Maratac AAA Q5 (Part 4)

[calipsoii]

Just received my Maratac Cu and I'm experiencing the same issue with the modes not changing properly. The light will always come on properly in Low, will switch to Medium properly 60% of the time (otherwise stay in Low) and has real problems getting to High (maybe 40% success). It'll do interesting things like jump from Medium to Low, or Low to Low. It's been thoroughly cleaned and relubed, which only seemed to help for a few minutes.

Fresh out of the box, the copper contacts on the circuit board in the head appears scratched and unevenly etched. Let me show you a picture:

See those scratches on the left and right of the contact on the PCB? They were there when I got it, and I don't think tightening/loosening has helped them any. I've carefully checked the body for nicks/burs/edges and it's pretty darn smooth. My only guess is that they're messing with how the body touches the head and it's causing mode-jumping, etc. Thoughts?

 

[calipsoii]

Just an update to my post above:

The strange level jumping seems entirely tied to how loose I make the head when I switch modes. If I twist it just a tiny 1/16th turn (just enough to make the LED turn off) then twist it back on, the results are unpredictable. If I turn it way more, like 1/4-1/2 of a turn, then back on, it switches modes. All my other AAA twisties (L0D, LD01, E01) need only a tiny flick off then on to jump modes, but if I give this one a good half-twist, it works pretty darn reliably.

Hopefully that helps anyone else having problems, just get used to really torquing it off and back on.

 

[Flying Turtle]

Maybe a good sanding of the end of the battery tube would improve mode changing.

Geoff

 

[torchfreak]

I had the same trouble with a couple of iTP EOS A2's (same light, I think)

They were dirty and needed cleaning on all internal parts. This helped significantly, but the biggest improvement came from sanding the top of the battery tube. :thumbsup:
Once all that was done, applied a decent lube (I initially made the mistake of using vaseline :shakehead)

I must admit I have been surprised at the amount of work required to get brand new lights to work properly - Maratac & iTP certainly are not alone in this regard.
Zebralight stand out in my limited experience as excellent quality lights that work perfectly out of the box.

Thankfully we have CPF to help us learn and share lovecpf

 

[Cuso]

Maybe a good sanding of the end of the battery tube would improve mode changing.

Geoff

All of the Maratacs in my group buys got this treatment before going out. And I tried to check them all by running them trough the modes , but since its an intermittent issue it can be overlooked . Unfortunately with the coppers I try not to open the packages so the buyer can receive the item sealed.

I did noticed on some of mine some amount of the sealing glue in the head seeped to the contact points, its some clear gooey stuff. The one im trying to tarnish did not even work out of the box, I had to clean the gooey stuff to get it to work.

Mode skipping its never 100% accurate , but that's a feature inherent of all twisty lights...

 

[Patriot]

Maybe a good sanding of the end of the battery tube would improve mode changing.

Geoff

+1 to that.

After cleaning, this is the single most effective thing at "fixing" a twisty light from unpredictable mode changing.

Hopefully you got the light sorted out calipsoii.

 

[calipsoii]

Maybe a good sanding of the end of the battery tube would improve mode changing.

Geoff

Thanks for the suggestion. I took 600 grit wet-sand paper to the end of the battery tube and it's silky smooth now. Unfortunately it didn't help with the mode jumping, but it did remove a tiny edge that was biting into the PCB.

I can definitely live with the erratic switching, it's just a bit of a nuisance. The light never fails to turn on (as a good keychain backup should) and after only 3 days it's already getting a gorgeous patina.

 

[Gregozedobe]

...... Cu today and they are a beauty. The beam is a bit tighter than the SS and Al versions and the output is also lower (naked eye, not measured).

As for the reliable operation of the Cu I have to say that in the first few minutes the mode change was so erratic but after cleaning the contacts with a little deoxit operation is perfect now.

I've just been comparing my 2 new Maratac AAA Cu lights with my 3 ITP A3 EOS lights (with 1.2v Ni-mh rechargables, 1.7v lithium primaries and 3.7V li-ion rechargables). Note this is a small sample, so other examples may be different.

I had no issues with mode changing on either of the Cu's (straight out of the box, no cleaning, no sanding).

The beam on both my Cu's had a noticeably larger hotspot, but the centre of the hotspot was less intense and slightly yellow when compared with the hotspot on the A3s. In outside use the effect was a floodier (and therefore less throw) beam for the Cu lights.

IIRC Lo and Medium seemed slightly brighter on the A3s for most of the battery types.

So if you prefer longer throw the A3 is slightly better, if you like flood then the Cu may suit you better (but there isn't really that much difference really, and they are both small lights with relatively shallow reflectors after all).

When running (unprotected) 10440's the extra mass of the Cu lights definitely allowed them to run for noticeably longer on Hi before getting hotter than I like, but they did retain that heat for longer too (as you would expect). I don't use Hi for very long, so it hasn't been a problem for me even on the A3s (famous last words ? )

All in all I like the Cu, mainly for the new interface (L/M/H); but I'll probably still try out some of the new Al ones with the L/M/H sequence when CountyComm start to sell them.

Sorry, no beam shots, but if you have any specific questions about comparative illumination levels (by eye, not measured) with particular batteries PM me and I'll see what I can tell you.

