Spark Illuminations Fire-Fly 3 User manual

Owner
OwnerOwner
Owner’s Manual
’s Manual’s Manual
’s Manual for the
for the for the
for the
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Fire
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~Fly 3~Fly 3
~Fly 3 flashlight
flashlight flashlight
flashlight
From Spark Illuminations
Rev Date: 15-02-2006
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This document ©Spark Illuminations 2006

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Fire~Fly 3
Fire~Fly 3Fire~Fly 3
Fire~Fly 3 (FF3) Owner’s Manual
(FF3) Owner’s Manual(FF3) Owner’s Manual
(FF3) Owner’s Manual
Thank you!
Thank you for purchasing a
Fire~Fly 3 flashlight from Spark Illuminations
Spark IlluminationsSpark Illuminations
Spark Illuminations. You
have purchased a light that is very compact, yet extremely bright. This light is
made of premium materials, with the highest quality of manufacturing available. t
is machined on highly precise CNC lathes, so that very tight tolerances are held -
this gives it the best fit and finish available today.
Our Philosophy:
The
Fire~Fly 3 is designed and intended to be with you every day – right there for
you whenever you need a little more light to see what you are doing, or a lot more
light to see where you are going. You never need to worry about where you left it –
it’s in your pocket or purse, or on your keychain.
At
Spark Illuminations , we use the best materials, designs and workmanship. We
take pride in our design and manufacturing, and we want you to be proud to carry
our products.
Key features of the Fire~Fly 3
Fire~Fly 3Fire~Fly 3
Fire~Fly 3 Flashlight:
- Very compact design – fits pocket or purse
- Very bright output that is white, not yellow/orange like traditional
flashlights
- Light weight
- Simple, reliable and easy to use
- Very scratch-resistant Type 3 hard anodized finish – looks good for a
long time
- Multiple light levels (dimming), with user-settable low/high level,
strobing frequency
- Water-resistant (O-ring seals at all openings)
- User-serviceable, modular design – CAD-designed and CNC-machined
- Ultra-clear glass lens – transmits 99% of light emitted and is very
scratch-resistant
- Top quality materials used throughout – high-grade copper, aerospace
aluminum
The
Fire~Fly 3 flashlight is one of the finest flashlights in the world, with many
premium qualities and features. The
Fire~Fly 3 is very tough and durable. The
body and bezel are made of high-grade aircraft aluminum (7075T6), which has
nearly the strength of steel, yet one-third the weight. Accidental drops and falls will
result in no (or minimal) damage to the case of the light.
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The light source is a Luxeon ® high-powered LED emitter, which, since it is
solid-state, has no filament to break or burn out. The anticipated lifespan of the
Luxeon ® emitter is at least 50,000 hours of on-time (about 5.7 years constantly
on), so that in normal use it will never have to be replaced.
The
Fire~Fly 3 is rechargeable, which means it is nearly free to use. No need to
worry about consuming expensive single-use batteries, nor about polluting the
environment with the used cells. With a second battery ready, you can have
continuous light, as the spent cell is recharged. The Nano® charger is tiny, and is
compatible with power worldwide, so it’s easy to keep a spare cell ready to go.
(Spare cells are available separately.)
The
Fire~Fly 3 may be used with a standard, non-rechargeable CR123 cell, but
this does not give the best performance. Using the CR123 cell will not give full
(max) brightness, but if necessary it can provide sufficient light for some time.
Special precautions:
The
Fire~Fly 3 is a high-performance light. There are some things to note about
the light that may be unfamiliar to the newcomer:
Warning: The light will get hot! Due to the high power of the light, when in max
mode, and to a lesser extent in high mode, the light will heat up. This is normal,
and means that the heatsinking designed into the light is working properly. The
Luxeon® emitter needs to be kept under a certain maximum temperature, and the
heatsinking conducts the heat away from the emitter to allow this to happen. For
best performance of the light, and comfort to the user, hold the light in the hand
while using it in max mode. The hand provides additional cooling, and keeps the
overall light temperature lower. When picking the light up after it has been on
unatten e for some time, be careful of the heat.
Caution: Limit use of max mo e to 30-45 secon s. Due to the heat produced, and
the strain that max mode places on the battery, it is best to minimize use of max
mode. High mode is usually sufficient for most situations that require a lot of light,
and extends the runtime of the charge in the battery.
Caution: Use only the battery supplie with the light or exact replacements.
The battery used in the
Fire~Fly 3 flashlight is a high-performance unit. The
battery is a Lithium- on cell (type RCR123). This means that the voltage it
produces is higher than a standard non-rechargeable lithium cell (CR123 cell), so it
should not be used to replace a CR1 3 cell in other applications – it can damage
them.
Warning: The RCR123 cell must not be overcharge , over- ischarge , or
short-circuite . While the cell included with this flashlight contains a protective
circuit to prevent any of these conditions, it is best to avoid these conditions
altogether. The
Fire~Fly 3 driver circuit is designed to prevent over-discharge of
the cell, and the included Nano charger prevents over-charging of the cell. Under
normal usage conditions, the user does not need to be concerned about these

