Foursevens Preon P0

[JulianP]

Julian,
Sorry to hear it was a no go. I would agree with you, come back to it later. Let us know.

I couldn't help myself, and retrieved the pill from the trash. I sent it to 4Seven today, with a cover letter. I explained that I probably voided the warranty, but I'd be happy to buy a new pill when a revised model becomes available. If nothing else, postage was only A$2.70. To post the whole thing back would have cost more than the P0's purchase price.

I will let cpf subscribers to this thread know the response in due course.

 

[shelm]

If the PO was offered in large marts (Office Depot, Home Depot, ..) Foursevens could sell hundreds of copies in no time -- that is my strong believe.

attractive tiny size, no competing product available (DQG Tiny III, China shipping, more expensive, not available right now), gift box packaging, reputable American company.

The PO has the potential to become a legendary bestseller as could be indirectly seen by the high number of views (500,000+ views, this thread!!!) -- it just has to be flawless and robust. Then word will spread!

I would think that Foursevens company is more seriously concerned by Surefire's attack (lawyers) so we cant expect a physically revised PCB design anytime soon.

Products evolve. That's normal. You have seen the Zebralight SC600 evolve, havent you?

 

[Flying Turtle]

You won't find a similar sized aaa light anywhere. And you wont find a smooth flood aaa light like this. It's a cheap little thing, and i dont mind fixing it. No one makes a scene if their 20$ drop in module says poof. When it works, its the best keychain light out there, so i enjoy making it work. Would i buy another one if mine went "poof beyond repair" ? yes, no doubt.

Well said, Jorn. Along those lines, wouldn't a little ball of aluminum foil wedged into the ring help solve the Eneloop problem? I'd try it if I had some (only AA 'loops).

Geoff

 

[Got Lumens?]

I don't understand why they just can't make the positive battery contact a little thicker. Make it level with the surface of the IC's. They might have to make some adjustments to threading/o-ring placement, but a slightly thicker battery contact would fix everything. The PO would only be slightly longer, and as small as it is already, that wouldn't bother me at all. Then it would work with any cell you could poke in it! I was planning on running my Eneloops, and the fact that I can't, is crap! Just my humble opinion.

Hi Mrlysle,
I agree with you. It would only add ~0.3mm to 0.5mm in total light length. The only problem would be that they would need to retool and redesign the head. If they just increased the pads height, that would only leave about 3/4 of a turn to keep it water tight in the off position using the current o-ring design and components.

Well said, Jorn. Along those lines, wouldn't a little ball of aluminum foil wedged into the ring help solve the Eneloop problem? I'd try it if I had some (only AA 'loops).
Geoff

Hi Geoff,
I had suggested a magnet here. I would not reccomend tinfoil as it could spread out and make contact with some of the exposed legs of the IC's and because it would be free floating in there when the light was in the off position, you would not know if it is still centered on the battery annode.
GL

 

[jorn]

Mine worked fine with a small qtc pill on top of the nipple, so a ball of alu might work. If the ic is alredy torn up, the alu ball will only make it worse. Im a bit sceptical to a ball of alu foil, might be deformed and chewed up, pices rattle aroud and short some legs or something.

It would only add ~0.3mm to 0.5mm in total light length. The only problem would be that they would need to retool and redesign the head.

Yes i also think that would be the simplest and cheapest fix.

 

[Got Lumens?]

Mine worked fine with a small qtc pill on top of the nipple, so a ball of alu might work. If the ic is alredy torn up, the alu ball will only make it worse. Im a bit sceptical to a ball of alu foil, might be deformed and chewed up, pices rattle aroud and short some legs or something.


Yes i also think that would be the simplest and cheapest fix.

