P60 drop in stopped working, trying to figure out problem

Hi,

I'm really new to all this, so please excuse me if I ask very stupid questions. I have gone through these forums before posting, but I have been unable to find an answer (or at least an answer that I could comprehend at my level of understanding).

I have a Cree R2 drop-in from DealExtreme (not sure about the exact SKU, not sure that it matters...?), which I had in my SureFire G2. It has recently stopped working (it's the only drop-in I've ever purchased). I've tested all the obvious things (batteries, hosts, etc.) but no go.

From your great collective experience, what is the most probable cause of this? Problem with the LED itself? (Though I've owned the drop-in for nearly a year, I do not really use flashlights on a regular basis. At most, there's a hundred hours on the drop-in). Problem with the driver? What sort of problem? Loose contacts (such as from dropping the flashlight)?

It's a $12 drop-in, so I don't really care about getting a new one (in fact, I've already ordered one), but I'd like to further my understanding of these things. Many thanks.

~hokum

Remove the pill from the host , then remove the reflector ..

Try it now does it light up when fed power ?

If not ! take about 2xAA 3v , I use a dedicated battery holder [ 2xAA ] with gator clips ...

Look at the LED / base , work out + and Neg and power directly ..
If the LED lights up ! Then the LED is ok ...

So to summarize :

Pill does not work when fed power outside light with reflector removed .
LED is OK

2 things at this point .. The driver , or one of the wires + or - has come lose [ can happen ]

If the pill works outside the light , bu not in it , remove the tailcap , slip in a battery and use a bit of wire from the neg batt to flashlight body ..
If it works , faulty switch ...

Let us know how it goes

Get a piece of foil wrap around the drop in to make a ground contact.

I tested the pill for continuity. Continuity is there.

Tried wiring it with batteries outside the host body. No light.

So there must be a problem with the LED?

Is it possible that the LED has come off the MCPCB?

I had that happen to a couple of DX drop-ins I bought that had XP-G LEDs.