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conditions. For best safety, do not use an unprotected Lithium- on battery in the
Fire~Fly 3 . Use of an unprotecte cell in the Fire~Fly
Fire~FlyFire~Fly
Fire~Fly 3
3 3
3 will voi the warranty.
Warning: General safety concerns with Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) cells:
- o not overcharge
- o not over- ischarge – this shortens the lifespan of the cell
- o not short-circuit cell
- o not allow cell to get wet
- o not heat or ispose of in fire (can cause explosion)
- o not puncture cell
-recycle battery where proper facilities exist
Important: Keep the battery toppe up. Expected lifespan of the Lithium-ion
cell is 300 or more full recharges.. t is better to recharge more often, rather than to
use all of the battery’s charge before recharging. The self-discharge of the Lithium-
on battery when not in use is 1%-2% per month. That means, even though it has
not been used, the charge in the battery will diminish over time. With limited use of
the
Fire~Fly 3 , expect to recharge the cell about once per month. Heavier usage
may require charging once or twice weekly for best results.
NEVE use a battery or combination of batteries with a voltage higher than
approximately 5.5V with the stock FLuPIC module. To use higher voltages, a
different electronics module is required. These can be purchased separately on
special order. Please contact us for further information.
Replacement Parts:
f any parts ever need to be replaced, the
Fire~Fly 3 is modular, so that the emitter
and electronics can be easily removed and replaced. Due to the design of the
Fire~Fly 3, the light is easily user-serviceable (a rare choice in today’s
manufacturing world!). Any parts that are damaged or broken are available as
replacements. Heatsinks are available separately if you want to build your own
custom module (with your choice of emitter and driver boards). We can also build
modules with your choice of board and emitter. Please contact us for further
information.
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Using your Fire~Fly
Fire~FlyFire~Fly
Fire~Fly 3
3 3
3:
Operating the Fire~Fly 3:
To use the flashlight, simply turn the head clockwise (tightening motion) until the
light comes on. Do not over tighten the head, as it can crush or damage the battery
relatively easily. Turn the light off by turning the head counter-clockwise
(loosening /unscrewing motion).
Changing Modes:
To change to a different mode, turn the light off and back on quickly (in less than
800msec (0.8 seconds)). The light will change to the next mode in the User
nterface (U ) each time the light is rapidly turned off and on. f the light remains in
a particular mode for more than 0.8 seconds, it will give a quick blink to show that
it is now too late to change the mode. Once turned off after this, the light will return
to the first mode in the U . Please see Figure 1 for a clear picture of how the U s
function.
n each U (except for U 3), the light will begin in mode 1, then progress to mode
2, and so on sequentially. n U 3, the light will start at mode 1 or mode 2,
whichever was last used.
Setting Brightness Levels:
When setting User-set brightness, please keep in mind that there are 20 levels of
brightness to choose from. These begin at dimmest for level 1, and go to brightest
at level 20. The default levels from the factory are Low = level 3, and High = level
15. We feel these choices will provide a good separation of Low and High
brightnesses, but users can easily change the levels to suit their own needs. When
setting the brightness, the light will start at dimmest level and ramp up to the
brightest level. Turning the light off at the desired brightness level will lock in that
setting.
Switching User Interfaces (UIs):
When switching from one U to the next, first advance to the “change U ” setting.
While in this mode, the light will flash once for U 1, twice for U 2, etc. Turning off
the light between the flashes will place the
Fire~Fly 3 into the last mode flashed.
For example, turning the light off after 3 flashes will leave the light in U 3.
Important: When the charge in the battery is depleted, the light will shut off
abruptly. This means the protective circuit has activated to prevent the battery from
over-discharging. Waiting a few minutes and using the low mode will extend the
amount of runtime, as the battery will recover slightly when it is given a chance to
rest. However, it is best for the battery to be recharged at this time, rather than
trying to extend the runtime in this way. Overall number of recharges can be
re uce if the cell is eplete fully before recharging.