I would like to give everyone a warning about using either the Trustfire or Ultrafire protected 10440 batteries in the Maratac AAA SS and Illumina Ti AAA lights - they seem to be too long for these lights. When I tightened them down they seem to have damaged something inside the light engine (pill) and now these two lights don't turn off when you slightly unscrew the head (I often have to unscrew the head completely to get them to switch off).

These batteries also seem a bit fat at the base (presumably the extra protection circuit) to fit in the body of most of my AAA lights.

 

[fishx65]

Just got the three polished stainless ones I ordered. Now I know why everyone keeps talking about these things!!!!! All three seem to have the same beam pattern and brightness and the tint is pretty darn close between them. Can't believe how bright a little aaa torch can be and I'm just using NiMh. One question: what's the best way to make the threads SUPER SMOOTH?

 

[compasillo]

Just got the three polished stainless ones I ordered. One question: what's the best way to make the threads SUPER SMOOTH?

From my experience, the polished SS is the only one on the Maratac AAA series that
hasn't a very very smooth action. The other models are unbeateable on this and have one of the
best twist action I found in a AAA light, being the SS not polished the best for me.
I suggest you clean the thread and put a bit of nano-oil 10w on it.

Some of my Maratac's

 

[osalsa]

That's a fine looking bunch of flashlights! I've been wearing my aluminum Maratac AAA around my neck for several months now, and it has surpassed my expectations, big time. The switch logic has performed without a glitch, and even though I use low power 99 percent of the time, the medium setting has evolved from being a luxury to becoming a necessity. I gotta say that I was satisfied with the Fenix EO1 for some years, but after living with the Maratac AAA, I hope I never have to go back to a single, low level EDC. I've even gotten used to the annoyance of switching through medium power to get to low intensity, which, as I said, I use the vast majority of the time. (Maratac: take heed!) The interesting thing is that, even the thousand separate instants that medium is illuminated on the way to low intensity don't seem to have affected the battery life much. I know that is not logical, but the bottom line is that a lithium AAA battery seems to last forever in this flashlight.

All in all, this is simply a great flashlight. At age 61, I would sooner leave the house without my wallet than without my EDC, and the Maratac AAA has raised the bar for those flashlights which become a constant companion.

 

[Gregozedobe]

........ I've even gotten used to the annoyance of switching through medium power to get to low intensity, which, as I said, I use the vast majority of the time. (Maratac: take heed!)

ITP have recently started selling a new version of their AAA A3 EOS that does have the L/M/H sequence you like, and I've heard rumours that Maratac will be doing the same later this year. I also prefer the L/M/H sequence, but others (a substantial minority ?) seem to like the M/L/H sequence.

 

[Inliner]

Does anyone know if the new version (or the current?) is using a higher PWM freq? I searched thread but no results. I guess this doesn't bother most?

 

[Link Archer VI]

I think the new versions of the iTPs and Maratacs with L/M/H sequence are supposed to have a higher PWM frequency.

 

[Gregozedobe]

My newer (L/M/H) Maratac Cu and ITP AAA lights both have significantly higher PWM frequency (but my older Maratac and ITP lights with the slower PWM didn't bother me much)

I've just been told by someone from Maratac sales that they hope to start selling the L/M/H versions of their Aluminium and Stainless steel AAA lights in October (the Cu version has always been L/M/H).

I wish they would sell to non-US buyers so I could purchase direct from them

 

[SteveStephens]

I am very pleased with the three Maratacs I ordered and received last week. Somehow I was thinking the newest lights were now Low/Med/High but only the AA Maratac came that way with the AAA Nat. Al and bead blasted SS lights in the old Med/Low/High format. For me I think the old way works best the way I use the lights.

 

[RGB_LED]

My Maratacs (alu, ss, polished ss) all seem to work fine, with the exception of one ss aaa that I gave to a friend of mine about 2 months ago. Apparently, it stays on High and doesn't turn off unless he removes the battery. I told him to clean the contacts but that doesn't seem to help. Is it possible that twisting it on too hard has an adverse affect on the pcb / driver? I'm at a loss for suggesting anything else since there isn't much that you can do other than take apart the head. Any suggestions?

 

[syncytial]

My Maratacs (alu, ss, polished ss) all seem to work fine, with the exception of one ss aaa that I gave to a friend of mine about 2 months ago. Apparently, it stays on High and doesn't turn off unless he removes the battery. I told him to clean the contacts but that doesn't seem to help. Is it possible that twisting it on too hard has an adverse affect on the pcb / driver? I'm at a loss for suggesting anything else since there isn't much that you can do other than take apart the head. Any suggestions?

See this thread.


- Syncytial.

 

[RGB_LED]

See this thread.


- Syncytial.

Thanks Syncytial. I'll check out the thread. :thumbsup:

 

[biker1]

I just came across the multiple threads on the Maratac AAA.
First time I have heard of this light, and it seems like a really nice one, especially a 'AAA' light.
I was thinking to send the Aluminum Natural HAlll to my Parents. They use a Maglite AA at the present time

Should I wait till October for the L-M-H, or is the M-L-H fine. I guess it's a personal preference.
Is there anything worth waiting for in the version coming out in October, besides the switch sequence?

I just saw there is a 'AA' version. I'll check the specs on that one also.

Edit:
I just read the specs on the 'AA' and that's the one I'll get them. Longer run time, in addition to being 8o lumens on high, plus still very compact.

I will call Maratac re:
-Switch sequence
-any changes coming in October releases

Any feedback regarding issues with the 'AA' is appreciated.