A2 Trouble

[SiMaster2003]

With all the talk around here about A2's, I decided that it was time to acquire one for my collection. It truly is a great light for all the reasons already listed. I have one problem, the incandescent part has completely ceased to operate. For the first three weeks there were no problems, however in the last week the bulb would sometimes not come on when the tail was pressed all the way or screwed down all the way, however mostly when pressed. It seemed if I threaded the tail a little bit, it would come back on. Last night the bulb blew and I thought maybe the bulb was just flakey, however the new bulb doesn't work at all. The filament of the new one is intact as far as I can tell and the LEDs do brighten when the tail is pressed to stage II, so I would assume the circuitry is still good.

So what do you guys suggest? Is it time to call Surefire or do you guys know something maybe I don't? I really love the light and can't wait to get it up and runnig again.

PS - I did change the batteries also, the new ones had 3.3 V in them, so I know they were good.

 

[Grox]

Yeah, it sounds like it's time to call surefire

Have no fear, they will look after you.

Make sure you actually phone them. Their email communications are pretty bad, but their phone attitude is second to none!

Good luck, tell us how you get on.

 

[greenLED]

Clean all contacts (tailcap rim, contacts inside tailcap, etc.) thoroughly and let us know if that changes anything.

 

[SiMaster2003]

Clean all contacts (tailcap rim, contacts inside tailcap, etc.) thoroughly and let us know if that changes anything.

What kind of tool would you suggest to clean inside the tail? It seems like there isn't a whole lot of room inside there to get something in.

 

[greenLED]

a toothpick wrapped in a piece of paper towel is what I use
you could dab some alcohol onto the paper, then rub-rub-rub
The remaining contacts you can just wipe clean with paper.

 

[SiMaster2003]

Appears to be a no go. I got a little bit of black residue that I would assume was left over grease on the paper towel, but no dice. Can I test the LA with just one cell to make sure it is indeed operational?

EDIT -
I tested the buld with 1 - 123 battery and it functioned, so I tried contacting the bulb with inner and outer ring of the inside of the light and it functioned also. I then tested the light with a multimeter and got 5.9 volts at the circuit, so I'm stumped. Somehow the buld is not contacting the neccesary spots to light, but I can't figure out what's not where it should be. Does anyone have a picture of the inside of the light at the top?

 

[bwaites]

Sounds like the clip might be keeping the head from completely seating.

Try pushing the clip further down, or taking it off altogether and checking the light.

 

[turbodog]

Remove the tail cap. Short between the battery end and the tube end (any gold colored part of the tube will do fine). The bulb should light up. If not, it's bad bulb or circuitry.

If test #1 works, I bet the cap's bottoming out against the tube. It's not screwing far enough down. That means the spring contacts inside the tail cap are flattening, something they should do. You can try bending them back up a little. If this works, great! But I would still ask SF for a new cap.

 

[SiMaster2003]

I just tried to short the batteries to the tube and just the LEDs came on. The bulb for sure works, I accidently hooked it to the two rings and boy it gets bright and hot at 6.3 volts!! I only had it on there for less than a second so hopefully no harm done. I guess that leaves the circuitry. That sucks!! What are the chances of Surefire taking care of me? I will pay some $$, if that means not having to buy another one.

What sucks the most is I just bought it less than a month ago while I was out of town, it was the display model since they didn't have any more white LED models. I can't imagine that anything suspect happened while it was locked away in the case or the few rimes someone looked at it.

 

[deranged_coder]

If the circuitry went bad I expect that they will fix or replace it. Call or email Surefire customer support, tell them what is wrong and you should get an RMA number. Then ship the light back to them. The unpredictable part with warranty repairs for Surefire seems to be how much time it takes for the light to come back, though. YMMV.

 

[Dustin Liu]

I would take off the tail cap THEN take a paper clip or solder and connect it to the flashlight and batteries. If this works then you have a tailcap problem.

 

[SiMaster2003]

Well I'll try to call them tomorrow and see what I can see. Hopefully all will work out.

EDIT - I did the short test already, only the LEDs come on. I shorted the batteries to the little insert at the end of the battery tube, so I'm sure the tail works.

 

[greenLED]

Yup, definitely call SF. Their lifetime warranty :rock:

 

[Grox]

Yup, go for the warranty if you can't work it out yourself.

It sounds like bad luck that you got a bum A2... none of mine have malfunctioned.

 

[Akubra]

I had a similar issue with an A2 Ive bought two years ago-one of the momentary stages of the switch failed. Ive never toyed around with the switch (only found this forum a few months ago), so I just contacted SF and sent them the A2 for repair. IIRC, they sent me a replacement A2.

The only downside to the SF CS is that it will probably take a few weeks until you get it back... .