Brand new P61 bulbs burned out continuously

[Struecker]

I recently bought some brand new unopened P61 and P60 bulbs.

Those P60s are all very good, and they handle the 3.7V lithium battery and 2 CR123A batteries very well.

But for P61, I unpacked two brand-new P61 bulbs and used 2 CR123A batteries. They burned out continuously and died after just a flash.
They are not cheap...is the P61 bulb so fragile?
The battery is surefire CR123A, not brand new, used a little bit, shouldn't burn the bulb.

 

[lightfooted]

I recently bought some brand new unopened P61 and P60 bulbs.

Those P60s are all very good, and they handle the 3.7V lithium battery and 2 CR123A batteries very well.

But for P61, I unpacked two brand-new P61 bulbs and used 2 CR123A batteries. They burned out continuously and died after just a flash.
They are not cheap...is the P61 bulb so fragile?
The battery is surefire CR123A, not brand new, used a little bit, shouldn't burn the bulb.

The thing about incandescent lights is that they are very sensitive to exceeding their operating voltage. High output lamps especially so. You say they burned out continuously, yet you only had two...anyway, I am guessing they weren't designed to be operating on 6 volts despite what the packaging said. That or you used Li-Ion 16340s in them. Two of those would give you 8 volts fresh off the charger and easily 7 volts after some use. Either way would be more than enough to exceed the filaments rating and give you your super bright flash of death.

It could be a case of poor quality control but I'm not sure if you could get them replaced.

 

[thermal guy]

SF p61?? There designed to run at 6 volts. That's not the problem.No way they shortened out is there? Looks like you just got two duds.

 

[bykfixer]

Agreed, sounds like a QC problem. Or some really good at looking authentic fakes.

Dratz bro, that sucks because yeah they aint cheap.

 

[chillinn]

SF p61?? There designed to run at 6 volts. That's not the problem.No way they shortened out is there? Looks like you just got two duds.

This is going to be nitpicky, but 6V will probably flash a P61. They were designed to run on 2xCR123A, and under the P61's 2.28A-2.36A current draw, there is no way those two cells are putting out 6V under load. Closer to 5V. P61 & P60 might very well be designed to ideally run at 5V, and I would think this is why they probably work well for a time on a single 3.7V-4.2V Li-ion secondary, because they do not suffer as much voltage drop under load.

 

[Struecker]

Agreed, sounds like a QC problem. Or some really good at looking authentic fakes.

Dratz bro, that sucks because yeah they aint cheap.

These P60 and P61 are packaged with the lu60 bezel set, and the packaging has not been opened, so they are definitely not fakes.
The two P61 behave the same:
Unscrew the 6P bezel that I use every day, remove the P60, install a P61, click the switch, flash and die, change another P61, flash and die...

I measured the voltage of the SF CR123A battery with a multimeter, it was about 3.1 volts.
Weird...

 

[chillinn]

This is probably a wild idea, and I am not sure it is even a possibility. This is about E's and MN03. It seemed I had this tail switch that blew lamps, seemed this way. Every MN03 lamp I used with that tail switch flashed. Flashed 3 in a row, swapped out the tail switch, no flash. Swapped the demon tail switch back in again, flash. I no longer use that z57 with primaries and MN03. I can't explain this, and I am probably superstitious. It is old, I got it used, mechanically seems to work fine, now only used with secondaries and Tad Customs lamps.

Is it too crazy to ask if you have another tail switch you can try initially next time you get a P61?

Even I think this sounds like nonsense. Please tell me it is nonsense if anyone knows for certain, that it could not possibly be a funky tail switch causing lamps to flash.

 

[Struecker]

This is probably a wild idea, and I am not sure it is even a possibility. This is about E's and MN03. It seemed I had this tail switch that blew lamps, seemed this way. Every MN03 lamp I used with that tail switch flashed. Flashed 3 in a row, swapped out the tail switch, no flash. Swapped the demon tail switch back in again, flash. I no longer use that z57 with primaries and MN03. I can't explain this, and I am probably superstitious. It is old, I got it used, mechanically seems to work fine, now only used with secondaries and Tad Customs lamps.

Is it too crazy to ask if you have another tail switch you can try initially next time you get a P61?

Even I think this sounds like nonsense. Please tell me it is nonsense if anyone knows for certain, that it could not possibly be a funky tail switch causing lamps to flash.

Clicky switches are not as reliable as the twist switches.
I have encountered the flickering problem of Z68 and XM weapon light switch.
But when I burned the brand new P61, there was no flicker problem, it just a single flash and died.




I have another P61 that has been in use for a long time, and it is still working, using SF CR123A batteries and XM switch.
Unlike the P61 I just bought, it does not have a matte tip.

