Calipsoii Multi-Mode A2 LED Ring - first impressions - with photos

I'm very appreciative to Mike for allowing me to 'test' his cool new creation - the multi-mode A2 LED ring. My belief is that Mike listened carefully to the forum members and endeavored to incorporate our ideas and wants into this little product.

I'll spare you photos of the installation of the ring - suffice it to say that, if you follow Mike's very simple instructions and caveats, the installation is SO easy. Probably took me a couple of minutes. I won't bore you with details, but if you want more detailed information, you can visit Calipsoii's sales thread HERE.

Operation is very simple - although I have to thank my buddy Scout24 for giving me a tutorial! My philosophy is "if all else fails, read the instructions" so I had not read any of Mike's instructions, but with a few text messages and a couple of tweaks, everything was working perfectly, so thanks for the instructions, Greg!

And that's the initial 'kudos' to Mike. This is a custom modification to a very old light - I'm very impressed at how easy it is to use right out of the chute.

So to the operation: switching modes is simple - let's assume that we are 'on' in the single LED mode - from 'on', simply "press press press" the button (likewise, you can twist on and off, but I prefer the press method and won't mention the twist again) and the LEDs switch to the next mode, in this case having 2 LEDs lit. Press press press again, and it switches to 3 LEDs. Press press press again, back to 1 LED. Etc., etc., - you get it!

As for what is even more valuable to me, the 'ramping' ability, that's just as easy. From any LED combination, simply press press/hold - you'll see the LED(s) start ramping DOWN - they'll continue to ramp down until they reach the lowest setting, then flash. If you continue to hold the button, the LEDs will jump back to the highest setting, then begin ramping down again. When you've reached the level you like, simply release the button. The next time you depress the button the LED(s) will be in the 'saved' position you just created.

You can set different levels for each of the 3 combinations - single LED, double LEDs, or all three LEDs. I set mine up with the single LED on the lowest level - it's a great uber low glow for moving around the house without disturbing my wife.
The double LEDs are just barely brighter - if I start down the stairs in the middle of the night, they give just enough additional glow to see my way.
I have the 3 LED combination at full brightness - it makes a great flood - much like the single mode ring - and is perfect for those times when you need more light inside, but don't need the center lamp.

So without subjecting you to too much more of my verbosity - let's see some photos!

First, I dropped the level of all three LEDs down to the lowest - it's easy and quick to do so - and I wanted to show you the difference between the Calipsoii single mode ring in warm white, and the multi mode ring (also with all 3 LEDs in warm white, by the way.)


Then I adjusted the multi mode to full brightness...


Here's the single LED at the lowest setting - not an easy photo to capture!


And the subsequent warm glow that you can barely see against the white background


Now for the 2 LED setting - and these are at an output level about 40-50%% higher than the lowest setting


And the resulting white wall shot


Finally, the 3 LED setting with them running 'wide open


And the obligatory white wall shot....:devil:


Pretty cool, huh?

My honest impressions? Awesome. I've heard some express concerns that the modes are too easy to switch, or that they would prefer to have more than just the 3 presses required to switch modes. I think these concerns speak more to the A2 interface than to the ring itself. The only time I've had any issues with accidental switching was when I was carrying the light in my pocket - odds are that it encountered a few unintended button presses in the pocket. Carrying it via the clip would likely eliminate this problem - I really don't want to have to do any more clicks! Or one could just unscrew the tail cap a bit to lock out the switch completely.

It is very easy and intuitive for me to switch modes, etc., just the way it is. If I am fortunate to be able to hold on to this ring, I'll be happy with it just the way it is.

So the verdict? Outstanding! :twothumbs Thanks, Mike, for breathing new life into the venerable old A2!

it's like an Aviatrix but better! well done Calipsoii!

Excellent photo-review of the calipsoii ww-color ring. I have a single-mode one, which is amazing - it's 1000% better than the stock SF, as I posted in calipsoii's thread.

Now this multi-mode version is irresistable. These rings are the best accessory ever made for the A2, IMO.

For the review, Dan, as well as to Mike for the awesome rings! I've set aside my beloved, go-to low level light for the past week, my Titan, and been using my A2 with the programmable ring exclusively for not only getting ready for work in the morning and midnight refrigerator recon, but for pretty much everything. This has been tough, what with the arrival of new McGizmo Titanium, but I've given the A2 and Mike's ring a serious workout. Need super dim? One LED on low is just a HAIR above Titan low. Want a bit brighter for checking on the kids/pets/ make sure you locked a door without stubbing your toes or blinding yourself? Two LED's around 1/3 power is perfect. Oops, too bright? No problem, press, press hold and ramping down through a whole lot of levels begins. Full blast from the ring? No problem. Just a few presses and a hold away. Oh yeah, the A2's incan main beam is not too shabby, either, giving me decent reach driving around at 4:30 AM...

Dan's pictures are trying to do the near impossible, capturing a head-on shot that really tells the story here. Well done! As close to what the eye sees as you can get... When Mike releases these for sale, run, don't walk to get on his list. These should sell like hotcakes! Such a HUGE improvement/ addition to an already great all-around light, contributing super versatility, in your choice of colors to meet almost any perceived need.

I'm eagerly waiting the results of his runtime testing to see how long one of these will run on low, I'm thinking an efficient emergency light on LED's, with that incan punch readily available.

I'm already trying to decide on the emitter combo for my second ring...

*Just a note- this works just as well if not better as a twisty, I realized above that I was limiting my description of operation to presses and holds...*

There are some lights that sell accessories - once you have a C2 or 6P, you start getting different tail-switches, bezels, lenses, filters, drop-ins, etc - but this is actually an accessory that will sell lights!

Having used the calipsoii multi-mode ring for a while now, I keep thinking that the two A2's I have now are not going to be sufficient ... I will probably need to get some more of these soon

BTW, I don't know if he is following this thread yet, but I wonder if he has (or can get) Amber LEDs? I, too, am trying to decide on another funky color combo for the next ring :devil:

EDIT: For anyone trying to decide on colors, mine is 1xRed/2xBlue - the single red is really low and a great "ruby-red" color (not pinkish or orange), while the blues are super-bright with impressive throw for little 5mm LEDs. Surprisingly perhaps, the beam-pattern on the 2-LED mode is pretty evenly round beyond just a few inches, despite the "lopsided" positioning and the "perforated" reflector. :thinking: Much better actually than my stock SF YG ring.

run4jc, I always enjoy reading your mini-reviews and this is no exception. Thanks for the kind words and for agreeing to run one of these through it's paces. :twothumbs I'm more confident about them now that a couple people are using them without any show-stopping issues.

Thanks too to scout24 and archimedes! You two have given them a good run-through and I'm happy to hear you like them. I have amber LED's on order, along with some cyan's.

Dan's touched on the one thing that still bothers me a bit - changing modes. Fellow CPF'er syncytial summed it up perfectly: "... if used in a deliberate way works very well. Casual changes and switch bounce can lead to unexpected mode changes and ramping."

Since we're modifying an existing light, we have to work within the constraints of that light. In this case, that constraint is the tailcap. The ring's doing exactly what the tailcap is telling it to do, which isn't always a good thing. Occasionally the switch will get pressed while in my pocket and then when I turn the light on 24 hours later, it's suddenly and unexpectedly ramping. The way to get around this is to have a timeout: if the light is turned on for a split second in your pocket, then turned back off for 1 minute, don't count that original click. The only way to monitor this would be to have the microcontroller running, which requires power (aka parasitic drain), except there isn't any because that's not how the light was designed, bringing us back to constraints.

Like run4jc has said though, increasing the number of clicks to perform a command will (probably) eliminate the accidental pocket presses, but now you have a light with a UI that tires your thumb out just trying to use it. It's a fine balance - you normally don't want to make something harder to use 90% of the time to fix a problem that occurs 10% of the time, but that depends on how bad the problem is.

Enough babbling though! I just wanted to stop in and say thanks for run4jc for his hard work putting this together and all the beta testers who offered up their A2's and free time to test these out. Thanks all!

Cheers!
- calipsoii

I have noticed an unintended, design mandated feature which I've become a fan of. Most noticeable with one LED lit, less so with two, but still there... Given how the LED's are arranged in the reflector, they are closer to the bezel than the center. If you have one lit, and rotate the light, there is an obvious cutoff on the bezel side, and more spill available toward the center of the reflector. This allows you to keep the bezel side up while walking, say, and have a greater amount of flood down near your feet where needed, but still have nice output farther out in front of you. This is by no means a hinderance when using the light for up close work, or for ceiling bounce, just a nice addition when walking. It allows the use of lower levels (for me) than may ordinarily be required, extending runtime. Been a week, and I'm still on the first set of batteries. Touching on the tailcap and unexpected/unintended ramping or mode switching, deliberate use as a twisty with a half-turn past off when pocketed and carried has pretty much eliminated that issue for me. I did buy a Ripoff's brand belt holster for this light which seems to work well for carry, too, and not affect the tailcap as much as carrying it in my pocket. Allows for bezel down or up carry, I'll post the model number later.

EDIT- Ripoffs model number CO-153.

scout24 said:

I have noticed an unintended, design mandated feature which I've become a fan of. Most noticeable with one LED lit, less so with two, but still there... Given how the LED's are arranged in the reflector, they are closer to the bezel than the center. If you have one lit, and rotate the light, there is an obvious cutoff on the bezel side, and more spill available toward the center of the reflector. This allows you to keep the bezel side up while walking, say, and have a greater amount of flood down near your feet where needed, but still have nice output farther out in front of you. This is by no means a hinderance when using the light for up close work, or for ceiling bounce, just a nice addition when walking. It allows the use of lower levels (for me) than may ordinarily be required, extending runtime. Been a week, and I'm still on the first set of batteries. Touching on the tailcap and unexpected/unintended ramping or mode switching, deliberate use as a twisty with a half-turn past off when pocketed and carried has pretty much eliminated that issue for me. I did buy a Ripoff's brand belt holster for this light which seems to work well for carry, too, and not affect the tailcap as much as carrying it in my pocket. Allows for bezel down or up carry, I'll post the model number later.

EDIT- Ripoffs model number CO-153.

Click to expand...

Although I didn't mention it earlier, this is the reason I chose to align my single (red) LED with the "caution hot surface" mark on the A2 bezel - if this is pointed up, more flood is down, and vice-versa when switched to 2-LED mode.

I also agree on the lockout issue, if one is in the habit of locking-out the tail, less problem with inadvertent mode changes.

Runtime seems really efficient on the LED driver, especially at lower levels. I'm still on my first set of primaries, as well. Although the formal runtime test is in progress, I'll put these on my ZTS and see where they are at, after a couple weeks of nearly constant (intermittent) use ....

EDIT: Very unscientific, of course (since use has been intermittent, and I didn't even start with fresh cells), but my primaries are only down to approximately 60% after almost two weeks of frequent daily use, including a fair amount of incandescent operation.

scout24 said:

I have noticed an unintended, design mandated feature which I've become a fan of. Most noticeable with one LED lit, less so with two, but still there... Given how the LED's are arranged in the reflector, they are closer to the bezel than the center. If you have one lit, and rotate the light, there is an obvious cutoff on the bezel side, and more spill available toward the center of the reflector. This allows you to keep the bezel side up while walking, say, and have a greater amount of flood down near your feet where needed, but still have nice output farther out in front of you. This is by no means a hinderance when using the light for up close work, or for ceiling bounce, just a nice addition when walking. It allows the use of lower levels (for me) than may ordinarily be required, extending runtime.

Click to expand...

This is something I've been thinking about for a long time - how to implement a reflector design that allowed this kind of directionality and it never dawned on me that multiple emitters was the way to accomplish more flood close in when low levels are desired, without 'wasting' and light, or reducing the amount of light at ones feet when trying to see further out into the woods.