New A2 DOA

Hi,

I received a new A2 from a fellow CPF member today. Nothing would work - no LEDs, no incan. I also received a L2 (which works), so I swapped tailcaps. A2 still didn't work. Tightened the bezel (which was already tight). No luck. Swapped new batteries for more new batteries. Still didn't work.

It seems like some sort of contact is being made 'cause the batteries get nice and warm if I twist the A2's tailcap all the way on and wait a minute or so before taking off the tailcap and removing the batteries. Just absolutely no light.

The threads of the body closest to the bezel do have what appears to be an intentional flat spot up by the clip. However, from JS' pictures in his A2 opus (https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/107943), everything at that end looks like it should.

I wiped the threads on both ends of the body with an old shirt to try to clean them off, but they didn't look too bad to begin with. I haven't tried cleaning the threads with anything stronger. I don't have anything fancy ... just some isopropyl alcohol as well as Radio Shack tuner control cleaner & lubricant. Can I use either of these?

Any other suggestions other than sending the thing back to SF ... and waiting?

I hope you get a nice new A2 from surefire, good luck.

regards.

John.

Any other suggestions other than sending the thing back to SF ... and waiting?

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What about sending it back to the seller for a refund? Have you contacted the seller yet?

Gee that's too bad that you got stung like that. If the guy decided to unload his broken toys by selling them to you, chances aren't too good that he's going to be responsive about getting them fixed. Your best bet would probably be with SureFire right now. I guess they support beyond the original owner like the other companies do.

their is somthing funny going on, I just read Brighteyez post and then posted mine, but for some reason mine post has appeared before his.

very strange.

regards.

John.

their is somthing funny going on, I just read Brighteyez post and then posted mine, but for some reason mine post has appeared before his.

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The same thing happed with my post

Either I'm behind the times due to my advanced years, or you guys are just plain ahead of your time

TinderBox (UK) said:

their is somthing funny going on, I just read Brighteyez post and then posted mine, but for some reason mine post has appeared before his.

very strange.

regards.

John.

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meat said:

The same thing happed with my post

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if the seller does not respond this could deserve a jeer you know.

It could be a neat trick in the BST.

regards.

Have you tried to remove the lamp assembly and seeing if the LEDs will light ? I know with my A2 that if the lamp assembly's contact ring is too thick, nothing will light and a short will occur (i am using an after market assembly).

meat said:

What about sending it back to the seller for a refund? Have you contacted the seller yet?

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I've sent the seller a PM. I just wanted to know what else I could try, if anything.

The bezel may not be completely screwed on?

carrot said:

The bezel may not be completely screwed on?

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Short of using some pliers, I made sure it's screwed on tight.

wont probably work but its worth a shot, check if the led ring is screwed on nice and tight?

mark

This is a stupid question, but how do I remove the lamp assembly? The directions don't say anything and my search here didn't pull up anything other than saying to try using a screwdriver if the lamp didn't come out by gravity alone. Mine doesn't.

And before I do all that, I'll wait and see what response I get from my PM.

tsl said:

It seems like some sort of contact is being made 'cause the batteries get nice and warm if I twist the A2's tailcap all the way on and wait a minute or so before taking off the tailcap and removing the batteries. Just absolutely no light.

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might not want to do that too much...batteries getting warm and light not lighting up may indicate a short somewhere in the system...

shorting lithiums is the cause of

That's probably wise. Otherwise he might accuse you of causing the damage that made the light inoperable. If you didn't get a manual with the light, you might want to download a softcopy from Surefire before attempting any user-addressable repairs.

tsl said:

And before I do all that, I'll wait and see what response I get from my PM.

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Illum_the_nation said:

might not want to do that too much...batteries getting warm and light not lighting up may indicate a short somewhere in the system...

shorting lithiums is the cause of

Click to expand...

Yeah, I thought I'd read a thread in the last couple of months about a light that wouldn't light but the batteries got very hot, and the general consensus was a short. It might have even been a SF, but I couldn't find the thread.

My brand new A2 with White LEDs came DOA as well. I was about to post a "DOA" post myself.

Right out of the box no incan or LEDs lit up. I changed batteries, no luck. Then I wiped off the threads on both ends and tightened the bezel and the LEDs came on but no incan. I switched out the tailcap from my L2 (Same two stage tail end.) no luck. When I press harder for the high setting, the LEDs get slighty brighter, so switch is not the issue.

I called the vendor just to let them know one was DOA, just a heads up for them. They told me to contact Surefire.

Called SF and they are sending me out a new lamp assembly.

I suspected the bulb was the culprit, but the filament seems intact and no blackening is visible. However, upon closer inspection of the lens, I noticed a small circular spot. Tried wiping it off, but found out it was on the inside of the lens. SF tech thought maybe the gasses may have escaped out of the bulb.









I've had a red A2 bought from a different vendor before which worked flawlessly. I since gave it to my pilot brother for his birthday.

I'm hoping the new bulb is all that is wrong with my new A2. Maybe the copper tinted spot on the lens is a tall tell sign of the bulb leaking?

The LEDs appeared more purplish than white. My Arc AAA P is brighter and warmer in tint. I think it'll grow on me though.

dummys guide to removing the MA03 LA:

1. take a small needle nose plier and gently grab the cap like structure of the A2. (this is the small metal hat like shape that is resting on 4 plastic ends of the LA)

2. take a deep breath.

3. while pulling gently, twist the pliers in a clockwise/counter-clockwise motion. the LA should come off easily.

EV_007: those are some nice pics. it might be that the gas has leaked out, not sure but usually you would see some signs in the filament. yeah the leds are kinda bluish/purplish but its not really an issue.

mark