What happened to my A2?

[Katdaddy]

In anticipation of the new Aviatrix coming I just had to go out in the yard and play with my A2 tonight. I took along the E2E also. The A2 is noticably dimmer than the E2??? I may be crazy, bit I remember the A2 being brighter the last time I compared not too long ago. I thought maybe the batteries are getting low so I popped in a new set. No change. Any ideas on what happened? Is my memory that bad, that the E2 was always brighter?

 

[jayhackett03]

maybe the E2's batteries were dead in the past, making the A2 brighter than it back then.

 

[leukos]

On fresh batteries, the E2e might be brighter for the first few minutes, but not significantly longer than that. I don't know beyond that :shrug:

 

[Patriot]

Isn't the A2 rated at 50 lumens and the E2e 60 lumens from Surefire? I think after 5 minutes or so the A2 is brighter because of regulation.

 

[greenLED]

Kat - try "double-tapping" the switch on your A2. If that makes the light brighter, it's possibly depleted batteries. What brand of batteries are you using? It used to be that BatteryStation brand wouldn't work properly in the A2.

Regardless of the results, make sure to clean all the contacts thoroughly; the A2 is very sensitive to increased resistance.

 

[sierracharlie]

What will work best to clean them? Pencil eraser? Sandpaper? Something chemical? What do you prefer?

 

[Katdaddy]

A little info on cleaning the contacts would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[benchmade_boy]

I just use achahol wipes on mine.

 

[js]

Cotton pipe cleaners work great to clean the spring contacts inside the LOTC, and a bit of old cotton T-shirt for everything else, or Q-tips--just make sure not to leave any fuzz.

But, Katdaddy, how many hours are on the MA02 lamp in your SF A2? The lamp DOES darken up over time. For me, I change my lamp once a year, and definitely notice a nice little increase when I install the new one.\

As for output, the A2 and E2e are comparable. The E2e is brighter for the first 3 or 4 minutes, then equal for a while, then towards the end, the A2 is brighter.

 

[Katdaddy]

Cotton pipe cleaners work great to clean the spring contacts inside the LOTC, and a bit of old cotton T-shirt for everything else, or Q-tips--just make sure not to leave any fuzz.

But, Katdaddy, how many hours are on the MA02 lamp in your SF A2? The lamp DOES darken up over time. For me, I change my lamp once a year, and definitely notice a nice little increase when I install the new one.\

As for output, the A2 and E2e are comparable. The E2e is brighter for the first 3 or 4 minutes, then equal for a while, then towards the end, the A2 is brighter.

Thanks for the reply. This light is only a couple of months old and has seen limited use. I have cleaned everything to the best of my ability and still very dim. Upon closer inspection it appears the bulb is dark. Is it possible I have a bad bulb or have done something to damage it?
I would swear that I compared the A2 and E2E when I first got the A2 and they were much closer in output; now the E2E blows the A2 away.

 

[Size15's]

If the bulb is discoloured stop using it. If the discolouration contains any blue or white then the bulb has certainly leaked.

I suggest you call SureFire and it is likely they will send you a replacement lamp assembly.

Al

 

[js]

What Al said. Definitely STOP using the lamp. It could explode and ruin your head and reflector. Not fun when that happens.

 

[Katdaddy]

If the bulb is discoloured stop using it. If the discolouration contains any blue or white then the bulb has certainly leaked.

I suggest you call SureFire and it is likely they will send you a replacement lamp assembly.

Al

I contacted SureFire and they ARE sending me a new lamp assembly. Thanks for your help everybody!

 

[Katdaddy]

I take it, given all the glowing reviews for the A2 that this is not normal for a bulb to die this soon. Could it be something that I did to cause this ?

 

[Size15's]

Unlikely. Sometimes bulbs just die.
Whilst it is possible for a bulb to leak as a result of abuse, it is far more likely that it was defective from birth.

When a bulb has performed for the first couple of hours use one can have confidence it will continue performing for the next 25-30 hours, and in most cases even longer.

Al