The fun thing of this flashlight stuff, like everything in life, is that it’s allways evolving. It really never ends. Three months from now there will be new tech on the horizon.
I really like all the involvement of everyone over here. We all would like to have everything perfect for everyone on BLF I think. I really respect all the effort and energy the “team” put into this light.
But the basic specs were set allmost a year ago. XPL2’s would be great, 15K+ lumen great, 90+CRI nice…
I’d say adapt the small stuff and hit the GO button. Sounds like a very nice bang for the buck to me :+1:
Obviously at some point it is what it is. The "basic specs" did include easy modding, but even the basic specs don't matter at some point, and I'm not sure this won't be easily modded.
IMHO “easy modding” is quite subjective. XP footprint emitter swaps should be quite simple, right? A replacement MCPCB would be a nice future addition for modders.
Grounding a smaller driver shouldn’t be unfeasible.
Nothing really is perfect in every way. This Q8 proto clearly surpassed my expectations. But that’s of course only my opinion.
Edit: I just saw there’s a ? behind my name in the interest list. No idea why, but there’s no doubt I’ll be happy to buy it whenever available!
Let's put it this way, we've got folks still worrying about theoretical improvements in heat conductivity in an SRK that puts out 6k lumens. Between the two concerns flexibility obviously seems more useful. It may be that neither is worth delaying things over now though.
Just a question for modding later… What about getting a custom MCPCB made for the Q8 with whatever configuration and/or footprint we want later? Wouldn’t that alleviate the issue of trying to fit individual stars in the clover pattern? After reading some reviews of the boards received, it seems like it could be done at a reasonable price for those who want or need it.
Custom MCPCBs: https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/40419
It's been discussed (What you didn't read all 5467 posts? That search on mcpcb surely only turned up about 800 posts, lol). Custom DTP mcpcbs aren't so cheap to design. You can't print them of on OSHPARK. It's maybe unlikely that anyone would design and sell such a thing for the mod-ers of one light. We're just lucky we have the generic sized ones and the one that this light will comes with.
It didn’t seem too far out of reach for a few people who had boards done by Kerui Electronic as mentioned in the thread I linked to. The boards djozz and vestureofblood got from them seemed reasonably priced. I just wanted to point out that there may be a solution that wouldn’t include further machining or fabricating something for the finished Q8. It could prove useful for people who have aspirations of higher lumens but don’t have a mill or cnc machine in their workshop.
Modders and adapters can do a lot.
As said adding tabs to osh designs allows drivers to be pressed fit like RMM sells his srk drivers.
A main concern still standing is how to place individual stars, well Tom showed that requires just a little filing to fit, I imagine soldering wires to the stars, using a little thermal paste, positioning with the aid of centering gaskets would work fine.
Not to mention that a large customnledboard made to spec was not super expensive andbxan be done with a group really wanting one. And with this large of a group I think getting the people for this would not take long.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I find it fairly easy to grind down some small Noctigons with a dremel if they don’t fit. I mean, it’d be nice if the grinding-down wasn’t needed, but it’s not particularly hard to do. Carving out wire channels on the back of the reflector would be somewhat difficult, but seems pretty do-able using the same method.
The difficult thing about a XHP mod is the same thing which always complicates higher-voltage soup-can lights … converting from parallel to serial. Of course that hasn’t stopped the truly motivated… but the light really isn’t built for it.
I followed this all for a long time. When i chose to get on the list the specs include a multi footprint DTP LED board. A easy to modify spring PCB. And we were able to Lego with other SKR style lights parts like reflectors and drivers without milling or exessive metal work or gluing in parts or spending a lot of money on special made afterparts.
Since Proto 2/3 this is all gone. And i do not believe that you are able to remove the plastic polarity protection ring more than 2-3 times without damaging it even if they use only a little glue to hold down.
Sure you get a real nice light (still the flathead screws are a cheap not nice solution) for a fair price, but it is not anymore a easy moddable light from modders for modders.
And because of this i am sorry but please take me of the list.
I was really committed to the Q8 and already bought a few parts like 4*VTC6 and a set of new LED´s + TIR´s but i have no doubt that i will find a new purpose for the parts.
As it was said earlier, the 1% that want to do heavy modding with this light might not be happy, but the other 99% will be thrilled with a stock light that performs so well.
