ultrafire c3 stainless problems? :(

[ClarkWGrizwald]

i recently got a KD tough and this ultrafire c3 stainless steel flashlight from kd. and the thing just doesnt work! i tried 5 different AA batteries and nothing. any suggestions? after waiting a month to get them im not too keen on returning it, thats if i even can. first time ive ever purchased from kd.

 

[edc3]

Sorry to hear about your D.O.A. C3. I bought one as a gift for a friend and I think it's a nice light.

Try removing the tailcap and shorting the negative end of the battery to the tube. If the light works this way, the switch may be dead.

Post if that works or not and maybe someone more knowledgeable can give you more ideas.

Good luck!

 

[Ecko]

I just got mine from DX the other day and it's a pretty nice light for the money.

I know what you're going through though because another light I received in the same order was DOA like yours.

When I took off the tail and let the spring touch the battery and the threads at the same time the light came on. So I know the switch is the problem. I stretched the spring so there is constant contact and the light is always on. So now I just loosen and tighten the head for on/off and consider the light a twisty instead of a clickie.

 

[ClarkWGrizwald]

great.i pulled a bit on the spring and it just came off. now its super hard to get the spring balanced on there with out it turning sideways or something. not to mention it still doesnt work. should i just throw it away and forget about returning it? this blows. i really liked this light. of course it never worked but i liked how it felt and looked. is there a way to fix this thing myself or at worse some modding i can do to fix it? how do you know if you have a dead led or not?

 

[ClarkWGrizwald]

im completly clueless about flashlights obviously. but the c3 head screws right on my fenix L2P. why doesnt it work? seems like it should.

 

[richardcpf]

It might be your board. Lot of damaged C3s thread are found here because of a simple drop, could have been during shipping. I dropped My UFC3 from <1m to the ground and it just stopped working..

Have you tried with 14500?

 

[ClarkWGrizwald]

/\ see thats what i was thinking, trying 14500. then i was inspecting it closely (dont know if they all come like this but mine had no packaging) and i think they sent me the q5 one by accident! it has a q5 written super tiny on it. doesnt that one just run off of 14500? its been a while back but im pretty sure i didnt order the q5 one specifically because it didnt take
AA. but id rather have a slighly brighter light that runs off batteries i dont have than a broke one that runs off AA! so about that spring in the tailcap, what can i do to repair it? how do i stick the spring back on there? there was some sort of adhesive used..


edit: also i was wondering if protected 14500 fit this as well as unprotected?

 

[kramer5150]

hold on... back up a little.:thumbsup:

Introducing another light body and more cell types into the mix only complicates your root-cause investigation. You need to try and isolate the faulty component. Disregard the fenix body, even though it may appear to fit the two were never designed to work together.

So.. re-assemblt the stainless light and load with a known GOOD cell (you should double check the cell voltage with a meter. use only a tested good cell.)


STEP 1) Do what the other member suggested first...
Remove the tail cap, and use a small wire segment and touch the "-" battery terminal to the flashlight body. What happens? Does it emit light consistently?

If it does emit then the problem is not in the head or head-to-body junction.

If it does not emit then there is a problem in the head of the light.

step 2) Use a digital multi meter and check the switch-cap for continuity. Touch one probe to the threads of the cap and the other probe to the spring. Click the switch on and off. A healthy switch should register consistent continuity when pressed on and consistent open circuit when off. Do you get such readings from your meter?

????????

To be continued....

:thumbsup:

I think its still worth your efforts to troubleshoot... and bone up on your root cause analysis skills. The possibility is high that you could run into the same problem with another light.

 

[RGB_LED]

It sounds like you may have gotten the Q5 14500 version of the light. I picked up several from DX hoping it would run on AA as well. No luck... but I do have 14500's so it didn't bother me too much.

Unfortunately, KD looks like they have conflicting info on their page for the Q5 SS light... Is it this link?

- Uses original CREE Q5 LED bulb
- Aluminum textured reflector
- Orange colored pre-lubed orings
- 5 mode rear reverse clicky?
- Stainless Steel
- (14500) Lux@1m: 2200, OverallLux: 4500, Lumens: 100
- (1.2V NIMH AA) Lux@1m: 2000, OverallLux: 4500, Lumens: 67
Features:
- Aluminum textured reflector
- Orange colored pre-lubed orings (qty:2)
- Single mode rear reverse clicky???
- Lux@1m: 2000, OverallLux: 4500, Lumens: 100
- Estimated runtime: ~ 1 hour+
- Power consumption: ~ 3 Watt on 14500 battery

I hope you get it sorted out... Does anyone have a stainless steel C3-Q5 that runs off an AA?