Infinity Ultra dead due to corrosion? (help)

[goathens]

Hi all, I've been lurking so long that I forget if I've ever posted!

So, while using my CMG infinity Ultra (dark green model) at a party, I noticed it flickered a bit (never happened before).

Later I opened it up and it had a bit of black crud developing at the far end of the battery compartment (where the negative contact is). After the q-tip approach (my usual method for regularly cleaning the threads) failed me, I jammed a piece of green dish scrubber down there (i figured steel wool might grind away the contact point) along with rubbing alcohol. I couldn't get rid of one small black spot (even trying to scrape at it with a bent paper clip later) but the center was cleaned and the light worked fine.

3 days later, the light doesn't work at all. The back of the battery compartment has oxidized at least 3x worse than it was before. I know the mess in the compartment is the culprit, as I can still run wires from a battery to the flashlight head and the light works.

I've had this light for several years (interestingly, I've swapped the battery ONCE, but it's still running on enough output for my purposes) and I'd like to keep it going for a fair bit longer. I lust after newer lights, esp stainless steel (due to my experiences having to clean this light) but I see no reason to replace something that should work.

Any thoughts?

I also cut a bit of craft foam inside to stop battery rattle (it is a donut with a hole for the positive battery contact). I don't think that is the problem, as I made that modification immediately after getting the light.

 

[DM51]

Er... you didn't put the same battery back in, did you?

 

[travelinman]

I'm not sure of the build of that light so probably can't help you with the immediate problem but I can help you prevent similar problems in the future. I've had alkalines (you didn't say what battery you have been using) that began to corrode in less than a year. Swapping batteries much more often than you have been doing is a cheap "fix" for your problem.

Also, I never leave batteries in one of my lights if I know I'm not going to be using it on a regular basis. They just lie there, sound asleep, oblivious to the economic crunch and all the other woes in the world until I "wake them up" by inserting battery(s).

 

[greenLED]

use a pencil eraser or a piece of fine-grit sand paper to scrape off the gunk. Rinse with alcohol and let dry. That should do it. Clean the threads on the battery tube and the head, and the (+) contact on the head as well.

 

[Zeruel]

Er... you didn't put the same battery back in, did you?

 

[goathens]

Thanks for your input and sorry about not posting a link for the flashlight build. Here's one:
http://www.dansdata.com/ledlights15.htm

The inside does not have any sort of coating (other than oxidation ). The battery looks clean to me- not even aluminum smudge on the contacts. The concern I had was that the oxidation came back with an effing vengeance after cleaning with alcohol and dish-scrubber, and I'd like to keep it from developing such cruft again.

 

[VidPro]

if you didnt get all the PH imbalance out of the light, any "acids" or "bases" will draw moisture to them, and restart the corrosion process.
that trick was used to make the madonna cry. its what makes lemonheads get wet when left out, and its what makes Lye stick together , ETC.
strange huh?

then you gotta get all the moisture out too, like Greenie said "Rinse with alcohol and let dry" like 91% or higher , the alcohol replaces the water, then is flushed out, then what is left of the alcohol dries faster.

and i always finish it up with a light spray of silicoln spray (the light solventy kind) like liquid wrench or prestone, not the new stuff that is envirometally sound. that will leave a very thin layer of silicoln on the parts, which doesnt effect connections (that i know of) but coats the metals . lots of these metals were coated (by default) from the machine shop (so to speak) get them squeakly clean and the machine oil is gone, leaving raw metals to oxidize faster..

add in tiny bits of electrical current to any leftover moisture, and it can help it along. just gotta let it dry lots longer.

then you gotta check your cells better, if i had 30 alkalines from a same time, age, batch,brand,box and one started leaking, and i looked really close, i would see that 2 more had just barely started leaking too.

 

[JWP_EE]

My daughter had this happen to the CMG infinity ultra I got her.

I used an old wood tool about 1/8in wide and a sharp edge to scrape out the worst of the junk. I attached some steel wool to the end of a wood dowl and used my drill to spin it. I worked it until it was shiney inside.

It has been working for over two years now with no further problems.

