My wifes LED flashlight suddenly shines rainbows

LEDBE
ConfederateScott

ConfederateScott

Enlightened
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
Messages
249
Location
Magnolia, Mississippi
My wife has a Nuwai 2xCR123 LED flashlight in her purse that I bought for her a few years ago from a fellow CPF'er. It was modded before I got it so I don't know what kind of LED is in it. It (was) very bright and it had a very smooth beam with no dark spots while white wall hunting. It had a nice round, white beam. A few days ago she told me it had stopped working and I proceeded to change the batteries. When I put in new cells and tried it out the beam is no longer white and round. The beam is rainbow colored and it's shaped like a rainbow, several rainbows actually. The LED looks normal with no damage that I can see. She said it hasn't been dropped. The colors are very pretty but the light is no longer what I'd call a good flashlight. The brightness is maybe 25% of what is was before. Any idea what happened? I've never seen anything like it before.
 
ConfederateScott said:
My wife has a Nuwai 2xCR123 LED flashlight in her purse that I bought for her a few years ago from a fellow CPF'er. It was modded before I got it so I don't know what kind of LED is in it. It (was) very bright and it had a very smooth beam with no dark spots while white wall hunting. It had a nice round, white beam. A few days ago she told me it had stopped working and I proceeded to change the batteries. When I put in new cells and tried it out the beam is no longer white and round. The beam is rainbow colored and it's shaped like a rainbow, several rainbows actually. The LED looks normal with no damage that I can see. She said it hasn't been dropped. The colors are very pretty but the light is no longer what I'd call a good flashlight. The brightness is maybe 25% of what is was before. Any idea what happened? I've never seen anything like it before.
Click to expand...
Very interesting. :thinking: Can you get us any pictures?
 
I boiled my Streamlight Microstream in a plastic bag to loosen the glue like I read on CPF and tried to get the head off. I believe I didn't use enough water in the pot and the head got too close to the heat source. After removing it from the plastic (and initially being unsuccessful in getting the light apart) I turned it on after it had cooled. The effect was very much like the "rainbow" image you described and the output was significantly reduced. I suspect your wife's light may have been exposed to a heat source that messed up the reflector and LED, but of course I'm not sure.
 
Maybe it is trying to show you where a pot of gold is....:thinking:
 
I'll try to get some pictures up in a day or two. Also, I know it was inside a hot van laying in the console during the summer. I believe it was used and alright since then though. Next chance I get I'll get pictures up. Thanks guys.
 
alright...got a picture uploaded before bed.


IMAG0003.jpg
 
Wow, that's pretty, I'd love to know how to get an LED to do that purposely.

My vote is that it's some sort of structural compromise of the LED near/on the emitter; some melted epoxy or volatile chemical intrusion.
 
I vote put it up on ebay limited edition produces a rainbow color beam ,all the colors of the rainbow in you're pocket. I bet it goes pretty high if worded right at least enough to buy something new Pretty cool looking anyways although I'm not sure what's wrong with it :whistle:
 
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I vote put it up on ebay limited edition produces a rainbow color beam ,all the colors of the rainbow in you're pocket. I bet it goes pretty high if worded right at least enough to buy something new Pretty cool looking anyways although I'm not sure what's wrong with it :whistle:
 
I double checked the lens, it's not cracked or compromised. I thought it had a scratch but I rubbed it with a cloth and it came off. The lens is glass. Any other ideas anybody?
 
Something seems to be acting as a diffraction grating and making the rainbows. How is the reflector?

The abnormalities seem to be asymmetrical, so you might be able to determine what part of the LED/reflector/lens it comes from by gradually covering the head of the light with your hand, and observing what parts of the rainbows go away, and when. I'm not sure that made any sense, but what I am trying to say is kind of hard to describe.
 
Maybe someone with a USB microscope or macro lens can get a good closeup of the emitter.
If I was set up to do anything with it I'd swap you for a good one just to look, but I'm just a curious kibitzer. Still it's seriously interesting to get a rainbow out of this.

Bet there's a break between the phosphor and the emitter, or something's pulled open making a wedge/prism gap, or

heck, I have no clue. Sure is purty.
 
Could there be moisture in the emitter? I'm not sure how it would get there though...
 
I'd guess that the dome of the LED maybe detaching but, that wouldn't cause a rainbow effect. When you change the LED, polk around and tell us what's up!
 
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