HELP! I think my POB HID from Sam's is DOA

[RobertM]

Well, my Power on Board HID from Samsclub.com arrived today. Following the directions, I plugged it in with the wall charger and waiting until it lit up showing a full charge. Surprisingly, it lit up green within only 5 minutes :thinking:

Again, following the directions I unplug it and wait five minutes before turning it on. I press the on button hoping to see the brightest light ever--and nothing. It flickers for a second and goes out.

I've pulled the battery out to be sure that it has good battery connections and have tried charging the battery some more. Still nothing--just a flicker and then out. BTW, the battery currently show 12.7 volts on the volt meter.

Has anyone else experienced this? Anything else I can try to get it working other than calling Sam's. I was so excited to get my first HID after waiting a week for shipping on it. This sucks :mecry:

 

[electromage]

It's quite possible that your battery is toast. Even if it appears to charge fully, and shows 12.7V when resting, it may not have enough power to strike an arc.

An easy way to test this is to plug the battery in to the light, and attach the voltmeter to the battery terminals. Set it up so that you can see the voltage, and turn the light on. If the voltage suddenly drops to nothing, it's bad. When you turn the light back off, the voltage may or may not climb back off.

You could also do this with any 12V load if it's more convenient. Just leave the voltmeter connected to the battery, and connect any 12v load across the terminals, such as a computer fan or auto dome light bulb. You should see the same result.

 

[RobertM]

I just tried what you suggested. It doesn't drop below 12.6 volts when you switch it on. So it's probably not the battery I guess? Anything else to try?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[electromage]

I would double-check the battery with a non-reactive load, such as an incandescent light bulb. I'd also do a quick inspection of the wires and connections to see if anything is loose, and look at the bulb for cracks. If everything looks OK, and the battery works, it's probably the ballast/ignitor. At that point you should probably RMA it, since even a cheap generic ballast is probably going to cost most of what you paid for the light.

 

[rufusdufus]

Do some more reading here as other people have had troubles as well.
Some had loose connections and touching wires at the base of the bulb.
Also check fuse in past the battery.

 

[BlueBeam22]

Sorry to hear about your problem. If you just have to return your POB HID, I suggest you go to your nearest Pep Boys Auto Parts store and get a 15 million candlepower Thor, which will have a "Motor Trend" label on it.
I got that one and it is brighter than my Power On Board HID or any of my other spotlights I got mine for 60$

Hope this helps

 

[a4d]

i got my 10 mcp light from pep boys (motor trend) for $30. It is really impressive going on a year old now and not one problem.

 

[BlueBeam22]

I should have mentioned in my last post that this did happen to my POB HID a few weeks ago. It was working fine at first, then I put it away for a few days, and when I brought it out to use it it just flickered and died. I looked at the bulb and noticed the globe in the bulb was full of black smoke.
I kept turning it on, but it would just flicker. Then I charged it and turned it on, and the light started to come on but died again. I kept plugging the charger into it until the green light came on and then I would turn it on as soon as I unplugged it (I had to do this like 5 times), and the light finally came on and stayed on. I left it on for 5 minutes, and when I turned it off the globe was clear again (no smoke) and it has been working just fine ever since. UPDATE: I put my POB HID away again for a few days, and it had the same problem again. I finally got it to work, but I seem to have a defective one that has to be turned on every day to keep it working:sick2:

 

[RobertM]

Thanks for all the help everyone. No luck with the light though. I called Sam's and they said that they cannot exchange it because it was from their auction site. They could only offer to refund it and I'd have to bid on another.

Well, I did bid on another and actually got it for $1 less that the previous one

My new one came today...OMG, this thing is insanely freaking bright! I love it! :devil:

 

[Wattnot]

Look at the warranty paper work and call that number. They should send you to a local Black & Decker service center who should then take the light and arrange for a new one to be shipped to you. They won't even ask for a receipt.

I sent one to my brother from Sam's auction and this is exactly how they handled his defective one.

 

[Mark620]

My 3rd light had been turned on during shipment...the reflector is ruined and the bezel is somewhat melted...the blue indicator light was lit when I opened the box...also the Styrofoam in the box is melted.

 

[Scott Packard]

My 3rd light had been turned on during shipment...the reflector is ruined and the bezel is somewhat melted...the blue indicator light was lit when I opened the box...also the Styrofoam in the box is melted.

Jeez. I think a piece of Styrofoam was wedged in between the switch and the body on mine, to prevent accidental turning-on'ing. Like Robert Palmer's song

 

[Turbo DV8]

Jeez. I think a piece of Styrofoam was wedged in between the switch and the body on mine, to prevent accidental turning on.

All 13 of mine had a piece of plastic taped under the switch, specifically designed to prevent the switch from being turned on in the box. If yours didn't have it, and someone else conjectured that their light did not even look new, more like a return, it makes me wonder if at least some of the lights auctioned on Sam's Club were in fact lights that had been used and returned to a warehouse, and then found their way to the auction site. When I bought my 13 lights, I left two behind that did clearly indicate they had been used, returned, and put back on the shelf.

 

[Mark620]

Im getting a replacement from B&D for this one...this is the second time the 3rd light got damaged in shipment.

One was damaged in shipment.
The replacement was turned on.

PS the plastic that was supposed to prevent this was in the bottom of the box.

 

[Wattnot]

Well at least they're taking care of you. That's good. The switch is annoyingly easy to turn on by accident. I've done it twice already and it bothers me because this is the type of light where you should probably limit the cycles for longevity. Ahhhh, maybe I shouldn't worry . . . the lamp will most likely outlive the SLA battery anyway. That and the whole light cost the price of a battery!!:nana: