If your light came with batteries installed, you can simply turn it on by twisting the little round knob. Never look directly or let anybody look directly into such a powerful light - it gets very bright and can hurt your eyes.
The SPY knob (switch) clicks into 7 discrete locations. They are positions zero through six. Looking at the knob from the front of the light (the LED end), the knob functions like a standard volume control, rotating the knob all the way in the CCW direction till it stops, is the "Off" position (zero position). Rotating the knob CW turns the light "ON". The off switch setting is referred to as position 0. Switch setting 1 is the lowest power setting, setting 2 is higher, and so it goes all the way to full power with setting 6. There is a stop at Off and a stop at full power, meaning you can not spin the knob all the way around 360 degrees.
If you tried to turn the light on and nothing happened, then it is because the light does not have batteries in it. Please see section 2 on how to change batteries. All SPY flashlights are shipped without batteries installed.
If your light has batteries in it and you push on the tiny battery release pin with the pointy lead end of a pencil or pen, the battery cap will pop off! Please hold your finger over the cap as you push the pin so it does not go flying.
If your light does not have batteries in it and you push on the tiny battery release pin, the battery cap will DO NOTHING. It will not come off. You have to pull it off while pushing on the pin at the same time. Please be careful not to drop the battery cap in this process. It helps to have three hands when doing this. The battery cap goes on smoothly when it is aligned with the two hook pins on the body. It becomes easy to do if you play with it. There is a mark on the body by the lanyard hole to show you how to align the battery cap (if you take the battery cap off the light and rotate it 180 degrees and try to put it back on, it will not fit on).
After you have been using the light for some time, if you notice that power level 6 (high) and power level 5 are at the same brightness then it is time to replace the batteries. The SPY uses CR-123 lithium primary batteries. Cool Fall recommends that you use Surefire batteries in the SPY. Only use two new batteries in the SPY (two bats that have the same voltage level). Never use one old battery and one new battery; never never never. The SPY will operate on rechargeable RCR-123 batteries.
When you are putting the batteries in the light please observe that they have polarity. On the battery that goes behind the LED, please put the "+" end in first. The other battery goes in with the "-" end in first. The battery cap must be pushed straight on. If it gets crooked it will stick and you have to take it off and start again. You can not hurt the light by putting the batteries in the wrong way. When changing batteries use power-up-0; the switch set to the off position by turning the knob fully counter-clockwise when facing the flat top of the knob (see Section 5 for more info).
The SPY007 comes with two small beads which can be put on the lanyard and used to open the battery cap. To install a bead, first remove the lanyard. Then using dental floss, string the bead on the lanyard loop and slide it all the way up till it hits the plastic. Then using the floss again, string the lanyard back into the light. The bead will always be there when you want to pop the battery cap pin. Just place the bead right on top of the release pin and push.
The multiple power levels let you rapidly choose the amount of light you need for any given task. Picking a lower light level will prolong the battery life.
Getting the light out and rapidly spinning or flicking the switch to full "ON" is not only fun but it is a very fast way to turn on the SPY. We claim that it is the "fastest light in the West".
We can't say what is the "best" way to hold the SPY, there are several common ways. Some like the knob down with your fingers wrapping around the light and others like the knob on top. Some use fingers to spin the knob and others use the thumb. In either case it only takes one hand to use a SPY.
Battery consumption
Power levels 5 & 6 will use up batteries quickly. Therefore, if you are on a long trip with only one set of batteries, use the lower power levels as much as possible to conserve battery power.
Titanium is a hard metal but not so hard that it can't be scratched by just about any other metal. If you want your light to stay relatively new looking don't ever put it in a pocket with any other object especially a hard plastic or metal object. Unlike hard anodized aluminum it will scratch easily. A simple and effective way to clean a titanium light is to use a wet paper towel with a little dish soap like Dawn. Wipe it softly with the grain of the machining marks. Dry it with a soft cotton cloth like a T-shirt.
When you put batteries in the SPY and then snap the battery cap on, that will "power-up" the STFu processor on the converter board. We will refer to "powering-up or power up" many times in this tutorial. So to power-up the converter, simply replace the battery cap. Power-up does NOT necessarily imply turning on the LED, it simply powers the internal electronics. What position the switch is in when you power up the light, determines what mode the light will be put into. Normally you should keep the switch in the off position when changing the batteries. In this case the light works normally. This power-up-0 mode is the normal operating mode.
