FreeLight Spartanian switch

I have the FreeLight Spartanian LED flashlight from BatteryJunction.com:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/spartanian.html

I like this very bright compact flashlight except that the low power setting is too low and the rear clickie switch is very difficult to press. It requires much more force to press in than my other flashlight. Is there any way to make it easier to click-in or can one buy another switch for it that is easier to use?

CheviotMike
http://mstecker.com

If you can find a different replacement rubber diaphragm then it should be easeir to press, it's really thick.

Hello 65535 and others:
Thanks for your advice. I have never altered a flashlight before, so how does one safely remove the thick rubber switch cover and replace it with a more flexible one? Could I cut the rubber covering off the rear clicky switch with an Xacto knife? I do not need the waterproofing as I do not plan on getting the light wet. If the rubber is cut off would the clicky operate OK and require less pressure to turn on and off?

CheviotMike
http://mstecker.com

[warning: no grammer is used in the following sentence]

turn the switch in till it becomes what you like it to be.

You can order a D-Mini tailcap with a two-stage switch from Lumapower. That's compatible with Spartanian and is easy to press.

Hello Martonic:
Thanks for the tip regarding exchanging the FreeLight Spartanian rear tailcap switch for the one made for the LumaPower D-mini. I went to the Lumapower website and clicked on D-mini and found the following:

D-Mini optional parts update : 27-Feb-2007

New 2-stages module is now ready to ship.
It is a Lo-Hi-Off bias, with housing as the singal-stage does (not a PCBA).

Cost : USD8.5 (free ship)

Best rgds.

Is this the switch you are talking about? If so how does one order one? The "Ordering" link on the Lumapower website does not seem to work.

CheviotMike
http://mstecker.com

Hey Mike! That's the right switch, but you also need the tailcap.

You can write to Ricky (Lumapower Dude) at rickytsang23 (at) hotmail.com and ask for a quote on both together.

Then, make your payment using Paypal to sales (at) lumapower.com.

Enjoy!

Hi Martonic:
I am confused. Do I need to do some assembly like soldering in order to replace the FreeLight Spatanian rear tailcap/switch assembly with that of the Lumapower D-mini? Also how does one order an item from Lumapower? Their "Order" link is not active.

CheviotMike
http://mstecker.com

Mike - all you really need is a softer pushbutton. Unfortunately, however, the Lumapower pushbutton does not fit in the Spartanian tailcap - it falls through. There are probably ways to seat it, or other sources of good pushbuttons. But I don't know what those are.

A very simple solution is to get an entire tailcap/pushbutton assembly from Lumapower, including their own two-stage switch that fits perfectly in that tailcap. This can simply be screwed onto the end of the Spartanian, replacing the original tailcap, and you're done.

To do that, you need to write an email to Ricky, tell him you want a black D-Mini tailcap with GID pushbutton and two-stage switch pre-installed, and ask how much that will cost. My guess is $18 to $28, somewhere in that range, shipping included.

Then, send your payment to sales (at) lumapower.com using Paypal, and include a note to explain what you are paying for.

Many of us here on CPF have made numerous Lumapower purchases using this method, and they are extremely reliable.

There may be other, cheaper solutions, but this is dead easy and works fine.

If you want to do it cheaply, just order a Lumapower pushbutton and figure out a way to make it stay in place. Maybe you can glue it to a couple of perfectly-sized washers, one on each side. Sometimes a bit of tinkering is worth the effort - you save money and gain satisfaction for a job well done.

Have fun and good luck with your torch improvements!

To remove the internals including the rubber boot, take a small screwdriver that fits in the hole on the aluminum retaining ring, and use that to carefully unscrew the ring, you can now just dump the switch out, make sure you remember what goes where, and you can just get new rubber or try to sand grind, or cut down the old one, the problem is it is very thick on the edge walls, makign it rather rigid. If you don't want to open it yourself send it to me, and I can do it for Shipping.

A pair of sharp angled tweezers (like a splinter-puller) works great to take apart most tailcaps or reassemble them.

This forum is great! Thanks to all for your help. I ordered the complete rear assembly of the tailcap (black) and switch for the D-mini to replace the one from my FreeLight Spartanian flashlight. Ricky from Lumapower was very helpful and says the complete unit is $15 (including shipping). He also said thy plan on adding a direct link to their webpage to make ordering easier.

CheviotMike
http://mstecker.com