Sunwayman D40A (XM-L2, 4xAA) Review: RUNTIMES, BEAMSHOTS, VIDEO + more

[mrettercap]

Just picked up one of these myself from Illumination Supply with their 30% coupon.

I am super stoked for it to arrive; as always, brilliant(!) and thorough review, SB.

 

[beemer]

I received my d40a in neutral white from Illumn and noticed a quirk, when I activate moonlight mode (by holding power from off) and hit the power button to turn it off it steps down to an extremely low mode that can only be seen if you look at the led directly. it is lower than the lowest mode from my Debralight sc52w. You can't turn off the light once this cycle starts because it just switches between normal moonlight and the super low one when i hit power. i have to either press mode then power, or lock the light out (physically or electronically) to get it to turn off.

Does anybody else have this same problem on their model? Should i send my light back?

 

[selfbuilt]

I received my d40a in neutral white from Illumn and noticed a quirk, when I activate moonlight mode (by holding power from off) and hit the power button to turn it off it steps down to an extremely low mode that can only be seen if you look at the led directly. it is lower than the lowest mode from my Debralight sc52w. You can't turn off the light once this cycle starts because it just switches between normal moonlight and the super low one when i hit power. i have to either press mode then power, or lock the light out (physically or electronically) to get it to turn off.

I have not seen this on any D40 that I have tested, but it is an issue that has cropped up from time to time on various lights (especially ones with a moonlight mode). It would seem to indicate a circuit fault where a tiny amount of current is still being drawn when switching off from moonlight. As you say, breaking the current is the only way to stop it.

Not knowing what the drain level is, it is hard to advise - although I would suggest doing a quick loosen/tighten of the head to break this effect when it occurs. If it concerns you, I would see about returning the light.

 

[SubLGT]

………….Anodizing is flat matte black, hard anodized (i.e., type III), with no obvious chips or damage on my sample. Sunwayman has always had top-notch anodizing (although I personally miss the natural finish look). ………………………….

The anodizing on the D40A I received today is certainly not top notch. The bottom section of the flashlight has even, but thin looking anodizing, and the top section has thin and mottled looking anodizing. I see much better looking anodizing on my flashlights from Fenix, Zebralight, and Olight. But other than that flaw, and the rainbow output from the XM-L2 emitter, I like this flashlight a lot.

 

[bluecrush]

I like this light, but would it be overkill for in and around the house?

 

[kj2]

I like this light, but would it be overkill for in and around the house?

On the highest setting, yes. But on the lower it's a great light. Specially with the moonlight mode.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I like this light, but would it be overkill for in and around the house?

No, but it's a bit heavy and there are other lights that I use around the house--EagleTac D25C Ti clicky, my Sunwayman V11R, my Convoy lights and even my little AA L3 L10 and AAA Olight i3s.

Chris

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

I received my d40a in neutral white from Illumn and noticed a quirk, when I activate moonlight mode (by holding power from off) and hit the power button to turn it off it steps down to an extremely low mode that can only be seen if you look at the led directly. it is lower than the lowest mode from my Debralight sc52w. You can't turn off the light once this cycle starts because it just switches between normal moonlight and the super low one when i hit power. i have to either press mode then power, or lock the light out (physically or electronically) to get it to turn off.

Does anybody else have this same problem on their model? Should i send my light back?

I just received my D40A Neutral White, and I tested it and found the same issue. An extremely dim moonlight mode, which only occurs when turning the light off directly from the "real" moonlight mode. Turning off from the regular modes doesn't activate the "super dim" moonlight.

Maybe it only affects neutral white versions of this model? Anyone else notice it?

It doesn't concern me, with the possible exception of it increasing the parasitic drain. Has anyone else tested this, and measured the current draw from it? This light is tricky to set up for current tests, so I haven't tested it myself. But based on my Zebralight SC52w-L2, it has a draw of 2mA on the lowest moonlight. So, the D40A has to be quite a bit less than that.

Probably not an issue, unless it's in storage for a few months, but I'm curious to know.

I'll see if it's bright enough to use as a locator in the middle of the night.


Update:

It does work as a locator for a very dark area with fully night-adapted eyes. But, you have to be viewing at least the "spill" area of light. The "hot spot" is actually quite bright when looking directly at it, but that's because it is so focused. Obviously, you can't illuminate anything with this "ultra firely" mode, but if you place the light aimed at you before going to sleep, you'll be able to easily find it.