The back door to the light lets you into its various features. Any power-up other than power-up-0 is going into the back door. These features are described below. However, none of these things are required reading, if all you want to do is use the light as is, please skip to the next section in this manual.
So as an example of how to perform a PU-3: Take off the battery cap and set the knob to position 3 (that is three clicks from off) then replace the battery cap. That is it, you just did a PU-3.
For those of you interested in changing the power levels from the factory defaults, you will be learning to use the power-up-4 mode (PU-4). See below. The default factory power levels 1 to 6 are: 3mA, 30mA, 90-95mA, 240-250mA, 500mA, 1000mA.
The older Seoul P4 and Cree XR-E 007's run firmware versions Rel 2.X.
The XP-G(2) and XM-L(2) 007s run firmware version Rel 3.X.
There are differences in the various releases and they are noted below.
This is a quick guide to the various Rel 2.X modes, skip to Rel 3.X for the new lights:
power-up-0 = normal change of batteries
power-up-1 = easter eggs
power-up-2 = enable and disable lock mode
power-up-3 = factory reset and calibration
power-up-4 = lower a power level
power-up-5 = raise a power level
power-up-6 = battery level indicator
power-up-0 : normal startup
This should be used for changing the batteries. When you perform a power-up-0 the LED will flash one time and then shut off.
power-up-1 : easter eggs
The easter eggs were a surprise back in the old days as I did not tell anybody how to get to them. Now however they are all detailed in Section 10. Some would even say they should not be called easter eggs, at this point, I kind of agree.
power-up-2 : enable and disable the lock mode
The purpose of the lock mode is so that you can throw the light in your back pack or pocket and not have to worry if the switch gets knocked to an on position. With the light locked it is safe and can not use the battery. The naturally sticky nature of the o-rings can grab the inside of your pants pocket or backpack and turn the light on. If you are going to EDC the 007 in your pocket, take one or both of the o-rings off! Having said that, if you prefer to use the o-rings anyway we added a lock feature to handle it.
Before you can use the lock feature you have to enable it. The power-up-2 mode alternatively enables and disables the lock mode, by default from the factory, it is not enabled. It is also not enabled after a CAL (see power-up-3 below).
To enable the lock mode, perform a power-up-2 - you should see the LED flash one time. Then turn the light off. To then disable the lock mode perform the power-up-2 again; this time you should see the LED flash twice.
Using the lock mode is simple. Start with the light off. Turn the light on (power level 1 only) and off three times quickly and the light will lock. When locked it will run for 20 seconds and shut off. So each time the 007 is turned on you got 20 seconds of use. To unlock the light just use the same sequence again. It is just that simple.
With the light locked, if it switches on in your pack, it will not use much of the battery. If you get it out and forget you had locked it, it will still give you instant light, and that is very important feature of this lock! It is easy to tell if it is in the locked state or not because it runs at 1/2 power and sweeps to the commanded setting.
power-up-3 : factory reset & calibration (CAL)
Perform a power-up-3 if:
-you have changed a power level and want to put the light back to its default settings
-your light is acting strangely
-you have modded the light and put in a new LED
When you perform a power-up-3, the LED starts a quick up and down sweeping for 10 seconds. This is just to let you know that it is about to run the CAL. After 10 seconds, it turns the LED on at about 100mA and starts getting dimmer. It will dim all the way down to the level 1's 2mA and then start raising the LED's output. It slowly records information as it converges on each power level. Once it gets to power level 6 it will start the quick up and down sweeping again for 5 seconds and then come on at power level 3.
