hey folks....I got the answer from Streamlight's engineering dept. Here it is
it's from Jean, my internal contact at Streamlight; as you all probably guessed, I am a Streamlight distributor, but
I do not sell anything retail) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Hope this is helpful:
Sorry Steven,
Here is some additional information that I just received and thought you may be interested in. Let me know if there is anything additional.
Jeanne
4AA LED RESISTOR REVISIONS
The first units had 12 ohm resistors in series with the LEDs (7 resistors, one for each LED). The 12 ohm resistors, visible through theopening in the side, are color coded BROWN, RED, BLACK, GOLD.
There was then an interim fix which added a large one ohm resistor to the back of the housing.
The current production assemblies do not have the external resistor and the internal ones have been changed to 22 ohms. These are color coded RED, RED, BLACK, GOLD.
You can probably identify which assembly you have by looking at the color codes on the resistors through the openings in the side of the module. All resistors will be the same value. Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of visible difference between the shade of brown used in the old ones and the new red, so you need to take a really good look.
There is little to no apparent difference in intensity of any of the three versions. LEDs unfortunately have a very large range in the amount of current they draw as part of their normal manufacturing process, and the original values were chosen using LEDs of the lower current end of the range. This caused the ones that drew higher current to be driven too hard. They not only were failing because of heat, but were no brighter than ones operating correctly.
If operated continuously, it is normal for the 4AA LED to get warmer than the Xenon version when the batteries are fresh. If operated continuously with new batteries, the plating in the center of the resistor may discolor and crack or blister. This is normal and does not affect the light output.
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Just a reminder that ALL Streamlight products are covered by a lifetime warranty; if you have one that is not performing properly, send it back to Streamlight. Their address is:
Streamlight
Attn: Repairs/Warranty dept
30 Eagleville Rd
Eagleville, Pa 19403