HDS Systems #23

[the.Mtn.Man]

Guess now is a good time for a HDS mule to be released.

Didn't HDS make flood reflectors at one time?

 

[Lithium466]

Yup. I still regret not getting one when they were still available.

 

[neco]

Thank you.
What other 16340 cells are suitable for HDS?

I am using the 3A 850mah Vapcells but if I were to choose another one I would grab the ones directly from HDS, 700mah INR's. I tried a protected 16340 NITECORE and the quality didn't seem very good, my NITECORE charger also broke after 2 months. Now using a XTAR charger without problems

 

[thaugen]

The batteries available directly from HDS are the best in my experience.

 

[bpbpoo]

I got a shipping notification for my NB40 executive yesterday. Is this real!?!?

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

I got a shipping notification for my NB40 executive yesterday. Is this real!?!?

I got same, I was very surprised. Perhaps they are just getting shipping boxes ready. No actual tracking yet.

 

[KonCha]

I am using the 3A 850mah Vapcells but if I were to choose another one I would grab the ones directly from HDS, 700mah INR's. I tried a protected 16340 NITECORE and the quality didn't seem very good, my NITECORE charger also broke after 2 months. Now using a XTAR charger without problems

I see, I will use Vapcell 3A 850mAh because HDS shipping to where I live is very expensive.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

I got same, I was very surprised. Perhaps they are just getting shipping boxes ready. No actual tracking yet.

Yesterday was labor day so the post office was closed... we still worked. 15 packages will be at the post office today.
Don't everyone else get their hopes up. We are getting the orders out that we can by pilfering from anything that was left on the shelves.
Still waiting an reflectors that are actually to spec, have a few other items we need, and between Covid having disrupted all kinds of supply chains and companies we get things from, and a general incompetence in some of those places (like being able to make something to spec even with a drawing and Solid Works file...) things are not great, but will get better over time.

 

[elzilcho]

Thanks for the update, Hogo. If my clicky fetus has a longer-than-expected gestation time, then so be it. Hang in there, guys.

 

[wweiss]

I'm hoping that as I wander through the dark frozen wastes of the next glacial epoch in search of meat, I will eventually find that my 18500 battery tube was delivered to the dark adit I call home…

 

[the.Mtn.Man]

I got my re-repaired Rotary tail yesterday. About a month turn around time.

 

[Croquette]

Hi Guys,

Quick question.
One of my clicky goes to full momentary at maximum after 4 clicks while my others activate the firefly beacon mode with 4 clicks.

Wich one is older and is there a way to change this setup ?

Thank you !

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Hi Guys,

Quick question.
One of my clicky goes to full momentary at maximum after 4 clicks while my others activate the firefly beacon mode with 4 clicks.

Wich one is older and is there a way to change this setup ?

Thank you !

The locator flash has moved around a little like candle mode.
Here you can figure out which version of the software you lights have:
What version of software is in my flashlight?
Over the years, we have upgraded our software to improve the utility and reliability of our flashlights. Below you will find the edit history for all versions of the software that can be upgraded to the current version - starting with release 1.22 in March of 2010. Only significant changes are listed. Earlier versions of the software require earlier versions of the hardware that are not compatible with the current software.
Your light will tell you what version of software it is running. To retrieve this information, you start by performing a factory reset but you do not release the button until the light begins flashing - roughly 10 seconds after the light turns off and roughly 20 seconds after you pressed the button. Note that since you are performing a factory reset, you will loose any customizations your have made and will need to make the customizations again. Here is the procedure to determine the software version number:

• Turn on your flashlight.
• Unscrew and open the battery compartment - your light will go out.
• Screw the battery compartment back onto the head. As you are doing this, the light will turn on dimly - this is the reset indication.
• Before the light turns off, press and hold the button. The light will become brighter when the button is pressed.
• After 10 seconds, the light will turn off. Do not release the button - continue holding the button down.
• After another 10 seconds, the light will begin to flash. You may now release the button.
• The flashes are grouped as 8 flashes with a pause separating them. Short flashes represent a 0 while longer flashes represent a 1. What you will be looking at are binary numbers. Write down the sequence of zeros and ones and use your favorite binary to decimal converter to convert the binary strings to decimal numbers.
• The numbers will continue to flash until you again unscrew and open the battery compartment.

If you are running 1.xx software, you will see a single number when the button is released and two numbers when the button is pressed. The two numbers are separated by a short pause and repeat after a longer pause. If you are running 2.xx software, the button is ignored and you will see three numbers separated by short pauses that repeat after a longer pause.
The single number displayed with the button up has no useful value and should be ignored. The same is true for the first of the three numbers for versions prior to 2.2. The first of the three numbers starting with version 2.2 is the calibrated output divided by 10 and rounded to an integer. As an example, a 325 lumen light will have the value of 33.
The two numbers displayed with the button down or the second and third of the three numbers is the version number. The first number will be either a 1 or 2 and is the major version number. The second number is the minor version number. Version numbers are normally formatted as <major>.<minor> - e.g., 2.18.

