tk40 help needed

[krash]

Hi, fairly new to flashlights and treated myself to a tk40 for christmas. There is a problem with the light in that it seems to only work on the low setting, when i try to change the setting it just stays in a very low mode. I have tried 2 different sets of brand new batteries and was wondering if any of you expects out there might have any ideas to whats causing this ? T

hanks for any advice that you can give !

 

[madmook]

What type of batteries are you using?

 

[LittleBill]

how exactly are you trying to change modes?

 

[krash]

thanks for your replies, I bought 8x brand new eneloops and when they didnt seem to get the light to work properly i bought Energizer ultra+. The batteries that the light came with from fenix uk also had the same effect that after clicking the light on, a long press of the switch causes the light to momentarily go of ( as if its about to switch to the next level) but it just comes back with the very low level light.

 

[krash]

after examining further the light seems to access the different levels in that they are all the same very low level of brightness but with each "level" i can get very faint versions of the corresponding strobe patterns

 

[LittleBill]

light sounds screwed up, strobe is only on turbo, they are different sequences for the four light outputs, all of which are totally different as are the light levels

you simply hold the switch in till the light switches while its turned on

 

[John_Galt]

Depending upon how long the "pre-charged" eneloops were on the store shelf, they might have had time to self discharge to a point where they cannot provide adequate voltage to the driver.

Also, the Energizer ultra+ are alkalines, correct? If so, the internal resistance of the cells may cause the voltage to drop too low (under any appreciable load) to provide adequate power to the driver.

Or, it may be a bad switch. Remove the switch, and use a peice of wire to make a connection between the negative contact, and the BARE AlUMINUM of the body. Make and break the connection several times. If the batteries are charged, then it should switch modes and light up. If this works, you have a bad switch, and should contact the dealer from whom you got the light. If the light continues to fail to work, the driver may be damaged, and you should contact your dealer for your warranty.

If you have a multi meter, check the voltage of the eneloops. They should be ~1.3 volts, if charged.

 

[droeun]

Mine doesn't do that - I would exchange it.

 

[krash]

Depending upon how long the "pre-charged" eneloops were on the store shelf, they might have had time to self discharge to a point where they cannot provide adequate voltage to the driver.

Also, the Energizer ultra+ are alkalines, correct? If so, the internal resistance of the cells may cause the voltage to drop too low (under any appreciable load) to provide adequate power to the driver.

Or, it may be a bad switch. Remove the switch, and use a peice of wire to make a connection between the negative contact, and the BARE AlUMINUM of the body. Make and break the connection several times. If the batteries are charged, then it should switch modes and light up. If this works, you have a bad switch, and should contact the dealer from whom you got the light. If the light continues to fail to work, the driver may be damaged, and you should contact your dealer for your warranty.

If you have a multi meter, check the voltage of the eneloops. They should be ~1.3 volts, if charged.

Thank you very much for taking the time to try and help me John !

Im going to follow your advice and completely charge up the eneloops which takes 16 hours per set of 4. I didnt realise that standard alkaline batteries may not be suitable for the tk40 so thanks for the info !
Just have to wait a day for the eneloops to finish cooking

 

[John_Galt]

What kind of charger are you using? 16 hours seems like a long time for charging. Is it a smart charger, or a "dumb" timed charger?
Glad to be of help!

 

[mikekoz]

Thank you very much for taking the time to try and help me John !

Im going to follow your advice and completely charge up the eneloops which takes 16 hours per set of 4. I didnt realise that standard alkaline batteries may not be suitable for the tk40 so thanks for the info !
Just have to wait a day for the eneloops to finish cooking

I also think you have a defective light. Even though it is not a good idea to use alkalines in this light, they should still power up the light normally. They will just not give you optimum runtime or reliability (They sometimes leak).

 

[Magic Matt]

The TK40 can use 8 Alkaline batteries, and if it came with batteries then it certainly should have worked with those. Eneloops are supplied charged to about 65%, so again should have no problems driving that beast.

Your light sounds faulty. Frustrating and upsetting, but it does happen. I would phone Fenix first and tell them what is happening - the chances are they'll say return it and they'll simply replace it.

 

[krash]

Thanks for your reply matt ! I think your right, i charged up the eneloops in case and still the light wouldnt get any brighter. I bought it from fenix uk and emailed them today so hopefully they will be able to fix it for me.

 

[krash]

Hi, Just wanted to say that ive had a happy ending with my problem of the tk40. I took your advice and sent it back and got a brand new replacement.

Thanks for your help and also i got great service from http://www.fenixtorch.co.uk/

cheers and im loving this portable light cannon