500 Lumen - AAA Flashlight (photos) - Work In Progress - Part 2

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I already opened the package and repacked it, since it's my problem, I'll just post it in the For sale section.

Hi Husker,

>it's my problem

No such thing in my world
Your problem is my problem :thumbsup:

Just sent you a mail.
Tgwnn

 

[Husker]

Just to let everyone know, It's my problem (I have a paranoia concerning safety). Guy is stepping up to the plate and taking it on the chin as if it was his problem, Thank-U Guy.

 

[maskman]

#67 accepts 1.5V AAA and 10440 along with some
occasional quirkiness as I fully expected. No joy using 10250's though. I hadn't tried the spacer magnet
yet so I decided to give that a try. Upon removing the head I noticed the 10250 wouldn't come out of
the body.

Update:
I replaced the stock spring in the 10250 body with a more robust spring I had on hand. The X now accepts 10250 cells and performs as well as it does with 10440's or AAA 1.5V batteries.

 

[gerok]

My Torpedo is the X078 with the 4000K emitter. I have now been able to test it for about two weeks.

What I really like about the Torpedo:
- The size is handy (for edc)
- The easy one handed operation (About the UI: It seems intuitive to stop moving the control ring when the light mode changes. On my unit it seems to help to turn the ring just a little past that point before turning the other way. Doing this I have experienced a quite consistent UI. (If that made sense.))
- The very nice tint (and the red light effect you see around the bezel if you tilt the light when on)
- The floody beam is very useful
- The high quality fit and finish
- The ability to safely use several kinds of batteries.

I have tested it with the nukes and with aaa eneloops. (By the way, I also like the minimalistic cottonpicker charger very much!)

Even with its beta-version funkiness I feel that the Torpedo is good value for money. It is hands down my best EDC light.

What I, if possible, would like to see in the production version:
- a really low low mode (to use for checking on the children at night).
- an option to have installed trits in the tail.

Guy: Thank you very much for your efforts and for the pleasure of following the whole process from the beginning!

 

[windstrings]

Update:
I replaced the stock spring in the 10250 body with a more robust spring I had on hand. The X now accepts 10250 cells and performs as well as it does with 10440's or AAA 1.5V batteries.

Good to know, it may be a resistance thing with the case of the battery

 

[windstrings]

This also makes me wonder if the spring is limiting amperage!
Did you notice it being brighter with the stronger spring?

Also wonder if spring is related to some overheating

 

[bfly]

There's still plenty more feedback to come but seems like these are popular concepts:

UI
1) detents or tactile feedback on mode change
2) fixed OFF position
3) limit the direction of the ramp up to one direction only and ramp down to the opposite direction
4) consider clockwise rotation to ramp up (1>2>3>4) and reverse to ramp down, and counter clockwise to start at 4, then ramp down (4>3>2>1).
5) reduce the amount of rotation required to trigger a mode change

Design
1) tamer tail fins (or optional fins)
2) different way to attach the clip
3) wider lanyard hole
4) consider an OP reflector
5) confirm o-ring sizing/groove at base of head
6) consider improving the extendable body mechanics

Function
1) no time limit on high with 1.2~1.5V battery
2) eliminate parasitic drain issues
3) re-confirm over-discharge protection

I just received my Torpedo (X064) and my thoughts pretty much are the same as everyone else. Amazing job. You've packed a lot of design elements into such a small package.

I think your list above is a pretty good one. A few points that I think are important:

- I would love to see the UI have a fixed off. No more free rotation 360+ degrees. I know that may be unpopular with some in the group but that would be my preference. It seems that fixed rotation points would be easier to implement than the current UI. It would be nice if there were marks with detents for each level. That would make getting to a desired level easier.

- I will probably be grinding the tail fins and lanyard plinth off of mine. I use a clip and have no need for key chain ability. A version without those would be great.

- Does the light have thermal protection? If it does then why the time limit on high? Shouldn't it be based on temp?

A few of observations on mine:

- It seems like I got a 4000K, the color is very warm.
- The o-ring in the extendable tail cap was destroyed when I unscrewed it. It looks like it got caught up in the treads and torn to shreds. I'm not concerned, just a data point.

Great work. Can't wait to see what comes next.

 

[maskman]

This also makes me wonder if the spring is limiting amperage!
Did you notice it being brighter with the stronger spring?

Also wonder if spring is related to some overheating

There was an all around improvement with the stronger spring. The light does indeed appear brighter, but the stronger spring eliminated the heavy flickering I was experiencing and so far it has eliminated the heat issue. The latter two being the largest improvements.

 

[Bimmerboy]

In addition to the following, I have a couple other thoughts for when I have some energy left over from NOT having to shovel snow, and dig out plowed-in cars (just got mine out today after almost two weeks. Been using Dad's car... haha). But, for now...

I'm not seeing the advantage to having detents in the rotation. Seems like extra cost, and ultimately, production delay for something one could easily just use their eyes for. For example, programming, and using the fairly complicated LF2X is not a problem with no detents.

