Got my (Microswitch) Photon 3 back - See Pictures!!!

arab

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 5, 2001
Messages
310
Location
Ireland
Hi,

I said in a previous posting that I'd open a thread when I got my Photon 3 back from LRI - here it is!

Brief History:
17th April: Ordered P3
25th June: Received the P3. Soon after discovered the switch was very stiff and difficult to operate. Under advice from Bryan Avery in LRI, I adjusted (i.e. Bent!) the switch to make it easier to operate.
Soon After: Discovered the P3 was using up batteries at a rate of 1 set per 1-2 months with practically no usage.
31st October: Posted the light back to LRI, explaining what was wrong. Requested that the replacement have microswitches
14th November: LRI posted the replacement to me
26th November: Received the replacement.

Of course I took it apart instantly. Suspecting that the circuit board is very sensitive, I took anti-static precautions (this time
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It certainly looks better, and the microswitches, as well as being a marvel to look at, make the operation of the switches much nicer as well - no more messing with bending metal to get them to work!

I was unable to post the pictures directly here, so please click HERE to see pictures of a Mark II Photon 3 disassembled.

I plan to leave it pretty much alone for about a month or 2 and I will then update this thread. Will it use up the batteries, what will happen when I next go to use it?

Watch this space ...
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Hi Arab. Thanks for the pics. I was wondering what was inside that thing. I guess you can no longer swap LEDs so easily with it being soldered on, but then again I've occasionallly had trouble with my photon 2 with the LED being loose. Besides, the LEDs LRI uses are already VERY good.
 
No problem
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As you know, the P3's problems were mostly CPU related so - at least in my case - it never got to a stage where the LEDs were over used. I'm sure, with about 1M Photons sold over the years, LRI must get a priority supply of these - both from a delivery and a quality point of view.

I've just set my P3 to the (annoying) auto off mode. I don't want any excuses when I look at it again in a few months time to test if my new light is burning up the batteries like the old one
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Speaking of P3's, I bought 4 coverts. Two had holes
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in the switch cover. I could see brass at the center of the holes. I emailed my Ebay seller and he replied "Is it serious?".
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Duh. I don't like to see circuit boards on other than a clear case. I posted them back to him and am now awaiting the return. BTW, they were well packed with no damage to the box or bubble pack. Factory QC needs improvement.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>
phred said
Speaking of P3's, I bought 4 coverts. Two had holes in the switch cover. I could see brass at the center of the holes. I emailed my Ebay seller and he replied "Is it serious?". Duh. I don't like to see circuit boards on other than a clear case. I posted them back to him and am now awaiting the return. BTW, they were well packed with no damage to the box or bubble pack. Factory QC needs improvement<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm very surprised.
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To my knowledge, LRI's problems were mostly with the CPU on the P3 (and latterly the Fusion). They have an excellent reputation for the mechanical bits. I wonder - is it possible that you got a P3 clone
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One thing I didn't photograph on my P3 is a little inscription on the reverse side of the battery cover. It's possible that LRI are now doing this in an attempt to help identify the many clones that exist. The inscription is very lightly done and is only visible if you angle the cover so the light reflects off it. The inscription says:
Let your light shine
There is also an even more faintly etched reference to the patent. It says:
PATENT
DES.375,372

I don't remember these on my Mark I Photon 3. What about the rest of the Photos 3s out there, is there an inscription?
 
arab. I don't carry my photon to work. I only have an ARC-LE, Surefire P-6 and am charging up my new
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Streamlight UltraStinger. Oh well. Go up 4 floors, get wifes photon. O.K. inside cover says "let your light shine". Bottom half has a swirl pattern(damascene?)remember the dashboard of a '55 Chevy?)). I can faintly see a patent and some numbers through it. The battery strap is a continuous brass loop(new style?). Under the battries it is marked "photon 3" in the center with LRI and the address around on the outer rim and 2001 on the bottom. The board has the two eyes(?)micro-switch?)).O.K. Time to put it back in one piece.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>phred said
Go up 4 floors, get wifes photon<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Get fit. Get a LED
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I don't carry my photon to work. I only have an ARC-LE, Surefire P-6 and am charging up my new Streamlight UltraStinger<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'm impressed! I carry an ARC LE, my (new) Photon 3 and a Swiss Army knife - Midnight Manager - which has a nifty red LED.

Sounds like that P3 is the genuine article
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Mind you, if the cloners go to the effort to copy a light down to the last detail, I'm sure they could copy these as well. Maybe these inscriptions are only useful if nobody knows about them! Maybe we should stop talking about them ...