 

[goathens]

follow up:

After following a couple suggestions, I:
1) steel-wooled the tube until the stuff was gone
2) 91% alcohol cleaning
3) silicon-sprayed the interior
4) re-greased the threads and O-ring (silicon plumbers grease- part of my usual regimen)

After the first few days- everything was great. the (new) battery got a little gummy from the spray (and maybe picked up some grease) and won't come out without a fine *tap* or two, but hey, it reduced the battery rattle!
I checked it every week or so with no problems until today, and the oddest thing:

I couldn't turn the flashlight far past the off position to remove the cap. I got out the ole rubber pads for better traction, and slowly got the lid off with a loud pop- the thing had formed a seal and the suction wasn't letting me pull the cap off. That's never happened before, and it now does this regularly... Unfortunately, the aluminum mess inside has returned- and it is spreading up the sides. I'm pretty sure this light is toast.:sigh:

 

[Derek Dean]

I'll mention this a "last resort" kind of treatment. Usually acid from a battery will leave a white powdery substance behind, which is when I recommend the following treatment, but if you get to the point that you are ready to retire your light you might try this:

Thoroughly mix a bit of baking soda in a small amount of warm water. It should be more watery than a paste, but not super dilute either. Now just pour a bit of this mixture into the battery tube. The baking soda will neutralize any acids in there and begin foaming.

Let it foam for a few minutes, pour out and then repeat until the foaming stops. You might use a long Q-tip to help brush parts while the mixture is down in there to make sure it is getting everywhere it needs to.

After this rinse thoroughly with warm water and then dry. I would use a hair dryer if you have one available and then let it air dry over night.

Next day you can use some contact cleaner on a Q-tip to clean the end of the spring and also the positive contact in the head of the light, then lightly lube the threads, insert a battery (after treating both ends with contact cleaner), reassemble, and hopefully you will be good to go.

I used this last week to save a good friend's Maglight. The Duracell batteries had leaked so badly that we had to drill them out, but with a bit of this baking soda mixture and some elbow grease I was able to get it back into excellent working order.

Of course it's very important to NOT let any of this liquid get into the head.

Good luck.

 

[StandardBattery]

.... and the oddest thing:

I couldn't turn the flashlight far past the off position to remove the cap. I got out the ole rubber pads for better traction, and slowly got the lid off with a loud pop- ....

Sounds like your battery is venting and that is releasing crap into the light... please tell us than when you cleaned it the first time, or the second time, you did not put the same battery back in?

What batteries are you using?

 

[goathens]

StandardBattery: Naw, I swapped the batteries (standard duracells from different batches). I wasn't going to at first- until I appreciated the huge increase in brightness from changing out the old battery. I guess I got used to it slowly getting dimmer and dimmer. I liked using this flashlight as a consumer of discarded batteries, so I admit it usually gets the cast-offs from my radio, cordless razor, etc. Also, how would a battery venting create a negative pressure? Maybe I wasn't clear, but the act of unscrewing the cap was creating a vacuum and making it very difficult to open.

Derek Dean: Funny you should mention this, as it has pertinence with what has happened overnight- I tossed the battery, flashlight body, and led/cap into a plastic baggie after deciding that I wasn't up for a full cleaning job last night. I looked into the bag and the outside of the flashlight body now has your described white powdery residue. I wonder if the vacuum I created ruptured the battery?

Anyways, now I have battery residue on the HA2 coating of the flaslight body. I'm afraid to do anything without asking first- is the coating resistant to this stuff? Should I excercise care in its removal (baking soda?) or can i just wipe it off with moist paper towel?

 

[StandardBattery]

Hi goathens, I know you said vacuum, sorry but I admit I assumed you were mistaking, and the pop was really a release of gasses. The strong internal pressure was putting extra force on the threads, that happens frequently. I still think this is more likely than a vacuum which would create a rushing sound not a popping sound.

If it was a vacuum, I can only assume some chemical reaction was occuring that was able to eat all the oxogen. I've never heard of this before, but maybe others can comment.

Hope you can save it. I only have the Gerber versions.

 

[greenLED]

Hi goathens, I know you said vacuum, sorry but I admit I assumed you were mistaking, and the pop was really a release of gasses.

Indeed - release of gases, not vaccum. The same thing happens with other highly water tight battery vampires such as the ArcAAA. Nothing to worry about unless the battery's leaked (sounds like it), then you gotta clean the mess (again?).

The white stuff are chemicals from the battery leaking. Wash everything (and your hands) real well.


BTW, I wouldn't've sprayed silicone into the tube. You're coating everything inside with non conductive material that attracts gunk (like over-lubing a gun). It's best to just apply some silicone grease to the threads.