When the CAL slowly sweeps through the power levels it records the Vf data and rates for your emitter. This calibration takes a couple minutes and requires new or strong batteries ( batteries that can run the light to the full 1000mA of power ). If you are performing a power-up-3 and the light appears stuck at a level and is flickering pick up the light and hold it in your hand for a few seconds. Remember, when the calibration is finished the light will sweep a few times and then come on to PL3. During a calibration the light does not read the switch position. So if you want to stop it you will have to pull the battery cap off.
power-up-4 : lower a power level
Once you do a power-up-4, you have nine seconds to move the switch to the power level you want to modify. During that nine seconds the LED is sweeping, it sweeps nine times. It does this just so you know you have time to move the knob. So move the knob to the power level you want to modify and wait for the rest of the nine seconds to pass. Watch and you will see the sweeping will cease and the LED will be on steady except every second it will flicker. Each time it flickers it will be a little dimmer. See the chart below to know how much dimmer it gets each time it flickers. When the LED gets to the power you desire simply turn the knob to the off position. At this point the light is back to the normal operating mode.
If after you adjust a few levels, you are not happy with how the light functions, perform a power-up-3.
power-up-5 : raise a power level
The power-up-5 mode works the exact same way as the power-up-4 mode except each time the LED flickers, it is getting brighter.
As an example: Say you want to reduce the power of level 3 from the factory 90mA to a new value of 75mA. You take the battery cap off, then you set the knob to position 4, then you put the battery cap back on and then quickly (within nine seconds) move the knob to position 3. When the LED quits sweeping, it will be powered with exactly 90mA of current. Then count the number of times it flickers. When it has flickered 15 times, turn the knob to the off position. You are done.
If after changing a power level the light does not come on when you turn the knob, perform a power-up-0. If you get confused and the light is not doing what you think it should be doing, perform a power-up-3. This will reset the light to factory levels and do a calibration.
This chart shows how much each level changes each time the LED flickers and what range of adjustment you can perform:
Power______Level+/-_______Range
===================================
1__________<.1mA_________off to 100mA
2__________1mA___________5mA to 100mA
3__________1mA___________5mA to 100mA
4__________5mA___________50mA to 1250mA
5__________5mA___________50mA to 1250mA
6__________5mA___________50mA to 1250mA
power-up-6 : battery level indicator
This meter reads the average voltage of the two batteries. It flashes out three significant digits. So if the voltage is 3.14V It will flash three times then pause then flash one time then pause then flash four times. If one of the digits is a zero, it flashes a very short pulse/strobe burst for that digit. The battery meter has an upper limit of 3.75 volts, so will not work with a Li-Ion battery charged to 4.2 volts.
Demo video.
This is a quick guide to the various Rel 3.X modes: start here for new lights
The big difference with 3.X code is the user can set any knob position to any value they desire and they can do it directly by keying in the current value they desire. One other difference is the addition of the configuration slot feature.
power-up-0 = normal change of batteries
power-up-1 = select configuration slot
power-up-2 = enable and disable lock mode
power-up-3 = factory reset and calibration
power-up-4 = programming levels
power-up-5 = power level report
power-up-6 = battery level indicator
power-up-1 : select config slot
You can change the power levels in your light to values that are more suited to your tastes. Below in the power-up-4 section you will learn how to change the factory settings. The levels set from the factory are practical for everyday use with primary batteries. But say, as an example, you want to set the light for levels that are more practical for camping or backpacking with very low power settings to make one set of batteries last for a long time. You can do this. And once you get a alternate set of levels programmed you may want to save them and easily switch back and forth to factory settings.
The EEPROM memory in the SPY holds 4 complete configurations of the matrix of data needed to run the light. The PU-1 function enables storing and recalling the "active" configuration into the four storage locations. So you can have a total of four configurations preprogrammed and switch between them when ever you want. The light is set to configuration 1 when you get it.
Just do a PU-1 and as the light is flashing, quickly move the knob to position 2. It will do a standard factory calibration for configuration slot 2 and then be ready for use and modification. At this point the light will act just as it did when you got it. Now when you reprogram the light these changes will stay with slot 2.
To put it back to configuration slot 1, do a PU-1 and wait till it quits flashing and turn it off. That is it. There are slots 1 through 4 available.
Another good use for this is to have a "primary battery" low power configuration and a "rechargeable battery" high power setting.
