CATAPULT OWNERS PLEASE READ - Potential Serious Problem - **SOLVED**

[e-ville]

man i just realized some of the captions i put over my pictures, im glad nobodies head was in the gutter haha

 

[e-ville]

What if the unit was dropped whilst on and a droplet rolls onto the LED lens ?

Unlikely but possible, What does Thrunite suggest as a remedy in the event of this happening please.

thrunite said it can be wiped off with a clean rag or a Qtip, and as you can see in my pictures mine actually had the oil all the way around the led, which i wiped off with the Qtip also pictured and mine is just fine

 

[ThruNite]

What if the unit was dropped whilst on and a droplet rolls onto the LED lens ?

Unlikely but possible, What does Thrunite suggest as a remedy in the event of this happening please.

If some oil does get onto the SST50 LED dome, you can wipe it off with a Qtip or cotton rag, it will not harm the LED nor will it distort the beam. of course, this possibility is ver very small

 

[Yavox]

Re: CATAPULT OWNERS PLEASE READ - Potential Serious Problem

Dear All:

Thank you for posting your concern regarding the Catapult. The oil that you are seeing is actually heatsink grease and is an integral part of the engineering that allows the Catapult to run a heat-generating emitter like the SST-50 on high for extended periods. The heat sink grease is injected into the LED and driver housing during assembly and has proven to be of enormous value in helping to dissipate the heat generated by the large emitter.

What happens to heatsinking when the flashlight runs out of oil? If it "has proven to be of enormous value" it is supposed to be important - having this oli inside or not having it should make a difference, right? On the other hand, it is leaking - so potentially there is less and less of this oil inside...

Is it supposed to be leaking untill some point only, stabilizing before some safe level is exceeded?

 

[recDNA]

Thanks Olef. I was about to buy a Catapult. I don't want to have to regularly dismantle & clean it nor risk getting oil on the reflector. I'll pass and wait for an SST thrower that is easier to care for.

 

[MrBenchmark]

For what it's worth, I have a catapult, and this hasn't happened to me - no leaks so far, and I do use the light.

I would be curious to hear about whether or not losing some of the oil has an impact on the light though - presumably it's there for a reason. Maybe the small amount leaked isn't critical. It would be nice to hear that though.

 

[Olef]

Re: CATAPULT OWNERS PLEASE READ - Potential Serious Problem

What happens to heatsinking when the flashlight runs out of oil? If it "has proven to be of enormous value" it is supposed to be important - having this oli inside or not having it should make a difference, right? On the other hand, it is leaking - so potentially there is less and less of this oil inside...

Is it supposed to be leaking untill some point only, stabilizing before some safe level is exceeded?

I wonder that too... ?

Olef

 

[Olef]

Thanks Olef. I was about to buy a Catapult. I don't want to have to regularly dismantle & clean it nor risk getting oil on the reflector. I'll pass and wait for an SST thrower that is easier to care for.

My pleasure to be able to return a little to the community

One thing I have noticed, my early light has a very thin white plastic washer around the emitter, so thin that you can see through it (see pic in my first post). All the shots of other Catapults seem to have a much thicker washer. Was there a problem with the thin ones? Perhaps allowing the reflector to short out?
Be interesting to know...
Olef

 

[e-ville]

i believe that is what they changed to prevent the domes from popping off

 

[stallion2]

BTW even though it sounds like, and I imagine it to be mineral oil. Do not eat it, if I'm wrong it could prove to be pretty bad for you, then again it is ill advised to eat anything you don't know is safe to ingest, so you know, don't be stupid in that regard.

i must respectfully disagree. how can you properly assess the potential hazards of any unknown substance unless you perform basic tests? touch, tasting, consumption, exposure to an open flame or spark, slipping some into an oreo to feed to your neighbor's obnoxious-*** yorkie from across the street...these are all perfectly reasonable methods for learning about a product.

 

[ThruNite]

Any grease that escapes from the module is inconsequential to the heat sinking capacity of the light. The escaping heat sink grease is simply excess and is tantamount to overly-lubricated threads. Due to surface tension and viscosity the light won't physically be able to lose enough grease to impact cooling and heat transference. What little finds its way out of the vents is inconsequential although as we have seen it can sometimes create a minor maintenance issue. Any grease can be easily cleaned off with a cotton swab or soft cotton rag. The maintenance issue is minor, but one where we felt the benefits far outweighed the risks considering how well the grease helped the light deal with the higher operating temperatures that can be produced by a driven SST-50. Heat sinking is key to engineering a reliable high-output light with a large single die emitter and we wanted our light to be as reliable as possible.

