LiteFlux LF2 questions, feedback & suggestions

[NetKidz]

:sick2:......:sigh:

I'm getting real impatient ........................

Waiting for the LF-5 to come to market.


Any-one know whats causing the Loooooooong delay ??

.

The machine shop messed up the whole batch of tubes again and again! Oops...

 

[kklee]

Just received my LF2 SSC in the mail today. I love this thing!

It did take me a couple of minutes to figure out the UI, but it's pretty simple once you figure out that you can just press instead of having to twist.

It totally satisfies the geek in me

 

[TigerhawkT3]

I'm loving this thing! I'd like to see the AA version come out.

Here are my suggestions for the larger model:
-Increase maximum drive level to at least 150-200L.
-Replace "User Adjusted" mode with a second 2-level mode.
-Logarithmic output adjustment.
-Output should increase, stop, blink, decrease, stop, blink, increase, etc.

Thanks, Khoo! :thumbsup:

 

[83Venture]

I seem to notice that if I am using it at 50% and turn it off sometimes it will not turn back on unless I put in a new battery. Maybe the battery is just at the point that it has enough power to keep running but not start back up at that level?

If so it is something to keep in mind that you can't use the remaining charge of that battery at a lower output unless you have a spare battery to get it running again then change to a lower power setting. Anyone else have this happen?

 

[TCW 60]

Only a short question:

In the standard mode P1 is 15 %, what is P2 100%?

Thanks

 

[FlashCrazy]

I seem to notice that if I am using it at 50% and turn it off sometimes it will not turn back on unless I put in a new battery. Maybe the battery is just at the point that it has enough power to keep running but not start back up at that level?

If so it is something to keep in mind that you can't use the remaining charge of that battery at a lower output unless you have a spare battery to get it running again then change to a lower power setting. Anyone else have this happen?

Hmm...that sounds strange. If the battery is that low, it should still start back up, then flash quickly 12 times and shut off. In any case, long before that, you should've seen the 3 flashes every 40 seconds signaling a low battery. Maybe try a different battery just to see what happens?

 

[FlashCrazy]

Only a short question:

In the standard mode P1 is 15 %, what is P2 100%?

Thanks

From the factory, P2 is programmed for 50% output. Many people program theirs to have P1 as super-low output (I think 0.2%), and P2 to be 100%. You can then use the adjustable mode for quick access to 50%...and ramp up or down as desired.

 

[Thujone]

Hmm...that sounds strange. If the battery is that low, it should still start back up, then flash quickly 12 times and shut off. In any case, long before that, you should've seen the 3 flashes every 40 seconds signaling a low battery. Maybe try a different battery just to see what happens?

Battery protection is default off, he would not have seen that behavior if he did not enable it.

 

[luigi]

Be careful, pressing the head might be a problem for the electronics.
There is one case of a LF2 used in this way that stopped working, and while it has not been confirmed it was because of this I would be careful.
Just twist and untwist and the electronics do not get pressure.

Luigi

Just received my LF2 SSC in the mail today. I love this thing!

It did take me a couple of minutes to figure out the UI, but it's pretty simple once you figure out that you can just press instead of having to twist.

It totally satisfies the geek in me

 

[LED Cool]

I seem to notice that if I am using it at 50% and turn it off sometimes it will not turn back on unless I put in a new battery. Maybe the battery is just at the point that it has enough power to keep running but not start back up at that level?

If so it is something to keep in mind that you can't use the remaining charge of that battery at a lower output unless you have a spare battery to get it running again then change to a lower power setting. Anyone else have this happen?

when the battery is almost depleted (eg. 1.2V empty load) and the light is running at 50% (without low battery warning/protection), the driver will try its best to squeeze the last drop of energy from the battery in order to maintain 50% brightness. battery voltage under load at this point is about 0.6V - 0.7V (checked by SW x 5). and when the LF2 is turn off at this point in time, the battery voltage of 0.6V - 0.7V is insufficient to start up the LF2.

let the battery rest for 1 - 2 minutes and you should be able to start up your LF2 again. but this depends also on the kind of battery that you are using.

i did this test with P1 at 15% and P2 at 50%.

actually it is better to have the low battery protection turn on as that will give you a warning of the condition of the battery in the LF2. from there on, if the user is really out of a spare battery AND must have light, he/she should then turn off the low battery protection feature and proceed to use the LF2 whereby its driver will squeeze out the last drop of energy in the battery. obviously, at this stage, the user is aware that the battery in the LF2 would not last long.

regards,
khoo

 

[LED Cool]

hello FlashCrazy, thank you for chiming in.

hello luigi,

while LiteFlux do not officially mentioned/recommend the pressing method, i personnally think that the pressing method does not exert much pressure on the 2 stage switch. the twisting method also makes the 2 stage switch goes up and down. as long as 2 stage switch is assembly correctly and sealed with strong adhesive/glue, the switch should last.

i am aware of the "one case" you mentioned and i just received the returned LF2 yesterday. short story, i did a reset on it and everything works fine. i will be running more test on that unit.

to everyone :wave:, enjoy your LF2 and please spread the joy of LF2.

thank you for your support. :thumbsup:
khoo

 

[Lunal_Tic]

I'm just not able to get this to work for me. While I think it's a technological marvel the programing is a pain. I have not been successful in getting the levels to change where I want them. The only way I am able to access the program mode is with the pressing method from P2, twisting from P1 won't work, and even then I haven't been able to get it to put the right intensities in the right place. I don't doubt that it is easy for some of you but on the two units I have it is not. It's just plain frustrating.

On an other note the links to the other threads in the first post here are dead links. Is there any chance to fix them? Perhaps they would have information that would help me.

There is a thread, started by zz6557, on the LiteFlux LF2 with more photos by NetKidz and antc_tw2002 in the CPF LED section.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ad.php?t=150055

and an informative mini review thread by NetKidz, with more photos by ynda.
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ad.php?t=154068

Thanks.
-LT

 

[LED Cool]

hello Lunal_Tic,

thanks for the heads up. links are now fixed.

may i ask a few questions in order to find out the status of your LF2s?

are you able to access ANY of the following modes by twisting?

standard mode with P1 & P2 output level SWx1
Strobe mode SWx3
SOS mode SW x4
battery voltage reporting feature SWx5
demo feature SWx7
low battery protection feature SWx8
can you perform a RESET? SWx10

if you can then you should be able to access the programming mode. SWx6

if you cannot, then we can discuss more in details.

regards,
khoo

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Hi khoo,

Starting at P1:
I cannot get to program from P1 cycling P1 to P2 (6x). The pressing method doesn't work from P1. SW6 shows no change in output and no signal to show that program mode is enabled.
Strobe, SOS, and reset work.

Starting at P2:
I can get to program mode from P2 by pressing 6x or cycling P2 to P1 (6x). SW6 shows a drop in output to show that I've gotten into program mode.
The only other settings I've tried are strobe, SOS and reset all those work using the pressing method.

Thanks for fixing the links I'll go have a look there to when I get a chance.
-LT

 

[LED Cool]

hello LT,

i have one customer who was having difficulty in getting his LF2 to response to twisting commands. it turns out that he started the twisting action from the OFF position instead of P1 position. i don't think that is the case here.

also it is very important that users are aware of the correct position of P1 and P2.

P1 position is where the white dot is aligned with the slot on the LF2 body. i.e. the 3 o'clock position when looking from the tail end of LF2.

P2 position is where the white dot is aligned with the flats(no engraving) of the LF2 body. i.e. the 6 o'clock position when looking from the tail end of LF2.

actually strictly speaking there are a wide range of position for P1 and P2. starting from 1 - 5 o'clock can be considered as the P1 position.
starting from 6 - 8(9) o'clock can be considered as the P2 position.

a switching cycle (SW) consists of twisting from P1 to P2 and back to P1. i.e. P1-P2-P1 or P2-P1-P2.

another common glitch that users experienced is the process of performing a SW. each SW must be performed within a period of 1 second. start at P1, twist to P2, (do not wait for any response) and twist back to P1.

P1-P2-P1 within 1 second. it can be done.

some users would still claimed there is no response from the LF2 even though they have done each SW within 1 second. this is because, in the haste of getting each SW done within 1 second, some users actually did not twist the white dot into the P2 position at all.

it is recommended that users twist well past the 6pm position (and into 7pm or 8pm) to ensure P2 position is actually reached before twisting back to P1.

for eg, if you are performing a battery voltage check SWx5, and the results is strobe or SOS, that usually means 1 or 2 of the SW was not complete.

for simplicity purpose, let us NOT use the pressing method for this diagnostic and start every SW from P1 to simplify matters.

what i have understand so far are,

in P1, you CANNOT access program mode by twisting SW6, but you can get to strobe, SOS, battery voltage, demo and RESET by TWISTING the relevant SW. is this correct?

in P2, you CAN access program mode by twisting SW6. can you access strobe, SOS, battery voltage, demo and RESET by twisting the relevant SW?

regards,
khoo

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Hi khoo,

I start by turning the light to P1 for a couple of seconds before I start anything. Also I have put a silver mark at both P1 and P2 so it is easier to see where I should be stopping. From P1 SW6 does nothing as far as I can tell. Strobe, SOS, and reset all are accessible. If I hit SW6 should it not give me some visible sign? It does so when I access it starting from P2.

