Selfbuilt's Wurkkos TS30S Pro review

could you explain how these two versions concretely differ in practice, please?
many thanks in advance!

I’m obviously not TK but I will give it a try: they are for close but different flashlights, with differing hardware details (eg aux LEDs in different spots as TK mentioned). I don’t think going in more detail would be helpful, but you can always have a look at the sources for that: FC13 and TS25.

Hey TK, besides your innovative use of plastic cuttlery :rofl: I found that adapter you included in the pic to be very interesting:

  • Is it that one? Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

  • Can you please tell us more about it? Eg, what flashlights can it be used to flash (once provided with the correctly-disposed pogo pins), etc?

I ask because I’m currently a very happy user of @gchart’s 3-pin UPDI adapter (and have 2 of the equivalent @thefreeman’s adapter making their way to me), but I’m looking for something more “universal”, that can ideally be used to flash not only any flashlight, but any piece of AVR electronics (be it UPDI, USBASP or whatever) – presuming that’s even possible, of course :wink:

TIA!

Gchart put some info about using AVR JTAG ICE for UPDI in his 1 seires thread. : Adventures in TinyAVR 1-Series

So, only for UPDI? No USBASP etc? :expressionless:

Correct. And I’m not aware of a single adapter that can be used for both UPDI and USBASP-type programming.

As far as rigging up something to handle other pin layouts, the easiest thing is likely to be a standard, off-the-shelf CH340 USB to Serial adapter. Bridge the RX and TX pins with a diode (or resistor if that’s all you have available), and then run cables to some 2.54mm pins or whatever you need.

I’ve been tempted to make yet another programming adapter to handle those Sofirn lights with the 2.54mm spacing, but I really don’t want to encourage Sofirn’s behavior. I already made one to accommodate their SC21 Pro, made up a big batch, and have only sold a handful.

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Thanks for the response. I was fearing that… :-/ so to be able to handle any AVR flashing, one would have to have at least two adapters, one for UPDI like your great adapter which I already have, and another for USBASP, right?

Any suggestion on a good one for USBASP? I don’t really want to pay $17 $14.50 [1] for Hank’s (that’s almost the cost for an entire TS10, for dog’s sake…)

Agreed. But just an idea: perhaps you could make a separate, entirely passive adapter that on one side (a) connects with the pogo pins on your current one, and on the other side (b) has pogo pins in whatever layout-du-jour the manufacturer is using. These should be much simpler and less expensive and faster to make, and would be bought only by the people who have a need for these adapters (so you could make them to order).

[1] looks like Hank’s flashing adapter is on sale for $14.50 right now: https://intl-outdoor.com/reflashing-kits.html
Still dog-damn expensive if you ask me, and still the main reason I haven’t bought any Hanklights yet…

many thanks for your response!
sorry that my question does not seem to have been expressed comprehensibly :face_with_peeking_eye:
i would like to know how the quoted versions differ especially relating to the ts30s pro.
in other words:
in which way does the updated 716 version perform better at the ts30s than the older 715 that i got some time ago?

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Most of the manufacturing cost is very likely from soldering the pogo pins, as I don’t think this can be automated and must be done manually like Gchart and I do, it’s kind of a pain to be honest and on intl-outdoor SPI adapter 6 pogo pins must be soldered on two sides, I don’t know if he outsources this or not but either way it’s normal that it costs significantly more than an regular USBASP from aliexpress.

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The only difference between 0715 and 0716 is how it handles the RGB aux LEDs. 0715 has aux under the main LED optic, so it turns the aux off while the main LEDs are on. 0716 has aux in the button instead, so it shows real-time voltage info on the button during use.

However, the old version from 2022 is missing a bunch of things compared to the current versions. Most of the differences are simply because features have been added. There’s a long list of changes… but the ones you’d probably notice first are:

  • Smooth brightness changes when turning the light on/off or changing ramp steps.
  • Lower, smoother ramp.
  • Easier to see battery status without using battery check mode. (during use and just after shutting off)
  • New “tactical” mode.

… and changes are still in progress, so there’s more new stuff coming.

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Thanks for that info. I would never have guessed…

Granted re: AliExpress’. But is it normal that it costs almost 3x (and that’s now with its recent discount) than GCHart’s or yours? Even if 100% of the cost were the pogo pins, as it has 2x of them it should cost at most 2x and not 3x. And that’s also without taking into account that he has (or should have) more gains of scale than you guys, and that he’s located in China and not FR nor US and so should have much lower costs overall.

