Finally got around to fixing my Ram tailcap switch for the minimag. I had a bunch of these that didn't work or were crooked when I got them. I guess I could've returned them to Fry's and gotten new ones, but I decided to open one up and see what was inside.
The easiest way to open one without damaging it is to take off the O-ring and screw it onto the body of a minimag light leaving about 1/16" gap between the body and tailcap. Then take a flat bladed screwdriver and slowly pry it up, the knurled portion of the cap will come off and the threaded portion can be unscrewed from the body. Once you it's opened, you have access to the switch mechanism inside. If your tailcap worked and was just crooked, you can just glue the top back on straight.
The actual switch mechanism is really good, I think it's probably better than the brinkmann, but the real problem is the ground contact where the switch contacts the body of the tailcap. There are two tabs coming from the switch that are supposed to press against the end of the tailcap, but I guess due to the manufacturing process, they don't always make good contact when the top is pressed down, and that is what causes the switch to malfunction. The best way to fix the problem is to remove all the epoxy from around the spring and take out the entire switch, then solder a ring of wire around the tabs that can press back into the threaded portion. That way the entire ring will make contact against the inside portion of the threads. But then it gets really messy when trying to epoxy the switch back into position. the easiest fix is just to take a screwdriver and pry the tabs to one side until it digs into the inside diameter of the threaded portion and kinda press down (hard to explain, but once you open it up you'll understand). Then check to make sure the switch is working, and superglue the top back on. Oh yeah, don't forget to put the red button back on before you glue the top back on. I usually screw the switch back onto the minimag before I press the top back on to make sure it sits square. The switch should work perfectly now.
The easiest way to open one without damaging it is to take off the O-ring and screw it onto the body of a minimag light leaving about 1/16" gap between the body and tailcap. Then take a flat bladed screwdriver and slowly pry it up, the knurled portion of the cap will come off and the threaded portion can be unscrewed from the body. Once you it's opened, you have access to the switch mechanism inside. If your tailcap worked and was just crooked, you can just glue the top back on straight.
The actual switch mechanism is really good, I think it's probably better than the brinkmann, but the real problem is the ground contact where the switch contacts the body of the tailcap. There are two tabs coming from the switch that are supposed to press against the end of the tailcap, but I guess due to the manufacturing process, they don't always make good contact when the top is pressed down, and that is what causes the switch to malfunction. The best way to fix the problem is to remove all the epoxy from around the spring and take out the entire switch, then solder a ring of wire around the tabs that can press back into the threaded portion. That way the entire ring will make contact against the inside portion of the threads. But then it gets really messy when trying to epoxy the switch back into position. the easiest fix is just to take a screwdriver and pry the tabs to one side until it digs into the inside diameter of the threaded portion and kinda press down (hard to explain, but once you open it up you'll understand). Then check to make sure the switch is working, and superglue the top back on. Oh yeah, don't forget to put the red button back on before you glue the top back on. I usually screw the switch back onto the minimag before I press the top back on to make sure it sits square. The switch should work perfectly now.
