Help with a "Dead" Malkoff

[angelofwar]

I sent Gene a PM, but wondered if any of you may have any ideas as to what went wrong. Have an M60L (My favourite drop-in by far) that just went dim all of a sudden. Not like i was using it and the out-put dropped...it was just dim...swapped batteries (fresh), light bodies, tail-caps, etc....nothing...it's about at 1/4 - 1/8th of regular out-put. I have many Malkoffs, and I know Gene will stand behind his product, but being the techie that I am, I have to know what went went wrong...

Anyway to test the unit? Check restistance in the springs??? I'm thinking a driver may have prematurely bit the dust??? Any ideas? Thanks! I Miss my M60L :candle:

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Sounds like a driver issue, Gene will take care of ya.

 

[kramer5150]

I can't really think of anything that can be done to repair these. Your best bet is to contact Gene directly.

Theres no way to get these apart without destroying them.
The Khatod optic can be popped out with duct tape (at least the non flood models can). Just stick the tape on the lens and it pops out. It can be snapped back in by hand. Getting the white retainer out is nearly impossible without destroying it, its glued onto the LED board. The one pictured below, I just got lucky, the white retainer just popped out with some duct tape. The optic + retainer can be found on line if you google search XRE Khatod optic.

The driver side is tricky, its completely encased in thermal epoxy. The only way I know to get that stuff out is to COOK the module (after the optics are removed). It will smoke and smell, but once that stuff is charred a little you just pull/pick it out. The Malkoff driver will be destroyed too. I partially dissected one once and made it into an aspheric.

I was ready to start rebuilding this one with an XRE-R2, I have all the parts. Then Cree released the XPG. I keep hoping Khatod will release a 6-8 degree optic for the XPG that drops right in.... no dice so far, so it sits on standby in my P60 box.

 

[angelofwar]

Yeah, I don't plan on repairing...I already sent Gene an Email, and have no doubt I will be taken care of. I'm just curious...but, maybe my guess of the driver was right (thanks PSM). Nice pics kramer! I really like the aspheric lens on the Z44! Especially a frosted aspheric! That's why I frosted the lens on my L1-Rd!

 

[shao.fu.tzer]

My first M61 turned green and dim on me over the period of about 5-6 months (only problem I ever had with a Malkoff) - Gene sent me a new one, no questions asked. That's what I call service... I don't blame Gene one bit - Some components just fail... There's no way he can predict the lifespan of an LED or know of any inherent flaws present at the time of manufacture that would cause a premature failure.

 

[angelofwar]

New M61L enroute from Gene...CPF'ers, are you reading this? This is why I buy Malkoffs and Surefire's...best CS in the business! Still be interested in the technical aspects of it...you know that drive that has you tearing apart everything when your 12-13 years old? LOL! Repaired my washer and dryer 8-10 times over the year, all self taught!

 

[angelofwar]

My first M61 turned green and dim on me over the period of about 5-6 months (only problem I ever had with a Malkoff) - Gene sent me a new one, no questions asked. That's what I call service... I don't blame Gene one bit - Some components just fail... There's no way he can predict the lifespan of an LED or know of any inherent flaws present at the time of manufacture that would cause a premature failure.

Agreed shao...he just designed/assembles them...if he believes hes buying the best/quality parts, it's not his fault. The fact that he stands behind them though is enough for me...the "principle", if you will. Another customer for life, here!

 

[precisionworks]

This is why I buy Malkoffs and Surefire's...best CS in the business!

+1

For industrial electronics the buzzword is MTBF (mean time between failure). Just a wild guess based on using a number of Malkoff's & a bunch of SF's is that both have MTBF that far exceed flashlight industry averages.

 

[Erzengel]

Most electronic devices fail either when they reach their MTBF or in the first weeks after assembly. A serious manufacturer must always calculate the losses because of defective components.
This makes Malkoffs and somilar quality lights more expensive than some cheaper products.

 

[beach honda]

Gene will replace...I guarantee. I've spoke with Gene on the phone in the past about menial things.... He is rock and roll.

 

[angelofwar]

Thanks everyone! Got my replacement today with a hand signed apology letter! I like the beam of this better, since it has a nice combo of spill/throw. Thanks again Gene...You Rock!

Now, what to do with my "dead" one...I figure it's putting out maybe 3-5 lumens on 6volts, which is VERY usable in a pitch black environment, and appears to be running at maybe 10 lumens with 9volts, which tells me that it' running direct drive, now that the driver is fried...is that a safe assumption???

So, if the driver is fried, am I wasting energy using it with 3 cells? i.e. is it still drawing the same number of amps? Or will I get uber long runtimes? or should I chuck it? (as our friends across the pond would say...LOL)

Thanks again!

 

[duro]

From what I've learned when it goes dim the led is dying. unlike incans where they just stop working altogether.

 

[RedForest UK]

Measure tailcap current to see what it's pulling. It can't be direct drive as the vf of an XP-G is around 3.25v so 6v input would be way over. If you decide to get rid of it sell it on the MP and I'm sure someone will happily take it of your hands for $15-20 to fix themselves.

 

[Chrontius]

The Malkoff heat sinks aren't second to none, as he now finally has some competition -- but they're definitely among the best. As a source for optic and heat sink, it's worth selling for parts.