Review: Convoy S2+ (the red one!) – Fantastic 18650 EDC

[Phaserburn]

That's cool. Was it hard to do? Is the light on all the time?

 

[emarkd]

That's cool. Was it hard to do? Is the light on all the time?

Not too hard. I'll just link you to my write-up on another forum instead of copying everything here: https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/483efj/i_built_lighted_tailcaps_for_all_of_my_colored/

The tail lights are on when the main light is off, so it basically serves as a locator for finding the lights in the dark. When you switch on the main emitter the tailcap lights go off.

 

[akhyar]

Nice tail lights mods you have there.
Looks more discrete and "luxury" than the other illuminated tailcaps which use rubber caps

 

[1pt21]

I have some thoughts on this. For a driver with a physical switch to have an "off timer" they need a capacitor to run the MCU and latch the last setting as "saved" (say) ~2 seconds after the light is switched off. The 105D driver in the convoy does not have a capacitor (as far as I can tell). As a result, the latch occurs as an "on timer". Imagine that an "event loop" starts in the MCU and loads the last saved brightness level. It then calculates (and saves) the next brightness level (L M H). If the light is turned off within the 2 second timer then the "next" brightness level remains saved. If the 2 second timer expires then the current level is saved (and therefore available) the next time the light is turned on. Now imagine that 2 seconds have passed. When you tap the button the MCU can't distinguish (without a capacitor anyway) whether the light has been off for 0.5 seconds or 2 days when it comes back on. The first tap from an "on" state reloads the current brightness and starts the 2 second timer. The second tap starts again but loads the "next" brightness setting that was saved before it could be overwritten during the prior 2 second cycle.

Does that make any sense?

Makes perfect sense. Thank you very much for the detailed, easy to understand explanation!!

BTW, I think your thoughts are correct. It all adds up the way you have described it :thumbsup:

Like I said I'm just very surprised at how little mention it gets in this thread, to tell you the truth I ended up here because I thought there was something wrong with my light. It's the first (and only) light I own that has this "feature". I have a second coming from mtnelectronics, we'll see if that one does the same. If not, then I totally understand why it's not mentioned much.

Thanks again!

 

[Theodore41]

How can you check if its Alu or SS?

Use a magnet.Alu is not magnetized.

 

[fedcas]

Use a magnet.Alu is not magnetized.

It's true that aluminium is non-magnetic, but i't also true that stainless steel varies from not very magnetic to totally non-magnetic.

To put it short: I don't know about this flashlight in particular, but as a general rule if you are in doubt about a material being Al or SS, if it's attracted by a magnet then it's SS but if it's not attracted then you can't tell anything.

 

[vudoo]

How well does the anodising hold up on these lights? I am loving the colour of the red convoy S2.

It looks exactly the same as my V54 SL2. I am considering buying one of these and swapping the guts from my SL2 into it.

 

[vudoo]

That's looks amazing. How much did the parts cost and how long did it take to mod? Would you consider modding tail switches for us members who don't have the skills to do it?

 

[emarkd]

That's looks amazing. How much did the parts cost and how long did it take to mod? Would you consider modding tail switches for us members who don't have the skills to do it?

Thanks! Parts aren't expensive, less than $5 a light (although most of the parts can't be bought in single quantities, so you spend a bit more upfront but wind up with enough parts to do several lights). You can get a full list of needed stuff from that link I posted up there somewhere, along with all the instructions necessary for a DIY approach. It does take a while though, mostly because its not a drop-in mod that'll "just work" with any light. Most drivers have to be modified to allow the button timing system to function with that tailcap in place. So there's a lot of trial and error finding the proper combo of bleeder and tailcap resistors and honestly not every driver is happy with that going on. So I hesitate to offer a modding service for others simply because I know I can't make it work with every light/driver combo out there and I never know if a light is going to take me an hour to get right, or if I'll have to fiddle with it all week.

But lots of folks have approached me about this, both here and on other forums. So I've ordered more parts and am in the process of building some completed lights for sale which will include these lighted tail rings. Its not the same thing I know, and lots of folks probably already have lights they're happy with, but maybe what I'll have to offer in a couple of weeks will be compelling enough to grab some attention.

If you have even the slightest interest in trying it yourself, then go for it! There's lots of friendly folks who will help you, including myself, and lots of good information already out there in other places. Message me if you have any questions and I'll do my best to point you in the right direction. You may surprise yourself!

 

[vudoo]

I am going to try and swap (if it fits) a triple 219c head with a driver VN2. Based on what you said I don't think I can get it to work and don't know enough about electronics to play around with it to make it work.

Let us know once you get some into production. [emoji3]

 

[vudoo]

Is mountain electronics the best place to buy to ensure you don't get a fake?

 

[emarkd]

If you mean the light itself, then its either MtnElectronics or directly from Convoy on their AliExpress store. Be aware that Convoy is in the process of moving to a larger facility and order shipping has been a bit slower than normal lately, but still faster than most Chinese vendors.

But yeah, those are the only two places I buy Convoy stuff from.

 

[Hutchoven]

Can anyone tell my why the light below is claimed to be 1k+ lumens when it appears to have the same specs as the one in this review? I'm new to most of this.

https://www.fasttech.com/products/2222905

 

[recDNA]

I like the red. Love the mod causing tail to light with flashlight off. Would be nice with triple 219b or hi cri xm-l2 or hi cri XP-G2. Does it have any heat protection?

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

Can anyone tell my why the light below is claimed to be 1k+ lumens when it appears to have the same specs as the one in this review? I'm new to most of this.

https://www.fasttech.com/products/2222905

With a good battery the driver will pull 2.8amps, you'll likely need an IMR 18350 to see this in the smaller light. A regular ICR 16340 probably won't see the same amp draw.