The brightness, when looking directly into it, is about the same level of brightness as a GITD indicator after a few hours. However, it looks brighter, because it shows up as the entire 40mm lens.

I have noticed that it appears to enter this "ultra firefly" mode when shutting it off on modes other than moonlight, especially if it's been on for awhile. In these cases, it appears even dimmer. Very difficult to see, but possible with dark-adapted vision and looking closely right into the lens.

I wonder if this is a consequence of how Sunwayman designed the electronic circuit. Maybe the same current needed for the electronic switch is also still going through the LED?

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Okay, I used an external power supply to do some current measurements.

As an update to my previous post, I don't think the "super dim firefly" mode is triggered when turning off from any mode other than moonlight. I am unable to reproduce it from any other mode than moonlight, so I think it was either an afterimage on my retina, or just my imagination.

Anyway, the "super dim firefly" mode definitely occurs when turning the light off from moonlight, and is backed up by my following current measurements.

My power source measures 4.97v. This corresponds to NiMH cells that have about 40% charge. Due to very thin wires, I only measured low-drain modes.

Off: 60uA (includes turning off from non-moonlight modes)


Off from moonlight: 247uA (very dim glow from LED)


Moonlight: 4.8mA


Low: 53mA

It's interesting that my standby drain is higher than what selfbuilt measured. (Perhaps I was testing with a lower voltage, or more likely just individual variation.) But I measured it several times, and it always came out to 60uA. This is still insignificant, and it would take 3.8 years to drain 2000mA Eneloops.

The "super dim firefly" mode actually measures about 1.8mA for a few seconds, before dropping to 247uA. Anyway, it would take almost a year to drain 2000mA Eneloops at that rate. So, again, it's not a very significant drain, but if you're storing your light for months, it's probably better to turn it off from one of the normal (non moonlight) modes. Or unscrew the tailcap a half-turn to eliminate all drain.

Moonlight mode and low mode drains are as expected. I didn't measure higher modes.

I'd be interested to know if the "super dim firefly" mode is common on the neutral white D40A's. Or, what the current draw is on any of the D40A's when turning off from moonlight.

 

[selfbuilt]

I'd be interested to know if the "super dim firefly" mode is common on the neutral white D40A's. Or, what the current draw is on any of the D40A's when turning off from moonlight.

Thanks for doing the tests. I've seen other reports over the years, on various lights, of ultra-dim levels being produced when trying to shut-down from moonlight. These all seem to involve residual ultra-low currents, so your measures seem believable.

As an aside, I note the behaviour and magnitude of the current you describe in the "ultra-dim" mode is very similar to what I measured for entering into the lock-out mode. I wonder if some sort of cross-over effect is occurring. But I would have to leave it to the experts with more knowledge of circuit function to explain why this occurs.

I bought a NW version shortly after they were first released, and haven't seen any issues on that sample.

 

[WalkIntoTheLight]

Thanks for doing the tests. I've seen other reports over the years, on various lights, of ultra-dim levels being produced when trying to shut-down from moonlight. These all seem to involve residual ultra-low currents, so your measures seem believable.

I bought a NW version shortly after they were first released, and haven't seen any issues on that sample.

Interesting. Did you measure the standby current on the NW version?

I retested my standby current with a 5.78v supply, and it came to 69uA. (Higher than the 60uA with a 4.97v supply, which I think is to be expected, based on the differences you tested on SC52's when using AA vs 14500.)

But the 60-69uA is much higher than your reported 11uA (and I've seen 11uA mentioned in another review as well). I'm curious if it's just the "ultra-low moonlight" versions of the light which have a greater standby current as well. Perhaps Sunwayman is using different chips in later manufacturing runs of the light, which may be the cause of the moonlight "feature".

As an aside, I note the behaviour and magnitude of the current you describe in the "ultra-dim" mode is very similar to what I measured for entering into the lock-out mode. I wonder if some sort of cross-over effect is occurring. But I would have to leave it to the experts with more knowledge of circuit function to explain why this occurs.

Yes, I noticed when I did that, it was similar to your lockout drain. My light doesn't show any LED glow when in lockout, though. It does make me curious how they're running the current through the light when off, locked-out, and sub-moonlight.

Anyway, I'm not too concerned about it. The sub-moonlight mode is a bit of a neat feature to find the light in total darkness. Last night I tested the output (with fully dark-adapted vision in a very dark room). It was just bright enough to illuminate some white paper when held an inch or two away. No chance of reading anything written on the paper, but it gives someone the idea of the brightness. Way, way, dimmer than the SC52's dimmest moonlight setting. About as bright as a 40mm round piece of GITD indicator after being without light for a few hours.

