iTP A3 EOS "hidden feature" (?)

I was playing about with a few AAA lights and some nearly depleted GP Recyko+ and Varta Ready2Use NiMH rechargeables today, and discovered a "mode" on my iTP A3 EOS Upgraded that isn't mentioned in the manual or on their website. At the very end of the battery life, after the light had seemingly gone out, it started to flash once every 5-8 seconds. (my estimation, I didn't time it with a watch). It reminded me of the beacon mode that some lights have, but I don't know that there's a way to access it other than leaving it on until the battery is almost empty. I tried this with two different batteries, one GP and one Varta, and got the same result. I have no idea for how long it would have continued to flash if I had left it. It clearly has to be some kind of pre-programmed feature that iTP / Olight for some reason has neglected to inform their customers about.

I haven't scrutinized all threads about this particular light and if it's been talked about already I apologize for the reintroduction; if not, it would be interesting to hear from others who have made the same discovery.

that's pretty cool you found that out about the A3! I'll keep a watch on this thread because I wonder if anyone would know how to access it at any time.

Sounds like a good feature. I've found that several different lights (especially my Sunwaymans) have this feature--when the voltage gets low, the light will start blinking intermittently, usually getting farther apart as the voltage gets lower. To answer tobrien's question, it's probably not a "mode", just what happens when your batter voltage is low, so if you want it, just put in a nearly-dead battery

I've also got a few lights that do this at low voltage. I think the battery recovers enough voltage for the light to blink and repeats. Might not be a good idea to do that for long with NiMH's.

Geoff

Thanks for your replies. I think your right Bigmac_79, it's probably not a "mode", what happens could be very similar to when you let an empty battery rest for a few minutes. Often you can get a short burst of light when you turn the light back on, and I suppose the intermittent blinking mimics turning the light off and on, at least if the iTP cuts of at low voltage. Your observation that the flashes get farther apart as the voltage gets lower makes me even more convinced that is what's going on, but it's 4:46 AM here so my brain isn't operating at peak performance

You beat me to it, Flying Turtle.

Once I'm back to my lab I will simulate this with a resistor and a healthy cell. That will be next week. Does anyone want to beat me to voltage-starved tests?

AnAppleSnail said:

Once I'm back to my lab I will simulate this with a resistor and a healthy cell. That will be next week. Does anyone want to beat me to voltage-starved tests?

Click to expand...

You will probably also need a large capacitor.

My guess is that the battery recovers enough voltage for the light to start again., i.e. it is due to the battery, not due to any programming in the light.