Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What? (Fixed with a swift e-kick)

[matrixshaman]

I turned on my Jetbeam C-LE this morning and it worked then tried it again later to look at something and it was dead. I tried several batteries known to be good and also put a meter across it when using a Lithium AA (1.65 volt) and it pulls down the battery to 1.1 volt. So I know it's getting voltage but NO LIGHT. In fact that is really pulling it down low so my guess is something has shorted out in the driver. Based on most people's experience in getting service here on a Jetbeam this doesn't look good. I see NO Jetbeam C-LE's even listed now on Emillion's web site - in fact no Jetbeam lights at all except a 'repaired' Mk II. Considering this is the first time I've ever had a light quit on me and my only other experience with a Jetbeam was bad I think I've had it with Jetbeam. There certainly seems to be a lot of politics and problems with quality surrounding Jetbeam. It's too bad as I did really like the C-LE. But there is nothing to like about a non-working light. Oh well - at least the Jetbeam body makes a good holder for my Fenix P1 head and the P1 lights up quite well with a AA.

 

[Monolith]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

The problem with repairing the C-LE is that the driver board is pressed in. I took mine apart as much as I could and the LED is seeing only a very small voltage (mA range).

 

[Derek Dean]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Hmmmmm....... I wouldn't be so quick to write off your new light, or Jetbeam. BTW, sorry you are having troubles with it.

First, at least try e-mailing Emilion, and maybe send him a PM thru CPF. He may have some suggestions for fixing it before sending it back. There are bound to be a few duds in any new release, so..... take it one step at a time, and hopefully you can get it resolved. Keep us posted on your results.

 

[datiLED]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I would give Emil a try first. He may be willing to help you out.

Otherwise...Replace the Jetbeam driver board with a FluPic, and run 3.7V L-Ion cells in it. You will have the great CL-E form factor, multiple functions, and not have to worry about burning it out.

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Monolith - did you check the voltage drop at the battery? Mine seemed like a lot.
Derek - thanks - I'll try PM'ing Emillion but I really don't think I want to send this light back to China on the hopes of getting it fixed or replaced with the track record I've seen lately. When Emillion was first on CPF I bought somethings from him and service and communication was excellent but it seems to have changed a lot. Unless I can get a replacement up front I'll just keep the light and try to fix it eventually or put a complete mod of my own into the head at some time.

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

datiLED - I just happen to have a small FluPic board that might fit this - is this something you have already done?

 

[datiLED]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

datiLED - I just happen to have a small FluPic board that might fit this - is this something you have already done?

No. But I have been waiting for the cheap, dead Jetbeams to begin showing up on the BST for such a purpose. :devil:

I thought that I would share my intentions publicly, so that others might not dispair when their Jetbeams are fried from overvoltage abuse.

Goldserve has several board sizes available, so one is bound to fit. Go ahead, take the plunge!

datiLED

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

I tried contacting Emillion but apparently there is NO WAY to reach him currently unless someone knows a personal email address. His PM box is full, his email through CPF is not allowed and trying to contact via his web site I get an error that says my email address is not valid. I take that to mean that since I didn't buy it there and don't have an account there that I can't send him email there.
Edit - I can't imagine why the email address I use for most things won't work there as it is my own email server rather than some generic yahoo or gmail account but after changing it to a gmail address it now works there. This is the first place I've ever had my email account rejected as being invalid and I checked it twice to make sure it was entered correctly. As I said in the first post communication seems to be a problem.

 

[cratz2]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Sorry to hear of another loss. I'm living on the edge and running a 14500 in mine and so far, so good. I only run high for 1 minute at a time, but honestly, medium is plenty bright for most tasks. I have an SSC'd HDS but I do prefer the smaller form factor of the Jetbeam and I like the beam characteristice as well.

Now what's this I hear about a Flupic in a C-LE? That would be pretty awesome. With as many people as are reporting dead or malfunctioning C-LEs, it seems there would be several available. That would be pretty sweet. Maybe get a proper heatsink in there and boy... 1.2A through a Cree... not too shabby.

