Improving Dorcy switch

[nerdgineer]

Maybe everyone knows this already... I like my Dorcy AAs and AAAs, but I found the pushbutton switch action a little variable on occasion. It wouldn't come on sometimes (at the same tail cap position) and wouldn't go all the way off sometimes, and felt a little rough.

Anyway, I found that the switch smoothness is improved if (from a tailcap position where the intermittent function works) you push it in firmly, hold it in, and rotate it a few times. That is, you rotate the button against the flashlight body (I hold the button by the little metal D ring), you don't rotate the tail cap itself. You can feel the rough surfaces smoothing out as you rub them together.

I do this with the tail cap down so any bits I'm scraping off the contacts stay in the tail cap. I then remove the tail cap and blow out any dust/debris (possibly imaginery) in there. The push button seems to work much more smoothly and consistently afterwards.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gasguy]

I've found that streching the spring on the circuit board just a bit, as well as removing the wire hanger from the back improve the operation. Just be carful when you change the battery, the hanger is also a retainer for the momentary switch and the whole switch may fall out if your not careful.

 

[Aten_Imago]

This all sound familiar. Good tips guys. It seems that 'dirt' oils etc easily get into the switch (and I recently discovered) the gap between the head and bodytube- .Copious application silicon grease to the threads seem to help a bit.