I know you and GCHart are not into that to make money, but even so I don’t think Hank’s flashing kit price is anywhere “fair”.

many thanks for your detailed and helpful reply!
thank you also for all you do with anduril and for the community :beer:
that’s great!

FWIW, a decent SOIC8 clip by itself is about $18, and doesn’t include the other parts needed for flashing. A $15 pogo pin kit is cheaper and works better and includes everything.

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Point taken. But mine is not that there aren’t worse and more expensive alternatives, it’s that there are better and cheaper ones (even after multiplying the price by the larger number of pogo pins).

Just as a heads-up to people reading this: @thefreeman’s current UPDI adapter, as well as @gchart’s next version, do offer a solution for this in the form of alternate flashing pads.

Hi I don’t see any comparison between this and the Convoy L21A STB90.2 if anything, it is with the L21B which is ugly ugly ugly ugly :sweat_smile:

Which is the better choice in power and lumen life TS30s Pro vs L21A?

In graphics the Wurkkos falls very fast and stays very low lumens I do not know if with anduril can be solved.

Convoy on the other hand drops much less and illuminates more when it drops due to temperature.

Now I get the Wurkkos cheaper than the convoy, but I have had a lot of problems with my wurkkos web orders so I am looking for alternatives.

What is the best option with led STB90.2?

Wurkkos I like the charging port and anduril.

Convoy I like it to stay at high lumens longer.

Wurkkos drops very low in lumens when it heats up, maybe with anduril I can solve it?

Thanks.

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I think you have the TS30s pro.

Do you know if after warming up from the turbo it could make anduril switch to the next light mode 1700lm like the TS23 does?

Now when it warms up the TS30s Pro drops to 600lm or less!

Instead the L21A stays higher, from what I read above 1000lm.

Thanks!
PS: I am interested in one with SBT90.2 and the truth that it is comfortable not having to remove the battery to charge.

Sorry, I don’t have that Convoy model to compare. Typically, I find Convoys haves good build quality with decent efficiency drivers. You would need to check out other reviews with detailed runtimes to see how they likely compare.

Good question. I recently moved and my TS30S is still packed away. But I just tested my Wurkkos TS10 - which also uses Anduril. When the light drops down to a lower output, a click does indeed restore higher output.

But it doesn’t seem to be moving “down” the second highest level, as a press-and-hold of the switch seems moves it “up” a single level. It’s as if the circuit thinks you are now one step below max, and a clicks moves you back up to max. The same is true if you in ramping mode instead of step - pressing the switch once it has dimmed on max jumps you to the highest output, it doesn’t ramp you there.

To me with factory stock 2022 anduril it drops a lot, but I did not give it importance because the TS10 is too small to dissipate the heat.

It also happens to me with a normal level a few minutes later it drops very suddenly, the truth is that for long rides it is useless unless it is at very low levels.

I put the last one on the 12 of 2023 and raised the temperature ceiling to 55° I think this temperature should be the default and not 45°.

I have yet to test how much it drops.

Look at a graph but with the comparison of the TS30s Pro with the L21B not with the L21A I do not know why everyone uses the L21B for me it is a very ugly design, but that is the taste of each person, I see the L21A more efficient with those fins than the B and more beautiful to the eye more pro.

And the TS30s Pro is put very bad a few seconds or minutes falls below 600lm.

It is an outrageous loss that has, instead the L21B (does not leave the A) loses much less and lasts much longer with that level I seem to remember that went down above 1000lm is little but it is no longer 500 or less than 600lm of the wurkkos.

It is something that is talked about in the review I see of the TS30s pro, it seems that it is not very good in this regard, so never buy it but it is the one I like the most besides not having to remove the battery to charge it.

By the way the best for me is the Convoy L8 with the same led this if it is a good flashlight, but I never see it on offer as ls Wurkkos TS30s Pro or Convoy L21A that many times is on offer.

Now I can buy one of the two and the convoy for 4€ more than the wurkkos or the L21B cheaper than both, the only thing I do not like the design as I say is ugly to my eyes and I do not see it with a good design to dissipate heat.

It would be interesting to know if it improves the TS30S Pro by raising the temperature ceiling in anduril to 60° for example.

Thank you for your review, it helps me a lot!!!

PS: In this same review you can see the drop after a few seconds, in the review I saw and do not remember, the measured values of both flashlights are shown in more detail.