I am glad to be able to provide some insight and hope that your lights continue to provide lifelong service. If there are any other questions or anything I can do to help please let me know.

Thank you.

 

[ma_sha1]

Re: CATAPULT OWNERS PLEASE READ - Potential Serious Problem

What happens to heatsinking when the flashlight runs out of oil?

You'll have to take to ThruNite dealer for an oil change

 

[65535]

I retract my mineral oil hypothesis, it looks to be a clear oil (still possible to be mineral oil but less likely) that suspends a thick white thermal compound. I still wouldn't recommend eating it, that's just stupid.

i must respectfully disagree. how can you properly assess the potential hazards of any unknown substance unless you perform basic tests? touch, tasting, consumption, exposure to an open flame or spark, slipping some into an oreo to feed to your neighbor's obnoxious-*** yorkie from across the street...these are all perfectly reasonable methods for learning about a product.

Tasting, consuming or burning certain sometimes household compounds is a horrible idea, and could kill you.

I can't respectfully disagree, what you have suggested is blatantly stupid in a lot of situations.

Fairly recently it has been found that break cleaner aerosol spray breaks down when exposed to heat and reacts to form phosgene gas (urethane products do this as well). In text it doesn't sound so bad, but phosgene gas is the main component of nerve gas, it's LD50 is quite low, low enough that it doesn't take much exposed to elevated temperatures to debilitate or kill you.

I don't want to hear about someone ingesting something toxic or igniting it and there being repercussions.

If you decide to do something so ill informed, it is your own fault, don't expect to sue someone for damages you incurred upon yourself. There are MSDS and warning labels for a reason.

 

[stallion2]

Tasting, consuming or burning certain sometimes household compounds is a horrible idea, and could kill you.

I can't respectfully disagree, what you have suggested is blatantly stupid in a lot of situations.

Fairly recently it has been found that break cleaner aerosol spray breaks down when exposed to heat and reacts to form phosgene gas (urethane products do this as well). In text it doesn't sound so bad, but phosgene gas is the main component of nerve gas, it's LD50 is quite low, low enough that it doesn't take much exposed to elevated temperatures to debilitate or kill you.

I don't want to hear about someone ingesting something toxic or igniting it and there being repercussions.

If you decide to do something so ill informed, it is your own fault, don't expect to sue someone for damages you incurred upon yourself. There are MSDS and warning labels for a reason.

its called sarcasm, friend. i realize that forums don't allow for one to convey their message accompanied by the inflection of their voice...but...WOW...really?

 

[Yavox]

Re: CATAPULT OWNERS PLEASE READ - Potential Serious Problem

You'll have to take to ThruNite dealer for an oil change

I think it is just a very smart marketing move. The next thing released by ThruNite will be a Flashlight Refill Kit

 

[e-ville]

i wonder if i can get longer runtimes if i switch to 10W40

 

[TallNHairyDave]

Glad I found this thread! I just noticed mystery liquid in the head of my catapult, so I'm pleased to discover it's nothing to worry about.

Thanks Olef for raising it and thanks Thrunite for your responses!

lovecpf

 

[Yavox]

i wonder if i can get longer runtimes if i switch to 10W40

I have heard about 10% runtime increase from that. :thumbsup: They are available at Walmart as a bundle with some windshield washer fluid for clearing the flashlight lens. I have heard that the heatsinking is so good from this 10W40 that you have to go for antifreeze version at this time of year. :twothumbs

 

[DM51]

The escaping heat sink grease is simply excess and is tantamount to overly-lubricated threads.

Is the excess that is being used something you are going to remedy? Even if it is an inert and harmless substance, it is obviously undesirable to have it escaping like this and migrating on to other components, such as batteries or reflectors.

 

[ThruNite]

DM51,
Thanks for your question. We are currently making design changes that will remedy the issue. In our experience, if any grease escapes it is typically very limited in quantity but we are still striving to find a way to eliminate the issue completely. We are currently designing the next generation Catapult with the goal making improvements that fine-tune what we feel is already a very strong platform. The grease issue will be mitigated and a few new accessories will make their appearance.
Thanks!