If at any time you forget what is set in one of the configuration slots you can switch to that slot with the PU-1 and then either do a PU-3 and reset it to factory or do a PU-5 and have the light report to you what its settings are.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Video of selecting configurations >>>>>>>>>>>>>> **this is a Tri-V video but it still shows the feature
power-up-2 : enable and disable the lock mode
The purpose of the lock mode is so that you can throw the light in your back pack or pocket and not have to worry if the switch gets knocked to an on position. With the light locked it is safe and can not use the battery. The naturally sticky nature of the o-rings can grab the inside of your pants pocket or backpack and turn the light on. If you are going to EDC the 007 in your pocket, take one or both of the o-rings off! Having said that, if you prefer to use the o-rings anyway we added a lock feature to handle it.
Before you can use the lock feature you have to enable it. The power-up-2 mode alternatively enables and disables the lock mode, by default from the factory, it is not enabled. It is also not enabled after a CAL (see power-up-3 below).
To enable the lock mode, perform a power-up-2 - you should see the LED flash one time. Then turn the light off. To then disable the lock mode perform the power-up-2 again; this time you should see the LED strobe very quickly, that depects a zero.
Using the lock mode is simple. Start with the light off. Turn the light on all the way to power level 6 and back off VERY quickly, the light will lock. When locked it will only flash when turned on. To unlock the light just use the same sequence again. It is just that simple.
power-up-3 : factory reset & calibration (CAL)
Perform a power-up-3 if:
-you have changed a power level and want to put the light back to its default settings
-your light is acting strangely
-you have modded the light and put in a new LED
When you perform a power-up-3, the LED starts a quick up and down sweeping for 10 seconds. This is just to let you know that it is about to run the CAL. After 10 seconds, it turns the LED on at about 100mA and starts getting dimmer. It will dim all the way down to the level 1's 2mA and then start raising the LED's output. It slowly records information as it converges on each power level. Once it gets to power level 6 it will start the quick up and down sweeping again for 5 seconds and then come on at power level 3.
When the CAL slowly sweeps through the power levels it records the Vf data and rates for your emitter. This calibration takes a couple minutes and requires new or strong batteries ( batteries that can run the light to the full 1000mA of power ). If you are performing a power-up-3 and the light appears stuck at a level and is flickering pick up the light and hold it in your hand for a few seconds. Remember, when the calibration is finished the light will sweep a few times and then come on to PL3. During a calibration the light does not read the switch position. So if you want to stop it you will have to pull the battery cap off.
power-up-4 : programming
see Light Engine Programming
power-up-5 : power level report
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Video of power report feature >>>>>>>>>>>>> **this is a Tri-V video but still shows feature
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Light Engine Programming
If you choose to program the 007 you will need to read the following text and view the videos. Of course it is not necessary to ever change the power levels if you are happy with the default factory configuration. But having said that I know some of you will want to play. This really is the point of the 007, it will morph into the light you need, not the one I think you need.
When you make changes to the settings on the 007, there is a progression that you will follow. There are flashes from the LED to let you know you are moving through the stage. First you choose the knob position you want to modify, then you select the power level you want.
The power-up-4, abbreviated as "PU4", lets you select the current [power level] the emitters will run at.
As you enter PU4 the emitter will flash, it will do this for 10 seconds and it is your cue to set the knob position. As the LED is flashing the computer is not looking at the switch so it does not matter what positions you move the knob through. It only matters what position the knob is in when at the end of the 10 seconds when the LED stops flashing (or is fast flashing if you picked P1).
These are the programming steps for setting emitters and power levels:
1. power-up-4
2. while light is flashing, select knob position to modify
3. set the knob to home position P1 (the emitter will be fast flashing to let you know you are there)
4. key in the sequence to set the power level (see definitions below)
5. set knob to the off position P0
6. light will flash for 10 seconds and end (before the light stops flashing you can go back to step 2)
7. if you chose P0, the light will perform a calibration for the settings you modified (this takes several seconds)
8. the light is now ready for use
Knob/Switch position definitions to key in power levels:
• knob position 0 = off
• knob position 1 = home (emitter is fast flashing)
• knob position 2 = add 1mA to total
• knob position 3 = add 10mA to total
• knob position 4 = add 100mA to total
• knob position 5 = add 1000mA to total
• knob position 6 = start dimming to values less than 5mA
If you want to set the power to less than 5mA you MUST use the knob position 6 to do it (keying in less than 5mA will not work). When you are done with step 3 above, turn the knob directly to position 6 and just leave it there (you do not click it back and forth as you do with the lower positions). Simply stay on position 6 and watch as it sets the power to 5mA and then starts getting dimmer and dimmer. It takes a while but when the light output is what you want, turn the knob off.
You can set multiple switch positions with a single power-up-4 by continually selecting various non zero switch positions before the flashing stops.
Q: What would happen if you did the (PU4) but then quickly turned to P0. A: If you did this nothing would be changed in the light's configuration.
Before you start programming, plan out in your head what you want to accomplish. The 007 programming method does not show you what you get till after it is done. You put in mA values and it cals those targets. So it may be a good idea to record on paper what you want to do in advance of actually doing the programming.
In the code stored in the 007 it has tables of various values. The first table lists what the default current will be if you do a factory calibration (Power Up 3). The second table will list the programming limits for each emitter (as an example you can only push the XP-G to 1500 mA).
Default factory calibration values (note only one emitter is on at a time): These default power levels are kid friendly and battery friendly.
• knob position 1: @ 5mA
• knob position 2: @ 30mA
• knob position 3: @ 90mA
• knob position 4: @ 240mA
• knob position 5: @ 500mA
• knob position 6: @ 1000mA
Programming Limit:
• 1400mA for the XP-G2 and 3000 for XM-L and 3300mA for XM-L2
Duty cycle limit is 1000mA. This is the upper limit for running at 100% duty cycle. Any programmed value beyond this limit will only run for 30-40 seconds before it is automatically pulled back to 1000mA.
Once the emitter is pulled back to this limit it will be held there till you turn the light off. This gets a little detailed and I will try to explain as best I can. Consider this scenario. You program the light to run at 1400mA and turn it on. It will run at 1400 for 30 seconds then it will slowly cut back over the next 15 seconds to 1000mA and stay there till you switch to another position or turn the light off. If you do switch to another position but do not turn the light off, it will instantly go to its programmed setting but will start instantly cutting back to its 100%DCL. If you quickly turn the light off and back to the spot, the entire sequence will start over. So understand if you turn the light off it has no memory to tell it that it may already be hot! Beware of this and react accordingly. Yes the light has it's own over heating cutback protection but I would not want to push this.
The fundamental issue is to manage all this extreme heating in this insanely small thermal mass. Those power users of you out there that want to crank the light beyond the factory configuration, please do so, but keep the light in your hand and learn how quick it heats up on various settings and on the various emitters. And react accordingly.
IMR batteries example:
If you have gotten the red IMR cells and have fully charged them then this is an example of how to set position 6 to the maximum value.
PU4
quickly go to P6
wait till pulsing stops
P1 (observe quick strobe)
P5
P4
P5
P4
P5
P0
wait till pulsing stops, light cals level 6 to 3000 and then light shuts off
After programming the light, make sure you got the setting you are trying for by checking it with a PU5
Remember to use this level of power cautiously. It will heat up fast. Never give the light to anyone else while it is set at this high-level unless you are sure they know what they're dealing with.
It is your responsibility to make sure the light does not get too hot. Only use new matched pair batteries. Keep the matched pairs labeled and never use them in another flashlight individually.
If you have the newer SPY 007 XM-L2 then do one more P5 P4 cycle. That will set the level to 3300mA, that is because anything over the maximum of 3300 is not aloud.
First and foremost, if your light acts up you need to replace the batteries with two brand new primary lithium batteries - preferably Surefire. Secondly, execute the CAL sequence (see power-up-3 in the programming section). Even if you did not think you changed the power levels (it can happen by accident). Thirdly, make sure there is no moisture inside the light. To do this open the light and set it in a warm place for 12 hours. A good place is on top of your computer monitor. If these steps do not remedy the problem please contact Cool Fall Inc.
The 007 will have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser of the light. There are a few exceptions due to abuse and leaking batteries. My intention is for the purchaser to enjoy the 007 and appreciate what went into its creation. If you like it, don't hesitate to EDC it, as the SPY is engineered to last.
Also, as was with the 005 the 007 is intrinsically designed to live through current LED technology and be upgradeable to newer emitters . Cool Fall does not offer upgrade services but a few of the CPF modders do. Please be advised that modding the light voids its warranty.
