E-Pill problem

[Flatscan]

I finally built my first E-Pill, with R3K SE and BB400. The SE would routinely hurt my eyes as I was testing it.

However, there is an intermittent problem, and it's probably somewhere in the pill. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif The pill will sometimes light perfectly well, but will usually flicker or not light at all. The flicker is unaffected by any sort of external stimuli (e.g. tapping or hitting the E1e host body against things). Letting the pill sit sometimes makes it work again, sometimes not. Everything is very random, but it seems that the pill gets warm under power regardless of whether the Lux lights up.

My theory is that I was careless installing the ground wire to the E-Can, and it is shorting against the converter board. The ground wire is bare, so it's a possibility. Another is that the LED+ is shorting through the E-Sink to ground somehow. I can't exactly tell why these problems would be intermittent, though.

What could be causing this, and are there any solutions?

 

[shiftd]

hmm, cold solder joint perhaps? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

 

[Flatscan]

I finally positively identified the problem: LED+ is quite thoroughly shorted with the E-Sink. Pushing it firmly inward away from the side of its hole results in proper function, but flickering resumes once pressure is released. I've drilled a pit in the top of the E-Sink and am working my way towards the hole with a file. Once I isolate them, I'll fill the void with AA epoxy.

The problem arises from me using 22AWG instead of the recommended 26AWG, and being careless. The wire and the LED contact together overfilled the hole so that the wire scraped away the anodization at the edge when it was stuffed through the hole.

Edited to add:
A drill, Dremel, and file have resulted in the removal of the offending section of the E-Sink. The light works perfectly now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif