Draft - LS4 Instructions

These are a draft of the instructions to be included with each LS4. Let me know if you think these will make sense to our average customer.

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Model 4x-NAT
"LS4" LED Flashlight


Introduction
The LS4 is powered by one 3-volt lithium battery ("CR123"). The LS4 monitors various sensors to safely regulate the one-watt LED. This provides a more consistent level of light for the useable life of the battery. The LS4 uses a single tail button to activate the light and to access the advanced functions.


"Constant On" Activation
Depress the button briefly (about 1/4 second) for constant light. To turn the light off, press the button briefly again.


Momentary Activation
Press the button for a longer period of time (more than about 1/4 second) for momentary light. To turn the light off, release the button.

Note: For momentary use, the light will only stay on for as long as the button is pressed. This feature was designed with typical momentary use in mind. For signaling, please see, Tactical Modes.


Brightness Levels
With the light on (Constant On), briefly press the button twice. The light will then change to the secondary brightness level. With each double press, the light will toggle back and forth between the primary and secondary levels.


Battery replacement
Unscrew the tail cap and insert a new battery with the positive end towards the LED assembly. Replace tail cap and hand tighten.

Note: If the battery is inserted backwards, the unit will not light. Damage will not occur. Reinsert the battery with the positive end towards the LED assembly.



Full Power
While the light is on (Constant On), press and hold the button to activate the full power level. This function is momentary. Releasing the button returns the light to the previous level.

Note: This function is limited by LED temperature and battery capacity to a maximum operational period typically measured in seconds. If the button is held for longer than that period, the light will override the user input and return to the previous brightness level. This is done to protect the LED from overheating.


Maintenance
Clean the threads with a cloth and apply a thin coat of silicon or petroleum-based lubricant to rubber o-rings.


Repairs and Replacements
To obtain repair or replacement, call Customer Service at 1-888-752-8554 or email [email protected] and obtain Return Authorization. Then pack the unit carefully and return (no CODs please) to:

Arc Flashlight LLC
1835 E. 6th Street
Suite 21
Tempe, Arizona 85281 USA

Arc Flashlight will pay any reasonable shipping costs to return the unit to you.

[email protected]
www.arcflashlight.com


Warranty
Arc Flashlight warrants that its products will be free from defects in materials and workmanship. Arc Flashlight will repair or replace (at its option), without charge, any product or part which is found to be defective under normal use and service. Such repair or replacement shall be the purchaser's sole and exclusive remedy under this warranty. This warranty does not include normal maintenance and services and does not apply to any products or parts which have been subject to modification, misuse, negligence, accident, improper maintenance, or repair by anyone other than Arc Flashlight.


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Changing the Settings


Setting the Primary/Secondary Brightness Levels
Select the brightness level you wish to change (see Brightness Levels) and then turn the light off. While the light is off, press the button briefly five times, holding the button for one second on the final (fifth) press. From here, you can perform the following:

1) briefly press the button to move to the next brightness.
2) briefly press the button twice to reverse direction and move to the next brightness.
3) press and hold the button until light stops flashing to set the brightness level to this brightness and exit the brightness setting mode.
4) If you fail to press the button for a 10 second period or fail to hold the button until the light stops flashing, the light will signal an error (brighter, dimmer, brighter, dimmer, ...) and exit the brightness setting mode without changing the brightness level.

Note: This selection process only applies to the setting (Primary/Secondary) that the light was in before you entered this menu.

If you have "Force Primary" enabled, the brightness setting menu still only sets the last user selected brightness.

Changes made to the brightness settings are retained in the event of a power interruption.


Settings Menu
The Settings Menu is used to turn on and off features of your light. Each feature will be covered separately, but the basics of changing a feature are common to all features.

You enter the Settings Menu by press the button briefly five times while your light is off. Each feature has a unique flash sequence that identifies it and a well known position in the menu. Briefly press the button to sequence through the features. Briefly press the button twice to reverse the sequence. Note that the menu wraps around from the first item to the last and vice versa.