 

[selfbuilt]

Interesting. Did you measure the standby current on the NW version?

Sorry, no.

 

[RemcoM]

Sorry, no.

Are beacon, police signal, SOS, and strobe, at maximum output. It seems like, with mine, but not 100 percent sure.

 

[selfbuilt]

Are beacon, police signal, SOS, and strobe, at maximum output. It seems like, with mine, but not 100 percent sure.

I believe so, but it's not easy to measure.

 

[not a fighter]

Received the light a few days ago. It is very nicely made and a joy to hold. Noticed the "ultra firefly" on it too. Another thing is accidental activation of the strobe. Change modes too quickly and there it is.

Quick question: How does the lanyard work with this? Am I supposed to use the hook for the hole? I hesitate to do that as I worry metal-on-metal will scratch the light or affect the anodizing. Is there another way to do it? Thanks!

Oh, and great review! It made me buy this one (although the Thrunite TN4A remains my second favourite light).

 

[selfbuilt]

Received the light a few days ago. It is very nicely made and a joy to hold. Noticed the "ultra firefly" on it too. Another thing is accidental activation of the strobe. Change modes too quickly and there it is.
Quick question: How does the lanyard work with this? Am I supposed to use the hook for the hole? I hesitate to do that as I worry metal-on-metal will scratch the light or affect the anodizing. Is there another way to do it? Thanks!

It's a good point about the strobe. As for the lanyard, yes, you are supposed to clip it to the hole. It may indeed the wear the finish somewhat over time.

 

[Thrower]

Does anybody else have this same problem on their model? Should i send my light back?

Yes, I tested my new D40a tonight and was able to reproduce this ultra-low mode just as you said - switch the light off while in firefly mode.

To confirm that it wasn't a trick of my eyes, I put the bezel directly up to my eye, sealed where the bezel met my orbit with one hand - and then unscrewed the back with the other. I did this twice - and both times - the glow stopped immediately.

It's unlikely that I could see the effect without complete darkness and my eyes at least somewhat adjusted to the dark. It's an extremely faint glow.

As to whether you should return it, well, I'm not planning on it. This light most closely fits my needs and I'll seldom use firefly mode, so I'll be unlikely to cause this mode to occur in real life usage. I'm not wild about the side-mount for the paracord, but the light levels, batteries, beam focus, CRI & form factor are near ideal for my use, so I can overlook a wonky lanyard placement and a glow-mode that won't likely get triggered in the course of my normal use. If I used firefly more, then it might bother me.

** Edit **
And now for the odd part. I liked mine so much that I got one for my wife. I just tested hers tonight and it does NOT do the ultra-low, or to be more precise, it does have the ultra-low glow-mode when switched off from firefly mode, but the glow winks out within ~3 seconds. So perhaps Sunwayman revisioned the light, or perhaps not all of the lights had that characteristic. Both D40a were tested with fresh Eneloop PRO properly charged with a Powerex MC-C9000 charger operating at 300ma/h

 

[Mukherjee]

Hi selfbuilt very nice review thanks. i would just like to mention you have missed something out in the ui, with the light off (not in lockout) you have instant access to turbo mode by a fast double click of the power button.. and then you can switch power levels with the mode button as usual . this is a great light imo.. my ea4 now sits on the shelf.

How is your sunwayman d40a going? Will you suggest that to others? I need a flashlight for trips to places where electricity is still not available.

 

[xevious]

Very interesting about this ultra-low moonlight mode. Mine has it. Easy to invoke.

But I found a peculiarity... because I'd start with moonlight, turn off and verify ultra-low, turn back on to normal brightness, turn off... and find the ultra-low moonlight comes back on again. I reproduced it a couple times, then couldn't any more. When it did come on, clicking on the mode button once actually turned it off.

Anyway, going on 5.5 years since release and this light still holds its own. Super end-of-year discount brought it down to $35 shipped. Seriously good value! Excellent throw and spill. NW tint is very nice. My only gripe with this light is that ramping descends rather than ascends. But everything else makes up for it.

 

[not a fighter]

I've had this for a few years now. It's really nicely made and will be useful for a long time. But since it is my most expensive (and cherished) light I rarely take it out and use it. Better use the beaten-up old ones for that. I'm a fool.