MBI #3 - Codename: HF

[Newguy2012]

I just read the User manual. It's like what the8tredude said...
Doesn't he include a user manual with the charger? Anyways it's on his website. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...Manual_20150408.2.web.pdf?8251859363167893978

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Wow, great story.

Great story Guy! All but the shattered screen part anyway.

Thanks
It was very sci-fi / Hollywood-ish at the time!

Amazing story, Guy!

It is a pity your UV cure light is out of commission. Norland 61 can be used to repair cracked phone screens.

Thanks jonwkng,

For a crack or two, sure. My phone was just slightly beyond some Norland this time

@Guy
You're not a flip phone person?

Most definitely
I use a flip-style wallet case for my phone.
My first one lasted about 2 months with a standard case.
The flip-case has definitely saved my phone from definite screen cracks more than a few times

Now that wins the joke of the day award!

Alex... help me out, I couldn't get the funny part?

Has anyone ever tested the runtime with either 10250 or 10440 with the HF-R?

Sorry rjking, I've not yet tested on the 5modes.
On high (M5), will still be 5minutes or so in total.
A guess of 15-20min on M4, perhaps 20-30hrs on M1.
I still have to test the lower modes.

Wow... thats quite a story!
it definitely is something unique... things get lost, and you have a big chance you`ll get it back

that tracking system is definitely pretty cool!!!!!!

Thanks ChibiM,

Works as advertised and in lost mode, it shows the full trail/path of where it started moving along with timestamps.

I heard flip phone is still popular in Japan. Japan has some really nice flip-phones. It doesn't look flip-phone will go away. Samsung recently announced a high-end smart flip-phone($800+).

I saw some cool miniature flips on my recent travels, keychain sized!

I love Guy's products - this is my third of his lights. I just got my charger and copper HF-R today.

The light is stunning - the new 5-level controls work perfectly and feel microscope-grade, and the High beam is amazing - even brighter than the alum. HF-R it is replacing on my keychain. The single-trit installation is perfect. It's not light-weight, but feels very sturdy - almost mil-spec, and looks amazing, and I'm sure the copper will oxidize in interesting ways.

The charger is a huge improvement over the cottontail chargers with the magnets on wires. One minor cavil is that is not easy to remove a battery from the charger after charging - it goes so deeply into the USB-end that there is no way to pull it back far enough to tilt it out head-first, and no good way to get a grip on the cell to pull it back out tail-first (the way it went in). I'm thinking that if the open cutout in the cylinder was a bit longer and wider, it would be a good deal easier to remove the charged cell.

Keep up the fantastic work, Guy!

Thanks FsTop :thumbsup:
Very much appreciate the feedback :bow:

The Charger........
It's been covered below but my original intention was to enable removal of the battery from the open cut-out window.

In my prototype, it all actually worked just fine.

So what changed in production?

I was designing a modular charger so all the parts would be swappable (eg. open body, closed body, extending body).
Due to a machining miscalcuation (I'll just accept it was a misunderstanding - gulp) the extending body needed a short contact pin (the brass pin that contacts the (+) part of the battery. The open body (with window) needed a long contact pin (and shorter spring) to allow easy/safe removal of the battery. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the difference of the pin length between the pre-production prototypes as they looked identical at first glance and only became noticeable when I tried interchanging the parts (Ti to Al and vice versa).

By that time, production was already underway.

So, I had to choose between a longer pin on the Al version (with no future support for different body types) OR a shorter pin & longer spring which would also prevent removal from the window.

I am still planning on making a closed body version (perhaps body only as an option) for the Al version and the shorter contact pin may allow for a shorter body and 10440 body also.

Fortunately, the USB part does unscrew quite easily and I do like the fact that I can "see" if there's a battery inside or not without having to open it to double check.

Retrospectively, not sure if I should have opted for the shorter pin though there would still be a minor risk of shorting the battery on the edges.

