Troubleshooting my A2 Aviator (tailcap problem?)

[tobrien]

so I have a four flats A2 Aviator (bought it used) and it won't turn on reliably it seems. I'm thinking the tailcap is the problem, but I don't know for sure.

Things I've noticed:
1. sometimes the bulb will flash on briefly and then go back to off (the LEDs turn off too)
2. just now, I screwed the tailcap down all the way and the LEDs nor the MA02 came on.

is this a tailcap issue more than likely?

edit: it's worth noting that the contacts at the head (when I unscrew the bezel) appear to be clean and in fine shape

 

[m4a1usr]

You have it nailed pretty much. Mine did the same and after doing a talk thru with a surefire customer service rep we both came to that conculsion. Luckily I have several A2 lights and tried different TC combinations and it was indeed the TC. I got a return WMA from surefire but before sending it off I cleaned the contact surface areas inside the TC and the threads of the body. Now it functions perfectly. It was just dirty enough to cause havoc with the little electronic module under the bulb.

 

[tobrien]

You have it nailed pretty much. Mine did the same and after doing a talk thru with a surefire customer service rep we both came to that conculsion. Luckily I have several A2 lights and tried different TC combinations and it was indeed the TC. I got a return WMA from surefire but before sending it off I cleaned the contact surface areas inside the TC and the threads of the body. Now it functions perfectly. It was just dirty enough to cause havoc with the little electronic module under the bulb.

thank you!

Now that you mention it, my tailcap threads do look like they could stand to be cleaned. did yours look like this?:

what'd you clean yours with? I must be experiencing what you were

 

[archimedes]

Have you tried electrically bypassing the tailswitch ... ?

Also, probably obvious, but you have verified both batteries as full / fresh / matched ?

 

[m4a1usr]

thank you!

Now that you mention it, my tailcap threads do look like they could stand to be cleaned. did yours look like this?:

what'd you clean yours with? I must be experiencing what you were

Mine looked about the same but it was very grimey inside the tailcap too. I used isopropyl alcohol for inside the TC using Q-tips but needed acetone for the body threads. For some reason the alcohol wasn't strong enough to cut the dirt build up but the acetone made it shine like new!

 

[tobrien]

Have you tried electrically bypassing the tailswitch ... ?

Also, probably obvious, but you have verified both batteries as full / fresh / matched ?

haven't tried bypassing the switch yet. Will a paperclip work the same as a full press on a two stage switch? I know these 2 stage tails have resistors in them for the partial press though, so I'm thinking maybe a paperclip will be a bad idea...

batteries are both matched and had about 3.0v left on them before I went out of town (I'm at my parents' place with no multimeter available to me, I'll be back tomorrow at my place where I can use my Fluke)

Mine looked about the same but it was very grimey inside the tailcap too. I used isopropyl alcohol for inside the TC using Q-tips but needed acetone for the body threads. For some reason the alcohol wasn't strong enough to cut the dirt build up but the acetone made it shine like new!

ah okay. acetone and rubbing alcohol are both no-go for the o-rings, right? I'll remove the o-ring anyways but if memory serves, both iso alcohol and acetone can damage/destroy these rubber o-rings, correct? I'll have to make sure I dry out the leftover stuff real well haha.

how did you clean the inside of your TC? any tips? I don't want any acetone or whatever potentially running down into the circuitry of the tail :/

 

[m4a1usr]

haven't tried bypassing the switch yet. Will a paperclip work the same as a full press on a two stage switch? I know these 2 stage tails have resistors in them for the partial press though, so I'm thinking maybe a paperclip will be a bad idea...

batteries are both matched and had about 3.0v left on them before I went out of town (I'm at my parents' place with no multimeter available to me, I'll be back tomorrow at my place where I can use my Fluke)



ah okay. acetone and rubbing alcohol are both no-go for the o-rings, right? I'll remove the o-ring anyways but if memory serves, both iso alcohol and acetone can damage/destroy these rubber o-rings, correct? I'll have to make sure I dry out the leftover stuff real well haha.

how did you clean the inside of your TC? any tips? I don't want any acetone or whatever potentially running down into the circuitry of the tail :/

The paper clip (or even just a small screw driver) for making contact is probably the easiest method. At least it should fire up both bulbs. Never had an issue yet with surefire O-rings and solvents so far. I use isopropyl alcohol as much as possible (it's cheap!) and than either MEK or Acetone for the hard to remove gunk. None of my O-rings have exhibited deformation or change in consistency. AFIK SF uses Buna O-rings on all their lights and that material is more than capable of withstanding most solvents. My favorite cleaning "tool"? Q-tips.

 

[tobrien]

The paper clip (or even just a small screw driver) for making contact is probably the easiest method. At least it should fire up both bulbs. Never had an issue yet with surefire O-rings and solvents so far. I use isopropyl alcohol as much as possible (it's cheap!) and than either MEK or Acetone for the hard to remove gunk. None of my O-rings have exhibited deformation or change in consistency. AFIK SF uses Buna O-rings on all their lights and that material is more than capable of withstanding most solvents. My favorite cleaning "tool"? Q-tips.

gotcha, thank you for the help! well, after cleaning off my A2's tail threads (I even had to run a toothpick tip along the route of the threads to get the good first bit of it out), it appears things are normal now! I haven't done extensive testing and I guess the next few days will tell, but this appears to have resolved the issue.

thanks guys for your help!