Newbie help: battery exploded inside Inova Bolt...

[R.E.D.F.O.X.]

Hi all,

New to CPF here. I have rather limited knowledge o flashlights so excuse what might seem to be basic questions

I have an Inova Bolt 2A which I found to be a decent light for the price. One of the batteries exploded inside the flashlight yesterday and it doesn't work anymore. Is this something I can fix at all?

Let me note that warranty is not a viable option since there are no Inova dealers where I currently reside and mailing it directly to Inova (who, to their credit, warrantied another Bolt that went bad before) will cost way more than what I paid for it.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[DM51]

Welcome to CPF - I hope you are OK following this incident and didn't inhale any fumes etc (if you did, please see a doctor a.s.a.p.)

Some more details would be useful, such as the type of battery you were using.

I'm moving your thread to the Smoke & Fire part of the Batteries section.

 

[^Gurthang]

R.E.D.

Welcome to CPF!

Sorry to read that your Bolt has shot its bolt....

You didn't say if the light was on when it failed so I'll assume that it was off. If so, there was no current passing through the driver / emitter. If thats the case then the light may just need to have the debris cleaned out.

First order of business is to get the popped cell out of the body and remove the head assembly.

Then clean out the body tube and contacts to remove any chemical residue.

If the light was off, reassemble the light, install fresh batteries and say a prayer to Photus, our patron Saint of Flashaholics...


Now, if the light was on when it failed you'll need to test the driver & emitter.... if you're brave!

Test the driver / emitter. Use some wire and a battery to check if the emitter still works. If its dead..... well it could be a dead driver [not an easy fix] or it opens the door an an emitter upgrade.

You can check just the emitter using wire and making a 2X AA pack, that will get you enough voltage / current to drive the emitter directly by connecting to the emitter MCPCB [just take care to not reverse the - & +]...

If the emitter works direct drive but not through the driver thats "No Joy", the driver is bad. Whats difficult is getting a driver that fits in the host and works w/ AAs. Its unlikely that Inova would sell you a replacement driver, but you can ask.

If the driver & emitter still work then you can try some fresh batteries. BTW, what type of battery popped? Primary or NiMH??

Hope this was useful....

 

[Lynx_Arc]

If you used a name brand of battery some of them have warranties that repair/replace lights the batteries damage. I would check into that if the damage is extensive instead of going through a hard ordeal trying to clean/repair it first.

 

[Glasstream15]

2 X 123 flashlights are picky about batteries.. Using cheap ones will frequently cause a kaboom.

Use only name brand, USA made Cr123s and you should be okay. Next time.

 

[cave dave]

2 X 123 flashlights are picky about batteries.. Using cheap ones will frequently cause a kaboom.

Use only name brand, USA made Cr123s and you should be okay. Next time.

The Bolt 2A is an 2xAA powered light. I doubt the battery "exploded" it probably was just an alkaline that leaked. I've had that happen and it often just destroys the light. I have sent a couple lights to the battery manufacture for replacement if I could identify the battery.

Note to OP: CR123 batteries really can "explode" (actually vent with flame and pressure is more precise) so please use proper terminology for your incidents.

 

[R.E.D.F.O.X.]

The Bolt 2A is an 2xAA powered light. I doubt the battery "exploded" it probably was just an alkaline that leaked. I've had that happen and it often just destroys the light. I have sent a couple lights to the battery manufacture for replacement if I could identify the battery.

Note to OP: CR123 batteries really can "explode" (actually vent with flame and pressure is more precise) so please use proper terminology for your incidents.

Cave Dave: Yes, the battery is an Energizer AA alkaline that leaked...I guess it did not actually explode, thank you for correcting my terminology :thinking:.

Gurthang: Many thanks for the description of how to test the driver and emitter. The Bolt has a non-removable head and the lens appears to be glued on, so even if I could do all that I doubt I can disassemble it to get access to the emitter.

Hmm, I guess I'll just use this one as a paper weight then. Many thanks for everyone who replied.

 

[Glasstream15]

Sorry. I saw exploded and thought it was an "L". I guess I need to read a bit more closely.

 

[cave dave]

If you live in the US states you can mail a light like that first class uninsured in a padded envelope for only a couple bucks to Energizer. Include copy of purchase price receipt if you have it. I did that without a receipt for a Mag solitare and they sent me a check for $15.