ok, I'm really HATING Anduril at the moment!

Its funny, manufacturers read these forums to see what people are talking about. They answered everyone’s wishes by creating electronic switches. Now everyone (myself included) complains of accidental activation.

Doesn’t the FW3A have the same problem? Wasn’t this developed by BLF members?

Don’t suppose you know where I might be able to buy something like a stainless bezel that I could stick/glue to the end cap?

I guess even a 3D printed one would work. Would be nice retain tail standing though.

I never use turbo on small pocket rockets. Particularly on the new Noctigon lights, the 5A regulation peak is more than enough. The only time I’m in turbo is when I activate it unintentionally. I am grateful for a mode that lets me disable it entirely, or require an additional double-press to access it as in Anduril2’s advanced UI.

The electronic lock out is, as I keep saying a piss poor workaround. I don’t want to have to remember every single time I use the light to put it in lockout. I might also use it half a dozen or more times during the day.

If it is locked out you have to click it 4 times which makes it flash, then click it again to turn the sodding thing on then again to get to the desire illumination level. Min of 6 clicks (assuming you get it right each time) each you want to ‘turn it on’ is a horrendous bit of design work.

Would you seriously like to have to start and stop your car engine 6 times before being allowed to drive it?

Not too mention, when re-locking the light it will flash bright then do a minor strobe to tell you it is locked. A real annoying thing if you are in a dark place and trying to preserve your night vision and even more annoying if other people are about, as they won’t have a clue you are just trying to disable the light before putting it in your pocket.

Electronic has a place, if I’m going to put the torch in a bag or somewhere that isn’t for EDC carry, then it is handy. But it is something that should be used rarely, not “every” time you use the light.

sent you a pm mate :+1:

I've worked with DSP's since the 90's. For the ones I'm familiar, even today's (recent one from a NASA robotic design), are specialty processors and really not a good match for a flashlight. Yes, super powerful, super fast, but that's not what we need. What we need is lots of capabilities built in to one chip, the MCU. We don't need huge power or speed, we need functionality all-in one style, and better be cheap. Price and compactness is the priority.

The Atmel 1-Series is almost ideal. Specially the 3 pin flash programming is really nice. Wish there was an easier simpler way though to flash from a PC - of course wireless would be preferred, and it's been done before.

I'd like to get to a point of having a cheap simple USB dongle to flash the 1-Series, then it would put all the other Atmels we use into BLF history. The ATtiny1616 has like 17 I/O pins, so no problem to handle multiple/many e-switchs, many output channels, AUX LED channels,etc., and it's cheaper than the ATtiny85 and ATtiny1634 (used in the V2 Emisar's).

Just fyi, the ATtiny1634 Hank is currently using came out in 2011 and is available in a 4x4mm 20 pin (QFN-20) part and requires 6 pins to flash, while the ATtiny1616 came out in 2018 and is available in a 3x3mm 20 pin part, and requires 3 pins to flash.

WELL, I did used to own a 2 door WRX which required me to punch in a keycode before I could start the car everytime but that’s a story for another time.

Also poor example you used if your light is locked out in a “dark place” and you need to preserve night vision you know you can hold the switch for moonlight right ? so you wouldn’t need to or have to disable the lockout in that scenario.

you can also turn the head a very slight amount, mine is about 1/20 of a turn to lock out

wle

This is my D4 and FW3A with added switch protection. The D4 took 3 stacked washers to get it to where I can pocket carry it now without accidental activation.

I like your NarsilM in the D4. Does about everything I need in a UI.

TI came out with the MSP430 ages ago, and one of the setups was the ’430 on a postage-stamp-sized board, and a USB dongle that it’d snap onto for programming. In fact, the snapped-together setup looked like a small dongle, only you’d unplug the “head” which was the ’430 board.

I went to the seminars, got some goodies, but other’n the “flash the LED on/off” sample code I never really played with it for too long. Loved the idea back then, and still do.

So something like that’s entirely possible, a small connector on the board to do ISP (vs clamping onto the chip to reflash it). Maxim even has their “1-wire” interface for peripherals, but dunno if they ever did anything with it about programming anything.

Ah, here we go…

https://www.ti.com/tool/EZ430-F2013

Think that's kind of/sort of what I'm using now for the 1616 - in the USB dongle, I disable the on-board MCU and instead use pins wired to a 3 push pin OSHPark flash key. It's really a 1 pin flash setup, but with power and grnd I believe, making the 3 pins in total. It's all relatively cheap, think the dongle was under $10 from Mouser. gchart bought it and sent it to me. Just a bit of work now to assemble, and get the right parts, plus it's a kludgy look. Packaging it up and making it look neat would help, but still labor intensive, so costly here in US.

