Ra Clicky Part 8

[ecallahan]

In the case of both head and body, does the metal plate with three battery contact nipples seem like it is properly affixed to the coilspring beneath it? Also, does the coilspring in the head feel like it is firmly affixed to the pc board in the head? How about the same in the tube?

Another tactic.....separate the body from head and click the button about 100 times while rotating the body back and forth - CW and CCW. This could wake up a lazy switch contact.

Tried this. Nothing.

I also put the battery in the tail and measured the voltage from the positive tip of the battery to the outside of the threads and it shows 3.0 volts. Not sure if this means anything.

By the way, thanks for all these suggestions.

 

[luxlover]

Yes, this was the first tactic I tried.

You must be brave. The chance of disaster in this one is 0%. Impossible to do damage.....If you have an ohmmeter, take one lead and touch the plate inside the body, and the threads of the body with the other lead. It should read 00.00 ohms, 00.1 ohms, or something very small. If there is no reading at all, then the battery juice is not getting to the body, and something in the endcap is bad.

 

[luxlover]

Tried this. Nothing.

I also put the battery in the tail and measured the voltage from the positive tip of the battery to the outside of the threads and it shows 3.0 volts. Not sure if this means anything.

By the way, thanks for all these suggestions.

We are not through yet!!!!

Good news. The battery juice (3v) is getting to the body. Now why don't the threads transfer that juice to the light module?

 

[matrixshaman]

Well that narrows it down a bit in that it would appear it's not body negative path. If you feel coordinated try the same thing except put your negative lead on the tiny spring in the top edge of the tail (battery tube) and then push the tail switch button and hold it. You should see the voltmeter go from zero to 3 volts as this is the signal wire. If that works we'll assume it's something in the head. I just did this with mine and it's not that difficult but takes a little coordination in the way you hold the tail.

 

[ecallahan]

Well that narrows it down a bit in that it would appear it's not body negative path. If you feel coordinated try the same thing except put your negative lead on the tiny spring in the top edge of the tail (battery tube) and then push the tail switch button and hold it. You should see the voltmeter go from zero to 3 volts as this is the signal wire. If that works we'll assume it's something in the head. I just did this with mine and it's not that difficult but takes a little coordination in the way you hold the tail.

I did this and yes this worked, I am getting juice to the signal wire while pressing in the tail button.

 

[luxlover]

Well that narrows it down a bit in that it would appear it's not body negative path. If you feel coordinated try the same thing except put your negative lead on the tiny spring in the top edge of the tail (battery tube) and then push the tail switch button and hold it. You should see the voltmeter go from zero to 3 volts as this is the signal wire. If that works we'll assume it's something in the head. I just did this with mine and it's not that difficult but takes a little coordination in the way you hold the tail.

Excellent idea. This eliminates the body/endcap as the problem.

 

[brucec]

Sorry, if this is has already been discussed, but what is the 100WW-Cn option? I can't find any information about it at ralights.com, batterystation.com, or uniquetitanium.com. Is it some kind of GT version but for the GD emitter? Where do you buy one from? Thanks!

 

[LLCoolBeans]

Sorry, if this is has already been discussed, but what is the 100WW-Cn option? I can't find any information about it at ralights.com, batterystation.com, or uniquetitanium.com. Is it some kind of GT version but for the GD emitter? Where do you buy one from? Thanks!

Henry has been building custom warm white Clicky models by custom order. I think I'll be placing an order for one as soon as Henry gets back from the shot show. I believe the WW stands for warm white.

 

[matrixshaman]

I just got my 140Cn and I think it's got a little problem. Here's my diagnosis. I think the electrons which are yellow by nature are flowing through the blue contact point here:

Of course everyone knows if you combine blue and yellow you get green so what I get coming out the front is very green light like here (taken on a very white background in total darkness with no flash and a Nikon D70).

