About the MiniMagLED, and battery-reversal damage . . . ?

I have and really like my MiniMagLED 2AA.

I have read here that if you insert the batteries backward, you WILL damage the LED or whatever else, and break the light.

Is this true?

If so, why is it true?

And why would it be true of this light but not others on the market?

I looked over all the stuff that came with the light and found NO WARNING about damage occurring to the light if batteries were put in backward. I don't recall seeing even any instructions about which direction they're supposed to go in the first place.

What's the story about MagLEDs and reversed batteries?


-Jeffrey

The end of the MiniMagLED module has a recessed area where th positive battery nipple makes contact. So if the batteries are inserted backwards, the negative end should never make contact and that would protect the module. I'm not sure if there is any other protection or if the module would be damaged if it does make contact.

It would be practically impossible to accidentally put BOTH cells in backwards. Even if one was put in backwards, 1.5V + -1.5V = 0V, e.g. no damage possible. You probably deserve to damage a MagLED if you manage to put both cells in backwards.

But that's beside the point. What if an uninformed, non-flashaholic bought the miniMagLED, found (as I believe there are) NO instructions or diagrams about battery insertion direction, and put them in wrong.

Have I or have I not read that attempting to use the miniMagLED with the batteries reversed will damage the unit? And if so, why?

The LED should be OK. A Light Emitting Diode only works with the voltage travelling one way, you need a huge amount of voltage to cause it to arc the other way ( I remember a couple of 1.5v red LEDs I got to arc with a 120v supply, don't ask me why, I was only 14 at the time)

If the driver of the module is a bit delicate, sending a reverse voltage might harm it, but I wouldn't imagine that Maglite would be using that sort of kit.

That said, however, I don't have any practical experience of the MiniMagled, I have tried a reverse voltage on a Terralux DB3 with new batteries, and that has no ill effects whatsoever.