There's an emotional side to it for me as well. The freely rotating ring sets the Torpedo apart from almost all other lights that give a tactile feel in one way or another. I'd like something different.

 

[DBCstm]

Husker, if you're seriously not going to keep it please send me a PM and we can make this little problem go away, or at least to Texas.

 

[Cataract]

[...]

Hi Cataract,
I had to borrow the Unicorn for a clandestine OP somewhere near the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Looks like it was a success but I'll know for sure once a package lands.

Hopefully, tonight is your last night without a Torpedo

Tgwnn

You can borrow Uni as much as you like, he needs a good workout

Confirmed; last night without a torp Got the pick-up slip and proof of ID lined up at the door next to my boots. I'm sorta feeling eerily relaxed about this delivery for once, though...

Update:
I replaced the stock spring in the 10250 body with a more robust spring I had on hand. The X now accepts 10250 cells and performs as well as it does with 10440's or AAA 1.5V batteries.

I'll keep that in mind, but I might keep a AAA in it during pocket carry for safety (got one that has been showing end-of-life signs and I want to test it properly; 2 birds, one torpedo )

[...]
- The easy one handed operation (About the UI: It seems intuitive to stop moving the control ring when the light mode changes. On my unit it seems to help to turn the ring just a little past that point before turning the other way. Doing this I have experienced a quite consistent UI. (If that made sense.))
[...]

I'll test that thoroughly as it makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[stevenkelby]

My Torpedo X arrived a few days ago but I have been working too many hours and didn't get a chance to post until now.

I wanted to write something intelligent, and take some nice pics.

Neither of those things has happened but I need to at least say something!

First, thank you Guy for returning the loaners I sent you (hope you had fun ) and a huge thank you for the gifts you sent us, a great surprise and the HF-R instantly replaced the Fenix she had on her keyring, uses it daily and really loves it

Secondly, knowing you I did have high expectations for the packaging of the Torpedo X and I was still pleasantly surprised. That metal torpedo tube/case is amazing, it's a quality piece of work and packaging genius.

The light itself I love too but did have some early issues with certain batteries not working etc, but all sorted now.

I've been carrying it all day and night and playing with it a lot.

I'll post my thoughts as bullet points.

- I had 1 instance of the body heating as soon as a 10440 was installed, with the light off. I removed it right away and haven't had a repeat performance since.

- I did replace the tail springs in both bodies with thicker stronger ones from old broken AAA lights,

- Not sure if the new spring fixed whatever the issue was but the light now works with all batteries.

- UI has been stable and semi- predicable with all batteries. I think the light is working to spec but a tiny difference in how far you turn the ring affects what result you get. If the light is on level 2 or 3 I can't always be sure that I can get it to turn off without going up into level 4 by mistake. You know what you're doing though and I'm confident the final version will be reliable and intuitive

- I'm not fussy about the interface, detents etc, I'll get used to it and learn to love it, as long as it's consistent.

- I do need to use the little battery with 10250 nukes.

- The quality of manufacturing is brilliant, very high quality. I don't find the tail fins too sharp, though I thought I would at first touch. I planned to grind them down if they bothered me but now I like them

- The extendable body is very cool. It takes me less than 10 seconds to extend or retract it. The oring was chewed up when I extended it for the 1st time though. Won't be getting it wet so don't care.

- I actually like the clip a lot. great for pocket use, or to clip on the brim of a hat if you wanted to. It may have scratched the anodize a bit on installation but it didn't feel like it and I won't be taking it off so don't care. Used lights get scratched anyway, I'm not precious with my lights. The attachment to the light is my main criticism of the clip, it could be stronger to deal with accidentally snagging the light when getting in or out of the car. Hasn't happened to me but feels like the clip might bend or come off.

- I agree with someone elses comment that the lanyard hole is too close to the edge. My heavily keyring-carried HF-R lanyard hole is starting to open out too, it might break through after a year or 2. Ideally the attachment would be very strong. Maybe a pressed in SS insert or something. I don't know.

- Beam and tint are perfect for my use.

- Output levels don't suit me 100% though. Mainly I would like a much lower low, 0.1 lumen or so would be great. Then 20 lumens, 100 and 500 (on li-on)

- Massive value for money. Even ignoring all the huge R&D costs and just considering unit cost, I feel that what I paid was a fantastic value for what I got. When you include all the money and time you have put in to this effort, the value equation goes beyond any other purchase I can recall making.

- Apart from the teething issues, reliabilty, consistency etc, this unit feels like a Torch From The Future

Gotta run now, sorry for the messy notes and for any spelling mistakes.

Thanks again Guy!

 

[cnlson]

Guy,
no need to post the orings. i just need a size and i can source some. it's not worth your time or postage for something i can easily pick up here. Otherwise i will be forced to not let you know these things and try to fix them on my own to keep you from sending them

since you have a 3d printer (i get mine hopefully in time for my birthday in march pending shipping from malaysia) I was going to suggest a "fix" to the "mark of the torp" which would also use the existing keyring hole and create a more pocketable experience.
if i have time I'll model it up, but the design would add a top ring that covers the points, uses the center hole (with a pin) to lock in place, and leaves two corners open to allow use with a keyring and tailstanding.

once i get a chance i will see if i can do the model and post it.

