SOLVED: NiteCore D10 + AW 14500 = Hard to push button & intermittent contact

[EngrPaul]

It takes 5.3 lbs to actuate my D10, how about you?

• Place a chapstick top in the middle of the platter of a digital scale.
• Press the tail button against the chapstick until the light comes on.
• Read the force from the digital readout.

UPDATE:

This seems to be a problem with AW 14500 batteries. I used an alkaline, and it took half the force (see later post). Also, the intermittent switch operation is cured by using a shorter alkaline. Often I'd switch the light on and it would go back off or directly to low mode when using 14500.


UPDATE 2:
I removed about 1/2" of wire from the spiral spring in the base of the battery tube, and more perfectly centered the spiral. When the spring is completely compressed, now there is no overlap of coils. Now it only takes 3.1 # to turn on the light with a 14500, and it isn't skittish anymore. :twothumbs

 

[Lite_me]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

I used a AA battery in place of the chapstick.

My D10 is 2.8 -3.0 lbs.

Not sure how accurate that is, I get the exact same on my EX10. It's a digital bathroom scale.

 

[Zatoichi]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

According to my non-digital bathroom scales, about 1.5lbs. Not a very accurate way to measure, but my D10 isn't stiff at all.

 

[balou]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

1.5kg/3.3 pounds straight from factory
~1150g now, about 2.5 pounds

Relubed it with a silicon oil/glycerine compound

edit: EngrPaul, clean all the lube on the piston and on the inside of the outer hull with (isopropyl-)alcohol, and relube it with silicon oil or nyogel
Zatoichi: really, 1.5lbs? Not kilogramms? I wish my D10 were as easy to push...

edit2: by the way, who likes the tarnishing of the piston end? I do

 

[Zatoichi]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

Zatoichi: really, 1.5lbs? Not kilogramms? I wish my D10 were as easy to push...

Definately lbs. I tried it on different areas of the scale's surface and got the same reading. They may not be accurate enough for this kind of thing, but I can say the piston is no harder to push than any of my clickies. It was stiff when it arrived, but since I cleaned and relubed it, it's been sweet.

*Edit* I've got it wrong! It is lbs, but there's one marker per 2lbs, so around 3lbs.

 

[EngrPaul]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

I used a calibrated weigh scale at work. I came home and did the same thing on my bathroom scale and got 5.6 lb.

These tests were done with the tailcap turned fully to the head.

When I backed off a turn or so (to or past the momentary mode), it got easier to push the button to turn the light on momentary (2 or 3 lbs)

I am wondering whether I'm compressing air that it's so hard?

 

[sparkysko]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

D10, 5 LBS (80 ounces) with the head screwed in all the way with an AW 14500.

 

[AardvarkSagus]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

My EX10 is running about 3.6-3.7-ish on a digital postal scale at work. Definitely feels lighter than when I got it. Fully screwed in on and AW 16340.

 

[JasonH]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

2.3lbs when relubed, using a digital kitchen scale.

 

[ruger357]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

Cleaned and lubed my D10 with Nyogel, it's a lot better now.

 

[bullterrier]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

My EX10 1205g=2,6 pounds

 

[LukeA]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

Geez. All my regular clickies are between 180gf and 500gf.

 

[AvidHiker]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

I used a calibrated weigh scale at work. I came home and did the same thing on my bathroom scale and got 5.6 lb.

These tests were done with the tailcap turned fully to the head.

When I backed off a turn or so (to or past the momentary mode), it got easier to push the button to turn the light on momentary (2 or 3 lbs)

I am wondering whether I'm compressing air that it's so hard?

2.9-3.1 pounds on an expensive lab scale. This is with a slotted piston that I lubed with Nyogel. Doubting that there could be much air compression since the travel of the piston is so short when the head is screwed down, maybe there's a bit more spring compression at that point (pushing the battery into the piston seems to get harder as it moves in)? Definitely a lot easier when the head is loosened, also suggesting that the inside air isn't being compressed much (if at all).

Maybe another option would be to shorten your spring a tad?

 

[EngrPaul]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

2.9-3.1 pounds on an expensive lab scale. This is with a slotted piston that I lubed with Nyogel. Doubting that there could be much air compression since the travel of the piston is so short when the head is screwed down, maybe there's a bit more spring compression at that point (pushing the battery into the piston seems to get harder as it moves in)? Definitely a lot easier when the head is loosened, also suggesting that the inside air isn't being compressed much (if at all).

Maybe another option would be to shorten your spring a tad?

I agree air compression from putting the light together is probably not able to generate that much force. It's got to be mechanical.

I've never removed the piston. It's always been a tough press.

I've cleaned under the brass ring and the PCB, even used some deoxit there.

I guess it's time to disassemble, clean, and re-lube. I'll report back if it makes a difference.

 

[EngrPaul]

Re: How much force to turn on your NiteCore PD?

When I removed the piston, it slid out nice and smooth. I stripped down all the blue stinky lube and applied fresh Krytox.

With the bathroom scale, I still got 5.6 lbs to turn the light on. This was with a AW 14500, as usual.

Dropped in an alkaline battery and tried the same thing. Only 2.4 # needed to turn the light on.

 

[Paul6ppca]

Re: Edit: NiteCore D10 + AW 14500 = Hard to push button & intermittent contact

Give it a cleaning and a little break in time.Mine is pretty easy now.If all else fails try a differnt o ring,for me the clear ones worked best.

 

[EngrPaul]

Re: Edit: NiteCore D10 + AW 14500 = Hard to push button & intermittent contact

OK, thanks for bringing my attention to the spring. I pulled it out for inspection.

Evidently the spring is intended to NOT overlap coils when compressed, since it is a spiral. However, my spring doubled-over on the last loop, plus the spiral wasn't centered.

I hacked off the last 1/2 inch of coil, and centered the spiral. The outer loop is still big enough to retain the spring adequately.

This reduced the force of compression with as 14500 to "only" 3.1 lb. Not great, but definitely better :twothumbs

 

[Lite_me]

Make sure you clean the lube off the battery tube on the top next to the button AND also the bottom of the barrel around where the button sticks out. Left over lube here will cause stiction, increasing the initial force required to move the button.

 

[balou]

what's the force with regular AAs now? I'm gonna order some 14500... but also interested in reduced force with AAs

 

[EngrPaul]

what's the force with regular AAs now? I'm gonna order some 14500... but also interested in reduced force with AAs

Good question!

After the spring trim:

2.2# for AA Alkaline
3.1# for AW 14500