As for the lumen claim, 2.8amps is probably 1000 led lumens. Out The Front is a likely different story, as there will be losses. That said, almost all of the 'big' premium brands don't pull more than 2.8amps, so it's the same ball park figure.


Word of warning, with the small battery 16340/18350, runtimes will be very low at high output. Convoy normally offer different numbers of 7135 chips on their drivers. The 7135*8, i.e. it'll have eight 7135 chips is the 2.8amp driver. You may find a lower spec driver will simply work better. Max output will be lower, but runtimes will be much improved.

If you are using 18650's and the longer body, then it's less of an issue, as an 18650 typically has 2500-3100mAh+, but a 16340 or 18350 are more like 600-700mAh.


On a personal note, I prefer the S2+ over the S2 model. And you can get an 18350 (accepts 16340 too) adapter tube for them:
http://www.banggood.com/18350-Batte...S2-Blue-And-Red-LED-Flashlight-p-1009722.html

 

[emarkd]

I like the red. Love the mod causing tail to light with flashlight off. Would be nice with triple 219b or hi cri xm-l2 or hi cri XP-G2. Does it have any heat protection?

I'm building this current run (my first) with triple 219c's but you're not the first to mention a Hi CRI triple 219b and that's definitely an option. I've got one myself, but not in these hosts. And yes, the lights I'm building have heat protection. I'm using the newest version of the BLF FET+1 driver, the one from the X6/X5 group buy that just finished (tiny25-based with Bistro firmware). It has temp monitoring and step-down, and its user-programmable so the end user can adjust the temperature themselves.

But that's kinda off-topic here. I don't mean to derail this thread and turn it into my own sales thread. I'll start a new thread when the appropriate time comes.

 

[Hutchoven]

With a good battery the driver will pull 2.8amps, you'll likely need an IMR 18350 to see this in the smaller light. A regular ICR 16340 probably won't see the same amp draw.


As for the lumen claim, 2.8amps is probably 1000 led lumens. Out The Front is a likely different story, as there will be losses. That said, almost all of the 'big' premium brands don't pull more than 2.8amps, so it's the same ball park figure.


Word of warning, with the small battery 16340/18350, runtimes will be very low at high output. Convoy normally offer different numbers of 7135 chips on their drivers. The 7135*8, i.e. it'll have eight 7135 chips is the 2.8amp driver. You may find a lower spec driver will simply work better. Max output will be lower, but runtimes will be much improved.

If you are using 18650's and the longer body, then it's less of an issue, as an 18650 typically has 2500-3100mAh+, but a 16340 or 18350 are more like 600-700mAh.


On a personal note, I prefer the S2+ over the S2 model. And you can get an 18350 (accepts 16340 too) adapter tube for them:
http://www.banggood.com/18350-Batte...S2-Blue-And-Red-LED-Flashlight-p-1009722.html

I was looking for something pretty small to just throw in my pocket, runtimes aren't a big worry for me since I usually use low and small bursts of high when I need it. As for batteries I got 2 efest imr 700mah 18350's.

Reason being for this light is that I already ordered a k70 so my big light needs should be filled with that hopefully and then this little S2+ to throw in my pocket. Thank you for answering my question so quickly!

 

[Chicken Drumstick]

I was looking for something pretty small to just throw in my pocket, runtimes aren't a big worry for me since I usually use low and small bursts of high when I need it. As for batteries I got 2 efest imr 700mah 18350's.

Reason being for this light is that I already ordered a k70 so my big light needs should be filled with that hopefully and then this little S2+ to throw in my pocket. Thank you for answering my question so quickly!

This is my S2+ with the shorty 18350 tube (the one on the right obviously):


Just buy a regular 18650 S2+ and the adapter tube. It's nice and pocket-able. The deep carry clip on clips are also a nice addition, although the bolt on deep carry clips (as per the red one in my review) are perfectly fine.

 

[recDNA]

I'm building this current run (my first) with triple 219c's but you're not the first to mention a Hi CRI triple 219b and that's definitely an option. I've got one myself, but not in these hosts. And yes, the lights I'm building have heat protection. I'm using the newest version of the BLF FET+1 driver, the one from the X6/X5 group buy that just finished (tiny25-based with Bistro firmware). It has temp monitoring and step-down, and its user-programmable so the end user can adjust the temperature themselves.

But that's kinda off-topic here. I don't mean to derail this thread and turn it into my own sales thread. I'll start a new thread when the appropriate time comes.

Sounds great. I especially like user set temperature control. I am very very conservative about heat. I basically don't want a flashlight to get hotter than bath water ever.

 

[emarkd]

Sounds great. I especially like user set temperature control. I am very very conservative about heat. I basically don't want a flashlight to get hotter than bath water ever.

Well then a FET-driven triple may not be for you I admit my normal EDC lights are much more tame, but I've built some monsters and I believe these are going to be as well. One of my FET triples, a 3x XP-L in a titanium host, melted its polycarbonate optic one day. I made the mistake of holding it too far back on the battery tube and didn't really realize how hot the head was getting. Plus there's no step-down in that light, so it just kept heating up. It never faltered though, kept working right through the destruction and is still working today -- with a new optic in it. A few more degrees up there and it probably would have unsoldered its leads though, leaving me in the dark. Again, fixable, but obviously not ideal.

The point is that FET-drive triples pull a lot of current and make a lot of heat. Some thermal management is a good idea and I wouldn't actually sell lights without it, but it remains to be seen how much adjustment range the driver will have in this setup. I'll certainly do some testing before I put mine up for sale though. I want folks to know what they're buying.