I’m not on the list, but as soon as it becomes available in a CW option I’ll be buying one.
Sorry, I think I made very clear that the BLF design ideas for both tailpcb and ledboard were wishes and not sure if they would be implemented. Actually I am sure the idea/wish/dream of a large copper dtp ledboard seemed so far out of reach we did not even think it would be possible yet that is there.
The outer diameter of the reflector has not changer AFAIK so one should be able to use a triple reflector and then have ample space for 3 stars under it just look a page back for Toms pic of 4 stars compared to the ledboard.
Milling? well as sid, a bit of dremel filing work hardly can be seen as milling.
Well as requested list updated with you removed, though I am not sure if your points are all that valid (but that doesn’t matter, as long as it is valid for you, that is what matters) , since it boils down to the question I previously asked “what is easier to mod, the current proto Q8 or an SRK without shelf with terrible threading?” I still think the Q8 is worthy of modding and easier to mod then a current SRK, this was one of the initial goals and seems met IMHO.
About the plastic polarity protection ring, nobody forces modders to stick it back, the SRKs, Supfires M6s and many other soda can lights with cells in parallel don’t have them
If you know what you are doing there is no need of having it, for those leaving the light stock it is nice to have it and for those who want to stick it back after modding they can do so, no point in making an issue out of it maybe not being able to be removed and placed back a lot of times, if you want to change a Q8 lots of times leave it off after getting it off the first time,if you are happy with a mod place it back wh easy to remove glue/sillicone/whatever.
I am sorry to hear you already spend money for the Q8, with so many pages it probably got lost that I urge people to wait buying cells and such until we are further down the road to completion. Even now I would not advice spending money for the Q8, when the team has good samples in hand and we are about to give the GO would be a moment for doing so since only then all the specs and measurements can be given and thus be taken into account. I make this bold so It is less likely to get lost again.
BLF is an interesting place. People who mod lights make amazing things, to the point where it’s common to see builds like a cheap tube light which outperforms every commercial product in its class. But this stuff isn’t so accessible to anyone who doesn’t want to have to build it themselves. So there have been projects like the BLF-A6, which lets lots of people buy items which are virtually the same as if they had been custom-modded, often for less money than it would take to build one.
Those who mod still take things further, always pushing the bleeding edge, but it’s nice to have projects like this where the rest of the crowd can get something nice instead of the usual overpriced/underperforming items one can buy retail.
For me personally, if I really wanted a maxed-out hotrodded SRK, I’d build one. Already did once; it’s the one in the site logo. But the Q8 gives people something on par with the best current mods for a lower price with no need to solder.
I’m on the list so I can get a piece of BLF history, not because I need another soda can mod host. I don’t plan on modding it.
There's always gonna be some without using a mechanical lockout. So far, a slight twist of the battery tube shuts off power. I'm thinking over time, the wear&tear on the threads may cause break in the ano so a mechanical lockout won't work.
I swapped resistors for the switch LED's from the 4.7K to a 10K and got the parasitic drain down to 203 μA with the switch LED's on, but still pretty bright. Think the best would be about 15K, reducing the drain further, but I don't have one in that size. At 203 μA (0.203 mA), it would take 4,926 hours to drain 1 Ah, that's 205 days (1/3 of one cell, 1/12 for the 4 cells in the Q8). To completely drain 4 3000 mAh cells, it would take 2,460 days which is 6.7 years, all theoretical of course because cells will drain over time anyway.
With the switch LEDs off (this will be pretty easy to do in the UI, or lockout will turn them off), the drain as measured is 38 μA. At 38 μA it would take 26,316 hours to drain 1 Ah, that's 1,097 days, and to completely drain 4 3000 mAh cells it would take 36 years.
Just to throw it out there, if this light isn’t the modder’s delight some want it to be, couldn’t they focus on modding a Supfire M6 instead? It’s in the same price range. How modd-able is that one?
Bout the polarity protection ring, what exactly does it do? I can't figure it out. You get somewhat of a built in protection in SRK lights as they are. For the Batt- end of a cell, the contact surface is somewhat protected by the overlap of the wrap - maybe most cells, not all. These plastic rings will do nothing any better:
The inner is the same height as the outer I removed here. Shouldn't they be higher than the brass ring to do anything?
Mine are being tossed for sure if this is how they will be.
