Zebralight H501W Switches Flaky?

[gwhite]

I just bought two of these, and I am really pleased with them. The even, wide beam with no hot spots and the very neutral color is perfect for my needs.

The one thing I can't figure out is the switching system. In theory (I believe), when you click on the button once, it goes to high. When you click again after a bit, it is supposed to shut off. Both of mine do this, but not always. Sometimes instead of shutting off completely, they go to the low setting. This is dim enough that it is very easy to think they've shut off, but instead, it's slowly running the battery down.

If I hit the switch a few times in quick succession, I can sometimes get it back into the proper on-off mode. I'm running them off of normal alkaline AA cells at the moment.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there something I'm missing or doing that gets them into this mode? I can probably live with double checking them to make sure they are truly off, but it's annoying.

 

[rookiedaddy]

The available mode:
When Off:
- click for high
- press for low (a longer version of click)
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high
- double-click to for med mode

When On (in high mode):
- click to off
- double-click for strobe mode
- double-click (in strobe mode) to go back to high

When On (in low mode):
- click to off
- double-click for high
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high

When On (in med mode):
- click to off
- double-click for high
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high

also not forgetting the lock-out tail-cap :thumbsup:

 

[Marduke]

If you "off click" is a bit to slow, it will be considered a "press" instead, which sends the light into ramping from low-high.

Try clicking the switch quicker.

 

[SilentK]

If you "off click" is a bit to slow, it will be considered a "press" instead, which sends the light into ramping from low-high.

Try clicking the switch quicker.

Yeah you need to get used to clicking kinda fast.

 

[gwhite]

Aha! That seems to be the trick. If I click it fast, I don't have a problem. If I "press" it once, just a little slower, it occasionally gets confused.

Thanks!

 

[dilbert]

It's a really neat interface since you can turn on High first or Low first depending on the length of your click. Once you get the faster clicks down you'll be all set.

 

[SilentK]

It's a really neat interface since you can turn on High first or Low first depending on the length of your click. Once you get the faster clicks down you'll be all set.

Yup, in a few days, you will have mastered the times. Anyway, i am surprised this had not been moved to headlamps already.....

 

[gwhite]

I actually bought them to use as flashlights, if that helps. :shrug:

 

[SilentK]

I actually bought them to use as flashlights, if that helps. :shrug:

Does not really matter. I use mina as a flashlight a lot more than a headlamp

 

[DM51]

Moving this to the Headlamps section...

 

[Woods Walker]

Here is a strange H501w switch issue or at least that is what I think. My H501w started to act like each press was a double click. One press would both turn on and turn off the light after I removed my finger from the clicky. Other times it would go to high with a fast click as is normal but then change to medium on it's own. Or if it stayed in high just a SINGLE click would make the headlamp go into flashing mode. Other times it would just go off after a few seconds or at the same time my finger was taken off the clicky. Checked the batteries (tried a few) and cleaned all contacts. But got to thinking that maybe the boot was applying pressure to the sensitive switch as is the case with leatherman flashlight sometimes. So grabbed the boot between my nails and stretched it out a bit without grabbing the switch. I didn't feel or see the boot move however after that the problems seemed to have stopped. Going to keep an on it however to see if it reoccurs as the issue was so bad the light was nearly unusable. Sometimes took 12 times before it would stay on with any reliability. But right now everything is fine and it is my most used camp headlamp. Pushed my H50 into my BOB.


http://www.reusablebags.com/store/bilt-29oz-fresco-stainlessblack-p-1338.html

 

[davidt1]

Switch on mine is good, but I would like to see a longer delay time between modes when press and hold. For me, it moves too quickly. Still, Zebralight needs to improve the switch, along with the clip, for their next light.

 

[kramer5150]

No problems with my H501... IMHO its a very easy to use and learn UI.

 

[Scott Packard]

Earlier, <rookiedaddy> posted the modes of his H501W:
The available mode:
When Off:
- click for high
- press for low (a longer version of click)
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high
- double-click to for med mode

When On (in high mode):
- click to off
- double-click for strobe mode
- double-click (in strobe mode) to go back to high

When On (in low mode):
- click to off
- double-click for high
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high

When On (in med mode):
- click to off
- double-click for high
- press and hold to cycle thru low, med, high


What mine has:
When on (in high mode)
- double-click cycles between either high or extra-high

When on (in med mode)
- double-click cycles between med and med-low

When on (in low mode)
- double-click cycles between low and an extra-low.

Further, (on low mode only)
- Whichever low I have chosen before I turn the light off,
if I press On again it comes on on that version of low.
(on med mode only)
- Whichever medium I have chosen before I turn the light off,
I can get back to through press-and-hold when I turn it back on

I like it!

 

[MojoLight]

Here is a strange H501w switch issue or at least that is what I think. My H501w started to act like each press was a double click. One press would both turn on and turn off the light after I removed my finger from the clicky. Other times it would go to high with a fast click as is normal but then change to medium on it's own. Or if it stayed in high just a SINGLE click would make the headlamp go into flashing mode. Other times it would just go off after a few seconds or at the same time my finger was taken off the clicky. Checked the batteries (tried a few) and cleaned all contacts. But got to thinking that maybe the boot was applying pressure to the sensitive switch as is the case with leatherman flashlight sometimes. So grabbed the boot between my nails and stretched it out a bit without grabbing the switch. I didn't feel or see the boot move however after that the problems seemed to have stopped. Going to keep an on it however to see if it reoccurs as the issue was so bad the light was nearly unusable. Sometimes took 12 times before it would stay on with any reliability. But right now everything is fine and it is my most used camp headlamp. Pushed my H50 into my BOB.

Sounds like exactly what my first h501 did but with a diminished high. It would work and then not...same deal going from high to medium as yours, also turning off immediately after comming on.

Sent mine back and the new one works fine... bettter keep an eye on yours for sure.

 

[wapkil]

What mine has:
When on (in high mode)
- double-click cycles between either high or extra-high

When on (in med mode)
- double-click cycles between med and med-low

When on (in low mode)
- double-click cycles between low and an extra-low.

Further, (on low mode only)
- Whichever low I have chosen before I turn the light off,
if I press On again it comes on on that version of low.
(on med mode only)
- Whichever medium I have chosen before I turn the light off,
I can get back to through press-and-hold when I turn it back on

I like it!

Interesting, looks like the interface in the H60. Do you have a H501 with this interface? I would prefer it also, when did you buy it?

 

[Scott Packard]

Interesting, looks like the interface in the H60. Do you have a H501 with this interface? I would prefer it also, when did you buy it?

Arrgh! Yes, I have the H60W instead of the H501W. I looked it up before I posted to make sure I wasn't wrong, but I was. The pics looked the same.