Blackburn X6 Parts?

[smflorkey]

I just got a "new" Blackburn X6 from eBay. It arrived in its original box (well packed in a much larger box) seeming to be unused. However, after charging the battery all night, the lights do not light. Another clue that something may be wrong is that the Blackburn manual (yes, some people actually read manuals ) says there is a light on the battery that indicates its state of charge. I see no light, green or red, steady or blinking, anywhere on the battery or charger. The battery *does* say "Blackburn" and looks well made, but it doesn't seem to hold a charge at all. I'll get out my DMM tonight and see what I can measure from the charger and battery. [Update] My DMM says the charger puts out 16v (unloaded) but the "charged" battery puts out 0.0v.

I sent a note to the eBay seller through eBay. I also sent e-mail to Blackburn to ask if this might be covered under warranty since it seems to be new. My note to Blackburn asked about parts like cables with their proprietary connectors and maybe a tail light that runs off the same battery -- and maybe a replacement/backup battery? I'll let you know what they say whenever they get around to saying it. [Update] The eBay seller asked me to return the X6 so he can send me an X8 and post PayPal credit for my shipping charges. I think I'll be watching his items a little more!

So I thought that this wealth of knowledgeable, experienced bike light people might have better sources for Blackburn X6 parts, especially a spare battery and cables. BlackburnDesigns.com and Google have not been very helpful so far.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[trout]

some of the early x6s had faulty batterys
when they were shipped they seemed to have no power and when connected to the charger it woke up the electronics and charged up
but some just would not wake up .

I had a set that refused to charge so I checked the charger output and the charger was dead.
as it was out of warranty I cracked open the charger and there was a small fuse that had blown as I did not have a fuse I bypassed it with a bit of wire and it is still going strong 2 years later.

there is a tiny led on the side of the battery pack in the middle triangle shape.

so first off check the charger output first

 

[smflorkey]

Thanks, Trout. My DMM says the charger puts out 16v unloaded. OTOH, using bits of paper clips to probe the battery output shows 0.0v across any 2 of the 3 sockets on either connector. :thumbsdow

I found the charge status LED high on one side of the battery. It is pretty hard to see when it is not lit, but it seems reasonable to have a dark LED when the battery presents 0v at its output connectors.

I hope someone (maybe even Blackburn) comes up with another battery. If no spares are available, I may see if I can disassemble the battery case and replace its guts with something that works.

I'm glad your X6 came to life. Once it worked, how did you like it?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Christexan]

Common problem with X6 batteries, the original series (roughly the first year of shipments) had batteries with a bad self-discharge problem (common to NIMH, but seemingly excessive with the X6 units)... bottom line, they sit on the shelf for months before purchase, and self-discharge to the point of failure (or very weak)... those that "wake up" upon charging (attempt several times over a few days to see if you can wake it up) manage to get the chemistry active enough that the charger sees it and continues to charge it, however these batteries won't have great runtimes or lifespans (the damage has been done) and some are so self-discharged that they won't wake up ever. Blackburn replaced many of these under warranty when bought from "original sellers", but hard to say what will happen with an EBay purchase. Good luck!

 

[smflorkey]

Thanks, Christexan. Blackburn denied any warranty responsibility for this X6 since I bought it through eBay. On the other hand, the eBay seller is taking it back (just arrived at his address this morning) and promises a new X8 when he has the X6.

The X6 had very nice water-resistant connectors. I was hoping to find extension cables or longer replacements for my recumbent bike, but Blackburn says they do not offer anything that was not in the original package. You sound like you're pretty knowledgeable about Blackburn. Do you know where I can get connectors that will mate with the Blackburn X8 (when it gets here)? I could make some custom cables if I could get the right connectors.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Christexan]

Wish I could help with that part, I'm a bikelight aficionado with a minor in battery technology, but haven't done much hands-on with Blackburns, so I'm just familiar from the past postings of many buyers of X6's (after a few months, many vendors had "specials" or "closeout" pricing, at which point the problem became very apparent (the reason they closed them out of course was they'd become "old stock" and were trying to move them, at which point the people getting them discovered the batteries had died from sitting around so long). Anyhow, wish I had better info on the connectors, an ideal, small, waterproof, locking, DC connector capable of 1A currents, inexpensive, is kind of a holy grail, there are many "nearly ideal" connectors, but I think everyone is still searching for the "best" reasonable cost one.

 

[Toku-Floyd]

May be a bit late, but I have just fixed my Blackburn X6. Discovered them on the shelf and they did not work.
Removed screw covers on LED side and opened pack, un-plugged battery pack and then removed and replaced button cell.
Battery pack was dead on testing, so with nothing to lose, I replaced it with 5 18650 cells from an old laptop battery, which I made into a pack, with safety's in place.
Yes, they are lithium-ion and are 4 volts each, but loaded them to provide 7.7v.
Using the original charger from the Blackburn lights, that should keep the charge down to the 7.0v mark.

Heat shrink on the batteries, then closed up and charged.
So far, they have worked well, slightly brighter and a lot longer run time, no times yet, but that should be in the next few days.
If this lasts the season, I might try changing the LED's for stronger ones, as mentioned elsewhere.
I'll let you know in future posts. If anyone is still interested.

Hope that this is helpful, for those who need a cheap fix.