WTB: Jetbeam RRT01 – Any place to buy it?! + [RRT01 2019 discussion]

short answer:

I think it is common for there to be visible flicker, if I look very closely, in all the 2019 and 2020 drivers.

long answer:

I tried to eliminate the flicker in one of my lights that had a 2020 driver, by trying different LEDs. It made no difference
stock XM-L, sw45k, sw30, 519a 4500K, they all flickered w a 2020 driver

I swapped in a 2019 driver… it made no difference, still flickered

I asked a couple of modder friends about their RRT-01 lights. the ones w 2019 and 2020 drivers… all flicker. The combined total of lights that flicker is about a dozen.

our drivers that do not flicker are from 2011 and 2012, a sample of about 5 lights.

I have not seen this documented anywhere, these are just my own personal observations and those of a couple people I know.

some driver feture change history:

1. the original 2011 driver has no strobe. Initially rated 500 lumens, later models 600 lumens. I believe the output increase was due solely to a change in LED model.

2. the 2012 driver adds strobe, it was used in some RRT-01, also in the NiteEye Eye10, and in the Jetbeam TCR-1 (the titanium RRT-01). These were still claimed 600 lumen on packaging. (and I find that is ballpark accurate on my homebrew meter)

3. The 2019 driver output claim writen on the packaging is 950 lumens (they tend to test a bit lower). I believe the increase is due to a component change in the driver. 2019 drivers also have strobe, like the 2012 driver. The 2019 host is a redesign, with a heavy brass pill, but the drivers are still the same size and interchangeable w 2011 and 2012 drivers.

4. The 2020 driver adds a tailswitch (no tailswitch on the earlier models), and a thermal step down component to the driver (still claimed 950 lumens on the package, like the 2019 driver, and still has strobe like 2012). The 2020 host is a redesign, the control ring gets a lubrication hole so no disassembly is required. The drivers are still the same size and interchageable with earlier models.

we can still buy 2019 and 2020 drivers, but not the 2011 nor 2012 drivers

in this pic left to right Niteye Eye10, 2011 RRT-01, TCR-1, Niteye Eye10
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in this pic is the Niteye Eye10 TiC on left, the Ti version of the Niteye Eye10:
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the Niteye models have fins on the head, in the case of the Eye10 TiC, they are factory drilled and tritted
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l-r Sunwayman V10r Ti, Niteye Eye10 TiC, Jetbeam TCR-1, Russtang EX10 Ti:
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fwiw, the Sunwayman V10r Ti, on left, does not flicker, nor do the aluminium version, the V11r.

Sunwayman drivers are different than the Jetbeam/Niteye drivers, not interchangeable. The Sunwaymans use a tailswitch.

My only 2019 RRT01 doesn’t flicker, neither before nor after modding.

just to admit when Im mistaken, and confused

Im having trouble showing flicker in a video of this 2020 driver. Not sure why:
[video: 519a dd sn45 w 2020 driver, flicker not obvious - YouTube ]
here is what the Opple sees:
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otoh, here is a video of a 2020 driver that does show obvious flicker:
[video: sw45k 2020 driver flicker - YouTube ]
and what the Opple sees:
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fwiw, I tried swapping the batteries in the two lights in the videos… It did not make a difference, the sw45k w 2020 driver flickered obviously with both batteries, and the 519a w 2020 driver I could not see obvious flicker w either battery.

Yeah, the opple can’t see anything because the pulsing is of low frequency and disappears on anything higher than moon mode like power. I was able to catch it once, and it’s a rectangular signal modulated on the ripple.

My 2012 RRT01 is the only light that does this. My EYE10 is ok, too. But my statistics is small. Exactly 1.

Update, I made mistakes, and edited out incorrect driver year info, in the above 2 video posts

The light that has the sw45k, and flickers, actually has a 2020 driver:
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the light that has the DD 519a and that I cant see flicker atm, but did in the past, also has a 2020 driver:
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2011, 2019, 2020 drivers:
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the pics of the drivers installed in the lights only required me to remove the driver retaining ring, no unsoldering.

Here is a 2011 driver w sw45k, no flicker I can see:
[video: sw45k w 2011 driver - YouTube ]

and what the Opple sees:

and the installed 2011 driver pic:
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I dont have any RRT-01 w 2019 driver installed atm… I hope others will share info if they do have a 2019 driver in an RRT-01. I do believe Unheard sees no flicker in his 2019 driver… More data points invited.

