P1 drains battery when unused?

Hi guys, recently my P1 has been draining battery while not in use.
I put in a fresh Energizer lithium about 3 days ago, now when i turn it on it just lights up for a second or so then falls out of regulation.
When off, i made sure that the dead was at least 2 full turns out so as to prevent accidental contact.
Any ideas?

I'm not sure what to think of that problem, mine doesn't do it...

I'd suggest returning it to the vendor you bought it from and ask for a replacement.

That is incredibly unusual. Unscrewing the bezel should break the electrical path...

I don't see how it would be possible. But then again I may not know much. :shrug:

LifeNRA said:

I don't see how it would be possible. But then again I may not know much. :shrug:

Click to expand...

Is it possible you didn't unscrew it far enough and it was making an intermittent contact while it was stored?

I have had this on my keychain for sometime but only recently has this problem showed. As i mentioned, i make positively sure that there wasn't any intermitent contact act, i turn the head 2 full turn loose when it's off.

Any time it seems unlikely for the flashlight to be the problem ......

I ALWAYS suspect a battery issue - and rule that out first .

You should change to a completely different battery .

Mark the suspect batt. - and try it in other lights .


One other thing you should try -
Unscrew it like you normally do ...... then , at night - in a very dark room .... look closely at the LED and see if it is glowing faintly when it should be totally off .
Rock the head back and forth to see if contact is made and the LED blinks .

If other than that - it's a real mystery ........ keep us informed .

thanks for the suggestions tmg, will try that tonight

Did you try the cell in something else ??? Perhaps it's not dead and it's the circuit in the P1 that's up the creek ??
Full cell but only showing dim in the torch perhaps ???

I put in a new energizer lithium in, after a few days when i turn it on almost immediatly falls out of regulation. Tried twice on 2 brand new cells. Cells are dead.
When i put in new cells, n immediately let it run for like an hour, just fine.

I don't get it. Battery is 35mm long, if you twist the head and increase the gap to 37mm the battery can't touch both ends at the same time. How can it go flat !!!
You sure the wife isn't playing with it when you are asleep?? Perhaps she's a closet Flashoholic and gets her fix in the cupboard at night when everyone else is asleep.

if its not the battery perhaps something is shorting the circuit. I dont know the archetecture of the p1 though. Perhaps both the batteries were duds. Unlikely but possible

Jay R could be on to something...

TooManyGizmos said:

One other thing you should try -
Unscrew it like you normally do ...... then , at night - in a very dark room .... look closely at the LED and see if it is glowing faintly when it should be totally off. Rock the head back and forth to see if contact is made and the LED blinks

Click to expand...

Good idea. I've discovered problems using that method several times. I wonder if there is any bits of metal in the tube that are causing the issue.

chances are if there is no load on the regulator, it shouldnt consume any power... :huh:

if there is no temperature change of the battery during its "discharging" process...your either looking at an extremely old battery, or some type of short that causes the protected primaries to "throw the switch" therefore presents you from using the battery in its proper voltage.

...
um, try a different brand of batteries. if the problems still exist, I dunno what to tell you.

Personally I don't have the P1, but I never had the problem from any of my 123A lights have this problem...

hope this helps, regards...:candle:

This issue sounds very strange. Furhter information and investigation is necessary.

Is there a foam-washer in the battery-tube ?
Is there a golden nipple on the positive contact off the circuit-board ?
Can you post a closeup pic off the circuit-board ?

Thanks so much for all your help guys. Here's a checklist of what I've checked.
1. Im sure noone uses my light accept myself.
2. Did the test in the dark, rocking the head didn't cause the light to turn on.
3. Checked for small bits of metals n such which might cause contact, nothing found.

Below are some pics, the head has the button contact and tail end doesn't have a foam ring. Could it be that the lub I use is conductive?

No expert here. But yea...nothing else makes sense...either the batteries...but I would suspect the lub might have some minor conducive properties and has spread to the wrong places. Try try removing the lube from the inside of the body and head.

Ken

..
:laughing: ...... You lubed your threads and made them buttery smooth to turn !

It's now too easy for the head to turn - when you don't know it -

That key ring is a harsh environment with a lot of un-predictable movement .......
Especially if your keeping it in your pocket !

How can you be SURE the head is not getting turned - from where you left it ?

Any further testing should be done with it removed from your keyring - till you isolate the problem - in a very controled environment . ( sitting on a shelf )

Things get moved around a lot in a pocket when material moves . Even outside a pocket / hangin from a belt-loop , it can get turned .... by keys !

Just how easily can you twist it ? - Twisties need to be pretty stiff , to maintain OFF position .


Thats the only sure way to isolate the cause of this battery drain - on a shelf/out of service/under test .

..... TMG

Wow, you know we're all flashlight geeks when nobody makes the obvious "golden nipple" jokes.:devil:

@TMG

I the lube flowed to the threads i guess. The head is still turns very stiff, regardless of the lubed threads as the o-ring is what gives it tention. Stiff as my CMG IU and Fenix E1.
Also u can try removing the o-ring on your P1 n screwing on the head, it will be loose either way with or without lube on the threads.

I keep it in the holser while carring it so i dont see how it can turn. That was the firs time i experienced the battery drain issue.
Anyway the second time i tested with a fresh battery i just left it untouched on a table at home, battery drained again too.