Help with understanding UI of Zebralight H32w

Genzod

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I'm considering getting the ZL-H32w as a headlamp for extended trail running (through the night) that employs mail drops along the way. It's important to me to conserve battery consumption to keep pack lightweight, so running with the lamp on maximum like urban runners might do on a 45 minute jog is not an option.

What I would like to do is fill the profile up with certain useful outputs and click through them without having to twist my brain every time I need more light or need to reduce it to conserve battery.

In most instances, I would be using the 50 lm level for uphill, level and downhill running. At times that the trail becomes increasingly technical or slippery, I would want the option of of 100 and 245 lm, for level and downhill situations respectively.

I would need 446 lm for searching trail blaze markers in the distance when I think I might have wandered off the trail. I think 8.5 lm would do well for water collection and other zero progress activities not involving running, and I think I would use the 2.5 lm setting when I stop to check a trail guide or a map. The only other useful level of light I see is 22 lm.

I'm not too savvy on how the UI works just yet. I think what I have available to me at anyone time is a set of H1, M1 and L1, and a set of H2, M2 and L2, no more than 6 settings at a time.

The 100 and 245 lm settings are in the same H2 sublevel set of options. The 22 lm and 8.5 lumen options are in the same M2 sublevel set of options.

Can I create a profile of 6 settings with the settings I specified? If you were clicking back and forth between 50 and 100 and 2.5 a lot, and rarely using 22, 245 and 446, how might you set that profile up to make the switching less of a mindful task?

If I can't get the profile I'd like, particularly with both 100 and 245 lm simultaneously, it seems I can have the choice of three high level options with the newer expanded programability of the H53 generation. Is that correct?

For convenient reference:

Light Output (runtimes)

  • High: H1 446 Lm (PID, approx 1.4 hr) or H2 245 Lm (1.6 hrs) / 100 Lm (4.1 hrs)
  • Medium: M1 50 Lm (11 hrs) or M2 22 Lm (26 hrs) / 8.5 Lm (70 hrs)
  • Low: L1 2.5 Lm (8 days) or L2 0.37 Lm (38 days) / 0.05 Lm (2.5 months) / 0.01 Lm (3 months)
 
Last edited:

eraursls1984

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Re: Help with understanding PI of Zebralight H32w

Until a H33w comes out you will only be able to have these modes; a set H1, M1, and L1, and a programmable H2, M2, and L2.
H1 446 Lm, and H2 245 Lm or 100 Lm
M1 50 Lm, and H2 22 Lm or 8.5 Lm
L1 2.5 Lm, and L2 .37 Lm or .05 Lm or .01 Lm

The new H53c has a new fully programmable UI that you H1, M1, and L1 can be reprogrammed as well as H2, M2, and L2. I would expect that UI to come to the H32 (H33), but currently we have no info on that.
 

Genzod

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Re: Help with understanding PI of Zebralight H32w

Until a H33w comes out you will only be able to have these modes; a set H1, M1, and L1, and a programmable H2, M2, and L2.
H1 446 Lm, and H2 245 Lm or 100 Lm
M1 50 Lm, and H2 22 Lm or 8.5 Lm
L1 2.5 Lm, and L2 .37 Lm or .05 Lm or .01 Lm

The new H53c has a new fully programmable UI that you H1, M1, and L1 can be reprogrammed as well as H2, M2, and L2. I would expect that UI to come to the H32 (H33), but currently we have no info on that.

I think you are saying I'm stuck with the following profiles (i.e. can't have a 100 and a 245 in the same profile):

H1 446 H2 245
M1 50 M2 8.5
L1 2.5 L2 0.37

H1 446 H2 100
M1 50 M2 8.5
L1 2.5 L2 0.37

H1 446 H2 245
M1 50 M2 22
L1 2.5 L2 0.37

H1 446 H2 100
M1 50 M2 22
L1 2.5 L2 0.37
 

eh4

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Re: Help with understanding PI of Zebralight H32w

An easy way to think of it is that there's about five different layers to the interface, from simplest to most customized.

If you click the button quickly you've got high, and off. (Most basic)

Holding the button down from either off or on will continuously cycle: low, med, high... each level will be on for about a half second, release the button at the level you want. (Simple)

Once you've chosen high, med or low, you double click to select the Alt high, Alt med, or Alt low. (Pretty simple)
...
Also you can double click from off to go straight to medium, but it'll flash high for a split second, so if you can't abide the flash, hold the button down to cycle from low to med. (Pretty simple)

Now if you want to dial in the Alt high, med, and low to better suit your needs you have to select the mode you want to adjust, say high for instance,
and then double click between the Main and the Alt about 6 (?) times. After that you'll be double clicking between all of the Alt modes of that level, whichever one you leave it at when you click the light off, that's the selected Alt. (Not really complicated, but get a comfortable two handed grip to avoid frustration if thumb fatigue is an issue.)
After you have your Alt levels programmed in they'll remain programmed between battery changes, and the mild hassle is over until the next time you decide to select a different Alt.

