Streamlight Sidewinder trouble?

[axd]

01-31-2010, 05:20 PM: Meanwhile my factory (alcaline AA) batteries have approached end of life, have to change to a new set of batteries for the first time (after about 1 year of use, mainly the red LED) and I notice some unusual behaviour.

While the red LED seems to still function for the 5-25-50% power settings (but not 100%), the white, green and blue LEDs are extremely weak (I guess far less than the 5% setting). I already noticed differences in behaviour between red and the other colours (this this post) but for a while was tempted to think that this is not a defect.

A new set of fresh batteries doesn't seem to completely solve the problem.:mecry:

1. the red LED is the only normal functioning one
2. green and blue seem to be locked in the 5% position
3. white only gives positions 5% - 25%

This is really deceiving for a rather expensive article; I hope it is some unusual freak defect, not a product defect.

I didn't handle it rough, never immersed it. In fact, I used almost exclusively the red LED at 5% setting, approx. 5-10minutes per day since several months now.

A possibility is carrying the flashlight for maybe half an hour a day in freezing temperatures in a pocket in my jacket.

Guess this is the flip side of electronically regulated lights...

And I hope I will be able to get it fixed: I have this flashlight since April 2009, so it should still be under warranty. Email sent, fingers crossed...

Got a reply from Streamlight to check the new batteries first. Good idea: although I didn't measure the set before I inserted them, a few days later the voltage had dropped below 1.5V.

The story doesn't end here. I inserted a fresh (3rd) set of batteries (unused, Duracell Plus, exp 2015) and measured the voltage after half a day or so: voltages had dropped from 1.6V to 1.48V. Without using the flashlight (I wanted to see how much the electronics might draw while shelved).

Something I had noticed with the second set of batteries: there seems to be something wrong in the tail end of the flashlight. With only red LED on, when I shake the tail end but keep the head still, the white LED will momentarily switch on and the red one switches off. When shaking the head, no such thing happens.

Monday I'll go out for another set of batteries, this time from another brand.

Edit added: I sent my SL for repair in February 2010.

 

[ragweed]

Batteries draining while not in use is not good at all. There goes the emergency light factor. Very wise of you to check that out. Sounds like a defect of some sort. Good Luck!

 

[gronk]

Did you resolve the problem? Just got a Sidewinder, and hoping to not replicate your probs.
Cheers,
G

 

[axd]

Did you resolve the problem? Just got a Sidewinder, and hoping to not replicate your probs.
Cheers,
G

Well, what a coincidence!

Because today I received what appeared to be a replacement, with a white C4 ( :thumbsup: thanks Streamlight - my previous one was the 1/2W 20-lumen one!): I was surprised, because I had the RGB model, and thought the C4 model only has G/B/IR or R/B/IR - at least that's what I understood from the product page. Until I looked in the little user manual that came with it (and the PDF indeed also shows the combination), where indeed there are also R/G/B models.

Here's my modest "mini review" of the replacement (manufactured 05/09, compared to my previous model manufactured 04/07), as there are a few minor changes I noticed.

1. ~ First I noticed that the TIR had been replaced by a classic smooth reflector. The hotspot looks smaller than what I think I remember from the TIR, but it is more irregular. I hope I can convince SL to send me the original TIR - just as a personal collector's item - because I had never seen this before (and maybe also ask for the rest of the remains... yes, that's how attached I am to this flashlight...)
2. + The C4 seems brighter (with the supplied AA alcaline). Well, it should be: 50 lumen instead of 20!
3. + The green and blue LEDs are smoother and possibly a bit brighter (compared to my previous model, where I had to use tape to smoothen away multiple beam artifacts); the red LED still has some artifacts but is acceptable now.
4. + The rotary switch feels more sensitive and there is a little bit less travel before depress; it also requires a bit less force. The rotation also requires a bit less force (note that I could always turn it with same hand's thumb + index.)
5. - The hole for the clip screw is now made of some black plastic material. The previous model had a metallic hole (similar to the central hole for the tailcap cable), which seemed much better to me.
6. + The tail cap now meets some hard stop once totally screwed in: the previous model gave the impression that although sealed by a fully compressed O-ring, there was still some room to screw further down - and maybe overstress the O-ring.
7. - Streamlight changed the ramping: now brightness starts at 100% and goes down. I would prefer ramp up rather than ramp down, because lights are used at night, eyes can work with very low light levels and therefore lower modes will suffice; now I have to ramp down all the time, because the LEDs are too bright for most tasks. Edit added: this becomes an issue once battery levels are dropping, because the light will attempt to start at max power while it can't.
8. ? Still to confirm: the documentation no longer mentions a shift to low output once the battery reaches end of capacity.
9. ~ Steps (in %) are now 5-25-60-100 (was: 5-20-50-100)

My overall impression is that there has been further improvement over the original batch; yet ... I managed to stumble again on an UI oddity I will document in this post. It looks like the UI remains a weak spot in this flashlight.

-alex-