1 Thank

Thanks for the detailed information. I have a 2020 RRT01 here that was already modded and flickers badly on low levels, and I also couldn’t get it to register on an Opple. The burning question for me here is whether most flickering RRT01s came that way from the factory or developed the flicker after being modded. I don’t want to disassemble the light I have here, but I’d be very curious to know if flickering drivers continue to flicker when operated outside the body with everything carefully isolated.

Jon, do you have any high quality photos of all 4 sides of an RRT01 driver disassembled?

Did your RRT01 start flickering again after the LED lead repair?

yes, thanks for asking…

but only for the 2011 driver model

courtesy of geforce73, originally posted in this thread
https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/10jggei/nmd_jetbeam_rrt01_rayten_3v_5050_4500k_4750k_bin

also stored at the end of this RRT-01 album: OG 2011 Jetbeam RRT-01 - Album on Imgur

I will also post them here:
you can see the date 20111205
these are the bottom (battery side), and top (led side)
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these are the insides of the sandwich:
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1 Thank

I have a modded tcr1 with 2019 driver without any flicker.

Great to hear!

excellent info, thanks!

based on the Two first hand reports of No Flicker w 2019 driver from Unheard and Geuzz, I suggest you order a 2019 driver from
info at jetbeamlight.com

However, I just removed the 2020 driver and installed a 2019 driver in the sw45k light:

I see flicker still, can you see it? that is at 0.04 lumens or less
when I increase output to 0.1 lumens, I cannot see the flicker
maybe I just need to stop staring at my firefly LED levels?
:student: or :partying_face:

The Opple says the flicker index has No Risk:

I may have to muster the motivation to attempt a repair of a 2011 driver that has a broken wire. Will need to separate the 2 board sandwich…

and or, if anyone wants to sell me a 2011 or 2012 RRT-01 driver, please PM me.

Meanwhile, I finally took the time to separate the two boards on a 2011 RRT-01 driver, that originally came in my first TCR-1, so I could replace the wires… one of them had been sheared off during disassembly of the light w sw45k that presently has a flickering 2019 driver…
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maybe tomorrow I will remove the flickering 2019 driver, and find out if the repair of the 2011 wires worked, and if the driver is flicker free.

If you need the replacement pins (2-pin and 3-pin header) for the RRT driver I can send some to you since I have extras.

thanks for your kindness… I do not think I will need new pins… I managed to reconnect the two boards to the existing pins…

thanks for inspiring me to tackle the task of unsoldering all those pins, to get the two boards apart… :beer:

I had trouble sucking up the old solder so I cut all the pins and replaced them with new pins.

smart solution

I spent a loooong time working the pins free, heating while prying the boards apart, bit by bit

pretty exhausting… if the driver works without flicker, it will have been worth the time…

Could you please take some photos of each side of both boards that are detailed enough to identify all the components? Even geforce’s photos are too blurry to see most of the markings.

The driver board and pins were soaking up way too much heat so I had to crank the heat up to 400 C which melted the plastic support for the pins. Luckily I have extras so the 2nd attempt was a success (lol). Those pins don’t even cost much so I know I can afford to screw up and not worry about burning a huge hole in my pocket. :smiley:

sorry, but, I already put the sandwich back together.

I could mail you one of my spare drivers for dissection, in the interest of science… PM me your mailing…

If you manage to come up with a better driver, I will be very interested.

as much as I love the UI, there are a couple of things I wish were different… I would like LVP in the driver, and better regulated output.

I was tempted to go up to 400C, but resisted and stayed at 350C…

cutting the pins would have saved a Lot of time, if I had replacement pins, thanks for sharing that strategy.

Replacing the wires cured this problem:

There’s a defect that may reveal how the driver works (if not known already): On very low output, the light starts to PWM with approx. 10 Hz like a strobe. With increasing power, the frequency raises, then at a certain point goes down again and vanishes. This all happens within 0 – 8 lm or so.

… not the pulsing at moon-levels, which is of constant frequency and not really a problem.

Thanks for pointing me to this posting. I had already forgotten about that :(.