So that's 5, but if you learn to use the interface from simplest functions to more complex, instead of all at once, then it seems like it should be pretty straight forward.
It was a little overwhelming to me at first, but I read the instructions as one mass and tried to get it all at once.
After using the lights for several years now, I mostly use the first two, simplest layers of the interface, now that I'm satisfied with the balance of brightness and runtimes selected with the Alt levels.

- and then there's the blinky modes and the battery charge reporting mode, lol.
 
Last edited:

scs

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Feb 9, 2015
Messages
1,803
I'm considering getting the ZL-H32w as a headlamp for extended trail running (through the night) that employs mail drops along the way. It's important to me to conserve battery consumption to keep pack lightweight, so running with the lamp on maximum like urban runners might do on a 45 minute jog is not an option.

What I would like to do is fill the profile up with certain useful outputs and click through them without having to twist my brain every time I need more light or need to reduce it to conserve battery.

In most instances, I would be using the 50 lm level for uphill, level and downhill running. At times that the trail becomes increasingly technical or slippery, I would want the option of of 100 and 245 lm, for level and downhill situations respectively.

I would need 446 lm for searching trail blaze markers in the distance when I think I might have wandered off the trail. I think 8.5 lm would do well for water collection and other zero progress activities not involving running, and I think I would use the 2.5 lm setting when I stop to check a trail guide or a map. The only other useful level of light I see is 22 lm.

I'm not too savvy on how the UI works just yet. I think what I have available to me at anyone time is a set of H1, M1 and L1, and a set of H2, M2 and L2, no more than 6 settings at a time.

The 100 and 245 lm settings are in the same H2 sublevel set of options. The 22 lm and 8.5 lumen options are in the same M2 sublevel set of options.

Can I create a profile of 6 settings with the settings I specified? If you were clicking back and forth between 50 and 100 and 2.5 a lot, and rarely using 22, 245 and 446, how might you set that profile up to make the switching less of a mindful task?

If I can't get the profile I'd like, particularly with both 100 and 245 lm simultaneously, it seems I can have the choice of three high level options with the newer expanded programability of the H53 generation. Is that correct?

For convenient reference:

Light Output (runtimes)

  • High: H1 446 Lm (PID, approx 1.4 hr) or H2 245 Lm (1.6 hrs) / 100 Lm (4.1 hrs)
  • Medium: M1 50 Lm (11 hrs) or M2 22 Lm (26 hrs) / 8.5 Lm (70 hrs)
  • Low: L1 2.5 Lm (8 days) or L2 0.37 Lm (38 days) / 0.05 Lm (2.5 months) / 0.01 Lm (3 months)

Right. The old UI allows only one programmable slot in each of the H, M, and L main levels.
The new UI in the AA lights allows 2 programmable slots in each of the H, M, and L main levels.

Furthermore, it sounds like each of these 6 programmable slots can be configured to ANY ONE of ALL the available levels, i.e., you can program sublevels originally in the L main level into the M or H main level, and the like.

What has NOT changed in the new UI in the AA lights: you can toggle between still only 2 sublevels in each of the 3 main levels. So yes, you can program 446, 245, and 100 into the mode group, but at least one of them will be in a different main level.

I hope that the new UI in their new 18650 lights will allow toggling among 3 sublevels with double clicks in each of the main levels.
 

eraursls1984

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Messages
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Location
Tallahassee, FL.
...What has NOT changed in the new UI in the AA lights: you can toggle between still only 2 sublevels in each of the 3 main levels. So yes, you can program 446, 245, and 100 into the mode group, but at least one of them will be in a different main level.

I hope that the new UI in their new 18650 lights will allow toggling among 3 sublevels with double clicks in each of the main levels.
I sent them an email a little while back stating that. I hope they have G5 and G6 like the AA models, but G7 with 3 modes in each mode group.

Maybe if they get enough emails for​ 3 modes we will get it. Everyone go blow up their inbox!
 

scs

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Feb 9, 2015
Messages
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I sent them an email a little while back stating that. I hope they have G5 and G6 like the AA models, but G7 with 3 modes in each mode group.

Maybe if they get enough emails for​ 3 modes we will get it. Everyone go blow up their inbox!

:laughing: While on the subject, I do prefer the Armytek Wizard UI, over the ZLs. I like the relatively easy access across all 3 main levels via double and triple clicks, and then the hold to cycle through the sublevels. The perfect UI for me might be a hybrid of the two. I do wonder how often these retail flashlight designers themselves are flashaholics. It takes one to know one.
 

Genzod

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Apr 25, 2017
Messages
392
Much thanx to everyone for your assistance.

I'm leaning to the H53c now hoping the H53w is not too far behind. The new UI allows for a perfect distribution of useful outputs for my night time trail running needs. Plus there is a little extra lumens at each level I need. I'm just a little disappointed ZL didn't simultaneously release the entire H53 line, as the CRI version seems a little low in the max output department for my trail marker searching jobs.

ZL dropped the H32 from their product page today. Maybe an H33 release is on the horizon. That would be sweet! :thumbsup:
 
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