When you have selected the desired feature, press and hold the switch. Pressing the switch starts the set flash sequence (On, Off, On, Off, ...) that lasts for 2 seconds. When the flash sequence stops and your light turns off, you may release the switch. Note that when setting the SOS signal, your light does not turn off but instead, immediately begins flashing the SOS signal.

If you do not push the button for 10 seconds or if you do not hold the button down until the set flash sequence finishes, your light will exit the Settings Menu without changing the feature setting and displays the error flash sequence (brighter, dimmer, brighter, dimmer, ...).

The choices are:

1. Switch lock
2. SOS
3. Semi-Momentary Tactical mode 1
4. Pure-Momentary Tactical mode 2
5. Force Primary
6. Locator Flash
7. RFS

Switch Lock
The switch lock feature locks your light in the off setting so it cannot come on accidentally. If the switch is pressed while your light has the switch locked, your light flashes twice and then turns off. Note that in semi-momentary tactical mode, your light does not flash but remains off.

To release the switch lock, triple-click the switch. You can also release the switch lock by resetting your light.

The switch lock feature is the first menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by two short flashes.


SOS
The SOS feature flashes the international emergency SOS signal. The SOS signal complies with 46CFR161.013-7 for signal timing but your light is not a Coast Guard approved emergency signal.

To stop the SOS signal, turn your light off. You can also stop the SOS signal by resetting your light.

The SOS signal feature is the second menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by the SOS signal.



Semi-momentary Tactical Mode 1
The semi-momentary tactical mode changes how your light operates when it is off. A single click acts like a press and only turns your light on while the switch is pushed. A double-click is used to latch your light on. Also, when the switch is locked, there is no visible switch lock indication - your light remains completely dark when the button is pressed.

The semi-momentary tactical mode feature is a toggle setting. Setting it once turns it on while setting it twice turns it off. The setting is remembered across resets. The default setting is off.

The semi-momentary tactical mode feature is the third menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by a short flash followed by a long flash.


Pure-momentary Tactical Mode 2
The pure-momentary tactical mode provides a pure momentary mode of operation. All switch pushes (clicks and presses) are momentary. In pure-momentary tactical mode, it is not possible to latch your light on or access the menus.

To return to the previous mode (normal mode or semi-momentary tactical mode), you must reset your light.

The pure-momentary tactical mode feature is the forth menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by two short flashes followed by a long flash.



Force Primary
The force primary feature forces your light to always turn on to the primary setting. To get to the secondary setting while this feature is on, you must latch your light on and toggle to the secondary setting.

The force primary feature is a toggle setting. Setting it once turns it on while setting it twice turns it off. The setting is remembered across resets. The default setting is off.

The force primary feature is the fifth menu item and identified in the Setting Menu by a long flash.


Locator Flash
The locator flash feature flashes your light about every 3 seconds. This allows your light to be found in the dark.

The locator flash feature is a toggle setting. Setting it once turns it on while setting it twice turns it off. You can also turn off the locator flash feature by resetting your light.

The locator flash feature is the sixth menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by a short flash.


Ready-for-Service
The ready-for-service feature sequences through the brighter settings when the batteries are changed. The sequence goes from dimmer to brighter. If the sequence is smooth, the battery is correctly inserted and usable. If the sequence blinks one or more times, the battery should be replaced. If no light is produced, the battery is completely dead or improperly installed.

The ready-for-service feature is a toggle setting. Setting it once turns it on while setting it twice turns it off. The setting is remembered across resets. The default setting is On.

The ready-for-service feature is the seventh menu item and identified in the Settings Menu by the ready-for-service light sequence.



Resetting Your Light
There are normally no conditions under which you will need to reset your light. However, if you should get your light into a state you cannot figure out how to get out of (or you need to turn off pure momentary tactical mode 1), resetting your light is the way to get back to a functioning state - i.e., generating light when the button is pushed. After a reset, you may still want/need to change the non-resettable features (brightness levels assigned to primary and secondary settings, semi-momentary mode, force primary and ready-for-service) to a better setting.

To reset your light, open the battery compartment, remove the battery, wait for 120 seconds, replace the battery and close the battery compartment.