In addition to all that, there was also a very critical event which caused some serious urgency on my end...
CottonPickers who was truly fantastic about supplying chargers (and such a great guy to boot) had told me he would not be making them anymore.
Now I really needed to be able to offer at the very least, a safe alternative for charging (as I was quickly running out of stock of CottonPickers chargers).

And... so it came to be.
The Version 1 MBI Nuke Charger, you can safely charge batteries and admire them from the open window but...
please do insert and remove the batteries by opening the USB Charger Core.

I do place a big warning/notice sticker on every Al charger to explain "how to insert/remove" batteries as I realise in all the excitement of unwrapping things, some folks read the manual "after" using the product

Fortunately, I can say the Ti Extendable Charger is perfect, exactly (almost) as planned.
It has a separate challenge of being rather tricky to assemble perfectly due to machining tolerances but that seems to be getting smoother now.

I do still have a batch in a box that I have not even had a chance to look at. Perhaps this week!!

Then, I have some additional charger designs I've worked on but I'm planning to focus on Zeus,Torpedo,Apollo and some new HF-R parts for the moment.

Just so you know: The charger tube unscrews so you can just slide the battery out.

Thanks Puppet

Is that how he intend people to take out their battery?

See above :bow:

So it does - it was so well-machined that I hadn't spotted the crack.

However, it makes no sense to have to unscrew a half-dozen threads to remove the battery, after slipping it into the charger so easily - that would be poor design, and Guy doesn't do poor design.

Thanks FsTop,

All explained above

His design was indeed intending to install/remove the battery through the opening. However, upon receiving the finished product, he became concerned about the possibility of shorting the battery during removal, and suggests unscrewing it for removal.

Thanks th8tredude,

That's how it worked out :thumbsup:

I just read the User manual. It's like what the8tredude said...
Doesn't he include a user manual with the charger? Anyways it's on his website. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0...Manual_20150408.2.web.pdf?8251859363167893978

Thanks for posting the manual Newguy :thumbsup:

Tgwnn

 

[th8tredude]

Hey Guy, any chance you might have some 219C's on order? I'd just love to get my hands on a Cu head with one ASAP! I know Mountain Electronics just got a whole bunch...
-Th8tredude

 

[JP Labs]

I'm extremely.......satisfied, yes, that's it....to find this light. It's just about a perfect match for my desires for a keychain light. What does that desire entail? Well, I often wear my keys on a belt loop, and I like to keep them compact. I work in a world of engineers and product designers. I appreciate good design, quality, and function, and my peers and friends do too. A light I carry openly in that environment will be noticed, if it is worthy of notice. I want it to be a work of mechanical beauty, with surprising performance. While there are several small, bright lights, only a few are what I would call 'well crafted' enough to generate conversion about product design and craftsmanship.

I really wanted a continuous, rotary, reversible, progressive interface. I had found the Peak Eiger, which technically satisfied my interface requirement via its QTC feature. I had nearly concluded that it was as close as I cold get to my ideal light. Made in USA was a huge plus for me. But, I didn't think I would be satisfied with the finicky QTC, the light seemed a bit long, and it is a less refined design. It looks rugged, but does not project a presence of fine machinery.

I've been a CPRer for a while, but I read mostly DIY threads and had entirely missed the story of the MBI HF-R. I actually learned of MBI by stubbornly searching variations of 'LED keychain rotary UI' on the web, and that finally led me to the MBI site.

I still knew nothing of MBI. Low stock. Incredible claims. High price. Scarce independent info. I was skeptical. Then, I noticed a small reference to CPF on the product pages; now that's interesting.....oo:

As I quickly found and skimmed this thread, my excitement built. Designed and custom assembled by a CPF member, with enthusiast input - that trumps the 'Made in USA' criteria for me! The features and quality are clearly superb.

Satisfied, yes. That word says a lot, in this case.

Ordering HF-R now in Ti UTT Cree XP-L with tritium HF logo, + one extra battery.

Thanks Guy, for sharing your motivation and craftsmanship. I'll treasure the light. Note my signature; you seem to perfectly embody that ideal. This light is a bit extravagant for me, but I'm happy to FINALLY find it, and to support you with my business.

