Tachead
Flashlight Enthusiast
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Zebralights new end cap and battery tube design. For those of you that dont know, ZL has changed the design of their battery compartment and end cap on some of their new models. This change includes a shorter battery compartment which limits the accepted battery size to exactly 65mm vs. anywhere from 65mm or less to 69mm with the old design. The positive and negative battery contact points have been changed from a traditional duel spring design as well. The positive contact changes from a spring to a flexible tab and the negative contact(on the tail cap) changes to what ZL dimes a "pogo pin" design from a large spring. Pogo pins are basically a number of tiny tubular spring loaded pistons that make contact with the negative end of the battery instead of a spring.
This design change has many pros and cons including:
Pros:
1. Lower overall length(4mm shorter)
2. Lower overall weight
3. Easier to screw on tail cap(due to shorter throw on the contact points and less contact pressure)
4. Possibly more contact surface area on bare cells(due to many pins contacting the negative terminal vs. one spring coil)
Cons:
1. No protected battery support due to shorter length
2. Less overall battery compatibility(cell has to be exactly 65mm in length)
3. Less shock resistance due to less "spring cushion" between the battery and tube ends/circuitry(weapon mountable lights use a duel spring design for this reason)
4. Less contact pressure(which increases chance of connection issues and battery rattle/vibration)
5. Less safety margin(due to the inability to use protected cells for redundant over discharge/over charge protection)
6. Unproven design(long term durability/reliability of tiny springs in pogo pins is unknown)
So, do you like this new design and feel it is worth the trade offs?
This design change has many pros and cons including:
Pros:
1. Lower overall length(4mm shorter)
2. Lower overall weight
3. Easier to screw on tail cap(due to shorter throw on the contact points and less contact pressure)
4. Possibly more contact surface area on bare cells(due to many pins contacting the negative terminal vs. one spring coil)
Cons:
1. No protected battery support due to shorter length
2. Less overall battery compatibility(cell has to be exactly 65mm in length)
3. Less shock resistance due to less "spring cushion" between the battery and tube ends/circuitry(weapon mountable lights use a duel spring design for this reason)
4. Less contact pressure(which increases chance of connection issues and battery rattle/vibration)
5. Less safety margin(due to the inability to use protected cells for redundant over discharge/over charge protection)
6. Unproven design(long term durability/reliability of tiny springs in pogo pins is unknown)
So, do you like this new design and feel it is worth the trade offs?
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