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Or ering custom UIs:
f the default U s do not meet your specific needs, you can order a custom U . The
modes can be in any sequence. The modes include low, high, max, strobe, SOS, set
userbrightness, set strobe frequency, and no light. There are a maximum of seven
selectable modes per U . The “switching to other U ” mode is always the last mode
in the U , and is additional to the seven selectable modes.
Ordering a custom U can be done by sending an email to Spark Illuminations
at [email protected], with your choice of modes and the order in
which you want them. Please send a Paypal payment of $12.00US to cover the cost
of the modification, including return shipping for your light after it is
reprogrammed.
Your light should be sent to us at the Contacting Us address below.
Charging your battery in the Nano® charger:
Charging the cell is simple:
-unscrew the
Fire~Fly 3 head from the body completely
-remove the cell from the body
-place the cell in the charger, carefully observing polarity
-unfold the prongs from the back of the charger
-plug the charger into an electrical outlet.
The LED in the charger will light up in red to show the charger is charging, and
will turn green when the charging is complete. Unplug the charger from the outlet,
and remove the cell from the charger. Store the charger with the prongs folded to
avoid damage to them.
To replace the cell in the light, simply drop it negative (flat end) first into the body,
then replace the head by screwing it into place.
Note: When the cell is charged, the material inside it expands. This means that if
the cell seems a tight fit in the flashlight immediately after charging, it will reduce
in diameter with use, so that it will come out readily when it is discharged. This is
normal behaviour with a battery of this type.
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Warranty:
This Fire~Fly 3 flashlight is guaranteed to be free of defects in material and
workmanship for five (5) years from date of purchase. Any defects in materials or
workmanship occurring during this period will be repaired or replaced, at the
choice of
Spark Illuminations . Any replacements required during this period will
be done with a part of equal or greater value, if an exact replacement part is not
available.
Exclusions from this warranty:
- finish (anodizing)
- glass lens due to breakage
- O-ring seals, due to their consumable nature.
Important: Repairs require ue to abuse or neglect are not covere by this
warranty.
To obtain warranty service, return the flashlight to
Spark Illuminations at the
Contacting Us address below.
Return shipping by Airmail postal service will be paid for by
Spark Illuminations .
Contacting Us:
Mailing address:
Spark Illuminations
45 Dalbeattie Avenue
Toronto ON
CANADA M9N 2Y6
Phone: [phone] (10am-7pm EST, Monday-Friday)
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.sparkilluminations.com
Technical help:
Email [email protected] , or call 416-525-4327 between 10am-
7pm EST, Monday to Friday.

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Diagram is © copyright Kevin Lo, 2005-2006
Figure 1
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Diagram is © copyright Kevin Lo, 2005
-
2006

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