 

[greenLED]

Anyways, now I have battery residue on the HA2 coating of the flaslight body. I'm afraid to do anything without asking first- is the coating resistant to this stuff? Should I excercise care in its removal (baking soda?) or can i just wipe it off with moist paper towel?

BTW, it's "Type II" anodizing, not "Type III" (aka. HA) on those lights. As Size15 points out regularly, there's no such thing as HA2, HA2, HAIII, etc. Anyhoo...

The residue will damage the finish if left on there for too long. Usually the amount and concentration is small and it doesn't hurt the light, but once in a while there's enough that it'll damage the anodizing. I'd wash it with lots of soapy water.

 

[chmsam]

I am asuming that pretty much all of the worst of the crud is gone now, but if it isn't just use an emery board (kind of a soft, flexible nail file -- you can find them in most grocery stores or pharmacies near the nail clippers and nail polish) that's cut or bent to fit. Gently polish the sides. Examine the cap as well.

I would then start by making a paste of baking soda and water on a small plate. Get an old toothbrush with a small head (they do make toothbrushes for babies) and gently scrub down as much of the light as you can. Let it set for a few minutes then clean out as much of the residue as you can. Long cotton swabs are good to get out any of the excess.

Don't use too much water but scrub gently with a clean brush that's damp and do so several times. Use pieces of paper towel to both swab out and dry the light. Let it dry for awhile.

I use Caig DeOxIt Gold to clean the electrical contact areas and that also prevents oxidation from returning. It is not cheap but a little goes a long way. Spray the contacts lightly, let dry a few minutes, and that should do it. Just use a quality pure silicone grease to lube the threads (and a tiny amount is all you need). I do not like to lube lights with sprays since they tend to migrate (makes a mess) and I find that they attract crud.

If it were me, since you have been having problems with one brand of battery, I'd switch to another quality brand. Sometimes there are just devices that do not like certain types of batteries.

If nothing else when things like this happen, it teaches you how to perform good preventive maintenance.

Good luck and keep us posted as to how it works out.

 

[Derek Dean]

Yes, it sounds to me like you have had a battery vent, and as has been pointed out when you put it in the bag the gases simply condensed on the outside. No big deal with the coating on the outside as long as you neutralize it soon.

Washing with soap and water as greenLED suggested will take care of that, but since I would still suggest that you use the baking soda solution on the inside of the light, go ahead and use a bit on the outside as well, then wash thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then dry and proceed as I outlined above.

By the way, while doing this cleaning be sure and DO NOT touch your fingers to your eyes as you don't want any of that residue in there, and be sure to wash your hands when you are done.

One other thing I will mention is that on occasion I've had to precede the baking soda solution treatment with a bit of sand paper to get the really thick coatings of gunk out of lights.

So, if the baking soda treatment doesn't work at first you could try twisting a small piece of sandpaper into a roll and inserting it into the battery tube and twisting it around. Shake the residue out, re-treat with baking soda solution,rinse, dry thoroughly, treat with contact cleaner, lube, reassemble and see if that helps.

It may seem like a bit of work, by I tend to find it relaxing and always worthwhile to restore on old friend to proper working order.

 

[sabre7]

If you decide to replace your light, there have been some good deals on CMG and Gerber Infinity Ultras and Trios in the Marketplace lately. @Derek Dean: How did you drill out the batteries in the MagLite? I have the exact same problem as your friend had with a Mag, there seems to be no other way to get a leaked battery out. It is permanently welded inside.

 

[chmsam]

Use eye protection all the way through these procedures. One approach is to use a drill to start a hole in the battery so you can put in a small eye bolt. You can then use that to pull the battery free or put a screwdriver through the opening in the bolt and see if it will twist free. Other than that you can drill a few holes in the battery and then break it apart and pull the pieces out. Better of course not to let things get to that stage in the first place.

 

[goathens]

Well, as it turns out, cleaning that white residue off of the outer case wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. This was the effect of about 8 hours in a bag with a busted battery (vapors, I guess). The webcam photos don't do it justice, but those lighter colored bits- they are shiny bare aluminum. I took a bit of plastic brillo-pad to the outside, and this is the result after wiping away with alcohol.

I'm sure the light would still work fine (and I cleaned out the innards too) but i'll not be EDC-ing any bare aluminum to get my pockets all smudgy. CMG Infinity Ultra- it has been in my pockets for several years- and now it can live in the toolbox.