zeeexsixare
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2006
- Messages
- 113
I got my C-LE today and was very impressed by the size, tint, and smooth (when lubed) threads, but noticed that there was lots of talk of peoples' Jetbeam C-LEs flickering and skipping modes. I figured out the problem. The problem is that little pointy bit at the bottom of the battery compartment.
There's actually two pointy bits. One is about 1mm in diameter smack dab in the center. The other is about 3-4mm in diameter around and below the smaller one. At first glance the small one looks like it's to allow positive contact, but it's actually a manufacturing defect. The tiny nub is the point where the cutting tool doesn't actually cut the metal.
As a result, these nubs dig into the negative terminals of our batteries and punch little divots into the bottoms. These divots become formed as we tighten down the head, and once they're formed, the head and battery make a form-fitting image of each other. When you tighten down the head, the nub makes initial contact with the battery, so it flickers on a bit. But then as you rotate the head, the unit flickers across several modes as the contact comes in and out. Why does it come in and out? It's because the battery and the battery compartment are not concentric with each other. This is exacerbated by the fact that the battery compartment is slightly too big.
So as you tighten it down, the out-of-roundness of the battery and nub are making contact, then losing it, then making it again, causing the circuitry to skip across modes. Once you have it tightened down all the way, it behaves properly. But once you try to change modes, the nub causes problems because it makes intermittent contact as usual.
What's the solution? Well, the solution is quite simple. Grind off that 1mm bit of nub at the bottom of the battery compartment. This gives you the full 3-4mm surface area of the larger nub to make good contact. This makes sure that you don't start divoting all your batteries and also gives less resistance for the electrons to flow.
How do you grind it off? I did it with a router and a rotary grinding stone that happened to be exactly 14.4mm. Be careful as you do it, because the battery compartment will tend to precess around the tool and make a horrible noise and spin out of control. You will want to apply pressure at the very bottom only so as to allow the top part of the battery compartment slide across the grinding stone as much as possible while grinding the nub at the bottom down as much as possible.
Make a fat washer with lots of space for the now-big center nub, and you will notice that it switches modes with only a 1/16th of a turn, and there's a more positive "stop" as you tighten it down. I used Duracell 2650's and the length is perfect with no solder blobs needed. This is what the manufacturer wanted in the first place but shouldn't have let these battery compartments ship.
I can take pics tomorrow.
By the way, all of you illiterate people need to stop saying "definately" because it makes you look like you're in grade school. Some of you actually are in grade school so maybe that's okay...
There's actually two pointy bits. One is about 1mm in diameter smack dab in the center. The other is about 3-4mm in diameter around and below the smaller one. At first glance the small one looks like it's to allow positive contact, but it's actually a manufacturing defect. The tiny nub is the point where the cutting tool doesn't actually cut the metal.
As a result, these nubs dig into the negative terminals of our batteries and punch little divots into the bottoms. These divots become formed as we tighten down the head, and once they're formed, the head and battery make a form-fitting image of each other. When you tighten down the head, the nub makes initial contact with the battery, so it flickers on a bit. But then as you rotate the head, the unit flickers across several modes as the contact comes in and out. Why does it come in and out? It's because the battery and the battery compartment are not concentric with each other. This is exacerbated by the fact that the battery compartment is slightly too big.
So as you tighten it down, the out-of-roundness of the battery and nub are making contact, then losing it, then making it again, causing the circuitry to skip across modes. Once you have it tightened down all the way, it behaves properly. But once you try to change modes, the nub causes problems because it makes intermittent contact as usual.
What's the solution? Well, the solution is quite simple. Grind off that 1mm bit of nub at the bottom of the battery compartment. This gives you the full 3-4mm surface area of the larger nub to make good contact. This makes sure that you don't start divoting all your batteries and also gives less resistance for the electrons to flow.
How do you grind it off? I did it with a router and a rotary grinding stone that happened to be exactly 14.4mm. Be careful as you do it, because the battery compartment will tend to precess around the tool and make a horrible noise and spin out of control. You will want to apply pressure at the very bottom only so as to allow the top part of the battery compartment slide across the grinding stone as much as possible while grinding the nub at the bottom down as much as possible.
Make a fat washer with lots of space for the now-big center nub, and you will notice that it switches modes with only a 1/16th of a turn, and there's a more positive "stop" as you tighten it down. I used Duracell 2650's and the length is perfect with no solder blobs needed. This is what the manufacturer wanted in the first place but shouldn't have let these battery compartments ship.
I can take pics tomorrow.
By the way, all of you illiterate people need to stop saying "definately" because it makes you look like you're in grade school. Some of you actually are in grade school so maybe that's okay...
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