"Find Me" Brightness Level?

\"Find Me\" Brightness Level?

What do you think? The current Arc4 "Find Me" beacon is set at level 3. But some people say it is too bright. To keep things simple and not use up too much RAM, I would like to keep it at 1 level for all units. But what level should it be?



Thanks for your input!

Peter

Re:

I vote for the dimmest which I believe is 16, just me though! Doug /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re:

dang! i'd just like a minute to say how awesome it is to be able to do things like this!

not only the fact that peter is getting our opinion, but the fact that he can just change the flashlights software!

still can't believe how cool this is...

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How are software upgrades handled?
Are the seconds eligible?

Re:

Why don't you just make it settable?

J.

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Like I inferred at the beginning of this thread, making it settable would use up scarce RAM. I would rather use the RAM for more important features.

Peter

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

Settable. That's 4 bits of ram we're talking about. If you have to pick just one level, I'd say put it around level 12, i.e. Arc AAA brightness. What does this mean, really though, if brightness is PWM controlled? I'm assuming we're talking about a 10 msec pulse of light every few seconds, or thereabouts.

Maybe you can also consider an ultra-dim continuous glow, like the PAL lights have, instead of a blinker.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

Is the finder beacon continuous on or blink? If it is continuous on, i would say the first or the second brightness level from the bottom would suffice. if it blinks, then maybe the second ~ fourth level.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

lowest setting seems right. Im sure the lowest setting is good enough to find the Arc in my backpack or dresser. Dont seem right leaving it on a higher batt draining setting since its just for locating.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

How 'bout using whatever level the light was in when you turned it off? That's already remembered in a variable somewhere, right?

edit: Or, maybe use the secondary level brightness.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

Set it at the dimmest level. I agree with a suggestion elsewhere that it makes sense to call the dimmest level "Level 1" as a constant point of reference.

Re:

[ QUOTE ]
Gransee said:
Like I inferred at the beginning of this thread, making it settable would use up scarce RAM. I would rather use the RAM for more important features.


[/ QUOTE ]
We were the ones to infer it, actually. You implied it. More than that, you actually stated it. But I digress...

My vote - It should be as dim as possible. If you want a brighter "find me" just use the SOS.

And when people vote, they should be aware that 1 is the brightest, and 16 is the lowest setting. That should probably be mentioned somewhere in the initial post to avoid recording votes in direct opposition with some voters' desires.

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Peter. Looks like people believe level 16 is dimmest.

I would bet that most voting on one end or the other want DIMMEST, not BRIGHTEST.

jbk

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
Settable. That's 4 bits of ram we're talking about.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't want to sound snarky, but it is usually a lot more complicated than that. Storing the setting (which would take 4 bits of flash, not RAM, most likely) is easy. But changing it would require more user-interface code, like an additional mode for the brightness menu. Getting that additional code to fit into flash, and getting that code to run in whatever RAM is available, is likely to be the hard part.

It is sometimes said, as a rule of thumb, that when an embedded system is using up about 90% of its storage capacity, it's time to either stop adding features to the software, or to expand the storage. I don't believe that expanding the storage is an option in this case, since Peter said that they're using the largest part in the microcontroller family already. And I believe he mentioned that the code was a tight fit as it is.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to have a settable-brightness "find me" feature, I'm just saying there are good reasons for this to be in the not-gonna-happen category.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

If we used the secondary level as the setting for the find me mode, we have user adjustable brightness with no additional user interface code.

I have my secondary just a few levels above dimmest, so it'd work for me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

Peter,
I don't have mine 'yet' but 3 seems awful bright for a find it setting.
I would say 10 -13. If it is so dark ya can't see it, these lower settings should make it visible.
Mike /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

[ QUOTE ]
EmissionLine said:
If we used the secondary level as the setting for the find me mode, we have user adjustable brightness with no additional user interface code.

I have my secondary just a few levels above dimmest, so it'd work for me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Great idea. It is wasn't to work out this way, I'd want Level-16 for the Find-Me setting.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

What is everyone using this setting mostly for? If "find me" is for others to see me, say in the woods, then it should be brighter. If it's for me to find my light after dropping it somewhere, then a dim setting likely works best. I'm clumsy, for me it would be more of the latter.

What I don't know is if the dimmest setting can be seen if it is half-hidden and needs to reflect light, for example when in long grass (I'm not an owner YET to test). "What say you" current Arc4 users?

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

[ QUOTE ]
EmissionLine said:
If we used the secondary level as the setting for the find me mode, we have user adjustable brightness with no additional user interface code.


[/ QUOTE ]

Very clever! The best ideas are the ones that seem so simple and obvious in hindsight.

Re: arc4 finder beacon brightness level

I just don't understand the 'clumsy' rationale. Since I never know when I'm going to drop the light, I'd have to leave the "find me" setting on all the time, which could get annoying.
When I heard about the locator flash option, I thought of the "lost in the woods" application. What are some other uses people would have for bright vs. dim flash... I think that distinction would help polarize people towards the most common usage.

My vote is for "secondary"