which is a very small visual difference. I think that if I went through and reduced resistance more and ran hotter cells you could get a little bit more, but seriously it's pretty good stock. The beam is well blended, but of course that means that throw has been reduced. That's just part of the tradeoff of using the XHP70.
Ordered that a few other things.
I had to build one of my own to compare, and really guys this thing is pretty maxed out in stock form! It's running at 6A to the emitter and with a pair of King Kongs the output from a 27.5mm FET driven light with the same binned emitter is only 500-1000 lumens more---which is a very small visual difference. I think that if I went through and reduced resistance more and ran hotter cells you could get a little bit more, but seriously it's pretty good stock. The beam is well blended, but of course that means that throw has been reduced. That's just part of the tradeoff of using the XHP70.