HELP -- NEW Dereelight CL1H V3 won't turn on...

[evi1joe]

I've replaced the switch with the extra in the box, cleaned the terminals/springs, which look fairly clean-brand-new anyway, and tried two different AW protected 18650 batteries--which I've charged fully, then charged again 2 more times (for briefer periods until the ultrafire light turned green). I've also tried an unprotected battery--without charging it (didn't know if it came charged). I've always faced the + towards the head/reflector side, though maybe I could try the other way if it wouldn't hurt the light or explode and hurt me.

I've tightened, loosened and tightened EVERYTHING and still, nothing. No light or even a hint of light. I haven't cleaned out the threads, but just don't see how that could make much of a difference in something so expensive and durable-feelign--something's not working (i'm thinking it's the switch, the batteries or the bulb, but I don't know much about flashlights). Any ideas? Can I squeez it between 2 CR123s and see if it comes on?
Thanks,
--jOE

 

[WadeF]

Don't use CR123's if it is a digital pill. What pill are you using? Did you try touching the - of the battery to the base of the body tube, which bypasses the switch (with the tailcap off).

If the threads are dirty where the body tube screws into the head that could be a problem, as it conducts through those threads.

 

[orbital]

+

Slow down Joe!..

Don't just flip flop the batteries or use too many cells for your drop-in.

First, what pill (drop-in) do you have?

Second, it could be as simple as the pill touching the reflector, is there something non conductive (thin plastic piece) between your pill and reflector?

Third, make sure you first tighten the bezel down fully, and then only lightly tighten the head.

 

[evi1joe]

It should be the 3SD that runs on 18650...though it doesn't say this in the literature anywhere. Tomorrow morning I'll have to see if it says it on the pill somewhere (I'm assuming the pill is between the head and bezel). I couldn't find any thin plastic strips on any of the connection surfaces, but I did notice that all my springs are compressed almost fully down--instead of poking up, they're all squished (maybe i overtightened things).

Mysteriously, I also noticed that the bezel is getting very warm after it's been on a while EVEN THOUGH there's no light coming out of it--so something is connection somewhere...this makes me think maybe it's a bad bulb. ??

I'll clean the threads in the head/bezel tomorrow--can I use CLP or gun cleaning stuff for that or just alcohol?
thanks,
jOE

 

[WadeF]

Try with alcohol first, but after trying what I suggest below. It sounds like it is shorting out. Did you have the bezel off, tighten the body tube and head all the way, then screw the bezel on tightly? If so, you may have smashed the pill, the instructions should warn about over tightening. You want to have the body tube loose when you screw the bezel on, and then adjust the body tube as needed.

If it's getting warm it is shorting out. Try loosening the pill in the reflector, unscrew it just a bit, then try putting it back together.

 

[evi1joe]

Thanks for all your help. I actually got it to turn on briefly last night as I was screwing it back together, but haven't got it to work at all since.

I tried loosening the pill in the bezel-attached-to-the-reflector, but got nothing. The pill at the top of the battery tube (that connects to the head/reflector-pill) gets REALLY hot when there's a battery in the tube and it's turned on.

Is it normal for all the springs to be kinda squished (except for the spring at the top of the battery tube)? Did I overtighten it, squish them, and that's causing it to short out? what should I try next--if I contact Alan, what do I ask him? Do I need replacement parts or just another flashlight?

 

[evi1joe]

I cleaned all threads and tried loosening and tightening (but not too tight) bottom, head and bezel. Also loosened and tightened the pill attached to the battery tube as well as the pill attached to the reflector AND even the pill attached to the switch. I've spent about 3 hours with the light now and have only ONCE seen it blink a few times when I was screwing something in--though when I slowly unscrewed it, the light did not reappear. I'm at a loss. A $105 loss--I paid $15 extra for DHL shipping.

I'm now recharging the 18650 batteries in the hopes that maybe their first charge ever didn't get them charged enough to make the light work (though I'm thinking this is doubtful as the light did get hot on occasion).

Any ideas?

 

[WadeF]

When I said loosen the pill, the pill is the light engine, the brass part with the LED attached to it. If this is too tightly screwed into the reflector it can sometimes cause a short, so you want to loosen that. I wouldn't loosen the other parts. The inside of the tailcap needs to be tight so everything makes proper contact. The contact between the battery and the pill should be screwed in as it was when the light was new. Make sure the spring on the pill (the part with the LED) isn't so smashed it's touching the inside of the flashlight's body, it should only touch gold colored medal which passes the + from the + of the battery.

Also make sure you have the body tube loose before you screw the bezel back on, with the pill and reflector installed.

Also if the spring on the pill is too compressed it may not be making contact, but something is shorting out.

When you look at the rear of the reflector, with the pill removed, is there a clear insulating washer installed? It's a thin piece of plastic with sticky stuff to hold it to the reflector, and there is a black o-ring under that. Make sure that is in place to help prevent the pill from shorting.

Make sure there isn't any debries around that metal contact at the top of the body tube (it's gold colored, insulated from the body tube by a white plastic ring that holds it) that could short it to the body tube.

If you have the means to take good close up pictures, you could post pictures of the various components.

 

[evi1joe]

wade,
hrmmm...i never noticed, but you're right, the thin plastic insulating material above that o-ring in the reflector is off centered and there is a bit of metal in the very middle/center around the hole where the LED goes through that IS exposed--I don't know if that is causing my problem or not, but it could be.
thanks a bunch for all this help.

 

[evi1joe]

my OP reflector has a really obvious white material stuck there with NO possibility of contact between the pill and the reflector, but after switching reflectors just now, still no light...going to try different battery as this non-protected seems shorter than the two protected 18650s i bought.

just a thought. is there any way i got something besides a 3SD and maybe it won't run because the 18650 isn't the right battery--i don't see 3SD written anywhere on it.

could it have blown-ruined my cree LED via short-circuit? it's certainly possible that the SMO reflector was touching something inside the LED pill since that thin-clear plastic is off-centered.

 

[Steve L]

You should have a sticker on the outside of one of the reflectors. The 2SM is the only Dereelight pill that you put the battery in backwards(+ towards tailcap) All others + towards the head.

 

[evi1joe]

ah. thanks. yep. 3SD it is. ugh. i'm running out of options and hate to have to mail something back to HongKong. i emailed alan to see if he had any ideas...it doesn't seem to be getting hot anymore, so i'm wondering if i ruined something or what. thanks for all your help everyone--especially you wade, for taking the time to write so much here on candlepower forums.

 

[Steve L]

The only other thing I can think of is: The pill(brass part) has a spring if it's compressed(smashed) down too far it might be shorting or not making contact with the brass plate under it. Gently stretch the spring and try again. The spring should not be smashed.

 

[WadeF]

If the spring on the pill is smashed it's likely it was over tightened, and if the spring is smashed down, it's possible the pill's circuit board got damaged as well. Do you see any cracks in it? Is it pushed in at all, or flush with the base of the brass heat sink?