Arc LS battery problem & solution

I got my ARC LS today and love it. All the battery compartments worked fine until a few minutes ago.

The nipple in the bottom of the 2 AA tube dented in my NIMH AA battery so far that it will no longer work in the LS.

I did not drop or overtorque it so maybe my rayovac batts are just cheap? I also noticed when using the 123A tube that the battery gets twisted pretty good & the label drags on the bottom of the tube.

My solution to both of these issues was to put my 2AA minimag spring in the bottom whichever battery tube I'm using. It works great! And it keeps the batteries from twising so much & ruining the foam ring in the LS head.

Peter, I think it would be a good idea to incorperate some kind of spring in the battery tubes to prevent this problem. It absorbs enough shock and pressure to keep the battery from getting crushed & makes for better on/off operation. I just need to find a spring that fits perfectly in the bottom, then I can hold it in place permenantly with an o-ring. I am very happy with this light and will not give it back! I just wanted to offer this suggestion since this seems like it will be the same design as the "ARC LS firsts".

Yes, this is a very good idea. I like the spring on the bottom and the foam retainer on the top as a simple solution....for the time being. This is easier on batteries and also easier on the LS head contact point. Maybe I'll take out the spring from my mini mag now...

Since the mini-mag spring put in the 2 AA battery tube just falls out when you change the batteries, I expanded the bottom of the coil on the spring so it's just a little bigger than the diameter of the 2 AA battery compartment. A perfect fit, now when I change batteries it stays in it's place at the bottom of the tube.

I just came across this old thread. What a great idea Sean! Works like a charm! I have also crushed a couple of batteries in the past. I had replaced the new thin retainer with the old thick one due to battery rattle but when I began to use NiMH's it came back to a smaller degree in the 2 AA pack due to their shorter length.Now that's gone too.Thanks!

Now about my MiniMag...

Ahh yes, I still use the spring in my 2AA pack to this day. Without it, my new LS1 rev2 wouldn't even light up w/2AA rechargeables. I don't know if newer 2AA packs are still like this. I know the 123 packs no longer need the spring, thanks to the new design.