Nitecore DI Delay when lighting

sixfellas

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
36
Got a quick question for you other NDI owners out there. I recently recieved mine. Do any of you see a slight delay (around 0.1-0.2 second) when powering up your light. I'm just wondering if this slight hesitation is normal for the light or do I have something going on. It happens in both user defined mode, strobe, and max with all battery types (NiMH, Alk, Li-ion). Any input would be appreciated. Thanks
 

sixfellas

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
36
Messing around with it a bit more. Only see the delay when using the momentary within about 5-6 seconds. Otherwise no delay in lighting at all. Weirdness.
 
Last edited:

Kilovolt

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
2,401
Location
Lake Como, Italy
No, mine does not do that. The only delay happens when you use the light on user defined mode, switch it off and change to high level. In this case the light comes on still on user defined level and switches to high after a very short while. This is normal.
 

Crenshaw

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
4,308
Location
Singapore
I know exactly what you are talking about, there is a slight "powerup" thing when you go from off to full....very very short...but it doesnt really affect normal usage...so it doesnt bother me..:)

Crenshaw
 

gadgetnerd

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Messages
786
Location
Brisbane, Australia
The only "delay" I get is that caused by the switch itself, ie the light ramps through increasing levels until the switch is fully pressed. Both my NDIs do it, with either of their replacement switches. This is the single most annoying trait of an otherwise brilliant torch.
 

Lite_me

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
1,992
Location
Northern OH
The only "delay" I get is that caused by the switch itself, ie the light ramps through increasing levels until the switch is fully pressed.
My 'first batch' NDI did this at first, but the more I used it the better it got. Now it hardly flickers at all. :D
 

Fallingwater

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 11, 2005
Messages
3,323
Location
Trieste, Italy
Mine only delays when switched on in maximum power mode after it was switched off in user mode.
Other than that, no delays whatsoever, and no ramping either.
 

BabyDoc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,245
Location
Beachwood, Ohio
This delay only occurs when switching from the user defined mode to the high/strobe mode. There is a reason for this 0.5 second delay.

With the light on, when in the user defined mode, if you quickly tighten and loosen the head within 0.5 seconds, the light will start ramping so that you can select your user defined light level. If you tighten the head and wait longer than 0.5 sec the light then switches to high mode. Without the 0.5 second time delay, there is no way the light will know what you are about to do after you have tightened the head. Will you be quickly loosening it to start ramping, or will you be leaving it tight to get it into High Mode? It is giving you the time to make that choice. With the light on, once you have changed modes from user defined mode to high (you tighted the head and waited the 0.5 sec delay for it to go bright),you can turn the light off and back on repetively and there is never a delay for the high mode to turn on.

If the light is turned off in user defined mode, you tighten the head to get the light ready to turn on in high mode the next time you push the tail switch, the light will again wait 0.5 sec after turning it on before it swithes from the user defined level to high. Again it doesn't know if you will be quickly loosening to get the light to start ramping in the user defined mode, or leaving it tight to stay in high. Again it is giving you time to make that choice, if you want to do so, although most people will be just leaving it tightened in high.

The bottom line of all this is there is nothing wrong with the light or the user interface. If you want your light to go on instantly in high, let it make the transition to high and leave the head tightened. Repeated switching after that will give you an instant on in high.
 
Last edited:

Ogg Vorbis

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
147
Location
West Yorkshire, England
Something i found when playing with my ver2 NDI was in high mode, if you slowly press the clicky in until it turns on, but before it clicks on, if you continue to slowly press it, the light goes off again. If at this point you click the switch the rest of the way in the light goes into a kind of beacon mode and flashes on and off real slowly

I think it has something to do with this delay of trying to think which mode it's in...

Dan
 

Crenshaw

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
4,308
Location
Singapore
This delay only occurs when switching from the user defined mode to the high/strobe mode. There is a reason for this 0.5 second delay.

With the light on, when in the user defined mode, if you quickly tighten and loosen the head within 0.5 seconds, the light will start ramping so that you can select your user defined light level. If you tighten the head and wait longer than 0.5 sec the light then switches to high mode. Without the 0.5 second time delay, there is no way the light will know what you are about to do after you have tightened the head. Will you be quickly loosening it to start ramping, or will you be leaving it tight to get it into High Mode? It is giving you the time to make that choice. With the light on, once you have changed modes from user defined mode to high (you tighted the head and waited the 0.5 sec delay for it to go bright),you can turn the light off and back on repetively and there is never a delay for the high mode to turn on.

If the light is turned off in user defined mode, you tighten the head to get the light ready to turn on in high mode the next time you push the tail switch, the light will again wait 0.5 sec after turning it on before it swithes from the user defined level to high. Again it doesn't know if you will be quickly loosening to get the light to start ramping in the user defined mode, or leaving it tight to stay in high. Again it is giving you time to make that choice, if you want to do so, although most people will be just leaving it tightened in high.

The bottom line of all this is there is nothing wrong with the light or the user interface. If you want your light to go on instantly in high, let it make the transition to high and leave the head tightened. Repeated switching after that will give you an instant on in high.

he isnt talking about the delay when switching from user defined output to max. He is talking about the maybe 0.1 second when you go from off to max in turbo mode. If you watch WadeF's video, you can see its as if the light is "pulsing" when he demonstrates the "tactical" ability of the light. :)

ogg vorbis..

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/187206

:)

Crenshaw
 

BabyDoc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,245
Location
Beachwood, Ohio
he isnt talking about the delay when switching from user defined output to max. He is talking about the maybe 0.1 second when you go from off to max in turbo mode. If you watch WadeF's video, you can see its as if the light is "pulsing" when he demonstrates the "tactical" ability of the light. :)

ogg vorbis..

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/187206

:)

Crenshaw
I don't see any delay when going from off to high, except as I noted in my post. I have a second run light and use NIMH and primaries . It could be different from the first run lights. (BTW, I didn't see a video in the thread listed above, nor does that thread seem to be talking about a delay issue, just a flicker issue with light switch presses.)
 
Last edited:

Crenshaw

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
4,308
Location
Singapore
yeah, they are both different issues. It may not be a problem with all the lights, agreed.

Crenshaw
 

BabyDoc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,245
Location
Beachwood, Ohio
Something i found when playing with my ver2 NDI was in high mode, if you slowly press the clicky in until it turns on, but before it clicks on, if you continue to slowly press it, the light goes off again. If at this point you click the switch the rest of the way in the light goes into a kind of beacon mode and flashes on and off real slowly

I think it has something to do with this delay of trying to think which mode it's in...

Dan

Dan, be sure that your head is completely tightened. I have found that my light does some funny things in high when it is only partially switched into high. It will occasionally strobe when going into user defined mode if the head isn't tightened in high to begin with. Nevertheless, I tried to duplicate what you have experienced, and can't get slow on and off flashing with the switch clicked all the way on. I just get a bit of flickering when slowly pushing the switch in. (The latter doesn't surpise me because this switch is a bit sloppy and is probably making irregular contact as it is being moved inward.) Now, could the issue of the slight delay when powering up any of the modes (a separate issue?) be because this tail swich is so sloppy in its movement and contact? Could it depend partially, too, on how fast you click on the light? I would imagine, if this were true, that the delay would lessen if the switch were more quickly pressed in.
 
Last edited:

sixfellas

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
36
This delay is very short, has nothing to do with the .5 second delay upon tightening the head from user defined mode with the light off. In addition, it only happens with a subsequent push of the button, similar to if you would be signaling, if you wait 5-6 seconds, the first burst is bull brightness right off the bat, second, third etc bursts within 5 seconds show a delay in lighting.

Additionally, It is not related to the switch. it also happens when you use the back cap as a "twisty". meaning have the switch engadged, and loosen and tighten the back cap to turn the light on and off.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clearer in prior post.
 

Ogg Vorbis

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
147
Location
West Yorkshire, England
Dan, be sure that your head is completely tightened. I have found that my light does some funny things in high when it is only partially switched into high. It will occasionally strobe when going into user defined mode if the head isn't tightened in high to begin with. Nevertheless, I tried to duplicate what you have experienced, and can't get slow on and off flashing with the switch clicked all the way on. I just get a bit of flickering when slowly pushing the switch in. (The latter doesn't surpise me because this switch is a bit sloppy and is probably making irregular contact as it is being moved inward.) Now, could the issue of the slight delay when powering up any of the modes (a separate issue?) be because this tail swich is so sloppy in its movement and contact? Could it depend partially, too, on how fast you click on the light? I would imagine, if this were true, that the delay would lessen if the switch were more quickly pressed in.

Sussed it... i replaced the switch with the spare that came in the box and i couldn't replicate the action again. So to make sure i put the old switch back in and i got the same result as before... so as you say the switch is very sloppy.

While i had the two switches out i held them in both hands and activated them simultaneously and they feel very different from one another.

I decided to keep the old switch in there though simply cause it felt better, and the beacon "may come in useful?"

I also changed the cover for a GITD one!

Dan
 

BabyDoc

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 29, 2008
Messages
1,245
Location
Beachwood, Ohio
This delay is very short, has nothing to do with the .5 second delay upon tightening the head from user defined mode with the light off. In addition, it only happens with a subsequent push of the button, similar to if you would be signaling, if you wait 5-6 seconds, the first burst is bull brightness right off the bat, second, third etc bursts within 5 seconds show a delay in lighting.

Additionally, It is not related to the switch. it also happens when you use the back cap as a "twisty". meaning have the switch engadged, and loosen and tighten the back cap to turn the light on and off.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clearer in prior post.

This thread is a bit confusing. It sounds like we are talking about 3 different issues. To clarify, I guess the 3 different issues running through this thread seem to be: 1) your issue which seems to be a difference in the repetive output obtained from repetitive off/on operations whether with the clicking the tailcap switch or twisting the tailcap from loose to tight 2) my explanation of the normal delay seen when switching from user defined mode to high 3) Og Orbis's issue with a faulty switch causing the light to strangely flicker and go into a slow beacon mode.

Fortunately, my light is only exhibiting the normal delay (2). Is your light, which is exhibiting the first issue, a light from the first run or 2nd.? Does this declining output happen with fresh, full capacity cells? It sounds like the cells could be slightly weak. If they are a bit weak, the load of repetive turn on/offs could cause output to drop. You wait 5 seconds before switching, and the cell recovers a bit. If the cell is weak, the regulated circuit can only do so much to keep the output constant. If your cells are fresh, I have no idea what's going on. Is anybody else experiencing the same problem (1), as SixFellas?
 

sixfellas

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Apr 12, 2007
Messages
36
It is a Gen 2 from a Hong Kong dealer. Threads look nickel plated.

As I said before this happens with all types of cells. It is not switch related (tried both switches and the loosening the tail cap method). It is more visible in a reflection such as a window (indirect) if you want to check yours out. happens in all modes, even strobe.
 
Top