 

[nifreaky]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Matrix, It sounds like it's the same as happened to mine. Does it still work with a 14500? And when you open it does it REALLY stink?

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

nifreaky - no smell at all and I never did run it on a 14500 - don't even have one but when I first got it I did run it for a few seconds in the Fenix P1 body with a standard Lithium at 3.0 volts. I did try 3.0 volts again after it failed but nada - nothing and if it was in direct drive only I would expect it to light a little at least at that voltage.
I did manage to get an email sent to Emilion as of a few minutes ago through his web site.

 

[HiltiHome]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

I also have an issue with my CL-E.

It works perfectly normal until i turn it off, but sometimes it does not start again until i rested it for 12 hours or more...

Yes, i made sure it's not a contact or battery issue, and i never used 14500 LiON cells.


I wonder if i should risk to sent it back and will never see it again....

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Alrighty then :huh2: UPDATE : Since this was a CEJ GB light I didn't have a lot to lose on trying a few things SO after nifreaky reminded me of his dilemma with his C-LE I decided to go ahead and try putting a 3.7 volt RCR123 on it. Surprise - Surprise - it lights up! But mine had no burned smell so just for the heck of it I wonder if something got 'reset' by this surge of higher voltage. An even bigger SURPRISE - it now works again on a 1.2 volt NiMH battery! This is the same battery that it would not work on at all just a few minutes ago. So all I can say now is oo: and I guess like mechanical things that don't work you give them a good hard kick and this was just an electronic version of a swift kick. After that if they don't work they needed fixin' anyway and if it does work then your back in business. So for now anyway it's back to

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Hiltihome - I had this light die on me once before and thought it was a goner but after around a half hour I decided to try it one more time and all was well again until the fiasco here. Something just isn't right but for the price I paid I can't complain too much. I just really wish Jetbeam would get quality control down better as they have some very nice features in a nice physical package that attracts a lot of people - if it wasn't for the CS and quality issues they'd be serious competition for Fenix and others out there.

 

[mchlwise]

Glad it's working again. :rock:

Sounds like it might not be the most reliable light you have at this point, though.

 

[nifreaky]

Good to hear Matrix! You got me all excited thinking that mine may work with an AA again........but, it didn't. And it still stinks!

 

[HiltiHome]

matrixshaman,

reset with a 3,7v rcr123 didn't help. The only thing i have to do is wait for 12hours to make it work again.

Possibly i have activated the "hidden 12 hours lockout mode":lolsign:

 

[matrixshaman]

Thanks - yeah it's the around the house light and not being counted on for high reliability at this point. One other bit of food for thought. When it was not working it would draw a 1.65 volt Lithium AA down to around 1.1 volts. Now that it's working and starting on medium it pulls it down to around 0.77 volts. And on a NiMH that was reading 1.257 open it pulled it down to around 1.0 to 0.99 volts. So it is pulling more current now than when it wasn't working - all of which makes some sense as the LED was not lighting but if one were to assume that the LED is only drawing the difference in power between the two than I'd assume the driver is pulling a lot and is not very efficient. I say that without giving it much thought and not having any great amount of knowledge about driver design so I could be way off in that assumption.

 

[cratz2]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

Alrighty then :huh2: UPDATE : Since this was a CEJ GB light I didn't have a lot to lose on trying a few things SO after nifreaky reminded me of his dilemma with his C-LE I decided to go ahead and try putting a 3.7 volt RCR123 on it. Surprise - Surprise - it lights up!

So now, sometimes LiIon cells KILL the C-LE and sometimes LiIon cells REVIVE the C-LE?

 

[matrixshaman]

Re: Jetbeam C-LE is dead - Now What?

So now, sometimes LiIon cells KILL the C-LE and sometimes LiIon cells REVIVE the C-LE?

I hadn't thought of it that way yet but that's a good observation and a logical ?? conclusion about Jetbeam :thinking: :hairpull: