Spy 005 v.1 discharge while off?

Spy 005 v.1/v.2 discharge while off?

In anticipation of receiving my Spy 005 v.2 I took out my v.1 model which I hadn't used in several months and the batteries were dead. One was 2.53V and the other -.85V both read as dead on a ZTS. Has anyone noticed a self discharge on these when parked for a while and not used?

TIA,
-LT

Yep, mine too.

I think this is one of this issues that will be resolved, with the electronics upgrade offered, for older model SPY lights.

No problem with mine.

Lunal_Tic said:

One was 2.53V and the other -.85V both read as dead....

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Isn't that dangerous ??????

bombelman said:

Isn't that dangerous ??????

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Actually that's kinda what I was thinking but it is the second time I've seen readings like that on my 2 cell lights and they both were just sitting there discharging in a drawer rather than having just been used.

-LT

I've never noticed this on mine, but mine goes through batteries fast enough that i'm not sure i would. This is definitely something i'll follow though since i'm still trying to decide if i want to upgrade.

Just checked mine ... dead, too.
Interesting. I thought the board would have a hardware "off" position
bernie

The batteries in my two classics seemed fine after long rests. #89 has never been taken out of the box... still has the foam wrapped around it... and it lit up like it had brand new batteries. But on the ZTS it showed 60% one one and dead on the other. Needless to say, I've removed the batteries.

Hey, watcha doin' just lettin' these pretties sit in in a drawer??? :thinking:Shame on ya!! :shakehead Just kidding of course. I EDC my natural 005 so it gets used all of the time. I removed the batteries from my black 005 and can't tell you what may or may not have happened had I not.


Karl

karlthev said:

Hey, watcha doin' just lettin' these pretties sit in in a drawer??? :thinking:Shame on ya!! :shakehead Just kidding of course. I EDC my natural 005 so it gets used all of the time. I removed the batteries from my black 005 and can't tell you what may or may not have happened had I not.


Karl

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Karl, I have lots of lights that just sit around... all the way back to ARC LS colored hi-domes. sigh. I've been reluctant to remove the batteries from the spys because of what I read about knobs becoming disengaged if you turn without a battery in place. Also, since polarity isnt marked on the light (as no good custom would ever do) I didnt want to mix it up. Today when I took the batteries out, I put a note in the box about the polarity. I have carried my ti v2 spy since the day I got it. I carry the cree ti and am saving the seoul ti as a back up. God are they bright compared to v1!!!! I've also installed trit. Maybe the best light I've ever owned. If I could clip it to the bill of my cap, it would be perfect. Can't wait to get my v1 lights upgraded.

My light was sitting for a very long time, probably close to a year, not sure...

I can't see this as a problem for light that is used on a regular basis, but I'll store my classic 005 empty from now on.

fasteddie said:

Also, since polarity isnt marked on the light (as no good custom would ever do) I didnt want to mix it up. Today when I took the batteries out, I put a note in the box about the polarity.

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There are markings on the circuit board if you look carefully. I went ahead and used a silver Sharpie to mark inside the tailcap too though just in case.

-LT

You could probably leave one battery in (knob side) to keep the knob in place.

fasteddie said:

Karl, I have lots of lights that just sit around... all the way back to ARC LS colored hi-domes. sigh. I've been reluctant to remove the batteries from the spys because of what I read about knobs becoming disengaged if you turn without a battery in place. Also, since polarity isnt marked on the light (as no good custom would ever do) I didnt want to mix it up. Today when I took the batteries out, I put a note in the box about the polarity. I have carried my ti v2 spy since the day I got it. I carry the cree ti and am saving the seoul ti as a back up. God are they bright compared to v1!!!! I've also installed trit. Maybe the best light I've ever owned. If I could clip it to the bill of my cap, it would be perfect. Can't wait to get my v1 lights upgraded.

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Polarity is marked on the PCB of every SPY. There is a plus and minus mark right by the terminal.

The SPY circuit boards do use a small amount of power when the light is off. If your light is a shelf queen, I recommend putting a small piece of paper over the end of one of the batteries and then put the battery cap back on. Or just take out the batteries.

It is always a good idea to put a little lube on the battery cap o-ring from time to time.


Cheers
Dave

Re: Spy 005 v.1/v.2 discharge while off?

I'm giving this a bump to see if anyone has had this auto discharge problem with their v. 2 Spy005. I haven't had mine go completely dead because it's in my EDC rotation of lights but the batteries do seem to peter out more quickly than would be dictated by use.

Was the power leak fixed with the v.2 boards or were they essentially the same as the v.1 boards in this regard?

-LT

Re: Spy 005 v.1/v.2 discharge while off?

Lunal_Tic said:

I'm giving this a bump to see if anyone has had this auto discharge problem with their v. 2 Spy005. I haven't had mine go completely dead because it's in my EDC rotation of lights but the batteries do seem to peter out more quickly than would be dictated by use.

Was the power leak fixed with the v.2 boards or were they essentially the same as the v.1 boards in this regard?

-LT

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What are you calling a V.2 ? Are you referring to the STFu?

Re: Spy 005 v.1/v.2 discharge while off?

Data said:

What are you calling a V.2 ? Are you referring to the STFu?

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The second release of the Spy 005 that had SSC or Cree LEDs.

-LT

Yes, those 005's had the STFu converter board. I suspect yours has the wrong version of code in it (a version that does not shut down all the way). We found some of them already but I did think we got them all. Just send it back to me and I will upgrade it to the latest code. It is pulling 300ua in the off state and should pull 5ua.

Send me an email an we can work out the details.

Cheers
Dave

Data said:

Yes, those 005's had the STFu converter board. I suspect yours has the wrong version of code in it (a version that does not shut down all the way). We found some of them already but I did think we got them all. Just send it back to me and I will upgrade it to the latest code. It is pulling 300ua in the off state and should pull 5ua.

Send me an email an we can work out the details.

Cheers
Dave

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Thanks for the heads-up. Email inbound.

-LT