Question for those who have Surefire EB2 Tactical Switch

[xmanhockey7]

For those who have the Surefire EB2 Tactical Switch:
I understand if you lightly press the tail cap 5 lumens come out. If you press all the way 500 come out. If you press all the way (500 lumens), turn it off, then quickly press all the way again (within 2 seconds), does the light go to 5 or 500 lumens?

[joshs]

I don't have an EB2, but I do have an EB1 with the tactical switch and as far as I know the switching is the same on both.

To answer your question, it goes to 500. The switching on the EB1/EB2 isn't a "smart" switch used to signal a processor that controls light output, but rather is "mechanical" (in quotes because that might not be technically true, but it's close enough to describe and understand the way it works). When partially depressed you get the low output, when fully depressed you get the high. So when fully depressed, no matter how long it's been turned off, on, or otherwise, you get the high output. When partially depressed, you get low.

Didn't SF use the same head for the tactical and regular, so there is actually a way to end up with the switch fully depressed with the light on the low setting? I had an EB1 and remember getting stuck on low a couple of times with the switch fully pressed.

[xmanhockey7]

Didn't SF use the same head for the tactical and regular, so there is actually a way to end up with the switch fully depressed with the light on the low setting? I had an EB1 and remember getting stuck on low a couple of times with the switch fully pressed.

That's kind of what I'm wondering. I have the click version. Was able to get my hands on the tactical tailcap. Works fine, it does go to 5 lumens if I press fully twice within two seconds. I'm wondering if the actual tactical version would do it as well.

[xmanhockey7]

FWIW, neither of my 2 EB1s with the tactical switches do that. They both go to the high output (200 lumens).

I would imagine the EB2 is the same way. Thank you.

[JTQ]

Didn't SF use the same head for the tactical and regular, so there is actually a way to end up with the switch fully depressed with the light on the low setting? I had an EB1 and remember getting stuck on low a couple of times with the switch fully pressed.

Tom_Jones wrote,
I've spent about an hour trying to figure out exactly how the switching works (by reading the patents listed on the body of the flashlight, and poking around with a DVM) and I haven't a clue.

This is why I only have single output lights. When I push the button, I want to know, for sure, what light I'm going to get.

I also haven't really found much of a need for a light much over 100 lumens. I remember when the Surefire 6P came out with its' 60 lumen incandescent bulb, and thought that was an incredibly bright light. While I've moved on to LED bulbs since then, I don't know what I'd use a 500 lumen light for.

[PD Sgt.]

I seem to remember a discussion about that on Candlepower some time back. If I remember correctly, the switching circuitry is in the head of the light, not the tailcap. On early models they were using the same head as on the clicky switch (initial click high, second within 2 seconds low output) heads, and some of these would behave as the OP described. It was my understanding they fixed the problem.

I also have noticed you can not purchase the tactical tailcap by itself, as if to convert a clicky switch model. Maybe the above is the reason.