:mecry:

Kidding aside beside losing the tint lottery in a big way :sick2: does anyone else have the blue paint on their battery contact? I know it is supposed to be on the PCB to indicate it's a 140 lumen model but what's it doing on the battery contact? Isn't paint an insulator? Should I just scrape that off or is there a reason for it to be there (it obviously isn't stopping current flow). The tint on this makes my skin look like I've got jaundice. I've got 3 other lights with Osram Golden Dragons and they all seem quite white with barely a hint of warmth or yellow on one. But the Ra has just been elevated to the greenest light I own. My Spartanian II formerly held this special green medal but I think it would have been bumped out of that spot easily by the Ra even if I hadn't swapped out the emitter for a Q5-WC bin in the S2.
Also did a runtime on level 22 and saw 47 minutes on a freshly charged yellow label Battery station RCR123 (claimed 900 mah). That was 47 minutes before it did a step down and started flashing about once a minute. I'm sure it would do over an hour on a primary.
So please help me out here. I haven't followed all the Ra threads close enough to know if there is any recourse on having a tint that just seems way off. There is no GT tint offered for the Cn Golden Dragons so what can you do if you want the narrower beam? I had no idea the GD's could be this green from what I've read. Is it possible to swap the emitter in this? I seem to remember reading they were well potted and not really moddable (at least not by the average modder).

 

[luxlover]

I just got my 140Cn and I think it's got a little problem. Here's my diagnosis. I think the electrons which are yellow by nature are flowing through the blue contact point here:.....

Of course everyone knows if you combine blue and yellow you get green so what I get coming out the front is very green light like here (taken on a very white background in total darkness with no flash and a Nikon D70).
:mecry:

Beside losing the tint lottery in a big way :sick2: does anyone else have the blue paint on their battery contact? I know it is supposed to be on the PCB to indicate it's a 140 lumen model but what's it doing on the battery contact? Isn't paint an insulator? Should I just scrape that off or is there a reason for it to be there (it obviously isn't stopping current flow). The tint on this makes my skin look like I've got jaundice. I've got 3 other lights with Osram Golden Dragons and they all seem quite white with barely a hint of warmth or yellow on one. But the Ra has just been elevated to the greenest light I own. My Spartanian II formerly held this special green medal but I think it would have been bumped out of that spot easily by the Ra even if I hadn't swapped out the emitter for a Q5-WC bin in the S2.
Also did a runtime on level 22 and saw 47 minutes on a freshly charged yellow label Battery station RCR123 (claimed 900 mah). That was 47 minutes before it did a step down and started flashing about once a minute. I'm sure it would do over an hour on a primary.
So please help me out here. I haven't followed all the Ra threads close enough to know if there is any recourse on having a tint that just seems way off. There is no GT tint offered for the Cn Golden Dragons so what can you do if you want the narrower beam? I had no idea the GD's could be this green from what I've read. Is it possible to swap the emitter in this? I seem to remember reading they were well potted and not really moddable (at least not by the average modder).

We thought that ecallahan had problems, huh? First off. call Ghostbusters, before you rant in Henry's ear. Having blue paint on the center post of a light is a metaphysical matter, not of this Earth!

Ordinarily, I would say that there is no logical customer care solution other than having the light replaced by the dealer. But now that Henry is updating the firmware on the lights with flickering and other problems, I would say have Henry take care of it. He will finetune all problem areas for once and for all, and will replace the emitter, the head or the entire light.

In the meantime, all I can say is this is a rotten shame, considering that we all thought that extreme tints were a thing of the past. :shakehead

Jeff

 

[matrixshaman]

Thanks for the thoughts luxlover - I really like the light but one thing I can't stand in a light is a greenish tint. I'm really trying to like it and I'm trying to reprogram my brain to say it's okay. It may be working - either that or the tint is shifting a bit more to the yellow or just warm side. It seems more green on the mid levels than on high. Do I remember turbodog or someone saying a new emitter may shift tint a little after being run hard a few times - like maybe level 22 for an hour or so a couple times? Can't do it tonight but I think I'll try a side by side with my Fenix EX10 Golden Dragon. I think that may show the difference better. I do hate putting lights side by side as then one always looks way off. Lights I thought were blue-purple may suddenly look almost yellow when next to a really cool tint. So I know how side by side comparisons stand out in your eye but when something right out of the box by itself immediately screams green it's usually not a good thing.