• 1.22 - released March 2010 - new power supply.
• 1.23 - released April 2010 - added ramp up/down when enabling/disabling features.
• 2.0 - released March 2011 - Rotary UI, burst enable option, burst moved to 40 seconds long, no button for version display. This software release corresponds with the release of Acme threads and serial numbers of 20,000 and above.
• 2.1 - released March 2011 - code cleanup.
• 2.2 - released March 2011 - calibration improvements, display calibrated lumen value with version numer.
• 2.3 - released June 2011 - end of battery handling (improved performance for dying batteries), lower idle current (increased run time).
• 2.4 - released September 2011 - end of battery handling, rotary control resets auto-off (any movement of rotary control will reset the auto-off function), double-blink below 50%.
• 2.5 - released September 2011 - double-blink below 50 lumens.
• 2.6 - released October 2011 - Clicky Tactical UI.
• 2.7 - released October 2011 - improve end of battery handling.
• 2.8 - released February 2012 - shorten locator flash.
• 2.9 - released March 2012 - ignore bad rotary codes instead of error code.
• 2.10 - released December 2013 - Rotary Tactical UI, calibration, internal cleanup, drop button lockout, locator flash enable option, rotary C & D presets to strobes, arbitrary exponent logarithmic spacing (always 24 levels), minimum to 0.02 lumens, flicker mode (undocumented, 5 clicks from off).
• 2.11 - released April 2014 - higher speed fast strobe per research studies, CCW in Tactical UI is rotary.
• 2.12 - released October 2014 - new configurations.
• 2.13 - released December 2014 - skipped because some think 13 is unlucky.
• 2.14 - released January 2015 - locator flash option controls quad-click, swap A/B for Tactical UI, triple-click from off latches level for Tactical UI, flicker to 7 clicks from off.
• 2.15 - released January 2015 - true momentary at 6 clicks from off, flicker to 9 clicks from off.
• 2.16 - released May 2015 - true momentary when Turn On option disabled.
• 2.17 - released May 2015 - support for L91 AA.
• 2.18 - released February 2018 - simplify default Rotary UI, level lock to triple-click from on for Tactical UI, return option and triple-click from off for button lockout, option to enable true momentary, bicycle strobes and configuration, improved auto-off.

 

[Croquette]

Thank you !

 

[klackey]

To quote Hogo "Planning on having it (18350) the standard in the new HDS, but that is a few years away, and the tube will have a larger outside diameter to alleviate those production issues, and so won't be compatible with current HDS lights."

My hope is that the new body size will require a new pocket clip solution that is an improvement over the current rotary "solution".

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

To quote Hogo "Planning on having it (18350) the standard in the new HDS, but that is a few years away, and the tube will have a larger outside diameter to alleviate those production issues, and so won't be compatible with current HDS lights."

My hope is that the new body size will require a new pocket clip solution that is an improvement over the current rotary "solution".

But the current solutions is so fugly... why would we want to change that ugly *** rotary clip solution?
Now, if an industrious and intelligent person wants to come up with their own solution, manufacture it and sell it like Ozythemandias did with the HDSRB, we will give them our blessing.

 

[Random Dan]

But the current solutions is so fugly... why would we want to change that ugly *** rotary clip solution?
Now, if an industrious and intelligent person wants to come up with their own solution, manufacture it and sell it like Ozythemandias did with the HDSRB, we will give them our blessing.

The problem with the current solution stems from the fact that it's an afterthought, not a condition in the original design. Without a change to the underlying design I don't think anyone else could do much better.

Starting with a new design it would be easy to make a better solution. Could be a screw on clip like a zebralight or a ring style like the clickies, but attached under bezel or between body segments.

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

In my own experience (many years) with the rotaries, it just feels best in use with no clip. And the clips that are available, they all have drawbacks in their mounting options. Again just my opinion.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

The chance of having screw holes back in the light for a clip... there is a greater chance for Cerakote to come back... if it should freeze over and a snowball makes it.

 

[klackey]

My point on the clip was if you are starting with a "clean sheet" start for the next gen rotaries it would be the prefect time to integrate a better design. The current design is flawed..... It is not that it is "fugly" (it is) but that it will NOT hold the light under normal/ constant use. I have almost lost two lights when the attachment point loosen and let the light slip out of the clip. Thus my rotary's stay in the house or have undergone the proper (correct O-rings) under the bezel mod. Not "HDS approved" but it works profoundly better then the "official solution"!

For those who say just "drop it in the pocket" that is not an comfortable option for me. For an "expensive tool" that has undergone many refinements I would expect the clip to also undergo refinement even if "HDS are not clip guys". I also have some understanding of inventories, cost of unit price/scale and the the desire to recope investment in a faulty design is good business practice but not customer satisfaction. To carry this "solution" over to the next gen is ...................... It is odd to me that MANY cheaper and less refined lights have simple, artistic, and most importantly reliable pocket clips.

A holster............. I tried ......... I have several... Very nice ones indeed . But at the end of the day it is a "fix" for something that should have been corrected at the HDS HQ. It adds extra $ to an already expensive light system and adds bulk. AND ""It is odd to me that MANY cheaper and less refined lights have simple and reliable pocket clips."".

I genuinely feel the rotaries have the best user interface to ANY light! The unavailability of a real clip solution has relegated the rotary's to mostly my inside "fun" lights. I have a growing collection of clickys as they can be pocketed with a secure factory & after market clips......... yes, all the way back to threaded tubes with screw in clips. I really do not understand the screw hole hate by HDS.... seems like a logical and easy solution. Some get screwed others do not. At this price point we could have a choice. Charge me $10 more to get screwed....... .

A worry is that if my memory is correct is that HDS has no plan to continue the clicky line into another generation as they are planning with the rotaries. So if the new gen rotary dose not include a well designed clip then we will be left old technology (emitter advancement) if we desire/ require a well designed functional clip. I love the current clicky clip... small, secure, and effective. Design a way to add that functionality to a new rotary and it will be a home run!

My general point is that HDS has an opportunity to satisfy both camps (clip/ no clip) with the next gen Rotary. Take an amazing light and make it just that much better. Please do not forget the people who prefer a way to clip our trusted lighting tools securely.