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I received the following email from Bryan Avery of LRI today re my newly replaced P3:

edited for brevity
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>I believe the battery drain issue which showed up in some of the lights has been
completely resolved, so you should not have any trouble with that. I look
forward to hearing your impressions of the new switch design after using the
light for a month or two. For myself, I think that perhaps the microswitches
are less prone to being accidentally turned on in my pocket, however that could
just be a function of where the light is located on my key ring. I did pull my
previous white P3 out of my pocket several times to find it already turned on,
however I have not had this happen once since I started carrying the microswitch
version. I would be interested to hear if you have a similar experience.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
How can you tell if a P3 is the second generation model. What difference do the micro switches make? I have never had problems with my P3 although the switch is very stiff even after much use.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MY:
How can you tell if a P3 is the second generation model. What difference do the micro switches make? I have never had problems with my P3 although the switch is very stiff even after much use.
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<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Open it up and look for a thin steel strap that goes across the batteries about 1/4 out from the battery opening. The earlier models will have a small springlike thingie on the side that presses against the sides of the batteries. This new strap physically goes across the top of the upper battery and holds them in place.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>MY said
How can you tell if a P3 is the second generation model. What difference do the micro switches make? I have never had problems with my P3 although the switch is very stiff even after much use.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The microswitches are much more sophisticated than the older type switch. This was basically a bit of metal with a little "arm" on each side which hovered just above the contacts. LRI had problems with the exact spacing of this gap. I had to take my original light apart and bend the metal to reduce the gap. Of cource, this took a number of iterations to get right, but when I got it right, the light was fine. And then my "cpu" started eating my batteries ...

As per the snippet from LRI's Bryan Avery above, some P3s suffered from this premature batery death problem and the latest model has other improvements (not stated) to correct the problem. The microswitches themselves may prevent inadvertent switching on. They also give a nice tactile click when activated. And who knows, maybe all the taking apart that me and others did to get their original light to work may have contributed to the cpu failures
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Update as promised:

Ok, I've had the replacement P3 for well over a month now. I've left it in Auto-off mode and have used it very little. My old P3 would now have eaten it's batteries at this stage.

My new one? Works as it should !!!

The only incident I have to report is that on one occasion when I switched it on, it acted "funny". It's been fine since.

I now have 2 lights on my keyring. My ARC LE and the P3. I wouldn't have bought the ARC if the P3 had behaved. Now I think the ARC is the one I will keep on my key ring. Is it just me who gets very battery conscious when I use the P3. I don't feel this way with the LE ???
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arab -

Thanks for starting this thread. I followed your lead and sent my (malfunctioning, no microswitches) Photon 3 back for a replacement. Just stuck it in a regular envelope with a brief note.

Received back the newer version and it works perfectly. For several weeks now.

I also agree with you about the Arc. I have both the P3 and an Arc-AAA on my keychain. If I had to have only one, it would be the Arc.

Changing the battery in the Arc is simple, even in the dark I am sure I could do it. Not so sure about the P3, although the elimination of the screws make it possible.

And so what if you use the Arc for 4 hours just for fun. It costs about 30 cents, can cost 10 times that to refill the P3.

Still, the P3 is tiny and now has many cool modes to tinker with. I even found some uses for the flashing modes.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Coherence said
I even found some uses for the flashing modes.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've heard these can be used for signaling, impersonating a police car (if you have the blue LED) or say, making the spokes of a bicycle wheel appear stationary. I, eh, never need to do any of these
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From previous posts, I'm not sure these modes save the battery much either ...

Have you other uses?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Coherence:
And so what if you use the Arc for 4 hours just for fun. It costs about 30 cents, can cost 10 times that to refill the P3<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I bought 200 cr2016 batteries off ebay for about 20 bucks
 
Do you suppose there is any way to guarantee that a new P3 purchased today will have the new switches? I'd hate to go buy a couple of new ones, and find out that they're actually "old."
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR> Darell Said:
Do you suppose there is any way to guarantee that a new P3 purchased today will have the new switches? I'd hate to go buy a couple of new ones, and find out that they're actually "old." <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you are specific in your order and request the newer model, then if you get the old one, you can just send it back. As per my previous posts in this thread, it's easy to differentiate

P.S. Now I know your secret Darell. You have managed to post 298 items in less than 2 months by replying to your own questions
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by arab:


P.S. Now I know your secret Darell. You have managed to post 298 items in less than 2 months by replying to your own questions
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<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I hate it when I think up the answer right after I hit the post button. More often than not, I delete my post, thus reducing my post count. And quite honestly, I don't even look at the number until somebody points it out - I can't even believe 300 is accurate. Afterall - that would indicated that I have no life....
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Oh, and for my three hundred and first post, I'd like to add: I just emailed Willian at TTS, and he said he'd inspect his new batch before sending them to me to be sure they were the new versions. Cool.

- Darell
 

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