Metaphysically speaking the blue contact does rather remind me of a Blue Star Energy attunement field:

And if that isn't weird enough the web site I found that on is also about the 'Golden Dragon Goddess'. What was that number for Ghostbusters?

 

[Strauss]

Finally got around to taking a couple beamshots of my 100WWCn Clicky. I compared it to my 85-Tr Twisty, which seems to be an overachiever as it's putting out ~110lm on high(my Clicky is ~100lm on burst). I also included one shot of my Clicky's pocket pal, the AMcMule 3S with the Nichia 083 high CRI LED. I included this one as it's tint seems to be the closest thing I have ever seen to direct noon sunlight. For this beamshot, I increased the shutter speed to make up for it's loss in output when compared to the other lights(Mule is ~50lm on high).

Shots of the Clicky and Twisty have the same locked camera settings. White balance is locked on all pics, and was set to a setting that was closest to what I was seeing with my own eyes.

Ra Twisty on high:

Ra Clicky on burst:

AMcMule 3S on high:

Another shot of Twisty on high:

And one more of the Clicky on burst:

These beamshots were the best I could do. I really couldn't capture the true difference in tint, in person the differences were more pronounced. The tint was best described by Enzo as "golden" on the Clicky...it's absolutely gorgeous. Color redention I'd say is at least 90% as good as the Nichia 083....which to my eyes appears perfect. Like Enzo, I have found the EDC of my dreams, and have been searching 2.5yrs for a light like this. My light still has not had a single hiccup, the only thing I feel could be any better is the infamous clip. I have mine on currently as clips are important to me, as like previous mentioned it does do it's job of a clip really well...it just doesn't look right at all on the light. I just plan on picking up a new one once a 3rd party starts making some decent versions.

I absolutely love my Clicky! :kiss: I will not be buying any more lights of this size format for quite sometime, as this light now marks the end of my quest for my ultimate EDC. It just has everything that I want in a light, the tint sealed the deal for me.

Oh almost forgot, did another runtime test with a different RCR and got 50min till 50% output...closer to Enzo's findings. I will gladly spare some runtime minutes for the beauty of a tint this light emits, which is uniform throughout the entire beam profile BTW. And the markings on the light module on mine are yellow as well, which confirms that the warm versions indeed are marked yellow(I have the color on the positive battery contact as well).

 

[Henk_Lu]

Speaking of a reset : Of course I also tried that several times to resolve the flickering issue before I sent the light to Henry.

Such a reset is quite difficult to perform! I don't know about yours, but my Clicky light up as soon as the threads of the head get together with those of the body. A reset however, can only be performed when the head is screwed down to the body (at least on my light).

This means that from the first contact to the switch operation, I have 5 seconds to align the threads, screw the light together and click. The first few tries ended before I even aligned the threads and I suppose if I abandon, I have to wait another minute before starting again?

Enabling customization however, is easy, as you have 15 seconds in total to act.

 

[luxlover]

Thanks for the thoughts luxlover - I really like the light but one thing I can't stand in a light is a greenish tint. I'm really trying to like it and I'm trying to reprogram my brain to say it's okay. It may be working - either that or the tint is shifting a bit more to the yellow or just warm side. It seems more green on the mid levels than on high. Do I remember turbodog or someone saying a new emitter may shift tint a little after being run hard a few times - like maybe level 22 for an hour or so a couple times? Can't do it tonight but I think I'll try a side by side with my Fenix EX10 Golden Dragon. I think that may show the difference better. I do hate putting lights side by side as then one always looks way off. Lights I thought were blue-purple may suddenly look almost yellow when next to a really cool tint. So I know how side by side comparisons stand out in your eye but when something right out of the box by itself immediately screams green it's usually not a good thing.

Metaphysically speaking the blue contact does rather remind me of a Blue Star Energy attunement field:


And if that isn't weird enough the web site I found that on is also about the 'Golden Dragon Goddess'. What was that number for Ghostbusters?

Luxlover sez....."return the light for a usable one", unless you want to keep it until after St. Patrick's Day - March 17th! This is so true, "something right out of the box by itself immediately screams green, it's usually not a good thing."

What were you smoking when you were reminded of a Blue Star Energy attunement field?

As for your "Golden Dragon Goddess" reference, you are beyond Ghostbusters. Seek an elderly Chinese prophet for sage advice.

Jeff

 

[matrixshaman]

Luxlover sez....."return the light for a usable one", unless you want to keep it until after St. Patrick's Day - March 17th! This is so true, "something right out of the box by itself immediately screams green, it's usually not a good thing."

What were you smoking when you were reminded of a Blue Star Energy attunement field?

As for your "Golden Dragon Goddess" reference, you are beyond Ghostbusters. Seek an elderly Chinese prophet for sage advice.

Jeff

Well I don't ever smoke anything or do any illegal or even legal drugs so we can rule that out. To quote you "Having blue paint on the center post of a light is a metaphysical matter, not of this Earth!" So I went to look for metaphysically related 'blue' things on Google and remembering my wife talking about 'blue star' something I tried that and found that 3 lobed blue star pic. Being the Ra Clicky uses a 3 lobed nub which on mine is blue I put those together as a synchronistic stroke of genius but when I did find reference on that same site to a 'Golden Dragon goddess' as in Osram Golden Dragon LED I knew I had either hit the Holy Grail of Light secrets or some dark entities were messing with me And don't forget we are talking about a light named after the ancient Egytian god 'Ra' :thinking:

:lolsign:

Now after the blue star attunement late last night and this morning I noticed all the colors under my Ra Clicky look pure, bright and correct and all is well in flashlightsville. :laughing: Of course if you believe that well ....

Seriously though it did seem the tint was getting better. It's a very subjective thing and I actually did start finding it to be a more pleasing tint. However when I put it next to my HDS Ultimate 60 GT then it is still obviously biased toward a more yellow-green than the guaranteed tint Luxeon. I'm going to try doing some beam shots against that and hopefully get some opinions on whether this is really out of an acceptable range. For me it's borderline at this point.

 

[ecallahan]

I just got my 140Cn and I think it's got a little problem. Here's my diagnosis. I think the electrons which are yellow by nature are flowing through the blue contact point here:

Of course everyone knows if you combine blue and yellow you get green so what I get coming out the front is very green light like here (taken on a very white background in total darkness with no flash and a Nikon D70).

:mecry:

Kidding aside beside losing the tint lottery in a big way :sick2: does anyone else have the blue paint on their battery contact? I know it is supposed to be on the PCB to indicate it's a 140 lumen model but what's it doing on the battery contact? Isn't paint an insulator? Should I just scrape that off or is there a reason for it to be there (it obviously isn't stopping current flow). The tint on this makes my skin look like I've got jaundice. I've got 3 other lights with Osram Golden Dragons and they all seem quite white with barely a hint of warmth or yellow on one. But the Ra has just been elevated to the greenest light I own. My Spartanian II formerly held this special green medal but I think it would have been bumped out of that spot easily by the Ra even if I hadn't swapped out the emitter for a Q5-WC bin in the S2.
Also did a runtime on level 22 and saw 47 minutes on a freshly charged yellow label Battery station RCR123 (claimed 900 mah). That was 47 minutes before it did a step down and started flashing about once a minute. I'm sure it would do over an hour on a primary.
So please help me out here. I haven't followed all the Ra threads close enough to know if there is any recourse on having a tint that just seems way off. There is no GT tint offered for the Cn Golden Dragons so what can you do if you want the narrower beam? I had no idea the GD's could be this green from what I've read. Is it possible to swap the emitter in this? I seem to remember reading they were well potted and not really moddable (at least not by the average modder).

I have blue also on the center terminal also, it is causing the light that comes out of mine to appear BLACK. Still no word from Henry, and Batterystation wasn't much help, just said I was better off sending it to Henry than returning it.