 

[sweet17]

i just ran my X (SN 068) for 5 hours on the lowest output with a nearly fully charged nuke. it shut itself off after 5 hours. what do you think?

Just ran mine on #3 mode for 45min continously before it auto turned itself to low with an event 350mah nuke.... Not bad for that brightness!

 

[clg0159]

Just a quick note to say that I have also noticed that using the dots solves some of the UI quirks on my Window 2 X. Detents would make a world of difference when trying to locate them at night lol

 

[ShineOnYouCrazyDiamond]

While using the dots helps I want my flashlight to be an extension of me. I don't want to have to think about it or look at it. I don't mind a complex UI either because once I get used to a good UI it becomes second nature - that's just something that is important to me. I've done catch and release on plenty of lights only because I knew immediately the UI wouldn't work for me.

The X UI is like 95% there. It just needs that extra 5%.

 

[Cataract]

Picked up mine today as predicted

Not enough can be said about the amazing packaging and the quality of it. The tube is a little longer and more slender than I visualized it, which changes nothing to how awesome it is (well, maybe it makes it a little more awesome...) Opening the torpedo packaging really felt like I was going to find a nuclear core inside and it isn't too far from the truth. The nukes are cleverly inside the packaging head, just like an actual warhead, with the actual torpedo parts in the center,

The part that touched me the most was the included post card and the fact that everyone's name form the thread is printed on the back of the calendar! So cool... It really makes me feel I am a part of the Torpedo team!

The Torpedo itself is exactly what i had imagined and the control ring is just the perfect width, although I think the 2 knurling rings on it should be closer together to help finger grip.

The sexy red ring at the base of the head and for the bezel ring is, well... sexy, but also classy at the same time. I love it!

I started by trying a 10250 nuke in it, but nothing happened and is soon felt warm to the touch, as some other users have experienced, so I immediately removed the head and tried a AAA NiMh battery.
I only got 2 modes to work at first (the 2 middle modes), so I removed and reinstalled the battery and finally got all 4 modes. I did experience some quirkiness like going from a higher mode to a lower mode while rotating in the same direction from off to on, but that was solved by stopping on one of the dots. Yes, dotS... there are 2 dots on the body and one on the ring on mine and stopping the ring dot in line with either body (head) dots before going for the next mode or reversing works just fine. I gotta say that's BRIGHT for AAA!!

Then I got curious about the short tube and 10250 I left on the side. The battery wasn't coming out like it should, so I figured I too had some slight shredding happening on the shrink tubing and, sure enough, a tiny bit of the shrink was caught on the spring, but nothing serious and the side of the battery is the same pole as the back anyways, so I wasn't worried one bit. I did have a look at the spring: I believe the end of it is not small enough (not tightly wound enough on the battery side), which could explain why it can catch in the battery shrink tubing, but there is also another possibility that could account for the catching; comparing it with a spring from an E01, the spring is more tightly wound o most of the length on the E01 and it is also a little thicker and firmer. Perhaps some of the spring winding somewhere midway down caught on the shrink, not the very end. Anyways, a better spring is definitely a must, but that should be very easy to fix.

Testing my 10250 nuke after that showed that it had discharged to 3.92 volts, while it should have been over 4.1. Something shorted in there. I decided I should try again, with the magnet spacer, but still nothing and the body became warm again after less than a minute. Now neither 10250 and AAA can make my torp work... I'm definitely kicking myself for trying twice with the 10250 I figured maybe it is related to that spring not being able to get enough current or voltage through, so I used my Cu HF body with the switch set on direct mode, but still no go...

I have not been able to source some 10440's on time, so last tests have been with the AAA body and battery and nothing comes on, while the head becomes warm after about 30 seconds, so I stopped trying for now and will see what comes to mind after a good night's sleep, but it definitely seems like something in the circuit shorted out. Other than that, this is a great flashlight! (or does it convert to the flashdark with a special ring code? )

 

[nbp]

Haha, it seems we may both have flashdarks Cataract. :hahaha:

 

[Cataract]

Haha, it seems we may both have flashdarks Cataract. :hahaha:

I just compared with the HF, and the flashdark does need some improvement in output

 

[th8tredude]

Hey guy's, mine never got hot, that I know of, anyway. But, it did seem to die on me. For some reason, I decided I didn't think the magnet was "working" any longer. I pulled out a dime sized neodymium magnet I had around and swiped it around the control ring and bingo. It seems the magnet is either just too weak or somehow moving. I now have the spacer magnet shrink tubed on my control ring and it functions again.

I also had the same spring problem. Mine actually went a step further and eventually burned, as in like a fuse. Found pieces in the bottom of the tube. Replaced it with another, beefier spring and no problems since.

Just a couple thoughts... Hope they help!

Th8tredude