--

Edit: All set, great communications.

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Hey Guy, any chance you might have some 219C's on order? I'd just love to get my hands on a Cu head with one ASAP! I know Mountain Electronics just got a whole bunch...
-Th8tredude

Hi th8tredude,

Thanks for the info.
I've not ordered any yet but will check it out

I'm extremely.......satisfied, yes, that's it....to find this light......

Thanks for the post JP Labs :thumbsup:

I've just emailed you with details on how to get your order processed but feel very welcome to mail me (reply) directly if you need any additional assistance.

Tgwnn

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

I was brushing up a CoreTi a short while ago and couldn't resist tweaking an HF-R....

The photos don't do it justice at all! It does have a very cool "stonewash" look to it.

Whilst I was cleaning it up a little, I glanced over at my anodizing equipment thinking it's been some time since I've used it.

A few minutes later......

Tgwnn

 

[jonwkng]

Nice anodizing, Guy! The colored oxide layer is almost translucent, so the brushed finish really complements it well. :thumbsup:

 

[climberkid]

Did you tumble it for that stonewashed look, or just use an abrasive?

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Nice anodizing, Guy! The colored oxide layer is almost translucent, so the brushed finish really complements it well. :thumbsup:

Thanks jonwkng,

Looking at it here 1st hand, the photos do not do it any justice at all

Did you tumble it for that stonewashed look, or just use an abrasive?

Hi Alex,

I used a magic wand (various rotary attachments to beat the hell out of it).

After that, I tried doing a stonewashed look CoreTi. (finally worked it out after all these years).
I took quite a few photos of it but as my mini photo booth/studio is temporarily busy (hosting my larger UV station), no single photo even comes close to showing how incredibly awesome the finish looks.

About to head to the post office but will try again on those pics.

Ti Chargers anyone
I finally had a chance to open the box with Ti chargers this evening.
Checked just a few but there are definitely going to be some survivors, just a matter of when I can get to inspecting them (and give them a light polish). Hopefully not too long.

Tgwnn

 

[rjking]

Ti Chargers anyone
I finally had a chance to open the box with Ti chargers this evening.
Checked just a few but there are definitely going to be some survivors, just a matter of when I can get to inspecting them (and give them a light polish). Hopefully not too long.

Tgwnn

 

[Tixx]

Copper HF-R UTT Nichia - Awesome! Thank you Guy!

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Copper HF-R UTT Nichia - Awesome! Thank you Guy!

Thanks Tixx and my pleasure as always

Tgwnn

 

[RGRAY]

I love these lights and just wanted to show mine.

 

[Tixx]

Peeking out of my TAD Ranger Hoodie LT

 

[Newguy2012]

What watch model is that?

 

[Tixx]

What watch model is that?

Casio PAW 2000. I Love this watch. Atomic, solar, compass, temperature, barometer, altimeter, auto back light, slim profile... Can't say enough good about it. Only wish it could do alarms by day since I have a strange schedule. Been waiting years for an updated release and bought another one 3 days ago. Dress up, dress down, go camping... It is always with me. Let me know if you have any questions via pm.

Back to MBI.

 

[Newguy2012]

Impressive feature set. How long did you have the watch? I have one of their gshock solar watch. The battery(CTL1616) doesn't last long. Is the battery better in your model?

 

[the_guy_with_no_name]

Thanks again for the cool photos :twothumbs

I've been trying to get through inspection of some Ti Chargers...
At least a few good ones and plan to put some in stock soon.

Also, as I've had a ton of requests for more momentary-switches, I'm working to arrange a new batch (some in copper too) and I figured I adjust the cap so it can fully cap a 10250/10440 body too and finally get a bottom cap made as well so you can convert your spare tubes into battery holders.

Keeping my fingers crossed its all ready in weeks not months!

Tgwnn

 

[th8tredude]

Awesome Guy! Finally!!
-Th8tredude

 

[Puppet]

Ooooh. Looking forward to this.