The LS4 has several automatic modes:


Low Battery Indication
When your light's battery is close to being used up, the battery will not be able to supply enough power to run your light at full brightness. As a result, your light will blink - that is, momentarily turn off and then turn back on at the next lower brightness, repeating as needed to find a brightness setting that the battery can handle. When the dimmest setting is reached, the momentary offs will increase in frequency as the last remaining power in the battery is used up. Turning off your light and turning it back on resets your light back to the selected brightness. Please replace the battery before the lowest setting is reached.

The same behavior can also occur if the battery contacts are dirty. Gently wiping the battery contacts with a clean dry cloth is normally sufficient to remove dirt. If in doubt, please replace the battery.


High Temperature Indication
Your light can get quite warm on the higher settings. If you hold on to your light with a bare hand during operation, your body will conduct away any excess heat and prevent your light from getting too hot. However, if your light is sitting on a table or being held with a gloved hand, the excess heat is not easily conducted away and your light can get hot. Before your light gets dangerously hot, a thermal sensor detects the increasing temperature and reduces the brightness setting until your light cools down. Your light's temperature is regulated so that you can always pick it up safely.





Rechargeable Battery Protect
The LS4 has routines for detecting when a rechargeable battery is being used. This is important because rechargeable cells can be damaged if they are discharged below a certain voltage (this varies with chemistry). The LS4 is capable of detecting some NiMH, Nicad and Li-Ion chemistries. The LS4 will then shut off when the battery reaches that voltage (accounting for cell multiples). This shut off can be overridden for emergency light but damage will likely occur to your battery. To override, simply turn the light on again and this time it will stay on until the cell incapable of generating sufficient voltage.

The cut off for NiMH and Nicad is 0.8 volts/cell. The LS4 is designed to work with two of these type cells in series only (1.6v cutoff). The cutoff for Li-Ion is 3 volts per cell and the LS4 is designed for one Li-Ion cell only.

We recommend the following if you are using rechargeables:

- Use Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) or Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) if possible
- Change the battery at the first sign of a low battery
- Only used cells that are approved for consumer use
- Follow all precautions for those batteries!
- Avoid/Discontinue the use of any cell that leaks. Damage to the LS4 caused by leaking batteries is not covered under the Arc warranty.



Tint Management
Modern white LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) vary in tint from the LED factory by as much as 300%. Arc does hand sort and select only the finest LEDs possible for each LS4. However, there are still quite a few differences from unit to unit. These differences will be larger than what is typically found in an incandescent flashlight. However, among LED flashlights, Arc has some of the best LEDs in the business.

Furthermore, we maintain our edge in consistency by using a digital tint management system that further distinguishes the LS4 from other flashlights. This system offsets some of the tint shift of the LED even when it is dimmed to less than full brightness. The LS4 is the first instance of this tint control method in a hand held production flashlight.


Output Regulation
Batteries do not provide a constant level of output over their lifespan, especially at the high loads of a bright flashlight. Traditionally, flashlights dim slowly as the battery is discharged.

Output regulation however, uses an electronic circuit to maintain the output consistently even as the battery is discharged. This is done by regulating the current (some less expensive competitors only regulate the voltage). The advantage to this method is the light is the same brightness at 50% battery level as it is at 100% battery level. As a result, the battery is more completely used before it is discarded. Over most of the battery life, the flashlight is consistent each time it is used. This regulation is not perfect however, there is a point where the circuitry can no longer compensate for the low voltage of the battery and must switch to a lower output. Results will vary with battery used, temperature, etc.









Recommendations
From the factory the brightest level (level 1) is selected by default. This helps quickly demonstrate the power range of the LS4. The unique design of the LS4 and its many brightness levels makes for some interesting possibilities however. You will experience much better battery life if you use the lower settings. For example, using level 3 instead of level 1 will more than double the run time with only a small drop in brightness. This is due to higher system efficiencies. Lower settings provide even more efficiency.

The availability of the Full Power mode means that maximum brightness is always easily accessible when needed. As a result, the Primary brightness can be set to a more efficient level without loosing the ability to provide maximum power quickly.

