Problem with SL Survivior LED & my solution. Update: SL has a fix for these

decided to start a separate thread for others to discuss and post problems/lack of problems with the Streamlight Survivor LED. Not that there are that many, since I think the problem below is the only issue so far.



Good and bad news. I got my light today, but a vertical shake towards the head causes it to go off. I have a 17.56 MB video here of how it acts when shaken vertically. The lady at BrightGuy asked if I had heard if there were any problems with the light going out when shaken since they had this happen with one of their customer's lights. I mentioned I had not- until I received mine.:ironic:

I'm not really that worried about it, since I believe I can fix it. I think I know exactly what the problem is. The batteries in the carrier are a loose fit on the ends, i.e. they slide along their length about 2mm or so.



When the light is shaken vertically the weight of the batteries is compressing the contact springs inside the light which opens the circuit. Since the light is microprocessor controlled, any complete loss of voltage causes the light to go off and remain off until turned back on.

I can't believe they didn't put springs in the carrier- seems like a no brainer to me.

I will solder my own springs in the carrier or something similar to remedy the problem. Or maybe add a foam washers inside the other end of the carrier to keep the batteries tight against the contacts pictured below. On second thought, foam washers won't work because of the 2 halves of the carrier. Maybe instead of springs, I will solder a loop of 12 ga. copper wire to each contact.



I sure hope Streamlight takes care of this problem, I can't imagine being a firefighter and having a light go out on you because you jolted it and constantly having to turn it back on. Of course, this may be a non issue for them since they will most likely be using the rechargeable packs.

Don't get me wrong here, I absolutely love this light!! This is just something that needs fixed and can be easily done so IMO.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & solution.

I fixed it! No matter how much I shake it, it won't turn off.


This photo is of the two pieces of 12ga wire I bent into shape and placed on the back side of the contact plate that goes in battery carrier. (Setting on battery carrier for photo.)



This photo is after soldering the pieces onto the back side of the contact.



This is after installing the contact plate back into the carrier.



And with the batteries installed- no more gap.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

The serial number of mine is 012681 in case anyone wants to know for comparison.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Nice fix. That you'd need to make it surprises me, 'cause Streamlight stuff is usually pretty solid.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

srvctec said:

The serial number of mine is 012681 in case anyone wants to know for comparison.

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Mine is 012686.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Lite_me said:

Mine is 012686.

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So, does yours work OK? Is there any gap between the battery and ends of carrier? Take out the carrier with batteries installed and shake it, if the batteries slide end to end, then there is a gap and the light *could* potentially turn off when shaken, until/unless Streamlight fixes this either by putting springs on the contacts in the carrier or increasing the spring tension of the springs on the circuit board inside the light considerably.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

srvctec said:

So, does yours work OK? Is there any gap between the battery and ends of carrier? Take out the carrier with batteries installed and shake it, if the batteries slide end to end, then there is a gap and the light *could* potentially turn off when shaken, until/unless Streamlight fixes this either by putting springs on the contacts in the carrier or increasing the spring tension of the springs on the circuit board inside the light considerably.

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Yes, mine has the gap and will turn Off when shaken vertically. A little stronger springs inside the light may_ cure this, but adding small springs in the the carrier might be best. So long as it doesn't make battery insertion difficult. The way it's designed now, if you added springs, the batteries could try to pop out/up while trying to put the two halves together. That wouldn't be good. Streamlight may have left the excess gap in there to facilitate the tolerances of different brands of batteries, past, present and future. It still seems like springs would have been better though.

For now, I don't think I'll mess with mine. I think that it would be a rare occurrence to have it get knocked Off. If you dropped it, it would probably go Off, that might be a problem at times. But I don't foresee using it in a life or death situation. At least I hope not. I lead a pretty simple life.
Appreciate you bringing this to our attention though. :goodjob:

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Lite_me said:

For now, I don't think I'll mess with mine. I think that it would be a rare occurrence to have it get knocked Off. If you dropped it, it would probably go Off, that might be a problem at times. But I don't foresee using it in a life or death situation. At least I hope not. I lead a pretty simple life.

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I won't be in any life or death situations either, it just bugs me like crazy when something doesn't work as expected and the "fix-it" built into me takes over and just has to make it right- even on brand new stuff. Of course, fixing electronic epuipment for a living probably has something to do with it.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Guys, sorry about jumping into the middle of this, but this sounds like something that Streamlight should deal with. Even if your butts aren't on the line, such a defect could endanger someone who did buy this light for use in their work (and believe it or not, some public safety employees don't even check some of their new equipment before using it on the job.)

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Brighteyez said:

Guys, sorry about jumping into the middle of this, but this sounds like something that Streamlight should deal with. Even if your butts aren't on the line, such a defect could endanger someone who did buy this light for use in their work (and believe it or not, some public safety employees don't even check some of their new equipment before using it on the job.)

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I agree totally! Streamlight should do something about this. I sent an email off to them Friday night with a link to this thread- I don't know if they'll check it out or not. It seems like such a simple fix (I mean springs added to the contacts in the battery carrier), I don't know how they could have missed this issue in the development of this light. I guess they just didn't test it rigorously enough.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

If you had a Streamlight warranty repair station nearby, you probably could have taken it there. And I wouldn't make any kind of presumptions or conclusions based upon what may be posted on this site, nor even suggest a cure for the issue. If it's a broad issue they need to be made aware, but don't go calling it wide-spread just because you think it is based upon what you gathered from a web site. And certainly avoid such half-baked remarks as "I guess they just didn't test it rigorously enough."; you have no clue and would just be exposing yourself as such with a stupid remark like that.

It could be anything from a fairly limited issue, to something like a bad batch of battery holders, to something even more widespread like a design oversight. I guess what I"m trying to say is to give them a chance to fix it for you rather than passing judgement and second-guessing their design.

srvctec said:

I agree totally! Streamlight should do something about this. I sent an email off to them Friday night with a link to this thread- I don't know if they'll check it out or not. It seems like such a simple fix (I mean springs added to the contacts in the battery carrier), I don't know how they could have missed this issue in the development of this light. I guess they just didn't test it rigorously enough.

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Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Brighteyez said:

If you had a Streamlight warranty repair station nearby, you probably could have taken it there.

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Nope, don't have one.

And I wouldn't make any kind of presumptions or conclusions based upon what may be posted on this site, nor even suggest a cure for the issue. If it's a broad issue they need to be made aware, but don't go calling it wide-spread just because you think it is based upon what you gathered from a web site.

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Who's calling it widespread? I never said it was widespread- those are your words, just so everyone is clear on that. And I never gathered any info from any website- I have the light in hand not working properly- didn't need to find this out from any website. As a matter of fact, if you read my first post, Tina from Brightguy brought this to my attention, since they had this issue come up with some other customers. This is why I first tested my light to see if it would go out when shaken.

And certainly avoid such half-baked remarks as "I guess they just didn't test it rigorously enough."; you have no clue and would just be exposing yourself as such with a stupid remark like that.

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Well, okey dokey then!! Sorry I made such a stupid remark

It could be anything from a fairly limited issue, to something like a bad batch of battery holders, to something even more widespread like a design oversight. I guess what I"m trying to say is to give them a chance to fix it for you rather than passing judgement and second-guessing their design.

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Well, as far as a bad batch, I don't see how a mold (used to form the plastic battery carriers) can be off around 2 mm on both halves- common sense tells me this is highly unlikely, but (adding a disclaimer here, so you jump all over me for that statement) I'm not a manufacturer of plastic parts, so what do I know.

Furthermore, there may be lots of other people considering buying this light, and if the issue is widespread, may want to hold off on buying one until a remedy is made. Just trying to let everyone know of the issue I had and what I did to fix it- no need to jump all over me for it.:huh: GEEZ!

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

My Survivor also has the same problem. When I shake the light the light goes out.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Lite_me said:

srvctec said:

The serial number of mine is 012681 in case anyone wants to know for comparison.

Click to expand...

Mine is 012686.

Click to expand...

Mine is 012689.

Does anyone have a blue tint to their light? When shining the light against a light purple wall, it will make the wall look light blue. My UK eLED is white.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

The only service center in Kansas appears to be in Lenexa, so that would probably be a bit of a stretch for you, and there's no guarantee that they work on those lights, so they may not be able to supply the parts.

Insofar as a bad batch, the sad truth is that many companies do have to rely on Chinese manufacturing for some of their parts and the QC may get lost in the translation. Just explain to the problem you're having and where you suspect the problem to be originating from. Streamlight is generally pretty responsive to their customers (and even to people who inherit or buy those lights second hand.)

srvctec said:

Nope, don't have one.



Well, as far as a bad batch, I don't see how a mold (used to form the plastic battery carriers) can be off around 2 mm on both halves- common sense tells me this is highly unlikely, but (adding a disclaimer here, so you jump all over me for that statement) I'm not a manufacturer of plastic parts, so what do I know.

Click to expand...

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

FNG said:

Mine is 012689.

Does anyone have a blue tint to their light? When shining the light against a light purple wall, it will make the wall look light blue. My UK eLED is white.

Click to expand...

Mine has an ever-so-slightly green tint to it, but only noticeable when comparing to my whitest LED lights, my JetBeam I and LiteFlux LF1. By itself, my Survivor LED tint looks fine for all practical purposes.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Brighteyez said:

you have no clue and would just be exposing yourself as such with a stupid remark like that.

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Brighteyez, the posting without thought of the feelings of your fellow posters is becoming far to common with your posts. It's obvious that you have something to offer CPF, and with proper consideration we could come out ahead with your words. When laced with disrespect, they lose their value.

Your posting privileges are suspended for a period of seven days. A good use of those days would be to review your past postings from an outside perspective, and imagine how it must affect those to whom they've been directed.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

FNG said:

Mine is 012689.

Does anyone have a blue tint to their light? When shining the light against a light purple wall, it will make the wall look light blue. My UK eLED is white.

Click to expand...

srvctec said:

Mine has an ever-so-slightly green tint to it, but only noticeable when comparing to my whitest LED lights, my JetBeam I and LiteFlux LF1. By itself, my Survivor LED tint looks fine for all practical purposes.

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Mine is green in tint, but I don't think I'd call it "ever-so-slightly". It is the greenist tint of any light I own. In fact, I always thought one of my SL PP 4AA Luxeon's had a green tint, but when compared to the Survivor, it looks slightly pink. Weird. It's really only an issue (tint) when compared one on one. In actual use, they all perform seemingly pretty much the same. Just look at what you're lighting up, not at the beam. The human eye can distinguish millions of shades of colors. In this particular situation, it appears to be detrimental.
.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

Got an email from Charlie Craft at Streamlight today. He said they were aware of the problem and have a fix in the works. The springs in the light on the circuit board will be longer and stiffer to eliminate the problem. They discussed springs in the carrier, but decided there wasn't room to do it right. He also said the "excessive" clearance in the alkaline battery case is required to allow cells made to the ANSI maximum tolerance to fit.

They are waiting on the replacement springs and are suspending shipments on the lights until all are fixed. This problem only happens on the alkaline battery packs and not the rechargeable packs.

Re: Problem with SL Survivior LED & possible solution.

That's good news, srvctec. Did they mention whether they will upgrade lights that have already been purchased? (And will they also make the low mode really low? :candle: ) I'm thinking that I might, just might, need to return mine to BrightGuy...