Jorn,
IMO, I think that redesigning just the Pills PCB would be less expensive since they already have a vendor they purchase from and it wouldn't require redesigning the body or any retooling.
I can not say MO is 100% true, as I do not know the costs of the redesigned pills PCB and components or what the cost for additional retooling and materials is, just that it would be easier and seamless for Four Sevens to impliment.
GL

 

[jorn]

I think the p0 pill and the dqg pill are bought from the same company, they look almost 100% identical. I remeber there was a link to the dqg pill somewhere in a dqg thread here on cpf. (Someone was talking about it's heatsikig and posted link for the pill alone). I don't think it's easy to make a company change it's products all that sudden, unless your the only customer for the product. Im speculating on this one.

 

[JulianP]

The PO has the potential to become a legendary bestseller as could be indirectly seen by the high number of views (500,000+ views, this thread!!!) -- it just has to be flawless and robust.

I agree. The p0 is only 0.5mm away from greatness. I don't think it would be impossible to redesign the board with surface mount components (ICs with legs are not just Y2K, they belong in museums). Surface mount components can be assembled by robots, making manufacturing even cheaper than poorly paid workers in sweatshops. Maybe 4/7 could go to a US company and order a batch of circuit boards for the p0, with the knowledge that they won't steal his design.

 

[LGT]

I'm having problems with mine. Flashes bright before turning on to high or low mode. Sticking a piece of foil or any other type of band-aid to make a new light work, IMO, is unacceptable. I would like this light if it worked properly, but it doesn't.

 

[Streamer]

I have to wonder why 4 Sevens is not dropping in here and commenting????????

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark".

 

[crizyal]

I have to wonder why 4 Sevens is not dropping in here and commenting????????

+1

 

[Got Lumens?]

I agree. The p0 is only 0.5mm away from greatness. I don't think it would be impossible to redesign the board with surface mount components (ICs with legs are not just Y2K, they belong in museums). Surface mount components can be assembled by robots, making manufacturing even cheaper than poorly paid workers in sweatshops. Maybe 4/7 could go to a US company and order a batch of circuit boards for the p0, with the knowledge that they won't steal his design.

+1

 

[mtrunner]

I have to wonder why 4 Sevens is not dropping in here and commenting????????

+1

 

[Got Lumens?]

 

[JulianP]

GL, That's really funny. I guess that if a picture does mean a thousand words, is a GIF animation worth more?

BTW did anyone notice that the p0 did not make it to 4Sevens' new website? This is perhaps a good sign - Someone out there is watching this thread and working hard on a solution (ya'hope!)

 

[reppans]

:laughing:

 

[4sevens]

Haha! Thats awesome

From the first day we received these reports we've put our engineering team on it to investigate and a solution will be worked out.
Not everyone is having the same issues so we're not going to do a recall. However our customer service staff is always here to take care of any issues should they arise

-D

 

[Streamer]

Haha! Thats awesome

From the first day we received these reports we've put our engineering team on it to investigate and a solution will be worked out.
Not everyone is having the same issues so we're not going to do a recall. However our customer service staff is always here to take care of any issues should they arise

-D

Hi. Can I assume your engineers will work out a solution for next generation P0's only?

I understand the " Not everyone is having the same issues so we're not going to do a recall " statement, but what about the customers that do have an issue with not being able to use eneloops and other NIMH's because of IC interference? Will you consider recalling and replacing those units? I'm currently using the provided Duracell instead of NIMH because of the IC problem in my sample.

The Preon P0 is definitely .5mm away from being a perfect little jewel....Thanks for listening.

 

[4sevens]

... what about the customers that do have an issue with not being able to use eneloops and other NIMH's because of IC interference? ...
The Preon P0 is definitely .5mm away from being a perfect little jewel....Thanks for listening.

If you have issues please contact our customer service for resolution.

 

[AlphaZen]

Haha! Thats awesome

From the first day we received these reports we've put our engineering team on it to investigate and a solution will be worked out.
Not everyone is having the same issues so we're not going to do a recall. However our customer service staff is always here to take care of any issues should they arise

-D

Excellent response. I appreciate you not getting defensive.