I got one 1616 board, 20 mm, with the flash pads in a modded Eagle Eye X1R, and got on order a few 22 mm versions from OSHPark. These are FET+1 designs using the 1616.

It's do-able now, running Anduril or Anduril 2, just a matter of taking advantage of the MCU's capability in flashlights, like multiple e-switches, or dual and tri-state (2-3 separate output) e-switches, then adding the code to Anduril/2 to support them, or using FSM and re-write Anduril for multi switches, whatever path is taken.

If it was up to me, I'd simply mod Anduril2 to add the 2nd switch and let the user configure it how they want it: blinky mode control, or ramp vs. levels, or direct turbo momentary, etc. Lots of possible uses.

If you can’t remember major andril combinations (which similarity with all anduril lights makes it easyer then different proprietary UI) - how you drive your car, or use PC?
Or you any time look im manual to switch something like fog lamps?

As usual only 3 combinations ro remember.

3 click in ON to change ramping/stepping
4 clicks to block
3 clicks from off to watch voltage

Is it difficult? So, i have bad news for you……

And of course excellent visual guide. I just rememember picture to acknowledge what i should do for my task.

The problem, i think is in button of this light and inner tube.

The close problem was discovered in FW21
http://forum.fonarevka.ru/showthread.php?p=1319992#post1319992

Sorry you are grasping at straws. Why not just accept I don’t like the lock out feature for this kind of use. No amount of you posting is going to alter that. :slight_smile:

Yes the momentary moonlight, but it may not be bright enough and forces you to keep your finger pressed on the button. Which also sometimes isn’t practical. I know it has 2 outputs if you double click and hold. But it still just doesn’t fit well and becomes a chore. Plus if you find it isn’t enough you might end up having to click 8 or 10 times before you get to an “on” mode.

Don’t get me wrong, if you can live with such a compromised solution -whoopee. But that doesn’t alter how poor a user experience it actually is.

Thanks. Still not something I’d want for an EDC light that I use frequently, as it would require two hands and is still another thing to do twice every time you use the light. But good to know :slight_smile:

fwiw, I also have no interest in Anduril.

I use, and recommend the Jetbeam RRT-01… never comes on in pocket, tailstands, totally intuitive, no need to refer to the manual for anything.

So are you an expert in Linux? You know what’s an inode? Ever update the kernel? After all, if someone uses computers at all, he/she should be an expert in all things computer-related, no? Even if he has to look it up in a manual?

C’mon…

Someone just made the point that these lights aren’t anymore for any normal person who Just Wants Light, but they’re designed by flasholics to the point where you need a f’n manual to avoid triggering the light’s self-destruct command. Or have to poke at the sideswitch in morse code “idspispopd” to toggle between high→low and low→high.

“What? You can’t read the manual? What’s wrong with you? Are you stoopit?”

Wow, great attitude for a user or mfr to have…

Funtastic’s right, no one should ever gift (or sell) such a light to The Muggle. Or for that matter, any normal person, unless he/she promises to not try more than 2 clicks in any 10sec period, just to avoid doing anything “dangerous”.

Great, so the difference in these 3 ops is either 1 click, or whether it’s from on or off.

How do you think The Muggle will handle that? Or someone older trying to switch to ramped and then locking out the light with an “extra” click? Or trying to lock the light but missing a click?

And that precisely underscores my point, that of having the wiper switch right next to the parking brake switch. One little slip, and Bad Things happen.

Ie, thanks, you made my point for me, again.

Wasn’t “grasping” at straws just pointed out how your example is flawed and moot, IF you wanted to preserve nightvision you wouldn’t use anything higher than moonlight / low anyway…. I never said to accept the lockout feature either, I was just pointing out its simple and your example is poor especially if you want to “preserve” nightvision but want MOAR than moonlight.

I do drive manual at a highly proficient level that require rev matching downshifts, throttle control etc for auto slalom and drifting a skill that seems to have faded overtime.

I'm not a fan of the tail e-switch lights. I did get a couple FW3A's when they first came out, EDC'd one and same thing - multiple accidental activations. The EDC18 has been my primary EDC. If I want more throw, then the SD Mini. Set the deep pocket clip 90 degs off the switch with the switch facing inward, and no troubles.

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the KR1. I was able to remedy button issues with my KR4. If the KR1 button is the same, perhaps these posts might help with making the button more resistant to accidental activation.