LASsociety
Newly Enlightened
Some of you may remember aout 2 weeks ago I was really wanting to get an HID light. Thats another thread but...
I read a few bad reviews about the Oracle 24w having battery pack problems. Thats primarily why I was saying that I wanted a light that would last in my flight bag for a long time... a good piece of equipment in other words. Nobody promised me otherwise, but I decided to save some money with the Oracle
I decided to buy one and from what I read here I ordered it from AAC. With the forum discount, it wasn't as cheap as some I had seem off eBay, but AAC offered an extra battery option that seemed cheaper than anything else on eBay and it seemed that my chances of getting a bad battery were lower, also maybe it hadn't been used a bunch like something off eBay.
When I got the light I was amazed and very happy. Everything seemed to be working fine. I put the light in my bag and just couldn't wait to take it to work tomorrow. Today a friend came over and I got the light out of my bag to show it to him and it wouldn't come on. I quickly popped the other battery in and it worked fine.
Since I am pretty handy mechanically, and since I had one working battery and another seemingly bad one I had the confidence to go ahead and open the bad one.
As i took the battery apart gently, 2 wires simply fell off the circuit board. I couldn't believe it but it looked like a 6 year old with a cold soldering iron soldered most of the battery and switch wires to the circuit board. The wires didn't even protrude through the board before soldering and making a ridge on the other side! (to help it not be easily pulled off) Also the battery has 2 spring loaded "posts" that make a connection with the ballast inside the flashlight. The wires from the battery were barely even "tacked" to the brass posts. (this was the failure point)
I pulled out the old soldering iron and some aircraft quality wire that I have laying around. I drilled a small (1/16 or less) hole perpendicular through the posts inside the battery pack assembly and placed the wire through the post and soldered it making sure solder went all the way through on both sides of the wire. (that won't fall off again anytime soon) Each time the battery is placed in the light it pushes down on these springs and essentially cold works what is a cold solder tack at best.
I replaced or had to resolder; Both switch wires, The positive terminal of the battery charge connector to the circuit board, and the post wires with the "modification hole" drilled to make a positive connection.
After testing out the repaired pack, I went ahead and did the same thing to the other pack (which also had cold and poorly done solders...ready to fail at any moment)
Just for the record the longest that the light had been on before this happened was maybe 3 minutes straight, and a combined total of maybe 7 minutes. So its not like the flashlight got so hot from being on forever that the solders melted. This was just a very poorly manufactured battery pack.
Now the light seems to work 100% again and definately meets my expectations in the size, light output, etc. I'm not blaming AAC as they shipped very quickly, and anyone who would have tested the light would have seen it work fine. What I am suggesting is if anyone has a problem with a battery pack and is capable of a little soldering and drilling a very small hole in a very small brass post, then it is completely possible that the "bad battery packs" are fine battery packs assembled by someone in China without proper knowledge of how to solder. The circuit boards all seemed to be well constructed, and the light itself seems to be fine too. I haven't pulled the ballast and looked at it either, but then I haven't heard any complaints about that from anyone else, just the battery packs. Also I figure complaining to AAC would only get me another battey pack with the same problem. The impression I get from these battery packs is that some will work fine in this condition, possibly indefinately and others will have the wires fall off the posts, possibly at a bad time.
Hope this info helps someone.
I read a few bad reviews about the Oracle 24w having battery pack problems. Thats primarily why I was saying that I wanted a light that would last in my flight bag for a long time... a good piece of equipment in other words. Nobody promised me otherwise, but I decided to save some money with the Oracle
I decided to buy one and from what I read here I ordered it from AAC. With the forum discount, it wasn't as cheap as some I had seem off eBay, but AAC offered an extra battery option that seemed cheaper than anything else on eBay and it seemed that my chances of getting a bad battery were lower, also maybe it hadn't been used a bunch like something off eBay.
When I got the light I was amazed and very happy. Everything seemed to be working fine. I put the light in my bag and just couldn't wait to take it to work tomorrow. Today a friend came over and I got the light out of my bag to show it to him and it wouldn't come on. I quickly popped the other battery in and it worked fine.
Since I am pretty handy mechanically, and since I had one working battery and another seemingly bad one I had the confidence to go ahead and open the bad one.
As i took the battery apart gently, 2 wires simply fell off the circuit board. I couldn't believe it but it looked like a 6 year old with a cold soldering iron soldered most of the battery and switch wires to the circuit board. The wires didn't even protrude through the board before soldering and making a ridge on the other side! (to help it not be easily pulled off) Also the battery has 2 spring loaded "posts" that make a connection with the ballast inside the flashlight. The wires from the battery were barely even "tacked" to the brass posts. (this was the failure point)
I pulled out the old soldering iron and some aircraft quality wire that I have laying around. I drilled a small (1/16 or less) hole perpendicular through the posts inside the battery pack assembly and placed the wire through the post and soldered it making sure solder went all the way through on both sides of the wire. (that won't fall off again anytime soon) Each time the battery is placed in the light it pushes down on these springs and essentially cold works what is a cold solder tack at best.
I replaced or had to resolder; Both switch wires, The positive terminal of the battery charge connector to the circuit board, and the post wires with the "modification hole" drilled to make a positive connection.
After testing out the repaired pack, I went ahead and did the same thing to the other pack (which also had cold and poorly done solders...ready to fail at any moment)
Just for the record the longest that the light had been on before this happened was maybe 3 minutes straight, and a combined total of maybe 7 minutes. So its not like the flashlight got so hot from being on forever that the solders melted. This was just a very poorly manufactured battery pack.
Now the light seems to work 100% again and definately meets my expectations in the size, light output, etc. I'm not blaming AAC as they shipped very quickly, and anyone who would have tested the light would have seen it work fine. What I am suggesting is if anyone has a problem with a battery pack and is capable of a little soldering and drilling a very small hole in a very small brass post, then it is completely possible that the "bad battery packs" are fine battery packs assembled by someone in China without proper knowledge of how to solder. The circuit boards all seemed to be well constructed, and the light itself seems to be fine too. I haven't pulled the ballast and looked at it either, but then I haven't heard any complaints about that from anyone else, just the battery packs. Also I figure complaining to AAC would only get me another battey pack with the same problem. The impression I get from these battery packs is that some will work fine in this condition, possibly indefinately and others will have the wires fall off the posts, possibly at a bad time.
Hope this info helps someone.