I don't think speed is the problem if I am able to access other modes from both P1 and P2.

-LT

 

[LED Cool]

hello LT,

oh now i see where we are getting at!

actually when you do SW6 from P1, your LF2 has correctly gone into programming mode! it is just that there is no visible response form the light.

this is because, when in programming mode, the first thing that the LF2 does is to show the output of P1. so when you perform SW6 from P1 there is no change in output. therefore no visible sign that your LF2 has changed mode.

but if you perform SW6 from P2, which has a higher (or lower) output than P1, your LF2 also goes into programming mode and shows the P1 output. therefore you will see a visible change in brightness giving you indication that your LF2 is in programming mode.

there are six output which the user can program.

lets try this.

from P1, do SW6, output is now P1.
then do SW3, output now is the P2.
do SW3 again, output now is slow strobe.
do SW3 again, output now is fast strobe.
do SW3 again, output now is low SOS.
do SW3 again, output now is high SOS.
lastly do SW3 and the light exit programming mode and goes back to standard P1 output.

doing SW3 saves/skips the programming for that output.

the user can access the programming mode from any of the first 4 modes.

LT, please go to P1 strobe or P1 SOS and try the SW6 programming mode. this should give you visible sign that your LF2 has enter into programming mode by showing the output of P1 standard mode.

i hope we have solved the issue now. actually there none to begin with.

regards,
khoo

 

[Lunal_Tic]

Hello khoo,

Now we're making progress. It's not pretty but I've been able to change standard mode P1 and P2. A visual signal that you're actually in program mode sure would be helpful. The silver dots I put on the body of the light actually help a lot for seeing where I'm lined up.

Another question, I'm still not clear on User Adjusted mode (UAM). Is UAM programmable and does it have both a P1 and P2 intensity? I'm trying to set Standard Mode (SM) and UAM to have different intensities so I have 4 levels of light with minimal twisting. Is this possible or is 3 the best I'll get since UAM P1 and P2 are the same intensity at the default setting?

Thanks for your help an patience.
-LT

 

[FlashCrazy]

Another question, I'm still not clear on User Adjusted mode (UAM). Is UAM programmable and does it have both a P1 and P2 intensity? I'm trying to set Standard Mode (SM) and UAM to have different intensities so I have 4 levels of light with minimal twisting. Is this possible or is 3 the best I'll get since UAM P1 and P2 are the same intensity at the default setting?-LT

Hi LT,

I figured I'd answer this one for you. When you go into the user adjusted mode (which I think should be called the user adjustable mode, to make it clearer), it ALWAYS starts out at 50% power. While in user adjustable mode and at the P2 position, the brightness will start to increase until it reaches 100%. This takes a few seconds, and is hard to notice at first. To stop it at your desired level, put the light in the P1 position. In the UAM, P1's only function is to stop the light at whatever brightnesss you want. P2 position causes the light to ramp up or down. If you want the light to ramp down in brightness, perform a SWx2 while in user adjustable mode. To go back up, SW x 2 again. These SW x 2's have to start from the P2 postion, so that you end up back in P2 when done...this way it will be in the ramp up (or down) position.

So...no, you don't have four light level settings....you essentially have three...P1 and P2, and a third which is the UAM that comes on at 50%. Of course then you can change that level to any level you desire. When you turn the light off while in UAM, it will come back on at 50%. P1 will keep it there, P2 will cause it to change. To get back to normal operation, perform a SW x 1.

Clear as mud?!

 

[45/70]

I'm not really sure this will help anyone or not, but I think many people rely too much on where the LF-2 barrel/head is at visually. I always use one hand, and haven't looked at the dot, when adjusting it, since the first day I got it. It just seems much simpler to learn where it changes from P1 to P2 by "feel" and adjust from there. Also, if you use the thread slop method to adjust the LF-2, by it's very nature (having to put the light into P2 before it will work), the light is (after a very short period) already moving through whichever adjustment mode you are in. With the twist method, if you start from P1, the light won't start changing until you proceed to P2. I'm not so sure that jamming the threads together is all that good for them either. I do use this method for getting to the third, or 50% level though.

Hope this helps. I realize there are different strokes for different folks, and the die hard clickie folks that hate twisties "because you have to use two hands" may have a problem with it.

Dave