Here is a recommended setup:

Full Power
Primary: level 3
Secondary: level 15


Accessories
Arc Flashlight offers a few LS4 accessories for sale on our website. At the time of this writing these include:

- Nylon Carry pouch. Designed for use with the LS4 with the TSP-123 pack installed. #C-123
- 5-pack of 123 Lithium cells for the LS series

Check our website from time to time as we will be offering new products periodically.




The LS4 was designed by Peter Gransee and Henry Schneiker of Arizona and made in the USA. We hope you get many years of faithful service from our lights!


(Put signature here)


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Thanks for taking the time to look this over. Again, I am looking for feedback on how well the operational concepts are explained.

The actual instruction book will have our logo on the front and a exploded drawing on the back.

Peter

Wow. It sounds pretty clear to me. I might have missed it, but I don't think you say how many brightness levels there are (at least 15, I gather). Should be a great product, Peter.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/faint.gif
This one's gonna be one funny little baby I'll stick with for a long while!

Great Job Mr.ARC! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

From what I've read, everything looks great with these instructions.

Richard

First off I should state I am a BIG fan of ARC torches, sorry flashlights. I currently own three (3) and my LSHF-P is NEVER more than a few feet away from me and is virtually always in my pocket.
That said, am I the only person who thinks that the above is just a little bit complicated (understatement) for what is at the end of the day, a torch, sorry again, flashlight...?

I don't want to be seen as a party pooper, and I think its brilliant that ARC flashlights are on the up, being developed and moving on to bigger and better things but in all honesty folks, does anyone really need all those light level settings? OK maybe 3,4, or 5 but 15...???!!! And all those different modes... IMHO, most users are just going to pick it up and switch it on.

No disrespect intended Peter, this is only my tuppence worth (two pence, two cents...) on the subject and you can call me a luddite if you want, but I think I'll be holding out for the LS5.

Sorry if this is a little bit negative folks. (understatement again) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

I found this part a little confusing (note that I'm not the sharpest tack in the box):

"Semi-momentary Tactical Mode 1
The semi-momentary tactical mode changes how your light operates when it is off. A single click acts like a press and only turns your light on while the switch is pushed. A double-click is used to latch your light on."

I'm sure I'd understand all the clicking , pressing and pushing if I had one in front of me as I read the instructions, so it's probably not too bad.

It DEFINiTELY needs full color photos, maybe you could give us a peek at the current incarnation of the ls4?

By-the-way, I just got my lsh-p earlier this week and it is one bad *** little light. Muchas Gracias.

Well, it is *kind of* complicate but I'm sure having it in your hands will be fun ! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif
This light's going to leave all the others in the dark! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Richard

It was very clear in the descriptions of various operations, the real test will be with the LS4 in my hand. With this in mind, I selflessly offer to be one of the beta testers for the LS4, it will be a rough dirty job but somebody has to do it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Gee, Lawrence, the LS5 is going to have some of the same features as the LS4, so I guess you are going to have to beg off that one also.

Besides, the average consumer would even consider the current LSes. They want cheap lights that they will throw out when the batteries leak or the bulb burns out, whichever comes first. (or when the switch fails).

Peter, What is your average customer, CPF???? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cool!

It'll be almost as fun playing with the settings as actually using the light!

I want one!

Guy

Charles, shouldn't we be the Elite customers? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

I think I won't buy any more LEDs until LS4 & LS5 come out...those will be the last ones I'll buy for a very long while!

Richard

Great list of features but this may confuse the average user.

What about putting a flow chart showing the various modes and how they are accessed. You could branch off at each setting to explain that feature in detail. Maybe with colour coded sections for basic and advanced features. I really think that the instructions are a vital part of this light and a few printed pages of black text are not really enough.

Too much text can be confusing and diagrams can help make things easier to understand.

Do you also have any plans for a plastic coated crib card that could be carried in the field? Credit card sized would be ideal.


Mark

I got bogged down after the first section and will read the rest later. However one minor change I'd make: whenever you talk about short button presses ("depress the button for less than 1/4 of a second") I'd use the word "click the button" instead of "press" or "depress". Even if the button doesn't actually make a clicking sound, people are used to clicking computer mouse buttons and will understand the motion.

Under "Brightness Levels" in the first section you might want to add to the end: "The primary and secondary brigtness levels can be changed in the advanced menu (see below)."

Under "Setting the Primary/Secondary Brightness Levels" does the menu wrap around between the highest and lowest levels like the Settings Menu?

Under "Settings Menu" is says "Each feature has a unique flash sequence that identifies it and a well known position in the menu." I'm not really sure what you mean... did you mean to say "identifies it AS a well known position..."?

Does Arc ship the flashlight set in the Switch Lock mode? If so, you might want to make getting out of that the first instruction at the very top of the page.

What does "resetting your light" mean? Taking the batteries out? Turning off the feature in the Settings Menu? Ok, I see it now, but it is referred to many times before it is explained. Perhaps a "See Below." is in order.

"The switch lock feature is the first menu item and identified in the Features Menu by two short flashes." Should be "...menu item and IS identified in..." This applies to the respective sentence in all the Settings Menu descriptors.

What is the point of Semi-momentary Tactical Mode 1? It can't be used for signalling since two quick signals will count as a double click and latch the light on. Otherwise it acts just like the normal momentary press from off.

When listing the Settings Menu in the beginning of the Advanced section, rather than saying "7. RFS", say "7. Ready-for-service (RFS)"

"The cutoff for Li-Ion is 3 volts per cell and the LS4 is designed for one Li-Ion cell only." Isn't 3 volts the default voltage for a Lithium cell (such as the CR123)? Or does this refer to a special rechargeable power pack? Also, is Lithium-Ion the same as the Lithium in a CR123 (which obviously isn't rechargeable)? And if not, where can I get these batteries and what size are they/what power pack do they use?

"(some less expensive competitors only regulate the voltage)" This is tacky. No need to jab your competitors in the instructions for a light someone already bought. Put "...less expensive METHODS only regulate..." or maybe "...less SOPHISTICATED METHODS..."

Some additional suggestions: How about a chart with the brightness (in Lumens, flux, and Candelas for comparison purposes), current draw, and run time for every brightness level (including level 0)?


Otherwise, it looks great. I can't wait for the light to come out. My LSH is already in the mail, so I guess I will have to be satisfied with that until March.

Hopefully no one beat me to the punch on these corrections/suggestions while I was typing. Apologies if I am redundant.

-Stuart

Only a couple suggestions on my part. I really like the idea of using a flow chart to express how all of the functions work, I believe that that would be much more intuitive for most people than having to read through the instructions a couple of times. Also, for the average user (which for these lights might not be what you call an average user) I would recommend that you put all of the extra features under a heading titled *Advanced Settings* therefore people who might get confused otherwise might decide not to mess with them. However, I think that using the flowchart idea for advanced features and even maybe to help change brightness settings. I mean I think I could get some of it with the light in front of me and the fact that I'm an engineer and enjoy that kind of stuff, but for the more technologically impaired members the flowchart would be great. (minor suggestion have it all proofread a couple of times like instead of silicon lube-->silicone lube, just minor things like that really help things, otherwise can't wait to see this light!

I also think a flow chart of some sort is needed for the advanced features. Not everybody's brain is "wired" the same way and some people just can't translate printed words into physical action without a graphical aide.

The text is mostly well written, with only a couple of awkward phrases. It definitly is easier to follow than some photocopier service manuals I have to read through for work.

Well,it would be great product.
I THINK I could get instruction but not clearly about setting menu.(I guess I will be able to choose 2 "brightness level"s (primary and secondary) to be set on LS4 from multiple "brightness level"s (level 1 up to 15?)

As foreign user(non English speaker),I wish some illustrations and diagrams will come with instruction papers.

That's pretty awsome, Peter. (I just might have to buy one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif .)

Larry

Looks like another winner for ARC!
Flow chart would be nice.

Peter,

Could you give us the estimated runtime for each particular brightness level.

For example, if I decide to set my default brightest level at level 3, how long would the battery last as compared to using level 1 and so on and so forth. This way, we would have an idea of how long the batteries should last.

Billson

I'll definitely have to copy/paste some (or much) of Peter's post to my LS4 page when I receive one of these flashlights...with Peter's permission, of course. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif