Tue, 28 Aug 2018
+ + + +
+
+
The Emisar D4S flashlights use a firmware named RampingIOS +V3. (The Emisar D4, D1, and D1S +all use RampingIOS V2.) There's not really a manual; the +only thing we get is the diagram on the right. It's reasonably +comprehensive, but there's a fair amount of detail it merely summarizes, +so I thought a textual manual would be nice.
+ +The Emisar D4S only works when the head and tailcap are tightened fully. +You can physically lock it out--prevent it from turning on +accidentally--by simply loosening the tailcap a small amount. A quarter +turn will do it.
+ +Emisar lights are known for their ramping interfaces. Rather than have a +small number of distinct brightness levels, they can vary their brightness +anywhere between their lowest and highest levels, like a light on a +dimmer. The D4S is in ramping mode by default, but it also has a stepped +mode that can be configured to be closer to how non-ramping lights work.
+ +Each mode--ramping and stepped--can have differently-configured brightness +floors and ceilings.
+ +The driver for the D4S has two different chipsets. At low brightness +levels, a fairly-efficient but low-power chipset (called a 7135) is +used. These lowest brightness levels are called the "regulated levels". +Each regulated level will always be the same brightness regardless of how +much charge the battery has. Above a particular brightness level, the +light switches over to a less-efficient but high-power chipset (called a +FET). These levels are called "direct-drive". The brightness of the +direct-drive levels is directly related to the battery's charge level; the +more charged the battery, the brighter the levels. The light is at its +most efficient, in terms of power used for every lumen generated, at the +brightest regulated level. When the light is first powered by tightening +the tailcap, it will default to this level.
+ +At higher brightness levels, the light's LEDs generate a lot of heat. If +the light exceeds its configured maximum temperature, it will begin +dimming itself automatically until the temperature drops below the allowed +maximum.
+ +The D4S has a set of cyan-colored auxiliary LEDs that can be on when the +main LEDs are off. You can configure the behavior of the aux LEDs.
+ +Basic Usage
+ +The default mode for the light is ramping mode. Triple-pressing the +button (3 clicks) while the light is on will toggle between ramping +and stepped mode.
+ +While the light is off, press and release the button (1 click) to turn +it on. It will turn on at the last-used brightness level. (This is +called "mode memory".) Immediately after loosening and tightening the +tailcap (or after changing the battery), the memorized level will be the +light's max regulated level.
+ +When the light is on, 1 click will turn it off. The current brightness +level will be memorized for future use. There's a fraction of a second +delay between pressing the button and the light actually turning off. +That's because of the way the light processes input; it's waiting to make +sure you're only going to press the button once (since multiple presses +will trigger other actions).
+ +When the light is on, holding the button down will brighten the light. In +ramping mode, the brightness will increase gradually ("ramping up"). In +stepped mode, the light will jump through increasing brightness levels. +If you press, release, and then hold the button, it will begin dimming. +In ramping mode, the brightness will decrease gradually ("ramping +down"). In stepped mode, the light will jump through decreasing +brightness levels. While the light is changing, if you release the button +and immediately hold it again, the direction (dimming or brightening) will +switch.
+ +In ramping mode, while the light is ramping, it'll briefly blink off and +on again at two different brightness levels: the maximum regulated level +and the brightness ceiling.
+ +While the light is off, double-pressing the button (2 clicks) will +immediately jump to the brightness ceiling.
+ +While the light is on, 2 clicks will jump to the maximum brightness +level, regardless of the configured brightness ceiling. Another two +clicks will go back to the previous brightness level.
+ +While the light is off, if you hold the button the light will turn on at +its lowest level. If you continue holding the button, the light will +begin brightening from there.
+ +Configuration Menus
+ +The light has several different configuration modes. Each of those modes +works more or less the same way. The mode will have a series of menu +items that it will go through. For each menu item, the light will first +blink a number of times corresponding to the item number (first, second, +etc.) After that, the light will begin fluttering on and off fairly +quickly. While the light is fluttering, you can click the button a number +of times; the light will count the number of button presses and use that +number as its new configuration for that menu item. After a short period +of time, the fluttering will stop and the light will move on to the next +menu item. After the light has gone through all of the menu items, it +will return to whatever mode it was in before entering the configuration +mode.
+ +If you don't press the button during a particular menu item's fluttering, +that item will remain unchanged.
+ +Configuring the Basic Modes
+ +While the light is on, 4 clicks will enter ramping or stepped +configuration mode, depending on which mode the light was in before the 4 +clicks.
+ +For ramping mode, there are two menu options:
+ +-
+
- Brightness floor (default 1/150) +
- Brightness ceiling (default 150/150) +
During the floor configuration, press the button equal to the number of +ramping levels (out of 150) at which the floor should be. To set the +lowest possible floor, click the button once.
+ +The ceiling is configured similarly, but you press the button equal to the +number of steps away from maximum brightness. To set the highest possible +ceiling (at max brightness), click the button once.
+ +For stepped mode, there are three menu options:
+ +-
+
- Brightness floor (default 20/150) +
- Brightness ceiling (default 120/150) +
- Number of steps (default 7) +
Other Modes
+ +The other modes largely involve multiple clicks from off. Most of them +are not generally needed for everyday use, but they supplement the light's +basic operations.
+ +BattCheck/TempCheck Modes
+ +From off, 3 clicks will enter "BattCheck" mode, which blinks out the +current battery voltage. First it blinks the number of volts, then it +pauses, then it blinks out the tenths of volts. Thus, if the battery were +at 3.5 volts, the light would blink three times, pause, then five times. +For zeroes, it gives a very short blink.
+ +A fully-charged lithium-ion battery is 4.2 volts. The light considers 2.8 +volts to be an empty battery and won't turn on if the battery is at or +below 2.8 volts.
+ +The voltage sequence will continue blinking until you turn off the light +with a single click.
+ +While the light is in BattCheck mode, 2 clicks will enter TempCheck +mode. Instead of blinking out the battery voltage, the light will start +blinking out its current temperature in degrees Celsius, first the tens +digit then the units digit. Like BattCheck mode, the light will continue +blinking out the temperature until you turn it off with a single click.
+ +While the light is in TempCheck mode, 4 clicks will enter thermal +configuration mode. See the thermal configuration mode documentation +below for how that works.
+ +Tactical Mode
+ +From off, 4 clicks will enter "tactical" or "momentary" mode. The +light will flash once to show that it's entered the mode. The auxiliary +LEDs will turn off (if they were on). In tactical mode, the light will +turn on at its memorized brightness for as long as the button is being +held down. It will turn off as soon as the button is released.
+ +There's no button press combination that will exit tactical mode. To exit +it, you will have to partially unscrew and retighten the tailcap.
+ +Lockout Mode
+ +From off, 6 clicks will enter lockout mode. The light will flash +twice to show that it's entered the mode. There's a separate aux LED mode +for lockout mode, so you can tell whether the light is in lockout or not.
+ +In lockout mode, pressing the button will turn on the light at its lowest +brightness ("moonlight mode") for as long as the button is held down.
+ +Another 6 clicks will exit lockout mode. The light will flash twice to +show that it's left the mode.
+ +While in lockout mode, 3 clicks will cycle through the various +settings for the aux LEDs in lockout mode. The four modes are, in order: +low, high, blink (on high), and off. The default mode is blink.
+ +Remember that loosening the tailcap a quarter turn will also lock out the +light. Using the 6 clicks is called "electronic lockout", while turning +the tailcap is "physical lockout".
+ +Aux LED Configuration
+ +From off, 7 clicks will cycle to the next aux LED mode. The four +modes are, in order: low, high, blink (on high), and off. The default +mode is low.
+ +Beacon Mode
+ +From off, 8 clicks will enter beacon mode. In beacon mode, the light +will blink on and off every few seconds.
+ +By default, the light will blink every two seconds. To change the timing, +use 4 clicks while in beacon mode. The light will enter a one-item +menu. During the flickering for input, press the button a number of times +equal to the number of seconds between blinks.
+ +1 click will exit beacon mode.
+ +Thermal Configuration Mode
+ +From off, 10 clicks will enter thermal configuration mode.
+ +The menu items here are:
+ +-
+
- Current temperature (every click is one degree Celsius) +
- Temperature ceiling (every click is one degree above 30°C) +
The "current temperature" item can be used to adjust the calibration of +the light's temperature sensor. To use it, make sure the light has been +off long enough that all of its components have cooled (or warmed) to the +ambient temperature. Check the ambient temperature using a thermometer +you trust. Go to thermal configuration mode, and enter the current +temperature by clicking the button a number of times equal to the +temperature in degrees Celsius. (If it's 22°C, click the button 22 +times.)
+ +You can check the default calibration by entering TempCheck mode from a +room-temperature light. The D4Ss are supposed to go through a temperature +calibration at the factory, so hopefully most of them won't need manual +thermal calibration.
+ +The temperature ceiling is simply the highest temperature the light should +be allowed to reach. Once it hits its temperature ceiling, it will +progressively dim itself until the temperature stabilizes below the +ceiling. Note that the number of clicks in that menu option is added to +30 to reach the actual ceiling. (Thus, you can't set a ceiling below +31°C.) The maximum allowed ceiling is 70°C.
+ +The default temperature ceiling is 45°C.
+ + +
+ 
+ 
+ 
+