 

[luxlover]

Well I don't ever smoke anything or do any illegal or even legal drugs so we can rule that out. To quote you "Having blue paint on the center post of a light is a metaphysical matter, not of this Earth!" So I went to look for metaphysically related 'blue' things on Google and remembering my wife talking about 'blue star' something I tried that and found that 3 lobed blue star pic. Being the Ra Clicky uses a 3 lobed nub which on mine is blue I put those together as a synchronistic stroke of genius but when I did find reference on that same site to a 'Golden Dragon goddess' as in Osram Golden Dragon LED I knew I had either hit the Holy Grail of Light secrets or some dark entities were messing with me. Don't forget, we are talking about a light named after the ancient Egyptian god 'Ra' :thinking:

:lolsign:

Now after the blue star attunement late last night and this morning I noticed all the colors under my Ra Clicky look pure, bright and correct and all is well in flashlightsville. :laughing: Of course if you believe that, well ....

Seriously though it did seem the tint was getting better. It's a very subjective thing and I actually did start finding it to be a more pleasing tint. However when I put it next to my HDS Ultimate 60 GT then it is still obviously biased toward a more yellow-green than the guaranteed tint Luxeon. I'm going to try doing some beam shots against that and hopefully get some opinions on whether this is really out of an acceptable range. For me it's borderline at this point.

If you told me that you smoke that funny stuff, but don't inhale, then I would still think of you highly! :naughty:
Not even legal drugs? You Sir must be BIONIC!

A "synchronistic stroke of genius", huh? Nice term. Your next best quality must be modesty!

I would say that an ancient Egyptian god or goddess, a close third cousin of Ra, was trying to communicate with you telepathically, through a green tinted light.

So the light had a good night's sleep and changed tint to a more appealing tint? That is amazing. Does Henry know that bed rest is therapeutic for his lights? Don't even think about selling me the Brooklyn Bridge. I already own it, after being approached by a guy just like you! :thumbsup: Is it possible that your brain is self-calibrating to the tint you would prefer? When was the last time that you had your eyeballs spectronomically calibrated?

Remember that YOUR eyes are what will be used with your 140Cn, so don't depend too much on the strength of your beamshots or OUR opinions. In the end, if you are happy with a green tint, then I am happy! :thinking:

Jeff

 

[luxlover]

I have blue also on the center terminal also, it is causing the light that comes out of mine to appear BLACK. Still no word from Henry, and Batterystation wasn't much help, just said I was better off sending it to Henry than returning it.

Good afternoon! That was an excellent elaboration of matrixshaman's blue + yellow = green study. But I think that I would rather have his green light than yours. ....no offense!

So, where were we last night, before our session convened? Matrix and I proved that the body/endcap assembly is operational, leaving something in the head as the culprit. Would you relate anything else you tried, and if any result resembling light followed, even for a second?

Jeff

 

[LLCoolBeans]

I have blue also on the center terminal also, it is causing the light that comes out of mine to appear BLACK. Still no word from Henry, and Batterystation wasn't much help, just said I was better off sending it to Henry than returning it.

You'll get a reply from Henry today. He's generally quite prompt.

 

[LLCoolBeans]

So please help me out here. I haven't followed all the Ra threads close enough to know if there is any recourse on having a tint that just seems way off. There is no GT tint offered for the Cn Golden Dragons so what can you do if you want the narrower beam?

You can special order one of Henry's warm white Cn's.

I had no idea the GD's could be this green from what I've read. Is it possible to swap the emitter in this? I seem to remember reading they were well potted and not really moddable (at least not by the average modder).

The SSC based Clicky's are definitely moddable, as someone has already done it. dicoverEDC says that the emitter is not potted, but it's really jammed in there good and it's very difficult to remove without destroying the original emitter. But if you are replacing it, it's probably not of much use to you anyway.
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/214748


I have to assume that the Cn lights use a different method to hold the emitter in place, as the Osram LEDs are rectangular.

Emitter swap is probably possible with any of the models so long as the emitter you are replacing it with is dimensionally similar.

Of course if you do a home grown emitter swap, your light will not be calibrated. Not that that is a huge concern.