Lumapower Lights = Fragile?

[Apex007]

My favorite Lumapower 31 AA Seoul SSC is broken.

I dropped it from about 3' onto the kitchen floor last night, it flickered and hasn't worked since. I tested the clicky switch with my multimeter, that's working fine, it's in the head. I thought LED lights were supposed to be tough

I noticed that the Seoul SSC LED has exposed ultra fine wires. Why would they leave these out in the open instead of sealed in the epoxy too?

I took the best macro photos I could manage. Did I break one of these fine gold wires?

Please let me know your opinions. Do you have any suggestions for fixing this? It is my favorite light, I love(d) the smooth Seoul SSC beam but now I'm afraid to buy another!

Here's the light.

Here is the LED from one side, notice the 3 fine gold wires:

A closer view:

The other side, do I see a broken wire??

A closer view:

 

[I came to the light...]

I thought LED lights were supposed to be tough

LEDs are extremely tough, but how tough the whole light is depends on the manufacturer. Sorry that I can't help you more than that - I can't tell anything from the pics. But if a LED actually broke from a 3' drop I'd be amazed.

 

[OceanView]

But if a LED actually broke from a 3' drop I'd be amazed.

Actually, technically, the OP said that it was a 3 inch drop! Maybe the inch thing was a typo for "feet".

 

[nerdgineer]

Sorry about your light, but...NICE pictures....

 

[Apex007]

Yep, it was 3' not 3", I fixed the typo. <doh!>

 

[Apex007]

Sorry about your light, but...NICE pictures....

Thanks!

 

[woodrow]

I do not think a LP light is any where near as tough as a SF light, but I think your light just took a unlucky hit. You most likely dropped it 30 more times if it hit just slightly differently...and it would have been fine. Sorry about your light...and great macros!

 

[LukeA]

The emitter is fine. The probable cause of the light not working is an inductor coil which is part of the regulator.

 

[Apex007]

The emitter is fine. The probable cause of the light not working is an inductor coil which is part of the regulator.

That does make more sense than the problem being with the LED itself.

I ran a current test across the + & - contacts of the SSC led with my multimeter. The meter did not make a tone. I would think that, like an incandescent bulb that it would still pass current through unless a "filament" or something was broken.

These are all guesses I don't know a lot about the internal structure of modern leds.

 

[LukeA]

That does make more sense than the problem being with the LED itself.

I ran a current test across the + & - contacts of the SSC led with my multimeter. The meter did not make a tone. I would think that, like an incandescent bulb that it would still pass current through unless a "filament" or something was broken.

These are all guesses I don't know a lot about the internal structure of modern leds.

Can you click it on and get current from the contacts next to the emitter? The emitter is a diode, it will only pass current from + to -. The negative side has the notch.

 

[loanshark]

Did you buy it @ battery junction? if so I'd contact them, they have an excellent rep. around here... Maybe they can help.

 

[Dantor]

I'm sorry about your break. I hope you get it fixed. And again, great macro shots! I think I see the Andromeda strain in there too!

 

[Curious_character]

That does make more sense than the problem being with the LED itself.

I ran a current test across the + & - contacts of the SSC led with my multimeter. The meter did not make a tone. I would think that, like an incandescent bulb that it would still pass current through unless a "filament" or something was broken.

These are all guesses I don't know a lot about the internal structure of modern leds.

The meter might not produce enough voltage to turn the LED on, the meter might have been reversed, or the regulator circuitry might be dropping the voltage too much. So that's not necessarily a valid test. You might try connecting a 9 volt battery to the LED through a 10k ohm resistor. If hooked up with the right polarity it'll light the LED brightly enough to see, unless the regulator circuitry loads it down too much, without being likely to damage anything. If the LED doesn't light, look at the LED voltage with your meter with the battery/resistor connected. If it's well above about 2.5 volts with the battery/resistor connected in either direction, then the LED does have an open bond wire or similar defect. If it's well below 2.5 volts, then the external circuitry is loading down the test source (since a low-resistance LED failure is unlikely) and you'd have to disconnect one LED lead in order to test it.

c_c

 

[nein166]

The only way I've seen those fine wires break is when a reflector sheers through the silicone dome. It would be plainly apparent.

 

[Fallingwater]

I second the inductor idea. Either that or something else came loose... but it's probably the inductor, the ferrite rings inductors are made with tend to be fragile.

 

[Walleye1]

I have also had quality issues with Lumapower. Close to the same thing as this, my M1-R has exposed leads that sit right where the reflector tightens down on the LED board. When it tightens it digs into the wires. It caused a short until I realized where the Lumapower's defect was. It still works now but I will have to work on it a little to get it to where it stops flickering.

 

[Mockingbird]

After a 3 foot fall onto concrete, I was able to fix my LM301 by bridging the pill housing to the proper spot on the "board?" with a blob of solder and then filing down the blob of solder so it wasn't too big. You can try temporarily bridging this spot with a wire to see if it works on your LM31. If it shows in the picture, the yellow arrow points to the spot. The red wire is on the opposite side.

 

[Apex007]

The meter might not produce enough voltage to turn the LED on, the meter might have been reversed, or the regulator circuitry might be dropping the voltage too much. So that's not necessarily a valid test. You might try connecting a 9 volt battery to the LED through a 10k ohm resistor. If hooked up with the right polarity it'll light the LED brightly enough to see, unless the regulator circuitry loads it down too much, without being likely to damage anything. If the LED doesn't light, look at the LED voltage with your meter with the battery/resistor connected. If it's well above about 2.5 volts with the battery/resistor connected in either direction, then the LED does have an open bond wire or similar defect. If it's well below 2.5 volts, then the external circuitry is loading down the test source (since a low-resistance LED failure is unlikely) and you'd have to disconnect one LED lead in order to test it.

c_c

Thank you and everyone else for their suggestions. Once the weekend rolls around I'll run some more tests and see where the problem really lies. I was hoping it would just be the emitter because a new one from DX is only $5.80 with free shipping.

On a side note, after reading endless positive reviews, I had no choice but to order a Photon Proton Pro last night But I still want to try and get my Lumapower working again. One can not have too many functioning lights!

 

[Apex007]

Did you buy it @ battery junction? if so I'd contact them, they have an excellent rep. around here... Maybe they can help.

I did buy it from them but I don't feel that they should have to compensate for my clumsiness.

 

[Apex007]

After a 3 foot fall onto concrete, I was able to fix my LM301 by bridging the pill housing to the proper spot on the "board?" with a blob of solder and then filing down the blob of solder so it wasn't too big. You can try temporarily bridging this spot with a wire to see if it works on your LM31. If it shows in the picture, the yellow arrow points to the spot. The red wire is on the opposite side.

THAT FIXED IT!!!!! Thank you very VERY much!!!