seeking advice and answers concerning novatac & hds

[maxpower419]

So I got a hds 2aa tube, and cant get it to work with my novatac edc120, I know it can, i have seen it and heard from others that it works, and having the ability to use this great light with aa's is a great thing. I was planning on putting it on a 120p when i got one, but i am now considering just getting an HDS and maybe having it modded by Milkyspit...

so whats wrong with my setup?
should i get an hds light for it and have it modded, so its brighter than 60 lumens ( i find 120 lumens to be enough for high)
if I do that will i still be able to obtain a low-low?

Advice and wisdom is more than welcome, as I have just started to delve into this flashlight world...

Thanks guys.

-Ryan

 

[wvaltakis2]

I had issues getting the 17670 tube to work right with my wife's Novatac, and I don't have it with me to try the 2XAA tube in my bag with it. The Novatac battery tubes have a machined lip that seats on the retaining ring in the body and it seemed like the contact with the HDS tube was sketchy at best. I also had issues of the light changing modes if the tail was bumped against something. If nobody else can help I'll check it out when I get off shift in the morning

~Chip

 

[DM51]

It is the internal spring that makes the contact, not the tube itself. It should be slightly longer than the tube, so it can make the contact between the tailcap and the head. Are you using the right spring?

 

[wvaltakis2]

I'm pretty sure the spring makes contact with the board (switching circuit) and the tube makes contact with the retaining ring/body of the light (power circuit).

~Chip

 

[DM51]

You may well be right. Maybe we need an HDS electronics guru to pronounce on this.

 

[maxpower419]

Hmmm...

The spring is definitely longer, and makes contact on both ends... so what else could it be?

 

[wvaltakis2]

Like I said, if you look at the stock Novatac tube it has a machined lip on it that makes contact with the retaining ring in the body of the light. I suspect that either the HDS tube doesn't make complete contact or it may have loosened the retaining ring in the light. You may want to go through and do all the cleaning and tightening recommended in other Novatac issue threads.

~Chip

 

[tx101]

I run my Novatac with a 17670 tube .... it does definitely work
When I first got it, I didnt have a clue and exactly the same thing happened to me. All I did was tighten and untighten the tubes and play around with the spring.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Let's start with the basics. These lights have one positive and TWO (2) negatives. The tube, whatever tube, acts as a ground. When you screw the light together and the light goes on for 1 second then turns off, this is showing that the ground through the TUBE is making contact. The second ground (the spring) activates the light. If you screw the light together and there is no dim light that shuts off, the problem is in the contacts with the tail or head and the tube itself. If the light turns on dim then shuts off but the switch does not work, it is more than likely an issue with the spring not making contact.

Let's look at two tail switches:

The switch on the left is lacking the super-heavily engineered, long talked about... plumbing part. The first thing to do is rip this sucker out. It is only in there to keep pressure on the battery during HEAVY recoil of a weapon. Do you have this mounted to your .44 magnum or .308 rifle? No? Get rid of it. 90% of the time when there is a problem, it is not letting the spring make contact with the tail. That large, flat silver part inside the retaining ring is what the spring needs to make contact with. Make sure it is clean.
Now, lets look at the conection between the head/tube/tail.

As you can see, the tube on the left is rounded and the tube on the right is cut out to fit nicely over the retaining ring both the head and the tail. The left tube is a 17670 tube and the tube on the right is a standard 123 tube. All that matters is that the tube makes contact with the retaining ring (in a Novatac) or the outer ring in an HDS. When using these tubes, or any other tube on a Novatac, you want to make sure the spring protrudes evenly. If the spring makes contact with the retaining ring, you can have the light change settings as though you pushed the switch. It can sometimes do this if you hit the light on the side, thereby moving the spring to make contact with the retaining ring.
As the picture below shows, you must have the spring protruding from each end of the tube.

If the spring does not protrude from each end... stretch that sucker so it does.
Also, be sure that the retaining ring is nice and tight in both the head and tail of your Novatac. Loose retaining rings cause congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and strokes, usually preceded by lots of cursing.

Sometimes the spring can fit around the HELTAPP (highly engineered, long talked about plumbing part). It helps to put the tail on first, making sure the spring goes over HELTAPP.

Again, make sure that there is spring protruding from the top of the tube as well.

Sorry, was :buddies: when I took that picture. Looks clear to me! If you squint and jump up and down, it almost looks very clear.
Now screw the head on and...

Let there be light. Well, first a second of dim light followed by bright light when you push the switch.

 

[maxpower419]

Thanks Hogokansutsan,

That did the trick... perfect!

Thanks again for helpin out a newb :bow:

 

[SaturnNyne]

That was an excellent detailing of the NovaTac conductive paths, nice work.

 

[Derek Dean]

Yes, nicely done Hogokansatsukan! :twothumbs

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Thanks! Glad I could help.:wave:

 

[Dead_Nuts]

The above tutorial is fantastic! That being said, the only other issue that I know of is the difference in physical length of tailcaps. I know the 17670 tube comes with a tailcap that is shorter than the stock Novatac. So, even when I had my 17670 equipped light working, it could still be fouled by a sharp blow or by dropping it. I modded the tailcap spring with file-smoothed brass screw and nut to make up for the slightly bigger gap and now it works flawlessly. This may not even apply to you 2xAA tube - I don't know.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

I've found the little rare earth magnets from lighthound work great for any battery length issues. The 2AA doesn't seem to have that issue. The main issue as far as knocks and falls go, is that the heavier the battery, the more chance of the positive contact on the battery losing its connection to the positive terminal in the head. This makes your light shut off. Simple fix is, press the button and turn it on again.
This is the reason there is a rubber HELTAPP is in the switch. It's to help keep contact with the positive terminals during recoil or drop. When you put in a 17670, it is heavier than a 123, and more prone to turning off when knocked or dropped. Same with 2AA batteries. More weight.
A positive contact spring would solve the issue. GET MY SOLDERING GUN! Actually, been there. Done that. PITA.
Now, the HDS tailcap was flat inside, without the retaining ring, so in theory, you should get more pressure.
Now on to my next project. Converting a 17670 tube into a 18650 tube with no modification to the tube at all!
Wish me luck.

 

[Blindasabat]

Nice post Hogo! I have to try that with my 17650 tube when I get home. I have read as much posted before, but your slightly less than drunken photography made it clearer to me.

 

[Hogokansatsukan]

Your 17670 tube... you mean your 18650 tube.
This thread got me thinking and tinkering. :thinking:Give me a few days and I may have a way of using the 17670 tube with an 18650 battery. I'm playing with now and it is working.
Sorry, have to wait til' I perfect it.
I'll post pics and everything under a new thread. Give me through the weekend.