Well... What exactly do you want to change about it? 150 levels, 16 msecs per level, 2.4 secs from min to max, plus pause time at moon if ramping up from OFF.
Say for example you want it to be done in 1.6 secs, then easiest thing to do is use a 100 level table, use TK's Python script to generate it (I have the command line params documented in the source code where the tables are), and just need to set the turbo stepdown settings accordingly. No code needs to be changed, just a table replaced and couple constants tweaked.
zeroflow - only 5,000 lumens from that mod? Hhmm, should be better I'd think, over 6,000 on good cells.
tekwyzrd - those springs look real nice! Yea, would be nice if they still could be found.
@TomE: I didn’t measure it yet. 5000 was just a value to compare the term “a little bit brighter”. 100lm and “a little bit” is not much. But 5k lm needs a fairly big bump to look brighter to the average human.
It’s now about in line with a M43 Meteor.
It runs with Panasonic GA cells (VTC6 on the way) and the bump is clearly noticeable.
Edit: and that’s before trying to tinker with the code, being very much a hardware engineer, used to working with highly skilled software engineers to do the clever stuff
I cut a piece of 12 awg copper residential wire, formed a circle, and fit it into the head. It’s pressed into the space after the threads and acts as a snap ring to help keep the driver secure. I used a round jewelers file to enlarge the driver screw holes. Good contact with the tube and driver, o-ring covered by the head, and as luck would have it the flats on the battery tube are perfectly aligned with the top and bottom of the head. With the triple springs and the copper ring tail impact is still much improved and vigorous shaking doesn’t cause a power interruption or battery rattling.
I had to replace the springs because melted two of them. so decided to check what I had in stock. Found a bunch of IOS "A" size springs. I see Hank doesn't sell them anymore, but they are a gold plated 11 mm height, stiff spring with 0.9 mm diameter wires, about a 8 mm wide base. The base diameter works out well, giving you enough space to add solder to the pad just outside the spring, so easier to work with than the stock springs, and I'd say this single spring is much stiffer than the double stock springs.
I was surprised I got a nice bump with them: 6,100 lumens at 30 secs,without any bypass wiring. Sure I could probably get 400-500 lumens more with bypasses, but previously this Q8 measured 5,400 lumens stock. Shame you can't buy them anymore, but these at KD seems about the same: http://kaidomain.com/p/S027055.DIY-Gold-Plated-Battery-Driver-Contact-Support-Springs-8mm-x-11mm-for-Flashlights-5pcs, but they are spec'd at 0.5 mm wire which is a lot thinner then they appear to be in the picture - dunno...
Not all. I was testing something, put 2 GA cells into a Q8, one upside down, and poof - no light then a small stream of smoke arose... The 2 springs melted down, no damage to the light or cells, just the springs. So thought I'd try replacing the springs and see how ti does without bypasses. Thinking of giving this to my daughter and son-n-law. They got a 4 month old, so the spring fuses may be a good idea for them - both not that into tech stuff.
With IOS effectively gone for DIY parts, MtnE limited offerings, CNQ gone, there's not much left for quality parts choices, but KD seems to have a good choice of springs, including silver coated phosphor bronze.
Hey Tom? A question, I don’t know the answer but I see something that puzzles me. When have you ever built a single XP-L V6 3D light that made 1800 lumens? If you’re seeing 7200 lumens on the Q8 with 4 of these emitters you might want to check the battery in your lightbox meter.
I’ve seen XP-L2 go as high as 1800, even 2000, but a regular XP-L V6 even in 1A just really doesn’t do 1800, even by itself in a Courui with 4 cells backing it. I could be wrong of course, just saying it seems odd.
It seems like it can pass 1800 with enough current, but it probably can’t sustain it for more than a few seconds in a flashlight.
He probably is just stating the peak lumens at turn-on, which is about 2000 per LED.
These tests have been going on over several days now, so doubt it's the meter. djozz's tests here of the XP-L2 V6 2C shows they can hit 1900-2000 for the amp range I suspect they are in, and that's not at turn on. I think my best modded Q8 did ~7,200 at turn on, 6,500 at 30 secs - no access to my notes right now. I'd have to check through my notes, but I thought I got 1,800 at turn on for single XP-L V6's. I certainly hit 2,000 on XM-L2 U4's, but the V6 is equal to a U3 I believe.
This A Sring from Hank was also sold from MTN. I contacted Richard many times but he could not get it anymore. I have 4 of them. 2 are used in a ZY-T08 mod. The other 2 are waiting for mod with high current. If KD is going to sell Luxeon V leds with the right DTP board i will have to update the Q8 springs. Untill then the next thing is getting a new lens. Hope that flashlightlens will update their stock with a 55x3mm UCLv2 lens.
Unintentional experiment. The short occurs on the last bit of tightening of the tube, where it usually blinks the main LED and the switch LEDs come on. When I saw no blinks, no switch LEDs, I suspect something went wrong, then I saw the smoke - quickly backed off on the tube.
I checked the cells - the stock GA cells have a thin wrapper that wraps around the negative end - the problem there is if you hold it up against a straight edge, I could see contact made because the bottom of the cell bulges out slightly. A thicker wrapper would prevent this. So, the 30Q button tops we've been buying from Banggood do have a thicker wrapper, so do protected cells typically. So the wrapper and flatness of the bottom of the cell could prevent the short, not the protection circuit itself. I checked a few cells after this for possibility of contact, but I wasn't going to try them out live. Should have taken notes and pics, but if you put a straight edge across the bottom of the cell, I used a metal ruler, there's no danger to check the clearance, but this should tell you if it will cause a short or not when inserted upside down.
Wow, I bought a bunch of those springs but don't recall using them. The light with the "A" springs also passes the "jolt test" -- the Q8 in hand, hard tapping it down on a desk top on it's tail. Could not get it to fail while the stock springs fail easily. It's really quite a stiff spring. The nickel coated springs sold by MtnE and KD are also very stiff - didn't try them, suspect they have more resistance though then the "A" springs, though slightly shorter at 10 mm, thinner too but doubt it makes a difference.
