Copied Replies:
BT13243508-13-2007 10:20 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
All right added some pictures, this is what it looks like underneath the foam ring... just looks kinda odd, what do you guys think?
BT13243508-13-2007 11:45 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
All right so after an hour of solder scraping and a few cuts on my fingers, i think i fixed the O-ring and foam ring problems. I used the small blade from my swiss army knife to do the scraping, then i used a hair dryer to heat up that goey stuff on the foam ring in order to re-attach it. I hope it stays on... now the only problem is to hear form peter if the back of the head on my arc aaa is normal :green:
Grox08-13-2007 11:52 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
I have to say that this sounds pretty poor. But I am confidant that Peter Gransee will make it right with you. For customer service issues, my feeling is that you should really be contacting Arc directly rather than posting on CPF?
BT13243508-14-2007 12:17 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Well i mean Gransee comes onto this forum pretty frequently, so it's pretty much like talking to him directly. Sorry if i'm getting annoying, i know i tend to ask a lot of questions
Grox08-14-2007 01:58 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
I don't blame you - I'd be annoyed if I received a light that was as severely flawed as yours.
parnass08-14-2007 05:45 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BT132435 (Post 2054408)
Hello all,
I just received my new Arc AAA-P today, and there seem to be a couple problems with it. The first thing i noticed was that the o-ring is partly visible when the light is turned off. And the second thing was that the foam ring came off pretty easily and revealed the contact point/circuitry. The contact point/circuitry looked messy/chipped too, ....
I can turn my Arc AAA-P off without the O-ring showing, though turning just a little further causes the O-ring to appear. This could be a function of battery length. Try a different brand battery and see what happens.
The foam donut came off the head of my light once too, but I just stuck it back on without a problem.
Your photo is blurry, but it looks like there is a dark spot in the center of your positive contact. Mine looks like a clean silver colored contact. I cannot discern if the contact is merely a solder blob or a metal post.
BT13243508-14-2007 09:20 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Oh my phone's camera is just bad, that black spot on the blob is actually just some grease lol, i wiped it off already.
Stillphoto08-14-2007 03:22 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Yeah the back of your head looking like that is somewhat normal. Then again, mine was bought sorta secondhand. I'll have to look and see if my o-ring is visible when off. Battery height sounds like a good cause of that, every mm counts. Just take a tiny bit of rubber cement, or other flexible yet strong adhesive, and apply to the non-battery size of the foam. Actually rubber cement might not be optimal, I forgot what I used.
BT13243508-15-2007 03:07 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Well after a few days of pondering, i think i will try and get this light replaced if Peter will allow it. Even after i pretty much flattened out the solder, it seems as if the head is still riding too high. I was under the impression that it would be as low as the one seen in this picture when i bought the light:
http://arcflashlight.com/arc-aaa.shtml
I' m not too confident about whether or not the foam ring will stay on. The way the back of the head looks worries me too...
Stillphoto08-16-2007 10:11 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Tell me again, did the light not work when you got it?
kitelights08-16-2007 10:33 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
I usually overtighten mine by about 1/3 to 1/2 of a turn when I put a new battery in. That way, it's already seated and won't continue to "give" little by little. Try it and see if it doesn't take care of the O ring.
The O ring still does it's job even if you can see a small portion of it; it shouldn't protrude to where it's visible just for asthetics. If that takes care of it, then send a stamped, self addressed envelope to ARC and ask for a couple of foam donuts.
Clean the head with alcohol or acetone (lightly) and install a new foam pad. Or you can use your old one with a little glue. The "looks" of the head under the foam is a non issue.
Good luck - you'll enjoy your ARC AAA.
BT13243508-16-2007 12:18 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
The light itself works, i was just under the impression that the head sits as low as the one in the Arc flashlight website. My older Arc AAA has a low sitting head as well so it's sorta my little expectation. Sometimes under normal use, the head gets twisted towards the off position a little too much by me or someone i lent it to. If the head sits that high then the O-ring can be accidentally exposed or even worse the head comes off the light and is lost. Peter had already agreed to let me replace it!
WTH08-16-2007 11:27 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Fyi, if the foam ring falls off again the guys at Arc will send you another foam ring free of change (with sticky on one side). They'll send an o-ring too, for free. I think you just need to send them a self-addressed stamped envelope. Try emailing Arc and I'd be quite surprised if they didn't make it right.
Update:
Straight from Arc's website:
"We provide free replacements of the foam retainer and the O-ring. Simply ask for some to be included with your next order. We can also send them to you if you send us a S.A.S.E. (self addressed, stamped envelope) to our address below." -arcflashlight.com
ViReN08-16-2007 11:59 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Quote:
Originally Posted by
WTH (Post 2055544)
Fyi, if the foam ring falls off again the guys at Arc will send you another foam ring free of change (with sticky on one side). They'll send an o-ring too, for free. I think you just need to send them a self-addressed stamped envelope. Try emailing Arc and I'd be quite surprised if they didn't make it right.
:thumbsup: wow.. thats very nice to know....:twothumbs
WildChild08-17-2007 07:35 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ViReN (Post 2055546)
:thumbsup: wow.. thats very nice to know....:twothumbs
Last time I asked Arc for that I got a many years supply of the foam retainers and lifetime supply of o-rings! (6 retainer foams and 6 o-rings). I just managed to kill 3 foams retainer very fast with bad lubes... 1 lube killed the glue on 2, and 1 lube made the foam retainer swell. It was funny to see!
cpfx08-21-2007 01:00 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Had the same problem with the oring sticking out. It's not actually the battery length IMO, rather it's the kind of negative terminal the battery. I use batteries with a dimple on the center of the negative terminal since there's a protrusion inside the bottom of the flashlight where the battery sits. I use regular energizer alkalines, although, I'm in the Philippines, not sure if the'yre exactly the same build as there in the US.
Grox08-21-2007 01:58 AM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
Mine looks like this:
Click on the above picture for a high resolution photo. My apologies for the poor focus.
h2xblive08-22-2007 08:19 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
When my foam donut fell off, I just stuck it to the bottom of the battery tube. It still serves its purpose yet I don't have to worry about it getting twisted off.
To prevent the o-ring from showing when the light is off, I partially crush my AAA battery so the head can screw in further. This makes a small dimple on the bottom of my battery. I also sanded off some of the solder "blob" on the head of the Arc.
BT13243508-22-2007 10:32 PM
Re: Problems with new Arc AAA-P
I just don't think we should have to do all these repairs and fine tunings. Now i don't even feel confident giving this light as a present to others because i'd have to tell them to be careful with these extra things. They'd probably just say screw it, take the foam ring off and let the o-ring ride outside of the battery tube which would just ruin the flashlight. I have purchased 3 other Arc AAA's before the company was under Mega Tech Devices, and all 3 of them did not have these problems. I could give one to a friend and not expect a call from them asking me how to fix a certain problem on the light. The light i received was an entire 360 turn more out than my older arc AAA, even with the solder almost completely scraped off.
As for the foam ring i could put it inside the battery tube, but i noticed the head tends to come off easier without it. And since the head is already higher than older models, it's bound to come off in your pocket by accident.
I'm glad they let me replace the light, i hope it won't have the same problems as the defective light did. It's been a week though, friggin USPS is so slow.
. All in all though i think the light is a big improvement over my older Arc-AAA. It looks as if it's 3x as bright! The tint is a whole lot better than my old one too. Any help would be appreciated, thanks guys.