 

[fivemega]

Some defective high pressurized bulbs may have very very slight leak and loose minimum operating pressure and after several years of shelf sitting, once use it, give up and burn out.
Some people call them bad batch but I don't look them that way.
If you buy two brand new car of same make, same model, same options and even same color and start driving both cars from one point together. Do you think if one of them break off, second car will have same problem same time?
There is nothing created same.

 

[peter yetman]

Your other thread is about 3v SF heads. Is there any chance these bulbs are 3v P30s, rather than 6v P60/61?
P

 

[ampdude]

This is probably a wild idea, and I am not sure it is even a possibility. This is about E's and MN03. It seemed I had this tail switch that blew lamps, seemed this way. Every MN03 lamp I used with that tail switch flashed. Flashed 3 in a row, swapped out the tail switch, no flash. Swapped the demon tail switch back in again, flash. I no longer use that z57 with primaries and MN03. I can't explain this, and I am probably superstitious. It is old, I got it used, mechanically seems to work fine, now only used with secondaries and Tad Customs lamps.

Is it too crazy to ask if you have another tail switch you can try initially next time you get a P61?

Even I think this sounds like nonsense. Please tell me it is nonsense if anyone knows for certain, that it could not possibly be a funky tail switch causing lamps to flash.

What are you talking about? MN03? Did you have some prototype MN03's?

Your other thread is about 3v SF heads. Is there any chance these bulbs are 3v P30s, rather than 6v P60/61?
P

Good question, did you maybe substitute the wrong bulbs? I've never had a P61 flash on me ever.

 

[Struecker]

Your other thread is about 3v SF heads. Is there any chance these bulbs are 3v P30s, rather than 6v P60/61?
P

That thread is all about LED stuff.

These P60 and P61 come with LU60 bezel kit, with a label on the packaging, and a metal label on the bulb, all of which are clearly marked "Surefire P60" or "Surefire P61"

 

[Struecker]

What are you talking about? MN03? Did you have some prototype MN03's?



Good question, did you maybe substitute the wrong bulbs? I've never had a P61 flash on me ever.

I don't have any R30s, and there is a metal tag on the bulb mark clearly as "P61", won't be missed.

 

[ampdude]

I don't have any R30s, and there is a metal tag on the bulb mark clearly as "P61", won't be missed.

Dang. Have you tried the lamps in any other lights with other batteries or tailcaps? Oh that's right you said you burned them all out. Not sure what's going on there, maybe some pictures would help.

 

[Struecker]

Dang. Have you tried the lamps in any other lights with other batteries or tailcaps? Oh that's right you said you burned them all out. Not sure what's going on there, maybe some pictures would help.

I have another P61 that has been in use for a long time, and it is still working, using SF CR123A batteries and XM switch.
Unlike the P61 I just bought, it does not have a matte tip.

 

[chillinn]

What are you talking about?

MN03

MN03?

The very same.

Did you have some prototype MN03's?

Negative. I, anecdotally mind you, had a z57 that seemed to be the problem and flashed all the new MN03 I tried it with. Ate right through my MN03 stash in less than a few minutes. Set up E2e, primaries, lamp, I think it flashed the same time it clicked. Not possible @Einstein.

 

[lightfooted]

These P60 and P61 are packaged with the lu60 bezel set, and the packaging has not been opened, so they are definitely not fakes.
The two P61 behave the same:
Unscrew the 6P bezel that I use every day, remove the P60, install a P61, click the switch, flash and die, change another P61, flash and die...

I measured the voltage of the SF CR123A battery with a multimeter, it was about 3.1 volts.
Weird...

A CR123A that is resting at 3.1 volts??? That really is bizarre! I would think immediately that it was the whole reason for it killing the lamps. I've just never heard of that happening before and never experienced it myself.

 

[bykfixer]

Some defective high pressurized bulbs may have very very slight leak and loose minimum operating pressure and after several years of shelf sitting, once use it, give up and burn out.
Some people call them bad batch but I don't look them that way.
If you buy two brand new car of same make, same model, same options and even same color and start driving both cars from one point together. Do you think if one of them break off, second car will have same problem same time?
There is nothing created same.

Had not considered the leak aspect.

 

[archimedes]

A CR123A that is resting at 3.1 volts??? That really is bizarre! ....

Open-circuit voltage (no load) can exceed 3.0V in fresh cells.

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?95893-Voltage-on-New-CR123A

https://lygte-info.dk/review/batteries2012/Panasonic Lithium Power CR123 UK.html

 

[ampdude]

MN03



The very same.




Negative. I, anecdotally mind you, had a z57 that seemed to be the problem and flashed all the new MN03 I tried it with. Ate right through my MN03 stash in less than a few minutes. Set up E2e, primaries, lamp, I think it flashed the same time it clicked. Not possible @Einstein.

Oh my bad, when I read your post I read MN04 for some reason and thought you had that prototype bulb. I must have been reading multiple threads at the same time. Interesting that Z57 must have had a dead short in it if you were able to determine it had nothing to do with the head or body.